For some, The Book of Mormon is simply a humorous Broadway production. For others, it is taken as a threat to their religious beliefs, while members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints revere it as scripture alongside the Bible. Terryl Givens, who is a member of the LDS Church, has approached it from a scholarly perspective to examine just what it is and how well it stands up to the various claims made about it, both by those who believe its words and those who don't.

He begins by looking at how it came about through the story Joseph Smith told and those who saw the ancient plates he claims to have translated it from. He discusses the contents and how it was used by early converts to the church. He also looks at the archaeological history, and while he finds a lack of conclusive evidence on the American continents where it was written, he finds much more when looking to the Old World where the people of the book claim to have originated. He also looks at many of the charges against it and weighs their merits, as well as the effect it has had on the church that resulted from it.

A friend at church recommended this book to me and it's one of the best I've read this year. I found it interesting that early Church members continued to rely upon the Bible, which they were more familiar with, and treated it more as a sign from heaven or a historical record. It wasn't until late in the 20th century that Church members began to make it the object of more serious study, both personal and in more scholarly pursuits. And Givens has written an excellent overview of the book that I think can be appreciated both by Church members and non-members alike. There were a number of parts that I feel might be better appreciated by theology or philosophy students, but I found it to be a very enjoyable and enlightening read. ( )

Givens' By the Hand of Mormon is a fascinating and scholarly book that examines the text's role as a divine testament of the Last Dispensation and as a sacred sign of Joseph Smith's status as a modern-day prophet. He assesses its claim to be a history of the ancient peoples of North America, and investigates whether new theology is contained therein. Ultimately he posits that the Book of Mormon is more valuable for its existence than its content: as evidence that Joseph Smith is a modern-day prophet.

This is one of the only full-length scholarly works dealing with the Book of Mormon from non-Mormon presses and Givens conducts serious academic study on the Book, which is long overdue for such work from scholars regardless of their religious affiliation. Givens' research is in depth while remaining somewhat constrained by the limits of his page numbers; nevertheless this is an excellent book which is so regardless of what one believes about the Book of Mormon.

My only complaint is that the last chapter (on the Book of Mormon as a cultural icon in LDS culture) was remarkably short in comparison to the other chapters, and felt rushed. ( )

http://littera-scripta.blogspot.com/2007/04/book-review-by-hand-of-mormon-americ... ( )