The Book of Mormon, Terryl Givens
The Book of Mormon, Terryl Givens
List: $12.99 | Sale: $9.10
Club: $6.49

The Book of Mormon
A Very Short Introduction

Author: Terryl Givens

Narrator: Terryl Givens

Unabridged: 4 hr 46 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 06/08/2021


Synopsis

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.

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. 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.

About Terryl Givens

Terryl Givens is Neal A. Maxwell Senior Research Fellow at the BYU Maxwell Institute in Provo, Utah.


Reviews

Goodreads review by David S. T. on February 26, 2012

I should start by saying that I'm not a Mormon so that biases my opinion. I picked this book up shortly after reading Bushman's excellent very short introduction to Mormonism, that book addressed many of the questions / problems people have with the Mormon church, didn't try to hide the worst stuff......more

Goodreads review by Jacob on October 09, 2015

This is a very good book. Givens is a gifted researcher, reader, and writer, and I have loved his work for years, especially By the Hand of Mormon, which I have also reviewed here. This is an academic introduction to the Book of Mormon written by a faithful Mormon. It is not about whether the book i......more

Goodreads review by Kenneth on December 11, 2015

I picked up this book as a crash course because I have a Mormon friend and I wanted to get a little glimpse into his world. This book was very helpful as a high level overview. I would recommend it to any outsiders wanting to gain insight.......more

Goodreads review by Vishal on January 13, 2016

The Book of Mormon (BoM) occupies a unique place as a piece of sacred scripture in the American religious milieu since it was published in 1830. To its critics and detractors, it is at best a piece of dull fiction ("chloroform in print", according to Mark Twain), and at worst, a blasphemous religiou......more

Goodreads review by Rob on March 28, 2011

Great book. Worth buying and reading for chapters on the themes of the Book of Mormon alone. He highlights some themes and make arguments that even long-time readers of the Book will find interesting, new and worthwhile. I really enjoyed it.......more