Sidney B. Sperry
Encyclopedia
Sidney Branton Sperry was one of three scholars who were members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who began the scholarly and systematic study of the Book of Mormon
in the mid-20th century — the other two being John L. Sorenson
and Hugh W. Nibley. Sperry was also a leading Latter-day Saint scholar of the Bible
.
Sperry was born in Salt Lake City, Utah Territory
.
In 1917, Sperry graduated from the University of Utah
with a B.S. in Chemistry
. For the next two years he worked for the United States Bureau of Metallurgical Research. Sperry then served as a Mormon missionary
in the Southern States Mission
of the LDS Church from 1919 to 1921. He was for much of this time president of the South Carolina
District
of the church. In September 1921, Sperry married Eva Lila Braithwaite. They eventually had eight children.
After returning from his mission, Sperry began work as a seminary and institute
instructor for the Church Educational System
of the LDS Church. He received an MA
from the University of Chicago
Divinity School in 1926 and a Ph.D.
from that university's Oriental Language and Literatures Department in 1931. He then did a year of post-doctoral research in archeology at the American School of Oriental Research.
In 1932, Sperry joined the faculty of Brigham Young University
. In May 1962, he was given the Karl G. Maeser
Distinguished Teaching Award. He retired in 1971.
Among his books were Our Book of Mormon (1947), The Book of Mormon Testified (1952) and Book of Mormon Compendium (1968). In 1960, Sperry's Doctrine and Covenants Compendium was published. He also wrote "Problems of the Book of Mormon" in 1964, which was later published again as "Answers to Book of Mormon Questions" in 1967 with some additions.
He is credited in Mormon circles for giving the passages in 2 Nephi chapter 4 the popular name "The Psalm of Nephi" in his book Our Book of Mormon.
Book of Mormon
The Book of Mormon is a sacred text of the Latter Day Saint movement that adherents believe contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the American continent from approximately 2600 BC to AD 421. It was first published in March 1830 by Joseph Smith, Jr...
in the mid-20th century — the other two being John L. Sorenson
John L. Sorenson
John L. Sorenson is an emeritus professor of anthropology at Brigham Young University and the author of An Ancient American Setting for the Book of Mormon as well as many other books and articles on the Book of Mormon and archaeology.Sorenson first did archaeological work in Mesoamerica while...
and Hugh W. Nibley. Sperry was also a leading Latter-day Saint scholar of the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
.
Sperry was born in Salt Lake City, Utah Territory
Utah Territory
The Territory of Utah was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from September 9, 1850, until January 4, 1896, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Utah....
.
In 1917, Sperry graduated from the University of Utah
University of Utah
The University of Utah, also known as the U or the U of U, is a public, coeducational research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The university was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret, making it Utah's oldest...
with a B.S. in Chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
. For the next two years he worked for the United States Bureau of Metallurgical Research. Sperry then served as a Mormon missionary
Mormon missionary
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is one of the most active modern practitioners of missionary work, with over 52,000 full-time missionaries worldwide, as of the end of 2010...
in the Southern States Mission
Mission (LDS Church)
A mission of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a geographical administrative area to which church missionaries are assigned. Almost all areas of the world are within the boundaries of an LDS Church mission, whether or not Mormon missionaries live or proselytize in the area...
of the LDS Church from 1919 to 1921. He was for much of this time president of the South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
District
District (LDS Church)
A district of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a geographical administrative unit composed of a number of congregations called branches. A district is a subdivision of a mission of the church and in many ways is analogous to a stake of the church. The leader of a district is the...
of the church. In September 1921, Sperry married Eva Lila Braithwaite. They eventually had eight children.
After returning from his mission, Sperry began work as a seminary and institute
Institute of Religion
Institutes of Religion provide religious educational classes for young single adult and university students who belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
instructor for the Church Educational System
Church Educational System
The Church Educational System of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints consists of several institutions that provide religious and secular education for both Latter-day Saint and non-Latter-day Saint elementary, secondary, and post-secondary students and adult learners...
of the LDS Church. He received an MA
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
from the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
Divinity School in 1926 and a Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
from that university's Oriental Language and Literatures Department in 1931. He then did a year of post-doctoral research in archeology at the American School of Oriental Research.
In 1932, Sperry joined the faculty of Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
. In May 1962, he was given the Karl G. Maeser
Karl G. Maeser
-Brigham Young Academy:When Maeser arrived at Brigham Young Academy in 1876 it was dying. Enrollment had declined since Warren N. Dusenberry had started the school a few months before. There were only 29 students at the time of Maeser's arrival....
Distinguished Teaching Award. He retired in 1971.
Among his books were Our Book of Mormon (1947), The Book of Mormon Testified (1952) and Book of Mormon Compendium (1968). In 1960, Sperry's Doctrine and Covenants Compendium was published. He also wrote "Problems of the Book of Mormon" in 1964, which was later published again as "Answers to Book of Mormon Questions" in 1967 with some additions.
He is credited in Mormon circles for giving the passages in 2 Nephi chapter 4 the popular name "The Psalm of Nephi" in his book Our Book of Mormon.