Latter-day Scripture

by Robert M. Price

This book is a series of papers presented mainly at the Book of Mormon Round Table. It lays out a case for considering the Mormon scripture as the work of Joseph Smith in the nineteenth century, not an ancient document written by various Israelites in ancient America. But, author Robert M. Price argues, this is merely another case of "pseudepigraphy," the genre of fictive "as if" authorship common to the Bible as well. Price urges readers to a new appreciation of the intricate redaction and rewriting of the Bible in the Book of Mormon, and to a positive theological estimate of this approach by Latter-day Saint Christians. Critical studies of several passages in the Book of Mormon are included.

Genres: Religion

184 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 24, 2011

About the author

Robert McNair Price is an American theologian and writer. He teaches philosophy and religion at the Johnnie Colemon Theological Seminary, is professor of biblical criticism at the Center for Inquiry Institute, and the author of a number of books on theology and the historicity of Jesus, asserting the Christ myth theory.

A former Baptist minister, he was the editor of the Journal of Higher Criticism from 1994 until it ceased publication in 2003. He has also written extensively about the Cthulhu Mythos, a "shared universe" created by H.P. Lovecraft.

Reviews

[Clay · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was not only an extremely pleasurable book to read, but it is also and extremely important book.

Robert M. Price, a heavy hitter in the circle of higher critics, does an excellent job at analyzing the Book of Mormon as what it is, a pseudepigrapha. Is he concerned that Joseph Smith did not "translate" the Book of Mormon, but instead authored it? No - he is not.

Price puts Smith's accomplishments into context within a long religious tradition and he does those people that do not accept Joseph Smith as a literal translator, but neither want to label him as a cheap huckster and fraud, a great service.

Important quotes -
"...what is a new visionary to do? He had a message to declare to his contemporaries, but there was no point in simply announcing it publicly, only to be carried away and executed. Then who would hear the message? So pseudepigraphy was born."

"My hope is that non-LDS scripture scholars will gain new respect for the Book of Mormon in light of their more recent recognition of the character it share with the Bible, and that LDS scholars will take heart from the critical faith of their "Gentile" counterparts and no longer see the pastiche quality of Joseph Smith's scripture as an embarassement to be explained away. No, to lay bare the sources of the Mormon scripture and to suggest the redactional motives of its author is to illuminate the sacred text, not to debunk or disqualify it..."

As an secularist, that still respects religious genius, I appreciated this book immensely. Thank you, Dr. Price.

[Jc · Rating 3 out of 5]

I drop a star here only to warn potential readers that this may not be what they are looking for. If you want a critical-yet-objective survey of the Mormon religion, I would recommend e.g. David Fitzgerald's "The Mormons." Bob Price's book is very good for what it is, but to get the most out of it one would already need to have at least a history of religion grad-student level understanding of Mormonism (and related christian movements) to understand what is being discussed her. Bob is applying many of the classic forms of academic biblical criticism to the Mormon literature. Many great insights, but some understanding of the history and literature of Joseph Smith's cult is a prerequisite to understanding what Dr. Price is discussing here. Generally up to Bob's usual level of writing. Very thought provoking (IF you have the background to follow the arguments).

[Jacob · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting overview of the Book of Mormon. Price takes it seriously as pseudepigripha (I'm sure I spelled that wrong) and looks at how it was constructed from common biblical sources within the context of the 19th century protestant world.
I don't agree with all of Price's conclusions and any reader is likely to come across something that offends them, Price being who he is.
it's also a fairly short read and is definitely more of a summary than an in depth work.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall I think the book is definitely worth reading. Price's message about pseudapigrapha is interesting and he gives a greater historical context in which to place Joseph Smith and the creation of the Book of Mormon.