3. Dan Jones.
Atebydd y gwrthddadleuon a ddygir yn fwyaf cyffredinol drwy y wlad yn erbyn Saint y Dyddiau Diweddaf, a'r athrawiaeth a broffesant; mewn ffurf o ymddyddan, er symud y rhwystrau oddiar ffordd y Cymry ymofyngar, heb "anmhwyllo ynghylch cwestiynau, ac ymryson ynghylch geiriau, o'r rhai y mae cenfigen, ymryson, cableddau, a drwg dybiau yn dyfod; ac na ddaliont ar CHWEDLAU ac achau anorpben, y rhai sydd yn peri cwestiynau, yn hytrach nag adeiladaeth dduwiol, yr hon sydd trwy ffydd: gwnaed [PAWB] felly. "
(A reply to the objections which are most commonly brought throughout the country against the Latter-day Saints, and the doctrine which they profess; in the form of a dialogue to remove the obstacles from the path of the inquisitive Welsh without "doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, tailings, and evil surmisings; and neither giving heed to FABLES and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do [EVERYONE]. ")
Merthyr Tydfil: Published and for sale by the author. Printed by John Jones, Rhydybont, [ 1846].
24 pp. 19 cm.
Printed wrapper--wrapper has an ornamental border; un-paginated.
Although advertised on page 12 of Annerchiad (Proclamation, item 2), dated 1 December 1845, Atebydd was apparently published two months later in early February 1846 (see item 2). The first half of the scriptural quotation in the title is from 1 Timothy 6:4; the second half is from 1 Timothy 1:4. The bracketed word pawb (everyone) in the title is Dan Jones's addition, as are the capital letters for chwedlau (fables) earlier.
The bound copies of Atebydd do not have the printed wrapper, and the pamphlet appears to be entitled Ymddyddan rhwng meistriaid traddodiad, sectariad, a Sant. A "Mene tekel" yr olaf ar ei gyhuddwyr (Dialogue between the masters of tradition, a sectarian, and a Saint. And "Mene tekel" of the last on his accusers). Only the unbound copy of the pamphlet at the National Library of Wales has the wrapper; on the back is an announcement of Jones's plans to publish Prophwyd y Jubili, a monthly periodical which was to appear in June 1846.
The first quarter of Atebydd is essentially a slightly modified translation of Orson Pratt's "Dialogue between tradition, reason, and scriptus, " which had appeared in his Prophetic Almanac for 1845. Danjones changes "reason" to "Saint" and "scriptus" to sectarian" but uses the same points of discussion and interchange among the three participants for the first six pages. In Pratt's presentation, as Mr. Tradition leaves in defeat, the dialogue is concluded with a 2-column "Comparison of evidence." At this juncture in the Welsh, however, the "Comparison of evidence" is omitted and the dialogue continues between the Saint and the sectarian to the eventual convincing of the latter. Many topics previously discussed in Jones's Y farw wedi ei chyfodi yn fyw (The dead raised to life, item 1) are again presented, such as the necessity of baptism, the necessity of proper authority, and the four things required to establish a kingdom. Also discussed are the apostasy, the fate of Luther and Calvin, the angel in Revelation 14:6, and the restoration of the gospel. Answers are given by the Saint to several questions posed by the sectarian, such as "Why do people have to be baptized in the nude?" (Mormons were shocked at this accusation), "Does baptism literally wash away all one's sins?" and "What is the fate of all who died without a knowledge of the gospel?"
Atebydd was advertised in each of the six wrappers for Prophwyd y Jubili, July through December 1846. Jones did not mention his pamphlets again until the April 1847 Prophwyd y Jubili, when he announced the appearance of three new pamphlets. Then in the July issue Jones advertised a volume entitled Capt. Jones ar Formoniaeth, yn 1846 (Capt. Jones on Mormonism, in 1846, item 9); among its contents was Atebydd.
In the November and December 1847 issues, and again in the February and March 1848 issues, Jones offered to buy back for full price any copies in good condition of Atebydd and several other publications. Then in the July 1848 issue, Jones mentioned that Capt. Jones ar Formoniaeth, yn 1846 was sold out and that he was unable to satisfy the frequent requests for the early pamphlets because they had all been sent to the distributors. Furthermore, he had no plans for any second edition until he was sure that the first edition had all been sold. Apparently there was no second edition, for John Davis declared in the October 1849 wrapper for Udgorn Seion that Atebydd was out of print and that there would be no second edition unless there were enough requests to warrant it.
CSmH, UPB, USlC WCS WN
Flake no. A42
