The Millenarian World of Early Mormonism [Hardcover]

Grant Underwood (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 1993

The most detailed study yet of early Mormon thought about the "end times," "The Millenarian World of Early Mormonism" shows how Mormon views of Christ's imminent second coming exerted a profound influence on Mormonism between 1830 and 1846. By exploring how early LDS interpretation of the Bible and the Book of Mormon affected, and was affected by Mormon millennial doctrines, Grant Underwood provides the first comprehensive linkage of the history of early Mormonism and millennial thought. He also probes LDS perceptions of the institutions and values prevalent before the Civil War, reassessing Mormonism's relationship to the dominant culture and placing Mormon millennial thought in the broader context of Judeo-Christian ideas about the end of the world.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"No serious student of early Mormon history should fail to read this book." - Choice "Contributes greatly to the understanding of religious growth and thought in the trans-Appalachian west. Students of early 19th century church history will find this to be 'must' reading." - Journal of the West "Although Underwood emphasizes the moderate character of Mormonism in this volume, it would be a mistake to discount the movement's radical elements. This well-written work demonstrates that continuity existed between the premillennialism and primitivism that Mormonism shared with many other Americans of the period and the concept of continuing revelation that was to increasingly separate the Mormons from their surrounding society." - Gary Land, American Historical Review "A model of first-rate scholarship and balanced interpretation; it has much to say not only to those interested in Mormon history but also to anyone seeking to understand the role of millenarian ideas in the American experience." - Michael Barkun, The Journal of American History "By breaking with outmoded stereotypes of millenarian movements as anti- modern or reactionary campaigns of the marginalized and deprived, his approach is in tune with contemporary work on millenarianism across disciplines. Underwood's command of the methodological literature related to his topic is exemplary. The book is thus highly recommended, both as a study of early Mormon self-understanding and as a guide, by way of its copious notes, to the social science research that can help us to make sense of the resurgence of millenarian thought today." - David L. Smith, Michigan Historical Review ADVANCE PRAISE "A signal contribution to Mormon studies. Anyone who wishes to explore the core of the Mormon identity in the nineteenth century will have to come to terms with this book." - Richard T. Hughes, Pepperdine University "A major monograph on a central theme in early Mormon history-the Second Coming of Christ. It not only locates Mormon views of the millennium in the broad context of Christian history, but presents evidence from early Mormon history that will surprise many readers." - Richard L. Bushman, author of Joseph Smith and the Beginnings of Mormonism --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 213 pages
• Publisher: University of Illinois Press (December 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0252020375
• ISBN-13: 978-0252020377
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,085,218 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A model monograph, January 29, 2005

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Anson Cassel Mills (Lake Santeetlah, NC) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Millenarian World of Early Mormonism (Hardcover)

I recommend Underwood's revised dissertation as a model for other writers of monographs. The Millenarian World of Early Mormonism is not only good scholarship, it's clearly and carefully written and with an minimum of the pseudo-profundity that fledgling scholars often feel obligated to display. Underwood's thesis is that belief in the imminent Second Coming of Christ permeated the early nineteenth-century culture from which Mormonism sprang and that the doctrine exerted a significant influence on early Mormonism, including aiding its missionary effort in England. Even scholarly Mormons tend to finesse the historical problems with their religion, but LDS bias is rarely detectable here. The Millenarian World of Early Mormonism is a monograph, "a learned treatise on a small area of learning," but within its sphere of competence, it's first-rate.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This an excellent portrayal of early-Mormon belief & outlook, May 11, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Millenarian World of Early Mormonism (Hardcover)

Grant Underwood had done an outstanding job of depicting 19th century LDS thought and world views. This scholarly work is a must for anyone trying to get an accurate picture of the early Saints beliefs, attitudes, and motivation.

5 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Representative of both the Best and the Worst of the "New Mormon History", October 7, 2005

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Roger D. Launius "Historian" (Washington, D.C., United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Millenarian World of Early Mormonism (Paperback)

The study of the history of the Mormon religion has exploded in recent years, but not always to the enlightenment of the reader. The "new Mormon history," as this field was labeled in the 1970s, was at first envisioned as an historiographical trend aimed at freeing the study of the faith from the apologetics of previous eras. For many reasons this approach to Mormon history has failed in recent years and this book exemplifies both the heady freshness of the "new Mormon history" during its first years and its more recent, disappointing reality.

"The Millenarian World of Early Mormonism," written by Brigham Young University professor Grant Underwood, is an able explanation of the place of the early Mormon religion of the 1830s and 1840s within the larger Christian apocalyptic movement. Exhaustively researched and tenaciously argued, Underwood's book presents early Mormonism as being more closely related to a larger millenarian perspective than most Latter-day Saints have thought, then or now. By illuminating the parallels between Mormon millennial thought and apocalyptic ideas present in other denominations Underwood demonstrates that Joseph Smith Jr. reflected the society in which he lived and perhaps borrowed from it in creating his unique religious tradition. It was a relatively short step, Underwood confirms, from broader millenarianism to that expressed by the Mormons. Such a conclusion says much about the genius of Joseph Smith as a consolidator and explicator of ideas floating in the religious ether of the early republic, if not as a prophet receiving God's will from on high.

A subtle but vital aspect of Underwood's book is his downplaying of the revolutionary tendencies of Mormonism in general and its millennialism in particular. He suggests that Mormon converts of the 1830s had much in common with other members of American society, and were not insurrectionists seeking to remake it. He asserts that they were "moderate millenarians whose critique of society focused primarily on its spiritual rather than structural deficiencies" (108). This flies in the face of what most other historians have said about the early Latter-day Saints. It also belies what the early Mormons believed about themselves, and cannot be sustained when confronted with the radical nature of early Mormonism.

One example among many makes this point. In 1832 Joseph Smith gave his famous prophecy on the American Civil War. Canonized by the Mormon church, it has been long used as a missionary tool to show that Smith was a "true prophet," since he predicted that a rebellion would begin in South Carolina, southern states would fight northern ones, slaves would rise up against masters, and a great war would take place. What Mormons do not emphasize about this prediction, and which contradict Underwood's moderate millennial argument, is Smith's belief that this would be the beginning of a general Armageddon in which God would make "a full end of all nations" and from which would emerge "the day of the Lord," the millennial reign of God's small group of righteous Saints (Doctrine and Covenants, section 87). By seeking to submerge the militant nature of early Mormonism Underwood might be helping to make respectable the image of present-day Mormonism, but he does not enhance historical understanding.

Underwood's work is firmly in the tradition of the "new Mormon history," relying on detailed research in documents and a presentation that never questions the underlying assumptions of the Mormon faith. It does so admirably, and in so doing presents challenges to students seeking to understand the development of early Mormonism.