Teaching the Book of Mormon as Literature

This semester marks the second time I have had the opportunity to teach the Book of Mormon as Literature at the University of Utah. It’s been an incredible experience for which I feel deeply grateful. On occasion, I’m asked the question how someone with academic training in historical readings of the Bible and the Ancient Near came to teach a course on literary analysis. It’s kind of a fun story.

In 2013, I was approached by Dr. Robert Goldberg, the director of the Tanner Humanities Center at the University of Utah. Bob (who happens to be a non-LDS practicing Jew) invited me to teach a course of my design in the field of Mormon Studies.

“So what would you like to teach?” he asked.

The answer came out almost immediately: “A course on the Book of Mormon.” I explained to Bob that typically when Mormon Studies have been taught at other universities, those courses have explored aspects of Mormon history or Mormon culture. “I don’t think that the Book of Mormon itself has ever been taught for an entire semester outside of a BYU experience,” I said, “so let’s do something different for the premiere research institution in the state.”

Bob, who has always been very kind and highly supportive, took a look at my proposed syllabus and agreed to sponsor the course.

So why the Book of Mormon as “literature”?

To answer this question, I have to share a bit of personal background.

After I returned home from an LDS mission in Brazil, I registered for an Institute of Religion course at UVCC taught by a man named John Young. Brother Young as we called him knew some Biblical Hebrew and would share exciting insights he gained through his knowledge of the language. Given my passion for that type of learning, needless to say, I was hooked. I had to learn that language. So after completing an Associate’s degree, I transferred to Brigham Young University as a History major. I took every Hebrew course I possibly could. I even took a semester of Ugaritc, a Northwest Semitic language written in an alphabetic cuneiform script.

My first exposure to non-LDS Bible scholarship came as an undergraduate. One day a book in the BYU bookstore caught my attention. It was Robert Alter’s classic work, The Art of Biblical Narrative. Even though I wasn’t a good student in my younger years, I had always loved literature and poetry (this perhaps explains my long-time obsession with the music of Bob Dylan). Together with my Biblical Hebrew studies, Alter’s book opened up a new and exciting world for me. I determined that I wanted to pursue graduate work in Hebrew Bible and that I wanted to do it at Brandeis University, a non-sectarian Jewish institution famous for its work in historical analysis of the Hebrew Bible. I loved what Alter was able to do with the text, but I was a History major, and I wanted to attend a graduate program that would build upon that specific foundation.

Brandeis was the only MA program I applied to, so fortunately enough, I was accepted. Now like good Latter-day Saints, my wife and I did not put off having children, despite the fact that we were both still in the midst of our educational pursuits (not the easiest task with two small children, to say the least). But we excitedly prepared for our adventure, taking our two little daughters to Boston, MA in the summer of 1998.

I quickly learned that my professors at Brandeis, though brilliant linguists and literary critics, had strong feelings about the type of study Robert Alter performs. We certainly took note of Alter’s work (especially in my course on the Psalms), but I can perhaps best sum up the general feeling on “literary” readings of the Bible in my academic program by citing Dr. Marc Brettler (one of the scholars I had the privilege to study under for both my MA and PhD):

“The Bible is certainly literature, and uses literary rhetorical devices, but is not comprised entirely of Literature. The ‘Bible as literature’ movement troubles me for several reasons… Many of these literary studies are new-critical in nature, and treat the text as an artifact, disengaged from its original historical context… I believe that the context is important, and as such I find problematic most literary readings that decontextualize biblical passages, and pay only lip-service, if that, to the Bible as an ancient Near Eastern text. (This lip service is seen in the expression ‘The Bible and [rather than ‘in’] the Ancient Near East’ which to my mind is comparable to ‘The U.S. and the Modern World’—the Bible is just as much a part of the ancient Near East as the U.S. is part of the modern world.” Marc Brettler, “Some Personal Reflections on Literary Artistry in the Bible,” Milin Havivin, pg. 144-45.

For those familiar with Dr. Brettler’s significant contributions to the field of historical analysis of biblical texts, this statement will come as no surprise. It’s one of the reasons why as a student of “history,” I felt so comfortable in the program.

Returning, therefore, to my experience teaching at the University of Utah, I’ll share that the same semester I taught the “Book of Mormon as Literature” course, I also taught “Introduction to the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament.” Prior to the beginning of the semester, I was approached and asked if for registration purposes, the university might list the course as the “Hebrew Bible as Literature” (a class regularly taught at the U of U).

