Terryl C. Givens
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195167115
- eISBN:
- 9780199785599
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195167115.003.0007
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
Education is fundamental in Mormonism. Joseph Smith studied Hebrew, and established a School of the Prophets and the University of Nauvoo. Print culture was central to the Mormon church, and early ...
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Education is fundamental in Mormonism. Joseph Smith studied Hebrew, and established a School of the Prophets and the University of Nauvoo. Print culture was central to the Mormon church, and early leaders like Orson Pratt and Parley Pratt laid the foundations for an intellectual tradition. Early Mormon intellectual culture was capacious enough to accommodate Darwin and evolution, though that would change.Less
Education is fundamental in Mormonism. Joseph Smith studied Hebrew, and established a School of the Prophets and the University of Nauvoo. Print culture was central to the Mormon church, and early leaders like Orson Pratt and Parley Pratt laid the foundations for an intellectual tradition. Early Mormon intellectual culture was capacious enough to accommodate Darwin and evolution, though that would change.
Terryl L. Givens
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195138184
- eISBN:
- 9780199834211
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/019513818X.003.0002
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
Joseph Smith was a young seeker in an age of religious awakening. He claimed he was visited by God and Christ in response to his spiritual quest for truth as a 14 year old, but his religious career ...
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Joseph Smith was a young seeker in an age of religious awakening. He claimed he was visited by God and Christ in response to his spiritual quest for truth as a 14 year old, but his religious career began in earnest when he asserted he was the divinely appointed translator of sacred records delivered to him by an angel of God named Moroni seven years later. Assisted – in the face of growing opposition – by family, friends, and a well‐to‐do farmer, Martin Harris, Smith produced a translation from gold plates attested by 11 witnesses using Urim and Thummim (a seer stone and/or sacred “interpreters”). The concrete tangibility of the plates and accompanying holy relics, and the alleged historicity of the history he translated, made his claims especially audacious and resistant to dismissal as a subjective religious experience.Less
Joseph Smith was a young seeker in an age of religious awakening. He claimed he was visited by God and Christ in response to his spiritual quest for truth as a 14 year old, but his religious career began in earnest when he asserted he was the divinely appointed translator of sacred records delivered to him by an angel of God named Moroni seven years later. Assisted – in the face of growing opposition – by family, friends, and a well‐to‐do farmer, Martin Harris, Smith produced a translation from gold plates attested by 11 witnesses using Urim and Thummim (a seer stone and/or sacred “interpreters”). The concrete tangibility of the plates and accompanying holy relics, and the alleged historicity of the history he translated, made his claims especially audacious and resistant to dismissal as a subjective religious experience.
Reid L. Neilson and Terryl L. Givens
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195369786
- eISBN:
- 9780199871292
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195369786.003.001
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
As scholars of the American religious past and present continue to move away from the consensus model, in which the upstart Latter-day Saint tradition had no real fit, and embrace conflict, contact, ...
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As scholars of the American religious past and present continue to move away from the consensus model, in which the upstart Latter-day Saint tradition had no real fit, and embrace conflict, contact, and other methodologies, Joseph Smith is beginning to get a new hearing in scholarly surveys, monographs, textbooks, and articles. The rationale behind this collection is that the day has come when the founder of Mormonism and his prominent role in American history and religious thought can not be denied. The attention paid to Smith’s teachings, charismatic ministry, and religion-making imagination now extends to scholars in American history, religious studies, sociology, biblical studies, Christian philosophy, Literature, and the Humanities--all of whom are represented in this collection. It is our intent to reflect in these pages the wide-ranging interest in Joseph Smith that the commemorative conferences only suggested.Less
As scholars of the American religious past and present continue to move away from the consensus model, in which the upstart Latter-day Saint tradition had no real fit, and embrace conflict, contact, and other methodologies, Joseph Smith is beginning to get a new hearing in scholarly surveys, monographs, textbooks, and articles. The rationale behind this collection is that the day has come when the founder of Mormonism and his prominent role in American history and religious thought can not be denied. The attention paid to Smith’s teachings, charismatic ministry, and religion-making imagination now extends to scholars in American history, religious studies, sociology, biblical studies, Christian philosophy, Literature, and the Humanities--all of whom are represented in this collection. It is our intent to reflect in these pages the wide-ranging interest in Joseph Smith that the commemorative conferences only suggested.
