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Paperback
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN13: 9780195369311
Condition: NEW
Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
With over 140 million copies in print, and serving as the principal proselytizing tool of one of the world's fastest growing faiths, the Book of Mormon is undoubtedly one of the most influential religious texts produced in the western world. Written by Terryl Givens, a leading authority on Mormonism, this compact volume offers the only concise, accessible introduction to this extraordinary work.
Givens examines the Book of Mormon first and foremost in terms of the claims that its narrators make for its historical genesis, its purpose as a sacred text, and its meaning for an audience which shifts over the course of the history it unfolds. The author traces five governing themes in particular--revelation, Christ, Zion, scripture, and covenant--and analyzes the Book's central doctrines and teachings. Some of these resonate with familiar nineteenth-century religious preoccupations; others consist of radical and unexpected takes on topics from the fall of Man to Christ's mortal ministries and the meaning of atonement. Givens also provides samples of a cast of characters that number in the hundreds, and analyzes representative passages from a work that encompasses tragedy, poetry, sermons, visions, family histories and military chronicles. Finally, this introduction surveys the contested origins and production of a work held by millions to be scripture, and reviews the scholarly debates that address questions of the record's historicity.
Here then is an accessible guide to what is, by any measure, an indispensable key to understanding Mormonism. But it is also an introduction to a compelling and complex text that is too often overshadowed by the controversies that surround it.
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| An Amazing Achievement |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
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This truly is an amazing little book. Terryl Givens does a fine job of pulling off what seems to be an impossible task -- summarizing the Book of Mormon in a little book of about 130 pages. But he makes it look easy as he identifies themes, highlights key passages, offers sharp little insights, and even finds time to mention some of the criticisms and problems that the Book of Mormon has faced since its inception. Naturally, given the short space allotted him, Givens at times seems to be rushing, and you find yourself wishing he had been able to take more time to expound upon his insights. If you find yourself thinking this, then you might consider reading his more expansive book, "By the Hand of Mormon." As the author of a book about the Book of Mormon myself (Pearls from the Plates: Reading and Responding to the Book of Mormon), I am humbled but lifted by Givens's achievement. Whether you are a scholar of the Book of Mormon or just someone curious about what it is actually all about, you will find something of interest and edification in this pithy little publication.
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| Honest, brief review of the Book of Mormon |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
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In a few brief pages Terryl Givens presents the views of a well respected scholar who has actually read the Book of Mormon...a book whose origins and contents are debated vociferously by many critics who have never read it. It is refreshing, informative, enlightening and portable. It would be the perfect gift for someone sincerely searching for truth about what Mormons really believe. I bought, read and have given as gifts three copies and will buy more. Thank you, Amazon, for alerting me to this book and others in the Oxford scholarly series.
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| Excellent Introduction to the Book of Mormon |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
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Terryl Givens, a highly regarded English professor at the University of Richmond and one of the finest Book of Mormon scholars, has written this brief introduction to the Book of Mormon for the Oxford University Press very short introduction series. The beauty of this book is that it is accessible at several different levels. It is highly accessible to anyone without any prior knowledge of the Book of Mormon. So it serves its introductory purpose quite well. But it also brings new insights or well-stated insights that might not be quite new to those well-versed in the Book of Mormon. Anyone interested in the Book of Mormon or Mormonism would be well-advised to read this fine, intelligent, beautifully crafted, and well-balanced book.
Also recommended: "The Koran: A Very Short Introduction" by Michael Cook.
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