Document Type
Article
Department
Religion (CGU)
Publication Date
1976
Disciplines
Arts and Humanities | History | Other Religion | Religion | United States History
Abstract
The Book of Mormons, much like the Old Testament, was written to show Israel "what great things the Lord hath done for their fathers," and to testify of the coming Messiah. Although cast as a history, it is history with a high religious purpose, not the kind we ordinarily write today. The narrative touches only incidentally on the society, economics, and politics of the Nephites and Jaredites, leaving us to rely on oblique references and occasional asides to reconstruct total cultures. Government is dealt with more expressly than other aspects, however, perhaps because the prophets were often rulers themselves and because the most significant reforms in the history of Nephite government were inspired by a prophet-king. From their comments and Mormon's editorial interjections, it is possible to get a rough idea of the theory and practice of politics in Nephite civilization.
Rights Information
© 1976 Brigham Young University Press
Recommended Citation
Bushman, Richard L. "The Book of Mormon and the American Revolution," Brigham Young University Studies, 17 (Autumn, 1976), 3-20.
