eBook

The book of mormon

Gutjahr, Paul C

2012

Overview

Late one night in 1823 Joseph Smith, Jr., was reportedly visited in his family's farmhouse in upstate New York by an angel named Moroni. According to Smith, Moroni told him of a buried stack of gold plates that were inscribed with a history of the Americas' ancient peoples, and which would restore the pure Gospel message as Jesus had delivered it to them. Thus began the unlikely career of theBook of Mormon, the founding text of the Mormon religion, and perhaps the most important sacred text ever to originate in the United States. Here Paul Gutjahr traces the life of this book as it has formed and fractured different strains of Mormonism and transformed religious expression around the world. Gutjahr looks at how theBook of Mormonemerged from the burned-over district of upstate New York, where revivalist preachers, missionaries, and spiritual entrepreneurs of every stripe vied for the loyalty of settlers desperate to scratch a living from the land. He examines how a book that has long been the subject of ridicule--Mark Twain called it \"chloroform in print\"--has more than 150 million copies in print in more than a hundred languages worldwide. Gutjahr shows how Smith's influential book launched one of the fastest growing new religions on the planet, and has featured in everything from comic books and action figures to feature-length films and an award-winning Broadway musical.

• Publisher: Princeton University Press
• Subject: Amalickiah / Archaeology / Arnold Friberg / B. H. Roberts / Baptists / Bible / Book of Alma / Book of Commandments / Book of Mormon / Book of Mormon -- Criticism, interpretation, etc / Book of Mormon -- History / Brigham Young / Calvinism / Cecil B. DeMille / Christian Church / Christian mission / Christianity / Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormon) / Comic book / Community of Christ / Courtesy / Criticism, interpretation, etc / Cumorah / Dan Vogel / Deseret alphabet / Disputation / Edition (book) / Ezra Booth / Ezra Taft Benson / Generosity / God / Golden plates / Hill Cumorah Pageant / His Family / History / HRAX / HRCC99 / Hugh Nibley / Illustration / James Strang / John the Baptist / Joseph Smith / Joseph Smith III / Joseph Smith Sr / Lamanite / Limhi / Literature / Methodism / Missionary / Missionary (LDS Church) / Mormon Doctrine (book) / Mormon pioneers / Mormonism / Mormonism Unvailed / Mormons / Narrative / Nephite / New Testament / Oliver Cowdery / Orson Pratt / Plagiarism / Printing / Publishing / RELIGION / RELIGION / Christianity / General / RELIGION / History / Religious text / Sacred books / Sacred history / Saint / Sect / Seer stone (Latter Day Saints) / Sidney Rigdon / Solomon Spalding / The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints / The Life of Nephi / Urim and Thummim / View of the Hebrews / Writing / Zarahemla
• ISBN: 9780691144801, 069114480X, 9781400841615, 1400841615, 0691217653, 9780691217659