To exonerate B. H. Roberts is one thing, but did Joseph Smith have access to Ethan Smith's View of the Hebrews and, even if he did, would this mean that Joseph Smith was the author of the Book of Mormon, as Decker and Hunt maintain?

View of the Hebrews was first published in 1823 and a second edition in 1825. This was during the time Joseph Smith received annual visits from the Angel Moroni, but before he received the plates in 1827. The first edition of View of the Hebrews was published seven years before the Book of Mormon. Some writers feel that Joseph Smith could have been influenced by the book and they point out such parallels as:

1. Both books claim that some of the American Indians descended from Hebrews.

2. Savage tribes destroyed their civilized brethren in a final battle.

3. In both accounts, sacred records, handed down from generation to generation, were buried in a hill and handed down later.

4. Both books identify American Indians as the tribe of Joseph.

5. Both books inform Americans that they should convert the Indians to their Hebraic scriptural heritage.

Students of the Book of Mormon would agree that the parallels are generally true with slight modification as far as the Book of Mormon is concerned. Roberts pointed out other parallels such as lost books, Urim and Thummim, and the many Isaiah quotes.

Some LDS views are as follows: There is no evidence that the LDS founder had seen View of the Hebrews and we have already pointed out that Fawn Brodie admitted "It may never be proved that Joseph Smith [had access to the Ethan Smith work]." Geographically it was of course possible that the Ethan Smith work could have been available to Joseph Smith. It would certainly have been normal for Joseph Smith to have read it had he heard about it. In fact in 1842 the LDS newspaper made an allusion to Ethan Smith as support for the validity of the Book of Mormon (Times and Seasons, June 11, 1842, pp. 813-814).

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The authors of The God Makers have ignored the facts in connection with parallels between the Book of Mormon and View of the Hebrews.