From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Benjamin Urrutia (born January 24, 1950), author and scholar, was born in Guayaquil, Ecuador. According to the Mormon Literature Database [1], Urrutia is "the only LDS Basque Israeli American anthropologist, linguist, and science fiction writer in the universe." See Urrutia and List of Basques. Urrutia co-edited, with Guy Davenport, The Logia of Yeshua, which collected what they consider to be Jesus' authentic sayings from a variety of canonical and non-canonical sources. Urrutia interprets Jesus' mission as a leadership role in the "Israelite nonviolent resistance to Roman oppression".

Urrutia contends that Rabbi Yeshua Bar Abba was the historical Jesus of Nazareth and was the leader of the successful nonviolent Jewish resistance to Pilate's attempt to place Roman eagles — symbols of the worship of Jupiter — on Jerusalem's Temple Mount. Josephus, who relates this episode, does not say who the leader of this resistance was, but shortly afterwards states that Pontius Pilate had Jesus crucified. (Some scholars believe this passage of Josephus may have been slightly but significantly altered by later editors. The Arabic version of Josephus is free from the apparent Christian interpolations, but still makes it clear that Pilate ordered the crucifixion of Jesus.)

Benjamin Urrutia lived in Ecuador until 1968, and has lived since in the United States of America, save for the years 1974-1977, when he resided in Israel (including an entire year at Ein Hashofet), studying the cultural and historical background of the life of Jesus. During this period he also participated in an archaeological excavation near Beersheba, contributed to the writings of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (in connection with the Opening of the mouth ceremony), and was interviewed by The Jerusalem Post.

At Brigham Young University, he studied under Dr. Hugh Nibley. Learning from Nibley that the Book of Mormon names Shiblon and Shiblom may be derived from the Arabic root shibl, "lion cub," Urrutia connected this idiom to the "Jaguar Cub" imagery of the Olmec people. This theory has been widely accepted among LDS scholars.^[1] Urrutia has also elaborated on Nibley's theory that the word Makhshava, usually translated as "thought," is more correctly translated as "plan."

Over the years, Urrutia has written and published a number of articles, letters, poems and reviews on matters related to the work of John Ronald Reuel Tolkien. (See Mythlore from 1978 to 1986, e. g.)

Benjamin Urrutia has been a book reviewer since 1970 and a film critic since 1981. As of 2007, he is a book reviewer and the principal film critic for The Peaceable Table ([2]). He is a strong advocate of Christian vegetarianism.

Urrutia has been a classmate of Kresimir Cosik, a correspondent of Isaac Asimov and Ursula K. LeGuin, and an interpreter for Bruce R. McConkie. (See LDSF 3).

Benjamin Urrutia has the condition known as Anosmia - a total lack of a sense of smell.

• The Logia of Yeshua: The Sayings of Jesus. Translated and edited in collaboration with Guy Davenport (1996). ISBN 1887178708

• The Peaceable Table, including a number of articles, poems, stories and reviews by Benjamin Urrutia, plus this classic interview:
• Article by Benjamin Urrutia: Interview with Master Yoda."