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“The Book of Mormon must submit to every test, literary criticism with the rest. Indeed, it must submit to every analysis and examination. It must submit to historical tests, to the tests of archaeological research and also to the higher criticism.” —B. H. Roberts, president, First Seven Presidents of the Seventy, “Higher Criticism and the Book of Mormon,” The Improvement Era (1911)
“To Latter-day Saints there can be no objection to the careful and critical study of the scriptures, ancient or modern, provided only that it be an honest study—a search for truth.” —John A. Widtsoe, Council of the Twelve Apostles, In Search of Truth: Comments on the Gospel and Modern Thought (1930)
“What if Hebrew prophets, conversant with only a small fraction of the surface of the earth, thinking and writing in terms of their own limited geography and tribal relations, did interpret Him in terms of a
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tribal king and so limit His personality and the laws of the universe under his control … [T]he inspired man interprets [God] … in the language he knows and in the terms of expression with which his knowledge and experience have made him familiar.” —Stephen L Richards, Council of the Twelve Apostles, “An Open Letter to College Students,” The Improvement Era (1933)
from the jacket flap
When the Book of Mormon first appeared for sale in early 1830, questions surfaced regarding its claim to be an ancient history of the Americas. New Approaches to the Book of Mormon: Explorations in Critical Methodology outlines the broad contours of contemporary scholarship which continue to examine issues of antiquity. Drawing from a variety of disciplines, contributors discuss historicity from the standpoint of physical and cultural anthropology, geography, linguistics, demographics, literary forms, liturgical context, theology, and evolution of the original manuscript to published work.
The message of the Book of Mormon is one of socio-economic equality and divine intervention. That message can sometimes be obscured by polemical use of the book as a prooftext for elitist and institutional agendas over personal religious experience. The Book of Mormon has become an icon that is revered more than understood, according to the contributors. Attempts to make the book relevant often gloss over context. Returning to a nineteenth-century understanding of the text restores the book’s spiritual rather than symbolic importance.
Among contributors to New Approaches to the Book of Mormon are David P. Wright, Assistant Professor of Hebrew Bible and Near Eastern Studies, Brandeis University; Deanne G. Matheny, former Instructor of Anthropology and Archaeology, Brigham Young University; Stan Larson, Senior Researcher, Utah Philosophy and Religion Archives, Marriott Library, University of Utah; Edward H. Ashment, former Supervisor, Scripture Translation Services, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; Melodie Moench Charles, MTS graduate, Old Testament, Harvard Divinity School; and Anthony H. Hutchinson, Ph.D. candidate, Biblical Studies, Catholic University.
New Approaches to the Book of Mormon will modify, even transform previous theories regarding the nature of Mormon scripture. Painstaking research undergirds the ten essays included in this compilation. Contributors share with readers a wealth of fresh perspectives and offer an array of new directions for future Book of Mormon research.
“Some readers may find these essays too ‘secular’, while others may find them too ‘religious’. However, those with less partisan objectives should find them thought-provoking and absorbing whether their interests are academic or theological. As with any revisionist study, traditional assumptions are challenged, but many faith-affirming perspectives will endure.” —The Editor
about the editor
Brent Lee Metcalfe is a technical editor for the computer industry in Utah. His essay, “Joseph Smith’s Scriptural Cosmology,” was published in The Word of God: Essays on Mormon Scripture. He has moderated panels on the Book of Mormon for the B. H. Roberts Society and Sunstone symposia and has published on related topics.
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New Approaches to the Book of Mormon
Explorations in Critical Methodology
Brent Lee Metcalfe, editor
Signature Books
Salt Lake City, Utah
1993
copyright page
Cover design by Randall Smith Associates
© 1993 Smith Research Associates.
All rights reserved.
Printed and bound in the United States of America by Signature Books.
Signature Books is a registered trademark of Signature Books, Inc.
∞ Printed on acid free paper.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
New approaches to the Book of Mormon: explorations in critical methodology /
[edited by] Brent Lee Metcalfe.
p. cm. Includes bibliographical references.
1. Book of Mormon–Criticism, interpretation, etc.
I. Metcalfe, Brent Lee.
BX8627.N43 1993 289.3'22–dc20 92-16269
ISBN 1-56085-017-5
dedication page
For my friend and partner, Tara,
and our children, Courtney, Michala, Alisha, and Jen
And for my parents, Maureen and Derek,
and my siblings, Becky, Julie, and Wayne
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