Grant Hardy
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199731701
- eISBN:
- 9780199777167
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199731701.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Literature, World Religions
While the significance of the Book of Mormon in American history and religion is universally acknowledged, its complicated narrative can be bewildering to outsiders. In addition, controversy over its ...
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While the significance of the Book of Mormon in American history and religion is universally acknowledged, its complicated narrative can be bewildering to outsiders. In addition, controversy over its historical claims tends to overshadow its contents. This book argues that whether the Book of Mormon is approached as history, fiction, or scripture, focusing on its narrative structure, and in particular on the contributions of the major narrators, allows for more comprehensive, detailed readings. The Book of Mormon is nearly unique among recent world scriptures in that it is presented as a lengthy, integrated narrative rather than a series of doctrinal expositions, moral exhortations, or devotional hymns. Joseph Smith, whether regarded as an author or translator, never speaks in his own voice in the text; nearly everything is mediated through the narrators Nephi, Mormon, and Moroni. This study takes readers through the basic characters, events, and ideas in the Book of Mormon by focusing on each of the major narrators in turn and identifying their characteristic literary techniques. Critics and believers alike can agree that someone, sometime, decided how to tell the story—where to employ direct dialogue, embedded documents, parallel narratives, allusions, and so forth. This introduction sets aside questions of ultimate authorship in order to examine how the text operates, how it makes its points, and what its message is. Despite its sometimes awkward style, the Book of Mormon has more coherence and literary interest than is often assumed.Less
While the significance of the Book of Mormon in American history and religion is universally acknowledged, its complicated narrative can be bewildering to outsiders. In addition, controversy over its historical claims tends to overshadow its contents. This book argues that whether the Book of Mormon is approached as history, fiction, or scripture, focusing on its narrative structure, and in particular on the contributions of the major narrators, allows for more comprehensive, detailed readings. The Book of Mormon is nearly unique among recent world scriptures in that it is presented as a lengthy, integrated narrative rather than a series of doctrinal expositions, moral exhortations, or devotional hymns. Joseph Smith, whether regarded as an author or translator, never speaks in his own voice in the text; nearly everything is mediated through the narrators Nephi, Mormon, and Moroni. This study takes readers through the basic characters, events, and ideas in the Book of Mormon by focusing on each of the major narrators in turn and identifying their characteristic literary techniques. Critics and believers alike can agree that someone, sometime, decided how to tell the story—where to employ direct dialogue, embedded documents, parallel narratives, allusions, and so forth. This introduction sets aside questions of ultimate authorship in order to examine how the text operates, how it makes its points, and what its message is. Despite its sometimes awkward style, the Book of Mormon has more coherence and literary interest than is often assumed.
Terryl L. Givens
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195138184
- eISBN:
- 9780199834211
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/019513818X.003.0004
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
In the context of 19th‐century American millennialism, many early converts to Mormonism heralded the Book of Mormon as a sign of the end times. In an era of many prophets and visionaries, the Book of ...
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In the context of 19th‐century American millennialism, many early converts to Mormonism heralded the Book of Mormon as a sign of the end times. In an era of many prophets and visionaries, the Book of Mormon was offered as tangible proof that Joseph was an authentic prophet. Joseph Smith's emphatic literalism and appeal to physical and historical evidence made him both more threatening and more attractive than a Jacob Boehme or an Emanuel Swedenborg. The story of angels, seer stones, and gold plates, thus displaced a focus on the Book of Mormon's content, for both critics and believers.Less
In the context of 19th‐century American millennialism, many early converts to Mormonism heralded the Book of Mormon as a sign of the end times. In an era of many prophets and visionaries, the Book of Mormon was offered as tangible proof that Joseph was an authentic prophet. Joseph Smith's emphatic literalism and appeal to physical and historical evidence made him both more threatening and more attractive than a Jacob Boehme or an Emanuel Swedenborg. The story of angels, seer stones, and gold plates, thus displaced a focus on the Book of Mormon's content, for both critics and believers.
