From Library Journal
In 1830, Joseph Smith, founder of the Christian sect known as Mormons, published writings he had translated from golden plates reputedly delivered to him by the angel Moroni. These writings were to become the controversial sacred writings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) and were titled the "Book of Mormon." Although more than 100 million copies of the Book of Mormon are in print in 94 languages, it has been roundly ignored as a legitimate topic of academic study. To correct the situation, Givens (English, Univ. of Richmond; The Viper on the Hearth) has written a thickly detailed book covering the theology and history of the Book of Mormon and its influences on American culture. The result is not a casual read, and the depth of detail makes the reading difficult for those not familiar with basic theological concepts. Yet for scholars of American religious movements and those with more than a passing interest in the LDS Church, this book is a worthy place to begin one's research and study. Recommended for academic and theological libraries. Glenn Masuchika, Rockwell Collins Information Ctr., Cedar Rapids, IACopyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.


Book 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 Terryl Givens offers a full-length treatment of this highly influential work, illuminating many facets of this uniquely American scripture. Givens examines the Book of Mormon'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, first by a small Old World group in the era of Babel, and later by tribes from Jerusalem in the age of Jeremiah. Givens explores how the Book of Mormon has been defined as a cultural product, the imaginative ravings of a rustic religion-maker more inspired by the winds of culture than the breath of God. He also investigates its status as a new American Bible or Fifth Gospel, displacing, supporting, or--in some views--perverting the canonical Word of God. Givens also probes the Book's shifting relationship to Mormon doctrine and its changing reputation among theologians and scholars. Finally, in exploring what Martin Marty refers to as the Book of Mormon's "revelatory appeal," 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 very much strangers in our midst.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Givens examines the Book of Mormon'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 Hemispheres, first by a small Old World group in the era of Babel, and later by tribes from Jerusalem in the age of Jeremiah. Givens explores how the Book of Mormon has been defined as a cultural product, the imaginative ravings of a rustic religion-maker more inspired by the winds of culture than the breath of God. He also investigates its status as a new American Bible or Fifth Gospel, displacing, supporting, or - in some views - perverting the canonical Word of God. Givens also probes the Book's shifting relationship to Mormon doctrine and its changing reputation among theologians and scholars. Finally, in exploring what Martin Marty refers to as the Book of Mormon's "revelatory appeal," Givens highlights the Book's role as the engine behind what may become the next world religion.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

This outstanding book by Givens, an English professor at the University of Richmond in Virginia, investigates the history and theology of the Book of Mormon, which he calls "perhaps the most religiously influential, hotly contested, and, in the secular press at least, intellectually under-investigated book in America." Givens persuasively demonstrates how the Book of Mormon was trumpeted by early Latter-day Saints more for the fact of its existence which to them indicated an imminent apocalypse than for its content per se. He notes that it was only during the late 20th century that Mormons began to regard the Book of Mormon as a cultural and spiritual "keystone." The two chapters on the "Search for a Rational Belief" are as close as Givens comes to the genre of apologetic, as he outlines scholarly defenses for the Book of Mormon as an authentically ancient text and not a 19th-century fabrication. He analyzes Hebrew chiastic structure, discusses archeological findings (both supportive and potentially devastating), addresses the apparent anachronisms in the text and investigates its contested authorship. His tone remains admirably dispassionate, but it is clear that he is anxious to counter the damning allegations of scholars such as Fawn Brodie, Michael Quinn and John Brooke. This he does quite well, answering their criticisms point for point while raising new issues of his own. Givens's well-argued, engagingly written book takes the emerging field of Book of Mormon studies to a new level. (Apr.) Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal