If you didn’t know already, let me make it abundantly clear, I LOVE the Book of Mormon. I love it for the spiritual guidance it gives me as I study it to understand its purposes.
- To show unto the remnant of the house of Israel what great things the Lord hath done for their fathers; and that they may know the covenants of the Lord, that they are not cast off forever.
- And also to the convincing of the Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God, manifesting himself unto all nations. (Book of Mormon Title page)
I love it for its linguistic structure. Its written structure and poetry are beautiful. The way that the prophets expressed themselves is poetic and wonderfully expressed.
I love it for its historical value. The Book of Mormon is a masterful enigma of nineteenth-century writing expressing pre-exilic Jewish religion and language and Semitic and Afro-Asiatic language and ideas all filtered through an often Mesoamerican context (Yes, I subscribe to the Mesoamerican model of Book of Mormon events). The combination of these elements makes the Book of Mormon a fascinating book from a historical perspective.
Since we are entering into the Book of Mormon as a topic of study this year in Come Follow Me, I will list some of my favorite study resources. These are in no particular order.
Resources
- Mormon’s Codex – John Sorenson
- Let’s Talk about the Translation of the Book of Mormon – Gerrit J Dirkmaat, Michael Hubbard MacKay
- Traditions of the Fathers: The Book of Mormon As History – Brant Gardner
- Second Witness series – Brant Gardner
- The Annotated Book of Mormon – Grant Hardy
- Understanding the Book of Mormon – Grant Hardy
- By the Hand of Mormon – Terryl Givens
- Isaiah in the Book of Mormon – Donald W. Parry
- The Legal Cases in The Book of Mormon – John W. Welch
While not a book, I should mention Book of Mormon Central because it is a wonderful resource with media, articles, and many other resources that will help your study.
I’m looking forward to teaching and writing about the Book of Mormon this coming year. I hope you will join me in the study, enjoyment, and spiritual fulfillment that comes from studying this wonderful book.