Terryl L. Givens and Matthew J. Grow
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780195375732
- eISBN:
- 9780199918300
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195375732.003.0008
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
Returning home from his British mission, Pratt experienced the dramatic doctrinal changes of the Nauvoo period. The burgeoning Nauvoo economy led to success with a store and the construction of a ...
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Returning home from his British mission, Pratt experienced the dramatic doctrinal changes of the Nauvoo period. The burgeoning Nauvoo economy led to success with a store and the construction of a large brick home. Introduced to plural marriage, Pratt and his wife Mary Ann accepted the practice. In July 1843, Pratt married his first plural wife, Elizabeth Brotherton. During 1843-1844, Pratt was initiated into the new temple rituals, participated in the religious/political Council of Fifty, wrote several theologically significant essays, and served a mission to the eastern states to promote Joseph Smith’s campaign for the U. S. presidency.Less
Returning home from his British mission, Pratt experienced the dramatic doctrinal changes of the Nauvoo period. The burgeoning Nauvoo economy led to success with a store and the construction of a large brick home. Introduced to plural marriage, Pratt and his wife Mary Ann accepted the practice. In July 1843, Pratt married his first plural wife, Elizabeth Brotherton. During 1843-1844, Pratt was initiated into the new temple rituals, participated in the religious/political Council of Fifty, wrote several theologically significant essays, and served a mission to the eastern states to promote Joseph Smith’s campaign for the U. S. presidency.
Scott C. Esplin
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- May 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780252042102
- eISBN:
- 9780252050855
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Illinois Press
- DOI:
- 10.5622/illinois/9780252042102.003.0003
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
Though Nauvoo was abandoned by most Latter-day Saints in the nineteenth century, Emma Smith, the widow of Church founder Joseph Smith, and her children remained in the city, maintaining a Mormon ...
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Though Nauvoo was abandoned by most Latter-day Saints in the nineteenth century, Emma Smith, the widow of Church founder Joseph Smith, and her children remained in the city, maintaining a Mormon presence in western Illinois. This chapter examines the rise of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Community of Christ), founded by Smith’s children, and their use of family and historic sites in Nauvoo in the early twentieth century. It discusses the transformation of these sites from family residences to religious tourism centers used to proselytize people to the faith. It also introduces the competing views of Mormonism that developed between the Utah-based Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Reorganized Church.Less
Though Nauvoo was abandoned by most Latter-day Saints in the nineteenth century, Emma Smith, the widow of Church founder Joseph Smith, and her children remained in the city, maintaining a Mormon presence in western Illinois. This chapter examines the rise of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Community of Christ), founded by Smith’s children, and their use of family and historic sites in Nauvoo in the early twentieth century. It discusses the transformation of these sites from family residences to religious tourism centers used to proselytize people to the faith. It also introduces the competing views of Mormonism that developed between the Utah-based Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Reorganized Church.
Terryl L. Givens and Matthew J. Grow
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780195375732
- eISBN:
- 9780199918300
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195375732.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
In 1853, Parley P. Pratt mused that his personal history would be “far more strange” than “the thousand volumes of Modern Fiction.” He wrote, “I have been a farmer, a servant, a fisher, a digger, a ...
