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Karl C. Sandberg

Examined Joseph Smith’s use of translation, religious creativity, and the authority of the Book of Abraham.

literature · religious studies

Degree
PhD, French and Humanities, University of Wisconsin
1
He received a PhD in French and Humanities from the University of Wisconsin in 1960.

In Memoriam — Karl Christian Sandberg

Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought · as of

Original · Archived

Affiliation
DeWitt Wallace Professor of French and Humanities, Macalester College (1968–1992)
2
Established by alumni, colleagues and friends in memory of Dr. Karl Sandberg, DeWitt Wallace Professor of French and Humanities from 1968-1992.

Karl C. Sandberg Prize — Macalester College

Macalester College · as of

Original · Archived

Positions

What is the relationship between the Joseph Smith Papyri and the Book of Abraham?

Catalyst theory

Sandberg proposes that Smith’s translation should be understood as seership: objects and symbols prompted religious insight rather than a conventional rendering of one language into another. He reads the Book of Abraham as an expression of Smith’s developing theology and argues that its authority depends on the religious value of its contents and their reception in readers’ experience.

The production of the book involves symbols that moved Joseph’s mind to a vastly greater cosmic context.

Section III, paragraph beginning “Let us explore the latter possibility,” p. 30 · Original · Archived

Corrections