Textual Studies of the Doctrine and Covenants

Textual Studies of the Doctrine and Covenants
Author: William Victor Smith
Publisher: Greg Kofford Books, Incorporated
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2018
Genre: History
ISBN: 9781589586901

William Smith examines the text of Joseph Smith's complicated and rough revelation on plural marriage to explore the motivation for its existence, how it reflects the evolving and dynamic theology of the Nauvoo period, and how the revelation was utilized and reinterpreted as Mormonism fully embraced and later abandoned polygamy.

“This Is My Doctrine”: The Development of Mormon Theology

“This Is My Doctrine”: The Development of Mormon Theology
Author: Charles R. Harrell
Publisher: Greg Kofford Books
Total Pages: 598
Release: 2011-08-05
Genre: Religion
ISBN:

The principal doctrines defining Mormonism today often bear little resemblance to those it started out with in the early 1830s. This book shows that these doctrines did not originate in a vacuum but were rather prompted and informed by the religious culture from which Mormonism arose. Early Mormons, like their early Christian and even earlier Israelite predecessors, brought with them their own varied culturally conditioned theological presuppositions (a process of convergence) and only later acquired a more distinctive theological outlook (a process of differentiation). In this first-of-its-kind comprehensive treatment of the development of Mormon theology, Charles Harrell traces the history of Latter-day Saint doctrines from the times of the Old Testament to the present. He describes how Mormonism has carried on the tradition of the biblical authors, early Christians, and later Protestants in reinterpreting scripture to accommodate new theological ideas while attempting to uphold the integrity and authority of the scriptures. In the process, he probes three questions: How did Mormon doctrines develop? What are the scriptural underpinnings of these doctrines? And what do critical scholars make of these same scriptures? In this enlightening study, Harrell systematically peels back the doctrinal accretions of time to provide a fresh new look at Mormon theology. “This Is My Doctrine” will provide those already versed in Mormonism’s theological tradition with a new and richer perspective of Mormon theology. Those unacquainted with Mormonism will gain an appreciation for how Mormon theology fits into the larger Jewish and Christian theological traditions.

The Doctrine and Covenants

The Doctrine and Covenants
Author: Orson Pratt
Publisher: Legare Street Press
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2022-10-27
Genre:
ISBN: 9781015694262

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

The Pearl of Greatest Price

The Pearl of Greatest Price
Author: Terryl Givens
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 297
Release: 2019-09-04
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0190603887

The Pearl of Greatest Price narrates the history of Mormonism's fourth volume of scripture, canonized in 1880. The authors track its predecessors, describe its several components, and assess their theological significance within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Four principal sections are discussed, along with attendant controversies associated with each. The Book of Moses purports to be a Mosaic narrative missing from the biblical version of Genesis. Too little treated in the scholarship on Mormonism, these chapters, produced only months after the Book of Mormon was published, actually contain the theological nucleus of Latter-day Saint doctrines as well as a virtual template for the Restoration Joseph Smith was to effect. In The Pearl of Greatest Price, the author covers three principal parts that are the focus of many of the controversies engulfing Mormonism today. These parts are The Book of Abraham, The Book of Moses, and The Joseph Smith History. Most controversial of all is the Book of Abraham, a production that arose out of a group of papyri Smith acquired, along with four mummies, in 1835. Most of the papyri disappeared in the great Chicago Fire, but surviving fragments have been identified as Egyptian funerary documents. This has created one of the most serious challenges to Smith's prophetic claims the LDS church has faced. LDS scholars, however, have developed several frameworks for vindicating the inspiration of the resulting narrative and Smith's calling as a prophet. The author attempts to make sense of Smith's several, at times divergent, accounts of his First Vision, one of which is canonized as scripture. He also assesses the creedal nature of Smith's "Articles of Faith," in the context of his professed anti-creedalism. In sum, this study chronicles the volume's historical legacy and theological indispensability to the Latter-day Saint tradition, as well as the reasons for its resilience and future prospects in the face of daunting challenges.

Documents

Documents
Author: Dean C. Jessee
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2013
Genre: Latter Day Saint churches
ISBN: 9781629726892

"Volume 3 ... features primarily minutes of meetings, letters, and revelations but also includes city plats, priesthood licenses, a warrant, a deed, and an attempt to classify the scriptures by topic."--Page xvii.

Embracing the Law

Embracing the Law
Author: Jeremiah John
Publisher: Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
Total Pages:
Release: 2017
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 9780842530033

According to Joseph Smith, Doctrine and Covenants 42 embraces the law of the church. In this collection of essays, six scholars probe the significance of this revelation, and especially the significance of its status as "law". In what ways is D&C 42 especially the law of consecration "binding for Latter-day Saints" today? These wide-ranging essays argue the law remains in force, and in many different ways.