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In 1853, Parley P. Pratt mused that his personal history would be “far more strange” than “the thousand volumes of Modern Fiction.” He wrote, “I have been a farmer, a servant, a fisher, a digger, a beggar, a preacher, an author, an editor, a senator, a traveler, a merchant, an elder and an Apostle of Jesus Christ.” Pratt’s literary instincts were correct; the narrative of his life could have formed the basis of a gripping novel. After Joseph Smith and Brigham Young, no other figure so powerfully shaped early Mormon history, culture, and theology. Pratt’s life was not only foundational to early Mormonism, but also serves as a window onto nineteenth-century American religious, cultural, and intellectual history. Pratt joined Mormon movement in 1830, six months after its founding. In 1835, Smith called Pratt as a member of the newly-formed Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, a position he served in for the remainder of his life. Pratt thus played a key leadership role for the Mormons in Missouri, Illinois, and the American West. He also contributed to the expansion and internationalization of early Mormonism, serving crucial missions for the Latter-day Saints throughout the United States, Canada, England, and Chile. He exerted his influence most powerfully through his writing, as he organized, popularized, and expanded upon Smith’s theology in widely read books and pamphlets. His widespread missionary travels and influential writings meant that Pratt played a similar role for early Mormonism as Paul in early Christianity. In 1857, to the cheers of the national media and the laments of the Latter-day Saints, Pratt was murdered in Arkansas by the estranged husband of his twelfth plural wife. Based on Pratt’s voluminous public and private writings, this biography narrates his compelling story and weaves a rich religious, intellectual, and cultural history of antebellum America.Less
In 1853, Parley P. Pratt mused that his personal history would be “far more strange” than “the thousand volumes of Modern Fiction.” He wrote, “I have been a farmer, a servant, a fisher, a digger, a beggar, a preacher, an author, an editor, a senator, a traveler, a merchant, an elder and an Apostle of Jesus Christ.” Pratt’s literary instincts were correct; the narrative of his life could have formed the basis of a gripping novel. After Joseph Smith and Brigham Young, no other figure so powerfully shaped early Mormon history, culture, and theology. Pratt’s life was not only foundational to early Mormonism, but also serves as a window onto nineteenth-century American religious, cultural, and intellectual history. Pratt joined Mormon movement in 1830, six months after its founding. In 1835, Smith called Pratt as a member of the newly-formed Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, a position he served in for the remainder of his life. Pratt thus played a key leadership role for the Mormons in Missouri, Illinois, and the American West. He also contributed to the expansion and internationalization of early Mormonism, serving crucial missions for the Latter-day Saints throughout the United States, Canada, England, and Chile. He exerted his influence most powerfully through his writing, as he organized, popularized, and expanded upon Smith’s theology in widely read books and pamphlets. His widespread missionary travels and influential writings meant that Pratt played a similar role for early Mormonism as Paul in early Christianity. In 1857, to the cheers of the national media and the laments of the Latter-day Saints, Pratt was murdered in Arkansas by the estranged husband of his twelfth plural wife. Based on Pratt’s voluminous public and private writings, this biography narrates his compelling story and weaves a rich religious, intellectual, and cultural history of antebellum America.
Terryl L. Givens
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- February 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195313901
- eISBN:
- 9780199871933
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195313901.003.0010
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
German idealists such as Friedrich Schelling and theologians such as Wilhelm Benecke and Julius Müller build on Kant's foundation of preexistence as a basis for freedom. Joseph Smith makes Mormonism ...
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German idealists such as Friedrich Schelling and theologians such as Wilhelm Benecke and Julius Müller build on Kant's foundation of preexistence as a basis for freedom. Joseph Smith makes Mormonism (Latter-day Saints) the only Christian denomination to embrace preexistence. Edward Beecher gives the doctrine its fullest exposition ever.Less
German idealists such as Friedrich Schelling and theologians such as Wilhelm Benecke and Julius Müller build on Kant's foundation of preexistence as a basis for freedom. Joseph Smith makes Mormonism (Latter-day Saints) the only Christian denomination to embrace preexistence. Edward Beecher gives the doctrine its fullest exposition ever.
Samuel Morris Brown
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199793570
- eISBN:
- 9780199932511
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199793570.003.0011
- Subject:
- Religion, Church History
This chapter recounts the story of Joseph Smith's death in 1844 at the hands of a vigilante mob. It describes the myriad ways Mormons used martyrdom images to describe Smith's death and his ongoing ...
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This chapter recounts the story of Joseph Smith's death in 1844 at the hands of a vigilante mob. It describes the myriad ways Mormons used martyrdom images to describe Smith's death and his ongoing involvement as an angelic benefactor on behalf of the church. The chapter helps to situate Mormon oaths of vengeance within a view of divine retribution and details Mormon martyrdom rhetoric before Smith's death. It also recounts the conflicts between Smith's church heirs and his family over his physical relics and his legacy.Less
This chapter recounts the story of Joseph Smith's death in 1844 at the hands of a vigilante mob. It describes the myriad ways Mormons used martyrdom images to describe Smith's death and his ongoing involvement as an angelic benefactor on behalf of the church. The chapter helps to situate Mormon oaths of vengeance within a view of divine retribution and details Mormon martyrdom rhetoric before Smith's death. It also recounts the conflicts between Smith's church heirs and his family over his physical relics and his legacy.
