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The Book of Mormon: Selections Annotated & Explained (SkyLight Illuminations 12) Kindle Edition

by Jana Riess (Author), Phyllis Tickle (Foreword) Format: Kindle Edition
3.8 3.8 out of 5 stars 7 ratings
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An inside look at the foundational sacred text of one of the world's youngest and fastest growing religions

The Book of Mormon stands alongside the Bible as the keystone of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church/Mormonism). Translated by the prophet Joseph Smith from ancient writings inscribed on golden plates, the Book of Mormon is an account of people living in the Western Hemisphere in a timeline that parallels that of the Bible. It covers a thousand years of loss, discovery, war, peace, and spiritual principles that focus on the teachings of Jesus Christ, outlining a plan for salvation and the responsibilities we must assume to attain it.

The Book of Mormon: Selections Annotated & Explained explores this sacred epic that is cherished by more than twelve million members of the LDS church as the keystone of their faith. Probing the principal themes and historical foundation of this controversial and provocative narrative, Jana Riess focuses on key selections that offer insight into contemporary Mormon beliefs and scriptural emphases, such as the atonement of Christ, the nature of human freedom, the purpose of baptism, and the need for repentance from sin. She clarifies the religious, political, and historical events that take place in the ancient communities of the Book of Mormon and their underlying contemporary teachings that serve as the framework for spiritual practices that lie at the core of Mormon life.

Now you can experience this foundational sacred text even if you have no previous knowledge of Mormonism. This SkyLight Illuminations edition presents the key teachings and essential concepts of the Mormon faith tradition with insightful yet unobtrusive commentary that helps to dispel many of the misconceptions that have surrounded the Book of Mormon since its publication in 1830.

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  1. Part of series
    SkyLight Illuminations
  2. Print length
    272 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  5. Publisher
    SkyLight Paths
  6. Publication date
    April 11, 2011
  7. File size
    2804 KB
  8. Page Flip
    Enabled
  9. Word Wise
    Enabled
  10. Enhanced typesetting
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Captures the spirit and gist of the distinctively Mormon scripture at one-tenth its length. Coupled with her informed, discerning and accessible commentary, Riess's editorial accomplishment is an act of interreligious generosity."
―Philip Barlow, ThD, author of Mormons and the Bible: The Place of the Latter-day Saints in American Religion

"The most compelling, fascinating and gracious approach to the Book of Mormon that I have seen. Transforms dozens of cryptic passages and symbols into powerful messages that make the Mormon story shine with the beauties and mysteries of God's love."
―Mary Ford-Grabowsky, editor of Spiritual Writings on Mary: Annotated & Explained

“With her considerable historical and theological knowledge combined with her literary sensibilities, Jana Riess strikes precisely the right balance―an astute and sympathetic guide, not an overzealous proselytizer. Her informed and agile glosses help enormously in bringing the text to life.”
―Randall Balmer, PhD, Ann Whitney Olin Professor of American Religion, Barnard College, Columbia University

“At last, a version of the Book of Mormon that is suitable in both size and content for the classroom.… Manages to leave the sense of the whole intact, while commentary provides a simple guide to Latter-day Saint belief. A very useful, even necessary supplement to the study of Mormonism.”
―Kathleen Flake, PhD, assistant professor of American religious history, Vanderbilt Divinity School

About the Author

Jana Riess earned a PhD in American religious history from Columbia University and a master of divinity degree from Princeton Theological Seminary. She is the religion book review editor for Publishers Weekly. She is also the author of The Spiritual Traveler: Boston and New England and What Would Buffy Do? The Vampire Slayer as Spiritual Guide.



Phyllis Tickle, a widely acclaimed expert on religion in America, is the author of more than two dozen books, including the three-part prayer manual The Divine Hours and the memoirs The Shaping of a Life and Prayer Is a Place. She has been a magazine editor, college dean, media commentator and publisher.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B01HT6DH66
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ SkyLight Paths; 1st edition (April 11, 2011)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ April 11, 2011
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2804 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 272 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.8 3.8 out of 5 stars 7 ratings

About the author

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Jana Riess

Jana Riess

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Jana Riess is the author or editor of many books, the most recent being "The Twible," which has all the chapters in the Bible in 140 characters or less . . . now with 68% more humor! Her 2011 book "Flunking Sainthood" was selected as one of the top ten religion books of the year by "Publishers Weekly."

