Known as the world's expert on the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible, BYU professor emeritus Robert J. Matthews died Sunday, Aug. 30, 2009, of complications following open-heart surgery. He was 82. He leaves behind his wife, Shirley, four children and 21 grandchildren.
Born Sept. 12, 1926, in Evanston, Wyo., Brother Matthews is best known for being instrumental in bringing the Joseph Smith Translation into common use among the members of the Church and in negotiating with what was then the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (now Community of Christ) for the use of the translation.
Brother Matthews was president of the Mount Timpanogos Utah Temple from 1996-1999.
He served a mission to the Western States Mission. After returning home, he married Shirley Neves in 1954 in the Salt Lake Temple. He began teaching in the Church Educational System in 1955, eventually moving to BYU, where he taught and was department chairman and dean of religious education. In addition to heavily contributing to the JST, Brother Matthews was one of four senior editors of the Encyclopedia of Mormonism.