Larry E. Morris
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- February 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780190699093
- eISBN:
- 9780190699123
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190699093.003.0002
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity, Religious Studies
This chapter discusses Joseph Smith’s First Vision and his vision of the angel and the gold plates. Some historians have argued that he transformed his tale of treasure guarded by a ghost or spirit ...
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This chapter discusses Joseph Smith’s First Vision and his vision of the angel and the gold plates. Some historians have argued that he transformed his tale of treasure guarded by a ghost or spirit into a religious account of an ancient record delivered by the angel Moroni. Alan Taylor and others have contended, however, that treasure-seeking itself was rich with Christian symbols and that Joseph’s activities as a village seer led naturally to his role as a prophet. Lucy Mack Smith’s history gives the best account of Joseph’s life from 1820 to 1826. Affidavits from Howe’s Mormonism Unvailed are also included.Less
This chapter discusses Joseph Smith’s First Vision and his vision of the angel and the gold plates. Some historians have argued that he transformed his tale of treasure guarded by a ghost or spirit into a religious account of an ancient record delivered by the angel Moroni. Alan Taylor and others have contended, however, that treasure-seeking itself was rich with Christian symbols and that Joseph’s activities as a village seer led naturally to his role as a prophet. Lucy Mack Smith’s history gives the best account of Joseph’s life from 1820 to 1826. Affidavits from Howe’s Mormonism Unvailed are also included.
Samuel Morris Brown
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199793570
- eISBN:
- 9780199932511
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199793570.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Church History
This book of cultural history reinterprets earliest Mormonism by viewing it through the lens of founder Joseph Smith Jr.'s complex, intimate, and conflicted relationship with death and dying. When ...
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This book of cultural history reinterprets earliest Mormonism by viewing it through the lens of founder Joseph Smith Jr.'s complex, intimate, and conflicted relationship with death and dying. When approached from this perspective, many of the unusual or striking aspects of earliest Mormonism make sense, allowing outsiders and insiders a refreshing new look at a much-discussed but poorly understood religious tradition. While contextualizing Mormonism within a broad protest against American Protestantism and long-standing folk responses to life's difficult questions, the book also demonstrates the coherence and scope of the early Mormon worldview. The book also provides insight into the ongoing problem of the tragedy of early mortality through the eloquent and complex response to death that early Mormonism provided. Through this detailed and contextualized case study of one remarkable new religious tradition, the book extends the fields of American religious history, lived religion, and Mormon studies.Less
This book of cultural history reinterprets earliest Mormonism by viewing it through the lens of founder Joseph Smith Jr.'s complex, intimate, and conflicted relationship with death and dying. When approached from this perspective, many of the unusual or striking aspects of earliest Mormonism make sense, allowing outsiders and insiders a refreshing new look at a much-discussed but poorly understood religious tradition. While contextualizing Mormonism within a broad protest against American Protestantism and long-standing folk responses to life's difficult questions, the book also demonstrates the coherence and scope of the early Mormon worldview. The book also provides insight into the ongoing problem of the tragedy of early mortality through the eloquent and complex response to death that early Mormonism provided. Through this detailed and contextualized case study of one remarkable new religious tradition, the book extends the fields of American religious history, lived religion, and Mormon studies.
Stephen H. Webb
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199827954
- eISBN:
- 9780199919468
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199827954.003.0010
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
The Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-Day Saints has no professional theologians or clergy, so its beliefs are not always easy for outsiders to discern and discuss. The most controversial Mormon ...