Although she is a spiritual failure and was never able to climb the rope in gym class, she has a doctorate from Columbia University and works as an editor in the publishing industry. So she's not a total loser. She blogs for the Religion News Service at http://www.religionnews.com/blogs/jana-riess.

Customer reviews

3.8 out of 5 stars
3.8 out of 5
7 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

James S
5.0 out of 5 stars Good introduction
Reviewed in the United States on April 24, 2018
Verified Purchase
A great selection of readings from the Book of Mormon from a sister who brings faith, scholarship and a fresh perspective to her annotations.
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Eric Maroney
4.0 out of 5 stars A Good Primer on The Book of Mormon
Reviewed in the United States on February 10, 2012
Skylight Illuminations is an imprint of Jewish Lights, and its mission is to bring radically abridged versions of holy texts to a wide audience, along with commentary by religious experts. (I often wonder at the "orthodoxy" of such experts having mainly read Rabbi Rami Shapiro's wonderful contributions to this series).

Jana Riess took on the daunting task of taking The Book of Mormon and reducing it by a tenth of its size. She overwhelming chose portions that show key concepts in Mormonism, mainly long homilies by prophets. She purposely left out the violence and war. This seems like a bad choice. If we are going to get a true slice of the Book of Mormon, then there should be representative portions of many styles. To leave out the narrative aspects gives us a skewed look at the work. Yet Riess did an admirable job presenting a difficult book to a general audience, and stuck to the mandate of Skylight Illuminations. If you want to read portions of the Book of Mormon, get a feel for the text, this is a good place to go.

On a content note, I see the Book of Mormon as a curious mix of fantasy and wish-fulfillment. First there is what I would call the historical problems of the book. Certainly, events in the Hebrew bible are not true in a modern historical sense. But there are a few places outside the bible where we can go to see that the religious and historical context of the book isn't pure fantasy (like the Mesha Stone, the inscriptions at Tel Dan, the Baalam, Deir Alla oracles, and other places). The stories told in the Hebrew bible have some grounding in a culture of a people called Israel. Scholars will debate all aspects of what this people where and what their written record mean, but there is hard evidence of their existence. The Book of Mormon does not enjoy this grounding. Not a single mainstream scholar has provided proof that the New World Hebrew culture chronicled in The Book of Mormon existed. Not a single piece of archeological evidence from non-Mormon sources has come to light. I see this as a major problem.

Next, there is the question of language. The Book of Mormon was supposedly translated by Joseph Smith from an Egyptian language (if these were Israelite peoples, why this language?) and when he was finished, the gold plates were returned to the angel Moroni. So, there goes the possibility examining the original text. As we know from other books, works of translation are full of problems. The suspect state of the translation, and the lack of an original, does not give The Book of Mormon the solid grounding that the Hebrew Bible has. We can't see the seams of the book, the layers of authorship, and the changes in the flow of language over the centuries. All we have is Joseph Smith's somewhat tedious version of King James English.

So, respectfully, this book is a hard sell for me. Certainly, people can and should believe what they want, and be left alone. Mormonism is interesting to study as an American event, and as a part of a set of ideas about the lost tribes of Israel that was common in the 19th century.
9 people found this helpful
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R. W. Rasband
5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific Introduction to American Scripture
Reviewed in the United States on November 5, 2005
If you are not Mormon and are curious about the "Book of Mormon", the foundational text of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, this book is a very good introduction (LDS members can learn from it, too.) Jana Riess, the religion book editor for "Publisher's Weekly" and an adult convert to the LDS faith, tells what attracted her to the Book of Mormon and annotates selected passages from it. This edition is part of a series of abridged versions of sacred texts from around the world, and it's interesting to see the Book of Mormon stacked up against Buddhist and Hindu scripture, as well as the Christian Old and New Testaments and the Koran as well as Jewish holy books. How the format works is: on the right hand side page is the selection from the Book of Mormon, and on the left hand side are Riess' notes. She draws from the best Mormon scholars, explains things in a clear and concise way, and occasionally relates a Mormon way of seeing to that of another faith tradition. Riess correctly locates Christ at the center of the book and shows how Mormons believe in His power to atone for our sins. Although only a fraction of the actual text of the Book of Mormon is included here, I'm glad to see that Alma chapter 32 is, along with thoughful notes from Riess. It's about how faith can ripen into knowledge, and really does explain the Mormon way of looking at the world. Congrats to everyone involved in producing this striking volume.
23 people found this helpful
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