Digging in Cumorah: Reclaiming Book of Mormon Narrative [Paperback]

Mark D. Thomas (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 2000

Despite being one of the most influential books of scripture since the Koran, the Book of Mormon remains largely an undiscovered text, according to Mark D. Thomas. In this interpretive primer, he provides an eclectic framework for understanding Mormonism's founding scripture, including textual, historical, and literary approaches. His honest scholarship will engage all serious students of religion. "Mark D. Thomas has rediscovered the Book of Mormon, much like Hans Frei's The Eclipse of the Biblical Narrative did for the Bible. He shows how frequent asides to the reader ('frame breaks') guide them to the intended devotional significance, and applies modern narratology with great effect, using Robert Alter's 'type-narrative' schema. This inaugurates a new era of Book of Mormon studies, demonstrating that a searching scrutiny is the greatest friend, and no enemy, of a sacred work, since there can be nothing more edifying than understanding the text." Robert M. Price, Jesus Seminar Fellow, Westar Institute; editor, The Journal of Higher Criticism "This astonishing book probes more deeply into the Book of Mormon's literary and spiritual qualities than any other work I know. Its analysis of narrative structures will provide, as Thomas hopes, 'a means for the current reader to enter into fully informed dialogue with the text.' His analyses may 'sound as a faint whisper from the ground of Being.' In short, the most influential American narrative of the nineteenth century has at last found the scholarly reader it deserves." Wayne C. Booth, Pullman Professor of English, retired, University of Chicago; author, The Knowledge Most Worth Having

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Mark D. Thomas has rediscovered the Book of Mormon, much like Hans Frei's The Eclipse of the Biblical Narrative did for the Bible. He shows how frequent asides to the reader ('frame breaks') guide them to the intended devotional significance, and applies modern narratology with great effect, using Robert Alter's 'type-narrative' schema. This inaugurates a new era of Book of Mormon studies, demonstrating that a searching scrutiny is the greatest friend, and no enemy, of a sacred work, since there can be nothing more edifying than understanding the text." --Robert M. Price, Jesus Seminar Fellow, Westar Institute; editor, The Journal of Higher Criticism

"This astonishing book probes more deeply into the Book of Mormon's literary and spiritual qualities than any other work I know. Its analysis of narrative structures will provide, as Thomas hopes, 'a means for the current reader to enter into fully informed dialogue with the text.' His analyses may 'sound as a faint whisper from the ground of Being.' In short, the most influential American narrative of the nineteenth century has at last found the scholarly reader it deserves." --Wayne C. Booth, Pullman Professor of English, retired, University of Chicago; author, The Knowledge Most Worth Having

About the Author

Mark D. Thomas has published on the Book of Mormon in Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought, Sunstone, and the Journal of Higher Criticism. He is a contributor to The Word of God: Essays on Mormon Scripture and New Approaches to the Book of Mormon: Explorations in Critical Methodology, and co-editor of Jacob and the Angel: Mormon Readers and the Old Testament (forthcoming). As a founder of the Mormon Studies Seminar, he hosted the 1999 Biblical Archaeology Symposium at the University of Utah. Currently, he and his family reside in Salt Lake City, where he works in public finance.

Product Details

• Paperback: 248 pages
• Publisher: Signature Books (February 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1560850884
• ISBN-13: 978-1560850885
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,695,165 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Breaks new ground, September 12, 2000

By 

Daniel (Utah) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Digging in Cumorah: Reclaiming Book of Mormon Narrative (Paperback)

I enjoyed this book because it breaks new ground in terms of Book of Mormon scholarship. Most scholarly works pertaining to the Book of Mormon fall into two categories (1)those which support its historicity as an ancient document, versus (2)those which relegate it to religious fiction. This work focuses on the meaning of Book of Mormon passages by intrepeting the rhetorical forms and narratives found within the book. Skeptics who read this book may find themselves intrigued by the sophisticated narrative styles of the Book of Mormon as elucidated by Mr. Thomas. Believers, on the other hand, may find the resemblence of many of the narratives to King James Version counterparts unsettling. For those seeking a confirmation of their belief of disbelief, look elsewhere. This work shows that the Book of Mormon itself, whether historical or not, is a "good read". The Book of Mormon, like its originator, Joseph Smith, is difficult to "pigeon-hole" and those who read this book will understand why.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A solid form-critical analysis of the Book of Mormon, March 31, 2004

By 

R. Shane Griswold (Germany) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Digging in Cumorah: Reclaiming Book of Mormon Narrative (Paperback)

Thomas makes a solid case that the Book of Mormon (BoM) can be viewed as a document made of several complementary genres. Using this as his key to appreciating the BoM's complexity and "literary-ness". Reading the BoM according to its varying underlying generic structures opens up new ways of interacting with the work. "True believers" in the BoM could be disturbed by the work's deep structural dependence on early 19th-century narrative forms. "True skeptics" could be disturbed by the true narrative complexity of the BoM and may have to reappraise their presuppositions of its authorship. That being said, I would highly recommend this as a work of serious literary (form) criticism examining the BoM on its own terms as a message, as a work of (inspired) literature, written to an early 19th-century audience in early 19-century language and structures.

5.0 out of 5 stars AN INTERESTING AND ORIGINAL ANALYSIS OF THE BOOK OF MORMON, October 5, 2011

By 

Steven H. Propp (Sacramento, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Digging in Cumorah: Reclaiming Book of Mormon Narrative (Paperback)

Mark D. Thomas ia a founder of the Mormon Studies Seminar, and has published in 'Dialogue,' 'Sunstone,' and the 'Journal of Higher Criticism.'

He wrote in the Introduction to this 2000 book, "I intend my work as part of the foundation for a new tradition in Book of Mormon studies. Such study begins with rigorous, critical scholarship. The Book of Mormon's divergent literary and religious perspectives leave it vulnerable to attack; it contains serious moral and textual shortcomings. Some Mormons may find my approach threatening. My advice is that it is better to face these difficulties honestly in the context of faith than to weaken faith by ignoring them. If we value our faith and respect the Book of Mormon, there is no substitute for honest, thorough, and serious scholarship."

Here are some quotations from the book:

"I believe that the origin of the Book of Mormon is not the most important question that it compels us to ask. The real question is: 'Is the Book of Mormon worth reading?' The focus of this present work is on meaning, not authority." (Pg. 2)
"Even the Book of Mormon's statement that it is written in reformed Egyptian (Morm 9:32) would have piqued the already lively interest of 1830s readers... The idea that a cryptic language would yield its secrets to the 'right' indivdiual would therefore have been a familiar idea as well." (Pg. 50)
"The Mormon church, in pondering future editions (of the BOM), can either entirely delete such outmoded language or retain it for the sake of textual accuracy. My personal hope is that the racist language will be retained as evidence that scripture can and does contain human understandings and imperfections." (Pg. 84)
"The recent work of Dan Vogel provides the best connections to date between secret combinations and Masonry. Still... I believe Vogel overemphasizes 'secret combinations' as an exclusive allusion to Masonry... however, Vogel is correct in showing that 'secret combinations' was frequently a code name for Masonry in western New York in the 1820s." (Pg. 201)