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The Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-Day Saints has no professional theologians or clergy, so its beliefs are not always easy for outsiders to discern and discuss. The most controversial Mormon beliefs concern its depiction of God as eternally bodied. This means that on a metaphysical plain, Mormons are resolutely materialistic. This chapter proposes that Heavenly Flesh Christology can put Mormon metaphysics on a solid Christological ground while also opening the way for creedal theologians to learn from and appropriate Mormon metaphysics. This chapter examines the origins of Mormon materialism in the writings of Joseph Smith and investigates the relationship between Mormon materialism and hermeticism. It also discusses the work of Truman Madsen and the multiverse theory of Kirk Hagen.Less
The Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-Day Saints has no professional theologians or clergy, so its beliefs are not always easy for outsiders to discern and discuss. The most controversial Mormon beliefs concern its depiction of God as eternally bodied. This means that on a metaphysical plain, Mormons are resolutely materialistic. This chapter proposes that Heavenly Flesh Christology can put Mormon metaphysics on a solid Christological ground while also opening the way for creedal theologians to learn from and appropriate Mormon metaphysics. This chapter examines the origins of Mormon materialism in the writings of Joseph Smith and investigates the relationship between Mormon materialism and hermeticism. It also discusses the work of Truman Madsen and the multiverse theory of Kirk Hagen.
Steven C. Harper
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- August 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780199329472
- eISBN:
- 9780190063092
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780199329472.003.0019
- Subject:
- Religion, Early Christian Studies
Following the death of Lorenzo Snow in 1901, Joseph F. Smith was next in the line of prophetic successors. Joseph F. became the prophet and president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ...
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Following the death of Lorenzo Snow in 1901, Joseph F. Smith was next in the line of prophetic successors. Joseph F. became the prophet and president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in autumn. He ramped up efforts to commemorate Joseph Smith’s birthday and especially to rehearse his first vision. In the turn-of-the-century crisis that threatened to undermine Mormonism, Joseph F. Smith’s selection, relation, and repetition of the story of his uncle’s first vision helped the saints navigate their way to a new narrative, one in which plural marriage could be relinquished without eroding the saints’ faith in revelations received by their prophets past or present.Less
Following the death of Lorenzo Snow in 1901, Joseph F. Smith was next in the line of prophetic successors. Joseph F. became the prophet and president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in autumn. He ramped up efforts to commemorate Joseph Smith’s birthday and especially to rehearse his first vision. In the turn-of-the-century crisis that threatened to undermine Mormonism, Joseph F. Smith’s selection, relation, and repetition of the story of his uncle’s first vision helped the saints navigate their way to a new narrative, one in which plural marriage could be relinquished without eroding the saints’ faith in revelations received by their prophets past or present.
Ann Taves
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- January 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780691131016
- eISBN:
- 9781400884469
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691131016.003.0003
- Subject:
- Religion, Religious Studies
In 1823, Joseph Smith (1805–44), a farmer and treasure seeker in Upstate New York, had a vision in which a personage told him of ancient golden plates buried in a hillside, which Mormons claim he ...
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In 1823, Joseph Smith (1805–44), a farmer and treasure seeker in Upstate New York, had a vision in which a personage told him of ancient golden plates buried in a hillside, which Mormons claim he recovered, translated, and published as the Book of Mormon (1830) and which led to the founding of a restored church (1830). The revelation to Smith that Mormons now refer to as “D&C 3,” that is, the third revelation in the current edition of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' canonized Doctrine and Covenants, provides our first direct window into the emergence of early Mormonism. Although there is evidence to suggest that Smith received what he and others viewed as revelations prior to this one, this is the first revelation that was written down at about the time it was received. This chapter centers on that revelation, using it to reconstruct not only the event itself but the events that led up to and followed from it, as they likely appeared to those who were involved at the time.Less
In 1823, Joseph Smith (1805–44), a farmer and treasure seeker in Upstate New York, had a vision in which a personage told him of ancient golden plates buried in a hillside, which Mormons claim he recovered, translated, and published as the Book of Mormon (1830) and which led to the founding of a restored church (1830). The revelation to Smith that Mormons now refer to as “D&C 3,” that is, the third revelation in the current edition of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' canonized Doctrine and Covenants, provides our first direct window into the emergence of early Mormonism. Although there is evidence to suggest that Smith received what he and others viewed as revelations prior to this one, this is the first revelation that was written down at about the time it was received. This chapter centers on that revelation, using it to reconstruct not only the event itself but the events that led up to and followed from it, as they likely appeared to those who were involved at the time.
