James Edward Talmage
Information regarding Elder James E. Talmage
- Apostle number: 57
- Quorum of the Twelve number: 50
- Date of birth: September 21, 1862
- Place of birth: Hungerford, Berkshire, England
- Date of apostolic ordination: December 8, 1911
- Age when ordained apostle: 49 years 2 months
- End of apostolic service: July 27, 1933
- Total apostolic years: 21 years 7 months
- Date called into the Quorum of the Twelve: December 8, 1911
- Tenure in the Quorum of the Twelve: 21 years 7 months
- Date of death: July 27, 1933
- Age at death: 70 years 10 months
- Place of death: Salt Lake City, Salt Lake County, Utah
- Remarks: Elder Talmage served as the President of the University of Utah from 1894 to 1897. He is well-known and loved for his remarkable masterpiece on the life of the Savior, Jesus the Christ. Another of Elder Talmage’s books, The Articles of Faith, is also a Latter-day Saint classic. Elder Talmage did not believe that science conflicted with his religious views. Regarding the conflicting Latter-day Saints views on evolution, Elder Talmage attempted to mediate between church leaders B.H. Roberts and Joseph Fielding Smith who disagreed about evolution and the origin of man.
- Famous quote: “The man who cannot listen to an argument which opposes his views either has a weak position or is a weak defender of it. No opinion that cannot stand discussion or criticism is worth holding. And it has been wisely said that the man who knows only half of any question is worse off than the man who knows nothing of it. He is not only one-sided but his partisanship soon turns him into an intolerant and a fanatic. In general it is true that nothing which cannot stand up under discussion or criticism is worth defending..”
Click here to return to the Apostle information menu