25327

75

160

Book

English

Givens, Terryl L.

Wrestling the Angel : The Foundations of Mormon Thought : Cosmos, God, Humanity

Oxford, NY

Oxford University Press

2014

405

In this first volume of his magisterial study of the foundations of Mormon thought and practice, Terryl L. Givens offers a sweeping account of Mormon belief from its founding to the present day. Situating the relatively new movement in the context of the Christian tradition, he reveals that Mormonism continues to change and grow.

Givens shows that despite Mormonism's origins in a biblical culture strongly influenced by nineteenth-century Restorationist thought, which advocated a return to the Christianity of the early Church, the new movement diverges radically from the Christianity of the creeds. Mormonism proposes its own cosmology and metaphysics, in which human identity is rooted in a premortal world as eternal as God. Mormons view mortal life as an enlightening ascent rather than a catastrophic fall, and reject traditional Christian concepts of human depravity and destiny. Popular fascination with Mormonism's social innovations, such as polygamy and communalism, and its supernatural and esoteric elements-angels, gold plates, seer stones, a New World Garden of Eden, and sacred undergarments-have long overshadowed the fact that it is the most enduring and even thriving product of the nineteenth century's religious upheavals and innovations.

Wrestling the Angel traces the essential contours of Mormon thought from the time of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young to the contemporary LDS church, illuminating both the seminal influence of the founding generation of Mormon thinkers and the significant developments in the church over almost 200 years. The most comprehensive account of the development of Mormon thought ever written, Wrestling the Angel will be essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the Mormon faith.

Mormon thought, theology
Doctrinal history, God and the Godhead
Church practices
Comparative religion
Doctrinal history, pre-mortal existence
Doctrinal history, Adam-God theory
Mormon thought

