Latter Day Saint Sacred Texts

Catalog description

Taught by GTU. In addition to the Bible, Latter-day Saints claim three additional books as scripture: the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants and the Pearl of Great Price. This course examines each in terms of its origins and claim as sacred text, although the primary focus is on the Book of Mormon. Since its publication in 1830, the Book of Mormon, translated into more than 100 languages, is considered one of the most controversial books published in America. Claimed by Mormons to be as a scriptural record of three groups of Near Eastern peoples who immigrated to the New World in antiquity, as well as "a new witness of Jesus Christ," it has elicited both derision and a growing body of serious scholarship. This course examines the book in relation to the nineteenth-century environment out of which it emerged and the critical judgment that it has inspired over the past 180 years. Primary emphasis is on the text itself-its narrative construction, "deep structures," controlling images, dramatic action and central messages. Particular attention will be paid to the account of Jesus' visit to the New World as recounted in 3 Nephi. The course also examines a series of what Mormons consider "modern revelations" collected as The Doctrine and Covenants and the shorter Pearl of Great Price, which includes the Book of Moses and the Book of Abraham, plus an account of Joseph Smith's foundational visions as prophet. Class meets at the LDS Institute of Religion, 2368 Le Conte Ave., Berkeley 94709.