Book Review of Terryl L. Givens, By the Hand of Mormon: The American Scripture that Launched a New World Religion

Abstract

Terryl L. Givens, professor of English at the University of Richmond, Virginia, enters the stormy field of Book of Mormon studies with an examination of why generations of believers and skeptics have taken the Book of Mormon seriously. His refreshing intent is not to argue for or against the truth of the Book of Mormon or Joseph Smith's account of it. Rather, he offers the wider public an overview of the "tempestuous career" of an American scripture as a sign of young man's prophetic calling. Despite some gross errors produced by his occasional failure to investigate claims made by LDS scholars, Givens's book is not a simple repetition of the general failings of Book of Mormon studies. His willingness to discuss the nineteenth-century context as well as peculiarity of prayer in the Book of Mormon helps to keep the delicate balance he seeks and mostly maintains. As an English professor, he is at his best when dealing with linguistic and rhetorical analysis in the Book of Mormon. His forays into anthropology lack a similar rigor. He identifies the historical root of Mormon struggles with their central scripture in the mundane rhetoric of a prophet with a divine message. Givens's summary of the Book of Mormon wars in the United States make this book necessary reading for any serious student of the Book of Mormon.

Keywords: Book of Mormon, Terryl Givens, anthropology, rhetoric, scripture, Joseph Smith

JEL Classification: Z10