I strongly resisted the change. It’s not that I’m opposed to teaching the Bible as “literature.” I love literary studies and would be happy to teach such a course, but I’ll admit, it’s not my preference. I was trained to study and teach the Bible as history, and there is a difference. If I have my choice, I much prefer to teach Hebrew Bible and New Testament in accordance with my specific academic focus, meaning from a historical critical perspective. When I publish or teach concerning literary features in the Bible, I prefer to do so in a way that analyzes the text in its specific historical context.

So… why then the Book of Mormon as “literature?”

The answer is that I think it’s the best way to teach a semester course on this amazing book of scripture. As a historian of religious texts, I don’t want to teach literature in a way that brackets historical context. I simply believe that in a state sponsored course in Religious Studies that students can learn to appreciate the Book of Mormon according to two distinct literary frames: the 19th century American religious culture of Joseph Smith, and the ancient environment the book itself connects with in terms of its claims of origin.

Though the course does not shy away from literary observations made by those who see the work as 19th century American religious literature, for the most part, I followed the pattern of “narrator-based reading” pioneered by my good friend Grant Hardy in his outstanding book, Understanding the Book of Mormon published by Oxford University Press. In his introduction, Grant explains this process, the one his study adopts:

“The Book of Mormon can be read as literature–a genre that encompasses history, fiction, and scripture–by anyone trying to understand this odd but fascinating book. If we keep our focus squarely on the narrative, it turns out that there is an organizing principle at work, but it is fairly subtle… Reading the Book of Mormon well–that is, comprehensively, following the contours and structure of the text, perceiving how the parts fit into the whole, and evaluating fairly the emphases and tensions within the book–requires a recognition of the central role played by its three major narrators: Nephi, Mormon, and Moroni.” Grant Hardy, Understanding the Book of Mormon, xiv.

Adopting this approach proved to be—at least from my perspective, a truly rewarding experience. In an environment where students have strong feelings about the Book of Mormon’s historical origins, we were able to come together and see how extraordinary this religious text proves when read from different angles. Those who embraced a solely 19th century perspective of the text were encouraged to appreciate the intricate ways the book mimics literary patterns and features in the Bible. Those who embrace an ancient historical origin for the text gained new insights into reading the text in accordance with this perspective. But they also learned some of the reasons those who reject the book’s historical claims read it the way they do.

As is always the case with courses in Religious Studies, the goal was/is neither to convert, nor deconvert, but to promote critical thinking and cultural awareness. Based upon the positive feedback we received from students in both camps (as well as those who really didn’t have a “dog” in the fight, and who had never before read the book), it was a rewarding experience for all, to the point that once again this semester, students studying at the University of Utah can take an academic course on the Book of Mormon from an instructor who admittedly knows more about historical analysis than he does “literature” (even though I love them both).

We’ll even Skype again with Grant Hardy.

I’ll conclude by sharing the introductory paragraphs of the syllabus:

Written in the language of the King James version of the Bible, the long and complicated Book of Mormon boggles the minds of many readers. Yet it is unquestionably one of the most influential books ever written. Recent studies by literary scholars searching the text in a manner independent of its truth claims have shown that the Book of Mormon can be appreciated for its unique literary qualities. This course will expose students to some of these features.

As an academic course in Religious studies, the objective of this class will be neither to convert to nor distract from the truth claims of either Mormonism (in any form) or the Book of Mormon itself. Instead, this course is designed to help students appreciate this fascinating text as 19th century American religious literature and as a work with deep literary ties to the Bible. Hence, the course will not explore in detail such issues as the historical origins and translation/authorship of the Book of Mormon, but instead focus attention upon the internal literary qualities of the text itself.

This course will be a unique experience. Outside of a devotional context, the Book of Mormon has seldom if ever been taught as literature for an entire semester course at a university level. Writing in 1989, historian Nathan Hatch observed that “for all the attention given to the study of Mormonism, surprisingly little has been devoted to the Book of Mormon itself.” In recent years, scholars have begun to address this academic void. This course will expose students to the process of studying the text from this vantage point. “Whatever its source,” writes historian Jan Shipps, the Book of Mormon “occupies a position of major importance in both the religious and intellectual history of the United States.” Such a work deserves serious academic consideration.