Review
======
Title: Schooling The Prophet: How the Book of Mormon Influenced Joseph Smith and the Early Restoration
Author: Gerald E. Smith
Publisher: Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
Genre: Religion / Christianity
Year Published: 2015
Number of Pages: xii + 290
Binding: Paperback
ISBN13: 978-0-8425-2936-5
Price: $19.95
Reviewed by Jenny Webb for the Association for Mormon Letters
Gerald E. Smith’s recent book begins with what appears to be a relatively straight-forward claim: that Joseph Smith was influenced by the Book of Mormon. Whether or not one believes Joseph to be a prophet, the general response to such a claim is “Well, of course it influenced him! He translated/wrote it!” But Gerald Smith brings a greater sense of nuance to the question at hand by developing the thesis that “the Book of Mormon was not merely *derivative* from the Prophet, but actually may have been *formative* on his life and work as a prophet” (3). Given the fact that Joseph rarely quoted the Book of Mormon in his own doctrinal and theological sermons, shifting the question of influence from one of assumption to investigation, and specifically an investigation into the question of “how,” allows Smith to explore an intriguing relationship between text and reader in fruitful, thought-provoking ways.
The book is structured around a series of investigations that take up specific doctrinal topics and then works through the various ways in which the genesis and development of that topic within Mormonism can be traced back to (at least in part) examples within the Book of Mormon itself. As Smith works through topics such as Christology, soteriology, Zion, priesthood, and salvation as well as ordinances such as sacrament, baptism, and the various forms of temple worship, it is clear that he sees a rich, connective tapestry woven between Joseph’s own teaching and the ways in which specific phrases, forms, and themes from the Book of Mormon text clearly provide Joseph with material to investigate, imitate, and ultimately integrate. At times, Smith provides substantive line readings of specific Book of Mormon passages, drawing parallels between word choices, narrative context, and doctrinal developments in the Lehite world and then expertly pointing out their integration into restoration texts.
For example, in a discussion on the formation of LDS theology as found in the 1830 Articles and Covenants, Smith provides the following close analysis: “For example, the opening declaration is a Book of Mormon phrase—’there is a God in Heaven’—which appears twelve times word for word in the Book of Mormon and twice in the Old Testament. God is ‘infinite and eternal’ is a Book of Mormon phrase, not appearing elsewhere in biblical scripture. [. . .] Overall, nearly two-thirds of the phrases in this revealed statement of Mormon theology in the 1830 Articles and Covenants correspond to Book of Mormon phrases either exactly or closely” (54–55). By drawing out close linguistic ties, Smith creates a portrait of Joseph as theologically and doctrinally saturated by his experiences with the Book of Mormon.
Indeed, as Smith is careful to argue in his first chapter (“The Formative Influence of the Book of Mormon”), this saturation is the logical result of the translation process itself. While we do not have a complete picture as to how Joseph translated the plates, what we do have are multiple indications that this process involved effort and reflection. Smith argues that “even though Joseph Smith possessed a gift for translation, he still must have invested significant cognitive and revelatory effort in translating the ancient Book of Mormon writings before him” (42), a process he repeatedly describes as “schooling” for Joseph. The result of such schooling (both through the work of translation, as well as the work of receiving visions) is an underlying textual tutelage that carries over into Joseph’s own theological expansions, both linguistically (similar phrases, patterns of composition, etc.) as well as doctrinally—Joseph’s understanding of doctrines such as salvation, for example, are fundamentally marked not only by the teachings of the doctrine as found in the Book of Mormon, but by the work Joseph himself had to put into understanding the doctrine in order to provide an accurate translation.
All of this works together to produce a volume that provides numerous invitations to further consider the relationship between Joseph and the Book of Mormon. For example, when Smith argues that “the book’s manifest identity as ancient scripture seems to have influenced how he approached its content. To Smith the Book of Mormon was historical—concrete, tangible, grounded, and existential—and from this historical narrative emerged the revelatory, visionary, and theological impulses that defined its identity as a sacred text” (209), the reader is given an opportunity to reflect on the various ways Joseph’s commitment to the Book of Mormon’s historicity may have affected and influenced his own interpretation of and relationship with the narrative itself. Likewise, Smith’s assessment of Joseph’s understanding of baptism as produced by the Book of Mormon as “*timeless*—going back millennia into ancient Israelite history,” the reader is invited to further ponder how Joseph’s own understanding of temporality may have been affected by his “big picture” experiences both with the Book of Mormon and the visions that accompanied its translation.