After a Post-Heterosexual Mormon Theology : A Ten-Year Retrospective
Alexander Campbell and Joseph Smith
"All Things Unto Me Are Spiritual" : Worship Through Corporeality in Hasidism and Mormonism
Americanist Approaches to the Book of Mormon
Ancient Christians: An Introduction for Latter-day Saints
Ann Booth's Vision and Early Conceptions of Redeeming the Dead among Latter-day Saints
Beginning of What? A Reflection on Hugh Nibley's Legacy and LDS Scholarship on Late Antique Christianity
Brigham Young's Garden Cosmology
Canadian Mormons : History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Changing Religious and Social Attitudes of Mormon Millennials in Contemporary American Society
Documents, Volume 6: February 1838-August 1839
Explaining Mormonism: A Believing Skeptic's Guide to the Latter-day Saint Worldview
Feeding the Flock : The Foundations of Mormon Thought : Church and Praxis
Feminism and Heavenly Mother
First Visions and Last Sermons : Affirming Divine Sociality, Rejecting the Greater Apostasy
Forging a Dream : The Fabrication of Mosiah Hancock's Premortal Vision
Freemasonry and the Origins of Modern Temple Ordinances
Harry Edgar Baker and The Word of the Lord
Jesus Christ, Son of Man: James J. Strang's Apologetic Christology
Joseph Smith's Universe vs. Some Wonders of Chinese Science Fiction
Latter-Day Prophets : Their Lives, Teachings, and Testimonies
Led Just Right : The Theological Development of Vertical Latter-day Saint Sealings through 1894
Let's Talk About the Book of Abraham
Liberty and Order : The Mormon Struggle with American Capitalism
Machines for Making Gods: Mormonism, Transhumanism, and Worlds Without End
Martin Luther King Jr. and Mormonism : Dialogue, Race, and Pluralism
Mind and Spirit in Mormon Thought
Mormon Hermeneutics: Five Approaches to the Bible by the LDS Church
Mormonism and the Emotions : An Analysis of LDS Scriptural Texts
Mormonism and the Possibility of a Materialist Apostasy
Mormonism and White Supremacy : American Religion and the Problem of Racial Innocence
Mormon Women at the Crossroads: Global Narratives and the Power of Connectedness
Mormon Women's History : Beyond Biography
Navigating Mormonism's Gendered Theology and Practice : Mormon Women in a Global Context
Nephite Secularization ; or, Picking and Choosing in The Book of Mormon
New Perspectives in Mormon Studies : Creating and Crossing Boundaries
On Signifiers and Signified: Terryl Givens and Twenty-First-Century Book of Mormon Studies
On the Problem and Promise of Alex Caldiero’s Sonosophy : Doing Dialogical Coperformative Ethnography; Or, Enter the Poetarium
Pearl of Great Price Reference Companion
Pedagogy of Perfection : Joseph Smith's Perfectionism, How It was Taught in the Early LDS Church, and Its Contemporary Applicability
Pioneers in the Attic : Place and Memory Along the Mormon Trail
Producing Ancient Scripture: Joseph Smith's Translation Projects in the Development of Mormon Christianity
Recording Beyond the Grave : Joseph Smith’s Celestial Bookkeeping
Relational Grace : The Reciprocal and Binding Covenant of Charis
Science and Mormonism
Scriptural Theology
Seeing Things: Technologies of Vision and the Making of Mormonism
Stretching the Heavens: The Life of Eugene England and the Crisis of Modern Mormonism
Tabernacles of Clay : Sexuality and Gender in Modern Mormonism
"Tempered for Glory" : Brigham Young's Cosmological Theodicy
The Bible and the Latter-day Saint Tradition (book)
The Book of Enoch "Revised, Corrected, and the Missing Parts Restored"
The Cold War and the Invention of Free Agency
The Cold War and the Invention of Free Agency
The Joseph Smith Papers, Documents, Vol. 12: March 1843 - July 1843
The Joseph Smith Papers : Documents, Volume 6 : February 1838–August 1839
The Latter-day Saint Reimaging of "the Breath of Life" (Genesis 2:7)
The LDS Gospel Topics Series : A Scholarly Engagement
The Mormon Jesus : A Biography
The Nature of God in Mormon Thought
Theology of the Family
The Oxford Handbook of Mormonism
The Pearl of Greatest Price : Mormonism's Most Controversial Scripture
The Routledge Handbook of Mormonism and Gender
The Source of God's Authority : One Argument for an Unambiguous Doctrine of Preexistence
The Struggle for Female Authority in Biblical and Mormon Theology
The Triangle and the Sovereign : Logics, Histories, and an Open Canon
"Thou Art the Christ, the Son of the Living God" : The Person and Work of Jesus in the New Testament
Thunder From the Right : Ezra Taft Benson in Mormonism and Politics
Traditional Christian and Mormon Views of God and Their Compatibility with the Moral Theistic Argument: An Exercise in Ramified Natural Theology
Trajectories in the Evolution of Mormon Studies on Faith and Science
Was Joseph Smith a Monarchotheist? An Engagement with Blake Ostler’s Theological Position on the Nature of God
What Do We Know of God's Will for His LGBT Children? : An Examination of the LDS Church's Position on Homosexuality
What is Mormonism? A Student’s Introduction
Yet to Be Revealed: Open Questions in Latter-day Saint Theology

