Book Review: The Aeneid of Virgil

The Aeneid of Virgil
Patricia Johnston trans.
Oklahoma University Press
24.95 paperback
978-0-8061-4205-0

Particia Johnston’s translation of The Aeneid seeks to recapture the majesty and beauty of Virgil’s epic poem. She sought to replace the Shakespearean meter with that used by ancient poets. And she used plain language in her prose. In every case she succeeded.

No translation can properly convey all of the beauty from the original but this does a good job. In addition to the beauty of the prose, the author included a substantial introduction covering the other works of Virgil, his cultural milieu, and an explanation of dactylic hexameter. The text included footnotes for obscure terms and a glossary of names at the end.

The poem itself infused the founding of Rome with Greek mythology. The hero Aeneas, escapes the fall of Troy. He travelled with his band to Carthage and eventually Rome. Outside of the Roman attempt to borrow and build upon Greek culture, the Roman writer infused the work with their values. This includes service to the state. In many instances an individual’s passion made them commit foolish acts. In response they were supposed to do their duty. Aeneas left his love at Carthage to fulfill his destiny at Rome. In contrast, Dido abandoned her commitment to her people and passionately killed herself. In the chaos during the sacking of Troy, Aeneas wanted to satisfy his lust for vengeance. Yet the intervention of a god opened his eyes to the hiding place of his family and reminded him of his duty.

This also extended to a concept called “Heroic Fury”. This is the tendency of individual warriors to seek glory at the expense of their duty and larger picture. Priam, the ruler of Troy, witnessed his son’s death, and despite his advanced age, donned his army and attempted to fight his son’s killer. Priam then died an ingloriously. The Latin hero, Turnus, infiltrated the settlement of Aeneas. But instead of opening the gates for his comrades which would have ensured victory, he pursued individual glory.

The poem is not only a classic of Western literature, but has personal value. We all face our journey in life. As educated individuals with the ability to read we have the chance to drink deeply from the collected wisdom and ideas of past ages. This helps us rebuild after the fall of our Troy’s and helps us appreciate and understand the emotions which drive us and conflict with our duty. I can heartily recommend Patricia Johnston’s translation of the Aenied.

Book Review: Book of Mormon Evidences

The Little Book of Book of Mormon Evidences
John Hilton III
Deseret Book
Nonfiction
2007
90 pages
978-1-59038-850-1
8.99

[Cross posted at the Association for Mormon Letters]

          John Hilton III has a solid record of publishing a variety of books that appeal to a wide audience. He builds upon his experience as a teacher at EFY and other places to present evidence which would support and reinforce a member’s testimony (6,8). Within the medium he chose, and with his intended audience in mind, John Hilton succeeded.

          The book earns the name “little,” with seven chapters and a short introduction and conclusion. It contained almost the same dimensions as the old white handbook used by missionaries. The chapters briefly explain wordprint studies, the lasting testimony of the witnesses, the timeline of the translation, Hebraisms, chiasmus, and various cultural, historical, or linguistic “aha” moments. Each chapter includes a short personal story or example to entice the reader and then explains the detail for a lay audience.

          For example, the first chapter described how federal officials captured the Unabomber using word print studies. He then says:

My grandfather first got into wordprint studies when he joined a group of scientists, several of whom were not Latter Day Saints, to do a test on the Book of Mormon. Because some people argued that Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery wrote it, the researchers wanted to compare their word prints with those of the Book of Mormon. If their wordprints were different from the wordprints of the Book of Mormon, that difference would show they did not write it.

          This approach illustrated both the positives and negatives of the book. Most members of the church who don’t study FARMS or read academic journals would appreciate his nonthreatening and simple approach. It only took this author about 30 minutes to read the entire book, and each chapter includes several easy to find resources for further reading. Those friendly to the church and familiar with the research may find the simplistic approach annoying or trite and certainly not worth their time. Critics of the church may not appreciate the rather simplistic repetition of their arguments. Neither side will find new arguments in the book. This writer found his research rather light, and in some cases, such as citing fairwiki or Jeff Lindsey’s website, weak.

          Yet these criticisms are rather minor if you recall the intent of the book. Additional material would likely transform the “little book” into simply “the book”. This would increase its price and make it less useful as an introductory text. Moreover, the extensive research and numerous citations would transform the book into one less likely to attract newcomers. And an EFY speaker and faithfully adherent to the truth claims of the Church of Jesus Christ is unlikely to expound upon critics’ arguments but only present enough to frame the reason for his evidence. This book is a good addition to a Latter Day Saints library as a very short primer designed for members of the church unfamiliar with apologetic arguments.

Expanding Your Warfare Library

I'm pleased to announce, or re announce, several books dedicated to a military study of The Book of Mormon. If you like this blog you should enjoy these books:

Warfare in The Book of Mormon:

This is a classic text from over 20 years ago. As with many collected volumes from FARMS, it is a who's who of writers from the Mormon community. The articles by Brent Merrill on Nephite captains and Hugh Nibley's Clausewitz piece inspired two of my chapters. This is available for free at the Maxwell institute, which certainly beats the 40.00-300.00 dollar prices on Amazon.

Wars and Rumors of War: Understanding Mormon's Metaphor:

Written by Brian Steed, a former military officer, this book is actually an abridged version of a much longer tome. I had the honor of an advance review of the book. He admits that much of his material is educated guessing, but his guesses are the result of more thought than many that I've seen. The book is 24.95 for the paperback version and I haven't seen any critical feedback or indications of the traction it has received in the wider community.

The Nephite Art of War:

This is by John Kammeyer. Again, I had the honor of an advanced copy of the book. (Having the only blog on the subject certainly delivers special benefits.) The book has a great discussion of political science and Old World connections. It is 5.99 on Ebook.

