Givens’ By the Hand of Mormon

I like it, and it fits where I tend to land on the issue.

I read the actual record and look at how it is said to have been compiled, and it works really well when it’s judged only by what it says it is. Looking at Mormon also answers pretty much all of the contextual complaints, again if the only standard is what it actually says about who wrote it and why it was written.

I did an analysis once of the narrative voices in the Book of Mormon – not necessarily a thematic analysis, but looking closely at where Mormon interjects commentary into the record, what is pure abridgment and what is attributed directly to other authors in quoted material. It was fascinating, and it illustrated how complex and internally consistent the entire book is.

Focusing on Mormon certainly answers the war-obsession slant – and the extreme focus on secret combinations and their activities is interesting when you look, again, at the stated purpose of the book and the rise of modern-day terrorism.

I’m open to other interpretations, but the historical one resonates best with me – with a nod toward midrash and creative non-fiction in the translation process.

I have read it but it has been some time ago. I don’t think I understood Givens very well at the time, I should look at it again.

I like Givens’ book. I did a couple reviews back in 2010 at http://mormonheretic.org/2010/02/22/are-mormon-academics-winning-the-debate-with-evangelicals/ and http://mormonheretic.org/2010/01/31/foundations-of-book-of-mormon-archaeology/