As a whole, the volume is cogent and carefully written. Smith is clearly writing for a broad audience with varying degrees of exposure to Mormonism’s history and doctrines, and as such, he provides plenty of historical contextualization, drawing on well-researched scholarly histories such as those by Richard Bushman, Samuel M. Brown, and the excellent work of the Joseph Smith Papers project. He also brings many contemporary voices in Mormon Studies into the discussion, drawing on the work of Fiona and Terryl Givens, Gregory Prince, Taylor Petrey, John Welch, and Grant Hardy among others; contemporary biblical scholarship is also brought to bear when appropriate (Margaret Barker during the discussion of temple development, for example). What Smith does particularly well with all of this research is to synthesize and extract the salient points that aid his discussion without becoming bogged down by every minute detail involved in these discussions. Smith’s own prose is clear and engaging, and for the most part, he exerts excellent authorial control over his material, thus allowing the reader to easily navigate a complex set of historical and doctrinal research.
Of course, such an approach does have the disadvantage of at times veering towards too much: too much detail or too much clarification without carefully placed reminders as to the pertinence of the information for the overall project can, at times, be distracting. There are moments where the broad audience means that for LDS readers, some of the information comes across as very basic; there are moments when information is unnecessarily repeated (e.g., p. 49 and p. 105); there are moments when the structure of the discussion is confusingly ordered (e.g., the discussion of Nauvoo temple theology [pp. 71–85] precedes the chapter on the Book of Mormon’s influence on early restoration temples [pp. 129–64], which means the latter discussion avoids taking up the Nauvoo temple again in any great detail, something that feels odd to this reader given the trajectory of the chapter generally). But overall, the book is well-conceived for a general audience (LDS or non-LDS) and provides a good introduction to many interesting and important aspects of LDS faith and history. The accompanying 23 illustrations, endnotes, scripture index, and general index also increase the usefulness of the volume.
A few final quibbles. While generally well edited, there were some odd choices: Smith introduces the experts and scholars he cites in a somewhat random manner, identifying some as “Mormon scholars,” “scholars,” “Mormon philosophers,” “biblical scholars,” “bible scholars,” etc. While the identifications are useful, there is not clear logic behind their application (i.e., some “scholars” are LDS, but not identified as such, others identified as “Mormon” might better be understood in terms of their field, etc.). There are some verb tense issues that can occasionally be distracting (e.g., p. 145). Smith also has the tendency to assert a claim, work through the surrounding literature, and then end his argument prematurely, often with quotations from an identified expert (e.g., p. 81, p. 114, p. 147), when even a sentence or two of analysis following this evidence would greatly strengthen the power of his argument and help the reader follow the implicit connections he makes. And there are several instances where the argument itself seems forced (e.g., p. 11’s “we must see how,” or p. 174’s odd illogical jumps in the second full paragraph); luckily, these are the exception rather than the rule. In terms of the volume’s design and execution, overall it is simple to navigate, but the lack of second-level subheads is confusing (and would greatly help the reader follow chapter structure). And, while not integral to the argument or worth of the volume, the typography on the cover is rather unfortunate.
But these issues do not negate the value of the volume. I would recommend this book to those interested in early LDS history, particularly the textual history of the Book of Mormon, the history of LDS temples, and the biographical history of Joseph Smith himself. I would also recommend this volume to those interested in questions of LDS theology. Part of what Smith has done here is to lay the groundwork for future explorations concerning the relationship between Joseph and scripture, particularly scripture that he himself either produced or translated. I found myself wishing at times that Smith had taken the opportunity to dive into the relationship between text and revelation, or that he had considered additional possibilities for Joseph’s reluctance to cite the Book of Mormon in his own sermons. (While appealing to the prevalent Bible culture is, of course, a good reason to cite the Bible, time and again I wondered if Joseph perhaps wanted to avoid providing an authoritative commentary or interpretation of the Book of Mormon in order to preserve is scriptural textuality and thus avoided talking about it doctrinally.) But I take these questions and expansions as a sign that what Gerald Smith has given us here is both valuable and productive. A book that prompts further thought and reflection is, indeed, a type of schooling, and one I encourage readers to engage with.