Seth Perry
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- January 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780691179131
- eISBN:
- 9781400889402
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691179131.003.0006
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
This chapter examines scripturalization in early national America by focusing on the scripturalized community that formed around Joseph Smith and his scriptural productions to extend and amplify a ...
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This chapter examines scripturalization in early national America by focusing on the scripturalized community that formed around Joseph Smith and his scriptural productions to extend and amplify a universe of biblical citations and performed roles. In contemporary Mormonism, the story of Smith's career begins with the First Vision. He published the Book of Mormon in 1830, using bibles for its composition. The chapter discusses the place of print-bible culture, citationality, performance, and the scripturalization of biblically resonant visionary texts in earliest Mormonism. It also considers how Smith's texts invited their readers and auditors to regard them as scriptures and therefore to regard him as a prophet. It shows that these texts functioned by citing the Bible, both implicitly and explicitly, and argues that the scripturalized community conjured by Smith and those around him as a classic example of the type of religious authority made possible by early national bible culture.Less
This chapter examines scripturalization in early national America by focusing on the scripturalized community that formed around Joseph Smith and his scriptural productions to extend and amplify a universe of biblical citations and performed roles. In contemporary Mormonism, the story of Smith's career begins with the First Vision. He published the Book of Mormon in 1830, using bibles for its composition. The chapter discusses the place of print-bible culture, citationality, performance, and the scripturalization of biblically resonant visionary texts in earliest Mormonism. It also considers how Smith's texts invited their readers and auditors to regard them as scriptures and therefore to regard him as a prophet. It shows that these texts functioned by citing the Bible, both implicitly and explicitly, and argues that the scripturalized community conjured by Smith and those around him as a classic example of the type of religious authority made possible by early national bible culture.
Philip L. Barlow
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- September 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780199739035
- eISBN:
- 9780199345021
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199739035.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
This book offers an in-depth analysis of the approaches taken to the Bible by major Mormon leaders, from its beginnings to the present. It shows that Mormon attitudes toward the Bible comprise an ...
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This book offers an in-depth analysis of the approaches taken to the Bible by major Mormon leaders, from its beginnings to the present. It shows that Mormon attitudes toward the Bible comprise an extraordinary mix of conservative, liberal, and radical ingredients: an almost fundamentalist adherence to the King James Version co-exists with belief in the possibility of new revelation and surprising ideas about the limits of human language. This exploration takes important steps toward unraveling the mystery of this quintessential American religious phenomenon. This book includes an extended bibliography and a new preface, casting Joseph Smith's mission into a new frame and treating evolutions in Mormonism's biblical usage in recent decades.Less
This book offers an in-depth analysis of the approaches taken to the Bible by major Mormon leaders, from its beginnings to the present. It shows that Mormon attitudes toward the Bible comprise an extraordinary mix of conservative, liberal, and radical ingredients: an almost fundamentalist adherence to the King James Version co-exists with belief in the possibility of new revelation and surprising ideas about the limits of human language. This exploration takes important steps toward unraveling the mystery of this quintessential American religious phenomenon. This book includes an extended bibliography and a new preface, casting Joseph Smith's mission into a new frame and treating evolutions in Mormonism's biblical usage in recent decades.
Terryl L. Givens
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195138184
- eISBN:
- 9780199834211
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/019513818X.003.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
Scripture is a function of the ways in which texts become sacred through their employment or status in a religious community. To understand a scripture, one must understand the ways in which that ...
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Scripture is a function of the ways in which texts become sacred through their employment or status in a religious community. To understand a scripture, one must understand the ways in which that work has exerted its authority over the lives of believers. The Book of Mormon has served in a variety of roles, for both detractors and believers, which have shifted over the years. Four principal roles have been: 1) sacred sign of the last days, and of Joseph Smith's divine calling; 2) a factual account of the pre‐Columbian peopling of the Western hemisphere by Israelite migrations around 600 bc; 3) the imaginative creation of a nineteenth‐century religion maker; and 4) a new American Bible. The unprecedented growth of this potentially new world religion is making an understanding of its core scripture increasingly imperative.Less
Scripture is a function of the ways in which texts become sacred through their employment or status in a religious community. To understand a scripture, one must understand the ways in which that work has exerted its authority over the lives of believers. The Book of Mormon has served in a variety of roles, for both detractors and believers, which have shifted over the years. Four principal roles have been: 1) sacred sign of the last days, and of Joseph Smith's divine calling; 2) a factual account of the pre‐Columbian peopling of the Western hemisphere by Israelite migrations around 600 bc; 3) the imaginative creation of a nineteenth‐century religion maker; and 4) a new American Bible. The unprecedented growth of this potentially new world religion is making an understanding of its core scripture increasingly imperative.