All the Arts of War: Ancient Warfare and Modern Lessons from The Book of Mormon:

I hope you save room in your library for my book. I was saving this for another post but I'm in discussion with a publisher and recommend edits for my manuscript should arrive any day. (I would name the publisher but I haven't signed an agreement and don't know the protocol.) The table of contents, so far, largely remains the same. And I haven't reached the cover art or price phase. I generally write in a terse style and wanted my book to be affordable, that is, less than 20.00 dollars and hopefully in the 15.00 dollar range. I wrote a short enough book to reach that goal, but I don't know a great deal about publishing so I will likely defer to the editors. If you enjoy book reviews and have a faithful following I hope you would consider reviewing this book for your blog or other outlet.

Now every parent thinks their child is the cutest. With that disclaimer in mind every historian has to justify the reason for his or her research. Thus, I think my book offers several advantages. Since I've read the other three I know that mine offers unique topics. I discuss a pertinent political topic in pre-emptive war. I have a strong background in Chinese military history and military theory which are reflected in the book.

I am also the only academically trained military historian. (Both authors have several degrees but they are in other fields.) This increases the methodological control of my comparisons. It helps me identify gaps in the field and how my book fills them.  It reinforces the need to have a superior grasp of pertinent secondary literature in Book of Mormon studies. A short time ago I discussed the concept of an insurgent medium. The two most recent books are self published and mine is going through a publisher. It doesn't mean that self published books are junk, but I think an editor and a respected press make a critical difference in increasing quality of my book and the traction it will receive in the academic and wider community.

Stay tuned for more updates and thanks for reading.

Update 4/28: I went to Deseret Book today and found Defenders of the Faith. The book is from an Iraq War Veteran. He is not a military historian and focuses a bit more on the personal and devotional aspects of the scriptures. It is 17.99 and from Cedar Fort Books. After reading it I still believe I have the advantages I described above.

Book Review: Genghis Khan's Greatest General

Genghis Khan’s Greatest General: Subotai the Valiant
Oklahoma University Press, 2006.
By Richard Gabriel
19.95 paperback, ISBN: 978086137346

Richard Gabriel’s new book, Genghis Khan’s Greatest General: Subotai the Valiant, seeks to provide the first book length biography of this figure from military history, and argued that Subotai was one of the greatest generals in military history.(xi) Gabriel succeeded much more with the first goal than the second.

The book contained eight chapters. The first two chapters explained the background surrounding Subotai’s and the Mongol’s rise to a world power and their military organization and tactics. This contained many of the book’s most positive and negative points. It relied upon several primary sources such as The Secret History of the Mongols, and The Story of the Mongols Whom we call the Tartars. It is excellent to see the author use primary sources but as far this reader can tell,[1] these are the only two which he used. The first two chapters do present an approachable introductory history of the Mongol nation and a good military description of their organization and tactics. This recommended the book towards enthusiasts and undergraduates. The relatively brisk pace underscored this as well.

Chapters three through six described the campaigns of the Mongols in Northern China, Iran, the Caucasus, Russian steppe, and Eastern Europe. Gabriel’s campaign history only lightly covered China. It showed unfamiliarity with the primary and some recent secondary sources that illuminate this period. Sinologists, in particular, follow the history of the Southern Song Dynasty and not the short lived Jin Dynasty in the north. But Gabriel followed the latter as the “Chinese” dynasty in this period. Peter Lorge produced an excellent volume that explained the complicated political and military history of this period.[2] Until Subotai’s campaign in Eastern Europe the campaign narrative often lost site of the general. The lack of emphasis reflected the relative paucity of primary material; yet much of the author’s campaign history lacked inferences, analysis, or even mentions of Subotai and his actions but instead became a general history of Mongol campaigns.

His concluding chapters contained the legacy of the Mongols in military theory and a summary of lessons learned. These sections represented the most vivid example of the chicken nugget approach. This used modern Army nomenclature, Napoleonic terms, German words, and modern terms interchangeably throughout the book. Some people may enjoy the liberal sprinkling of terms from a variety of eras, I find it distracting. Many of the terms are not precisely interchangeable with the activities of Subotai or carried unneeded connotations or associations. So the chicken nugget method seemed analytically imprecise at best. The last section formed a concentrated list of examples of military strategy. None of them are explicated in a great deal. So the list remained intriguing but this reader wished the campaigned narratives would have highlighted and called attention to these lessons learned throughout the book instead of concentrating them at the end.

The book also faltered on a methodological point. Ancient historians to modern scholars to history websites debate the role of a “great general.”  So Gabriel’s attempts to prove that Subotai was a great general faltered without strict criteria defining “great.” It seemed Gabriel used “great” to mean battlefield victory and the logistical ability to move armies and conduct campaigns. Clausewitz defined it with a combination of physical strength, courage, and mental ability. Ancient historians dictated based on the extent of their conquests and cultural legacy. Modern enthusiasts based it largely upon popularity. With all these methods of grading it is difficult to say if Gabriel supported his thesis.

Taking away those exceptions, the book still contained many strengths. The narrative is short. After reading many long winded narratives this reader appreciated that a great deal. Considering how the student of Mongol history is left with few assessable texts this is also important. The secondary sources are solid and easily referenced at the end. The maps of the Mongol campaigns helped out a great deal. This is the only book length narrative on this important Mongol general and presented an easy to follow narrative of his campaigns. Despite the above flaws the book achieves its goal of in presenting Subotai to the general reader. The thesis statement is not completely supported due to the author’s failure to provide strict methodological controls, but still displayed the impressive victories of Subotai the valiant.

Notes:
1. The author does not include an extensive bibliography but simply a “further reading” section.
2. Peter Lorge, War Politics and Society in Early Modern China: 900-1795 (New York: Routledge Press, 2005).