A Comprehensive History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
"A Continuation of the Seeds" : Joseph Smith and Spirit Birth
Adam-God
A Descriptive Bibliography of the Mormon Church, Volume One, 1830-1847
Adoptive Sealing Ritual in Mormonism
A Gentile Account of Life in Utah's Dixie, 1872-73
A Girl's Letters from Nauvoo
A Kingdom Transformed : Themes in the Development of Mormonism
All Abraham's Children : Changing Mormon Conceptions of Race and Lineage
A Mormon Concept of Man
A Mormon Mother : An Autobiography of Annie Clark Tanner
"A Mother There" : A Survey of Historical Teachings about Mother in Heaven
An Address to All Believers in Christ. By a Witness to the Divine Authenticity of the Book of Mormon
An American Prophet's Record : The Diaries and Journals of Joseph Smith
A New Witness for Christ in America
A[n] Interesting Account of Several Remarkable Visions, And of the Late Discovery of Ancient American Records
An Intimate Chronicle : The Journals of William Clayton
A Note on the Nauvoo Library and Literary Institute
A Woman's View : Helen Mar Whitney's Reminiscences of Early Church History
Believing History : Latter-day Saints Essays
Biography and Family Record of Lorenzo Snow, One of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
By the Hand of Mormon : The American Scripture that Launched a New World Religion
Conflict in the Quorum : Orson Pratt, Brigham Young, Joseph Smith
David O. McKay and Blacks : Building the Foundation for the 1978 Revelation
David O. McKay and the Rise of Modern Mormonism
Defense of the Faith and the Saints
Delusions : An Analysis of the Book of Mormon ; with an Examination of Its internal and External Evidences, and a Refutation of Its pretences to Divine Authority
Divine Embodiment : The Earliest Christian Understanding of God
Doctrines of Salvation : Sermons and Writings of Joseph Fielding Smith
Documents
Early Mormon Adoption Theology and the Mechanics of Salvation
Early Mormon Documents : Volume I
Early Patriarchal Blessings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Encyclopedia of Mormonism : The History, Scripture, Doctrine, and Procedures of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
'Essential Gestures' : Craft and Calling in Contemporary Mormon Letters
Eternal Progression : Mormonism and American Progressivism
Evidences and Reconciliations : Aids to Faith in a Modern Day
George Laub's Nauvoo Journal
Heaven : A History
Illusions of Innocence : Protestant Primitivism in America, 1630-1875
In Heaven as It Is on Earth : Joseph Smith and the Early Mormon Conquest of Death
In Sacred Loneliness : The Plural Wives of Joseph Smith
Jehovah as the Father : The Development of the Mormon Jehovah Doctrine
Jesus Christ, Eternal God : Heavenly Flesh and the Metaphysics of Matter
"John the Revelator" : The Written Revelations of John Taylor
Joseph B. Keeler, Print Culture, and the Modernization of Mormonism, 1885-1918
Joseph Smith as Scientist : A Contribution to Mormon Philosophy
Joseph Smith III : Pragmatic Prophet
Joseph Smith : Rough Stone Rolling
Joseph Smith's American Bible : Radicalizing the Familiar
Joseph Smith's New Translation of the Bible
Joseph Smith's Polygamy
Joseph Smith : the First Mormon
Kirtland Council Minute Book
LDS 'Headquarters Culture' and the Rest of Mormonism : Past and Present
Learning to Play : The Mormon Way and the Way of Other Americans
Letters on Mormon Polygamy and Progeny : Eliza R. Snow and Martin Luther Holbrook, 1866-1869
Life Incidents
Lucy's Book : A Critical Edition of Lucy Mack Smith's Family Memoir
Manuscript History of Brigham Young, 1847-1850
Messages of the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Minutes of the Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
More Wives than One : Transformation of the Mormon Marriage System, 1840-1910
Mormon Doctrine
Mormonism and Music : A History
Mormonism : A Very Short Introduction
Mormonism in Dialogue with Contemporary Christian Theologies
Mormonism Unveiled : Zion's Watchman Unmasked
Mormon Neo-Orthodoxy : A Crisis Theology
Mormon Parallels : A Bibliographic Source
Mormon Polygamy : A History
Mormons and the Bible : The Place of the Latter-day Saints in American Religion
My Life's Review
"My Principality on Earth Began" : Millennialism and the Celestial Kingdom in the Development of Mormon Doctrine
Mysteries of Godliness : A History of Mormon Temple Worship
Neither White nor Black : Mormon Scholars Confront the Race Issue in a Universal Church
Nephi and His Asherah
Omnis on the Horizon
Outlines of Ecclesiastical History
Parley P. Pratt : The Apostle Paul of Mormonism
People of Paradox : A History of Mormon Culture
Personal Writings of Joseph Smith
Plural Marriage, As Taught by the Prophet Joseph
