Mormon Literature Database

Notice: The Mormon Literature & Creative Arts database has moved to mormonarts.lib.byu.edu.

Scripture \| View all Works in this Category	145 total items.
Description The Mormon Literature Database includes records of works of scripture, including the Bible and all works recognized as scripture by the Latter-day Saints (The Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, the Pearl of Great Price). In addition to the primary religious value of this writing, scripture has been appreciated for its literary qualities. No attempt is made to include exhaustive records of all editions of scripture, only those publications that are significant for being first editions, editions with significant critical apparatus (such as the LDS edition of the Bible), and publications which are either translations (since the literary quality of translations has been considered) or adaptations (such as for children). Literary studies of scripture inevitably reveal the great variety of literary genres that constitute holy texts, and so "scripture" is naturally associated with poetry (such as the psalms), history, journals/diaries, and even the personal essay.
Associated Genres Devotional, Diary / Journal, Epic, Folklore, Historical Fiction, History, Hymn, Letter, Personal Essay / Memoir, Poetry, Relief Society Lesson, Speech, Young Adult Fiction,
Genre History Latter-day Saints join fellow Christians in a long tradition of appreciating not just the religious message of the Bible, but its literary qualities as well (especially of the King James Version, the translation studied by Joseph Smith and familiar to English-speaking Latter-day Saints). The literary appreciation of Mormon scripture began with studies attempting to authenticate the historicity of the Book of Mormon (for example, stylometric studies verifying multiple authors in the Book of Mormon, rather than just Joseph Smith, or studies of Hebrew patterns of poetry--like chiasmus--evident in the Book of Mormon but of which Joseph Smith would have been ignorant). However, beginning in the twentieth century, the Book of Mormon (and other Latter-day Saint scripture) has been studied for its aesthetic values apart from this apologetic purpose. Pioneers in such studies include Franklin S. Harris, Jr.; Roy West, Robert K. Thomas, Richard Rust, and Terryl Givens. Eugene England has also analyzed the aesthetic quality of Joseph Smith's revelations outside of the Book of Mormon.