Robert J. Matthews

Robert James Matthews (12 September 1926 – 30 August 2009) was a Latter-day Saint religious educator and scholar, teaching in the departments of Ancient Scripture and Religious Education at Brigham Young University (BYU) in Provo, Utah.

Beginning with personal contacts early in his career, Matthews was instrumental in conciliating relations between religious scholars affiliated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and the Community of Christ, which had separated in a schism in the 1840s. The two religious communities and their scholars.had long been at odds over access to and interpretation of important early texts of the Latter Day Saint movement. Matthews was particularly influential when in 1969 and 1970, scholars affiliated with the Community of Christ were invited to meetings of the Mormon History Association. The new scholars were welcomed, and some were chosen as officers in the organization in later years. Matthews is also noted for his promotion of the concept that the currently-available text of the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible is reliable and authentic.

Matthews was born in Evanston, Wyoming., the youngest child of immigrant parents, who independently joined the LDS Church in England and moved to the United States. He earned a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a master's degree in Geography, and a Ph.D. in Ancient Scriptures, all from BYU. His doctoral dissertation was A Plainer Translation: Joseph Smith's Translation of the Bible — A History and Commentary.

Matthews and his wife, Shirley Neves, are the parents of four children: Camille, Daniel, Robert, and Tricia.

Matthews died in Provo, Utah, after an extended hospitalization for complications following open heart surgery.

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