Steven C. Harper
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- August 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780199329472
- eISBN:
- 9780190063092
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780199329472.003.0024
- Subject:
- Religion, Early Christian Studies
Fawn Brodie’s biography of Joseph Smith and related forces generated dissonance for many Latter-day Saints in the 1950s and 1960s. Some like Jerald Tanner, Sandra McGee, and LaMar Petersen left ...
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Fawn Brodie’s biography of Joseph Smith and related forces generated dissonance for many Latter-day Saints in the 1950s and 1960s. Some like Jerald Tanner, Sandra McGee, and LaMar Petersen left Mormonism, citing LDS Church censorship of source material related to Smith’s first vision as a reason. Historian James B. Allen expected Joseph Smith’s multiple memories to be complex. He was fascinated by the historical record, not fearful of it. He expected it to be ambivalent and open to various interpretations. His approach to it led to the mature scholarship on Smith’s vision in this era as Smith’s 1832 and 1835 accounts came to light.Less
Fawn Brodie’s biography of Joseph Smith and related forces generated dissonance for many Latter-day Saints in the 1950s and 1960s. Some like Jerald Tanner, Sandra McGee, and LaMar Petersen left Mormonism, citing LDS Church censorship of source material related to Smith’s first vision as a reason. Historian James B. Allen expected Joseph Smith’s multiple memories to be complex. He was fascinated by the historical record, not fearful of it. He expected it to be ambivalent and open to various interpretations. His approach to it led to the mature scholarship on Smith’s vision in this era as Smith’s 1832 and 1835 accounts came to light.
Terryl L. Givens and Matthew J. Grow
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780195375732
- eISBN:
- 9780199918300
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195375732.003.0002
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
Parley Pratt’s Puritan ancestry prefigured his own life of religious conflict and independence, with Anne Hutchinson and John Lathrop among his forbears. His immediate background was impoverished and ...
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Parley Pratt’s Puritan ancestry prefigured his own life of religious conflict and independence, with Anne Hutchinson and John Lathrop among his forbears. His immediate background was impoverished and itinerant, as his father Jared Pratt traversed the state of New York trying to secure a living. He left home at a young age, first boarding out, then unsuccessfully seeking his fortune on the frontier. He fell in love with Thankful Halsey, began a religious quest, joined the Baptists, and built a cabin in the Ohio wilderness. Pratt then married, and joined the Reformed Baptists or Campbellite movement, under Sidney Rigdon’s influence, attracted to its millennialism and Primitivism. Forsaking his farm, he embarked on a freelance mission, happened upon a Book of Mormon, and was converted to the Latter-day Saints, or Mormons. Almost immediately, he was called by Joseph Smith as a missionary to the “Lamanites” (Native Americans) in the Indian Territory.Less
Parley Pratt’s Puritan ancestry prefigured his own life of religious conflict and independence, with Anne Hutchinson and John Lathrop among his forbears. His immediate background was impoverished and itinerant, as his father Jared Pratt traversed the state of New York trying to secure a living. He left home at a young age, first boarding out, then unsuccessfully seeking his fortune on the frontier. He fell in love with Thankful Halsey, began a religious quest, joined the Baptists, and built a cabin in the Ohio wilderness. Pratt then married, and joined the Reformed Baptists or Campbellite movement, under Sidney Rigdon’s influence, attracted to its millennialism and Primitivism. Forsaking his farm, he embarked on a freelance mission, happened upon a Book of Mormon, and was converted to the Latter-day Saints, or Mormons. Almost immediately, he was called by Joseph Smith as a missionary to the “Lamanites” (Native Americans) in the Indian Territory.