"Reasonings Sufficient" : Joseph Smith, Thomas Dick, and the context(s) of early Mormonism
Reflections on Mormonism : Judaeo-Christian Parallels
(Re)Interpreting Early Mormon Thought : Synthesizing Joseph Smith's Theology and the Process of Religion Formation
Remembering Joseph : Personal Recollections of Those Who Knew the Prophet Joseph Smith
Revelation, Reason, and Faith : Essays in Honor of Truman G. Madsen
Sacred Borders : Continuing Revelation and Canonical Restraint in Early America
Salvation through a Tabernacle : Joseph Smith, Parley P. Pratt, and Early Mormon Theologies of Embodiment
"Saviors on Mount Zion" : Mormon Sacramentalism, Mortality, and the Baptism for the Dead
Schooling the Prophet : How the Book of Mormon Influenced Joseph Smith and the Early Restoration
Singing the Word of God : Five Hymns by President Frederick G. Williams
Still, the Small Voice Narrative, Personal Revelation, and the Mormon Folk Tradition
"Taught from on High" : The Ministry of Angelic Messengers to the Prophet Joseph Smith
Teachings of Presidents of the Church : Joseph Smith
Testimonies for the Truth
The Adam-God Doctrine
The American Religion : The Emergence of the Post-Christian Nation
The Archive of Restoration Culture, 1997-2002
The Articles of Faith : A Series of Lectures on the Principal Doctrines of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The Autobiography of Parley Parker Pratt
The Case for Sidney Rigdon as Author of the Lectures on Faith
The Challenges of Defining Mormon Doctrine
The Changing Image of Mormonism
The Crisis of Mormon Chistology : History, Progress and Protestantism, 1880-1930
The Democratization of American Christianity
The Development of Latter-day Saint Temple Worship, 1846-2000 : A Documentary History
The Development of Mormon Communitarianism, 1826-1846
The Development of the Doctrine of Preexistence, 1830-1844
The Doctrine of Divine Embodiment : Restoration, Judeo-Christian, and Philosophical Perspectives
The Earliest Documented Accounts of Joseph Smith's First Vision
The Emotional and Priestly Logic of Plural Marriage
The Essential James E. Talmage
The Fundamentalist Emphasis at Brigham Young University : 1935-1973
The God Who Weeps : How Mormonism Makes Sense of Life
The Gospel : An Exposition of its First Principles; and Man's Relationship to Deity
"The Grand Fundamental Principles of Mormonism" : Joseph Smith's Unfinished Reformation
The History of Intelligence in Latter-day Saint Thought
The Idea of Pre-Existence in the Development of Mormon Thought
The Joseph Smith Papers : Revelations and Translations, Volume 1 : Manuscript Revelation Books
The Joseph Smith Papers : Revelations and Translations, Volume 2 : Published Revelations
The King Follett Discourse : A Newly Amalgamated Text
The King Follett Discourse : Joseph Smith's Greatest Sermon in Historical Perspective
The Life and Thought of Orson Pratt
The Lion of the Lord : A Biography of Brigham Young
The Mormon Concept of a Mother in Heaven
The Mormon Concept of God
The Mormon Doctrine of Deity : The Roberts-Van der Donckt discussion
The Mormons
The Mormons
The Mormon Trinity and Other Trinities
The Nauvoo Endowment Companies, 1845-1846 : A Documentary History
The Origin of the Human Spirit in Early Mormon Thought
The Papers of Joseph Smith, Volume 1 : Autobiographical and Historical Writings
The Personal Writings of Eliza Roxcy Snow
The Polygamous Wives Writing Club : From the Diaries of Mormon Pioneer Women
The Power and Form of Godliness : Methodist Conversion Narratives and Joseph Smith's First Vision
The Prophecy of Enoch as Restoration Blueprint
The Quest for Religious Authority and the Rise of Mormonism
The Reconstruction of Mormon Doctrine : From Joseph Smith to Progressive Theology
The Riches of Mormon Materialism : Parley P. Pratt's "Materiality" and Early Mormon Theology
The Rise of a New World Faith
The Story of The Truth, The Way, The Life
The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball
The Theological Foundations of the Mormon Religion
The Truth, The Way, The Life : An Elementary Treatise on Theology
The Viper on the Hearth : Mormons, Myths, and the Construction of Heresy
The Visionary World of Joseph Smith
The Weeping God of Mormonism
They Knew the Prophet
Toward a Post-Heterosexual Mormon Theology
Truman Coe's 1836 Description of Mormonism
Universalism and the Revelations of Joseph Smith
'We Believe . . . .' Development of the Articles of Faith
'We Can See No Advantage to a Continuation of the Discussion' : The Roberts/Smith/Talmage Affair
When Souls Had Wings : Pre-Mortal Existence in Western Thought
Why a Mormon Won't Drink Coffee but Might Have a Coke : The Atheological Character of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Wilford Woodruff's Journals