[Introduction to] By the Hand of Mormon: the American Scripture that Launched a New World Religion

Authors

Terryl Givens, University of RichmondFollow

Files

Description

With over 100 million copies in print, the Book of Mormon has spawned a vast religious movement, but it remains little discussed outside Mormon circles. Now Terry L. Givens offers a full-length treatment of this influential work, illuminating the varied meanings and tempestuous impact of this uniquely American scripture.

Givens examines the text's role as a divine testament of the Last Days and as a sacred sign of Joseph Smith's status as a modern-day prophet. He assesses its claim to be a history of the pre-Columbian peopling of the Western Hemisphere, and later explores how the Book has been defined as a cultural product--the imaginative ravings of a rustic religion-maker. Givens further investigates its status as a new American Bible or Fifth Gospel, one that displaces, supports, or, in some views, perverts the canonical Word of God. Finally, Givens highlights the Book's role as the engine behind what may become the next world religion.

The most wide-ranging study on the subject outside Mormon presses, By the Hand of Mormon will fascinate anyone curious about a religious people who, despite their numbers, remain strangers in our midst.

ISBN

9780195168884

Publication Date

2003

Publisher

Oxford University Press

City

New York

Keywords

Mormonism, Mormon church, Mormon history, Mormon thought

School

School of Arts and Sciences

Department

English

Disciplines

Christian Denominations and Sects | History of Christianity | Liturgy and Worship | Religion

Comments

Read the introduction to the book by clicking the Download button above.

Recommended Citation

Givens, Terryl. By the Hand of Mormon: The American Scripture That Launched a New World Religion. New York: Oxford University Press, 2003.