A groundbreaking look at the relationship between two sacred texts The Book of Mormon's narrative privileges Isaiah over other sources, provocatively interpreting and at times inventively reworking the biblical text. Joseph M. Spencer sees within the Book of Mormon a programmatic investigation regarding the meaning and relevance of the Book of Isaiah in a world increasingly removed from the context of the times that produced it. Working from the crossroads of reception studies and Mormon studies, Spencer investigates and clarifies the Book of Mormon's questions about the vitality of Isaiah's prophetic project. Spencer's analysis focuses on the Book of Mormon's three interactions with the prophet: the character of Abinadi; the resurrected Jesus Christ; and the nation-founding figure of Nephi. Working from the Book of Mormon as it was dictated, Spencer details its vital and overlooked place in Isaiah's reception while recognizing the interpretation of Isaiah as an organizing force behind the Book of Mormon.

A Word in Season: Isaiah’s Reception in the Book of Mormon

Religion & Spirituality

Spencer, Joseph M.

Christian Books & Bibles

University of Illinois Press

A Word in Season: Isaiah's Reception in the Book of Mormon

How should we read the Book of Mormon? And does the Book of Mormon itself have anything to say about it? Joseph Spencer follows the lead of Nephite prophets who interpreted Isaiah and other prophets typologically (according to types and shadows ) in order to preach salvation through Jesus Christ. By focusing on history, memory, time, repentance, and conversion, this book explores what it means to believe God provided the Book of Mormon to change a person like you and a world like ours.

An Other Testament on Typology (Groundwork)

Neal a Maxwell Inst

What is hope? What is Zion? And what does it mean to hope for Zion? In this insightful book, Joseph Spencer explores these questions through the scriptures of two continents separated by nearly two millennia. In the first half, Spencer engages in a rich study of Paul's letter to the Roman to better understand how the apostle understood hope and what it means to have it. In the second half of the book, Spencer jumps to the early years of the Restoration and the various revelations on consecration to understand how Latter-day Saints are expected to strive for Zion. Between these halves is an interlude examining the hoped-for Zion that both thrived in the Book of Mormon and was hoped to be established again. Praise for For Zion: "For Zion: A Mormon Theology of Hope is more than a theological reflection. It also consists of able textual exegesis, historical contextualization, and philosophic exploration. Spencer's careful readings of Paul's focus on hope in Romans and on Joseph Smith's development of consecration in his early revelations, linking them as he does with the Book of Mormon, have provided an intriguing, intertextual avenue for understanding what true stewardship should be for us-now and in the future. As such he has set a new benchmark for solid, innovative Latter-day Saint scholarship that is at once provocative and challenging." - Eric D. Huntsman, author, The Miracles of Jesus "With For Zion, Joseph Spencer develops the Mormon tradition of Zion, writing in the style of Hugh Nibley-mixing Old Testament and New Testament studies with commentary on the Book of Mormon, the Joseph Smith revelations, and early Mormon history. The main area of development is the addition of theology, Spencer's expertise. Mormon readers much prefer scriptural commentary and history to theology, but Spencer weaves in his theological arguments and reflections in a readable and accessible manner. He also tracks the textual development of Joseph Smith's consecration revelation with great care and provides historically informed readings. And the whole work is aimed at the redemption of Zion. For Zion proves that there can be such a thing as genuinely Mormon theology." - Mark Ashurst-McGee, Joseph Smith Papers "The hour is late. Our eyes are heavy. Working without rest, possessed by our possessions, and consumed by fantasies of acquisition and success we know full well, even were they to be realized, offer no relief from what's eating us, we stumble. 'Wake up!' Spencer calls. 'Have hope! The kingdom of God is among us, Zion is real, the Sabbath is here, and the law of consecration remains, as it must, in full force!'" - Adam S. Miller, author, Rube Goldberg Machines: Essays in Mormon Theology "Joseph Spencer is one of the most astute readers of sacred texts working in Mormon Studies. Blending theological savvy, historical grounding, and sensitive readings of scripture, he has produced an original and compelling case for consecration and the life of discipleship." - Terryl Givens, author, Wrestling the Angel: The Foundations of Mormon Thought

For Zion: A Mormon Theology of Hope

Greg Kofford Books, Inc.

Perspectives on Mormon Theology: Apologetics

This volume in the Perspectives on Mormon Theology series is an exploration of Mormon apologetics—or the defense of faith. Since its very beginning, various Latter-day Saints have sought to utilize evidence and reason to actively promote or defend beliefs and claims within the Mormon tradition. Mormon apologetics reached new levels of sophistication as believers trained in fields such as Near-Eastern languages and culture, history, and philosophy began to utilize their knowledge and skills to defend their beliefs. 
 The contributors to this volume seek to explore the textures and contours of apologetics from multiple perspectives, revealing deep theological and ideological fissures within the Mormon scholarly community concerning apologetics. However, in spite of deep-seated differences, what each author has in common is a passion for Mormonism and how it is presented and defended. This volume captures that reality and allows readers to encounter the terrain of Mormon apologetics at close range.

Peterson, Daniel C.

Smith, Julie M.

Ash, Michael R.

Bokovoy, David

Hancock, Ralph C.

Van Dyke, Blair G.

Ericson, Loyd Isao

Givens, Fiona

Birch, Brian D.

Greg Kofford Books, Incorporated

In The Vision of All, Joseph Spencer draws on the best of biblical and Latter-day Saint scholarship to make sense of the so-called “Isaiah chapters” in the first two books of the Book of Mormon. Arguing that Isaiah lies at the very heart of Nephi’s project, Spencer insists on demystifying the writings of Isaiah while nonetheless refusing to pretend that Isaiah is in any way easy to grasp. Presented as a series of down-to-earth lectures, The Vision of All outlines a comprehensive answer to the question of why Nephi was interested in Isaiah in the first place. Along the way, the book presents both a general approach to reading Isaiah in the Book of Mormon and a set of specific tactics for making sense of Isaiah's writings. For anyone interested in understanding what Isaiah is doing in the Book of Mormon, this is the place to start.

The Vision of All: Twenty-five Lectures on Isaiah in Nephi's Record (Contemporary Studies in Scripture)

Greg Kofford Books

In The Vision of All, Joseph Spencer draws on the best of biblical and Latter-day Saint scholarship to make sense of the so-called "Isaiah chapters" in the first two books of the Book of Mormon. Arguing that Isaiah lies at the very heart of Nephi's project, Spencer insists on demystifying the writings of Isaiah while nonetheless refusing to pretend that Isaiah is in any way easy to grasp. Presented as a series of down-to-earth lectures, The Vision of All outlines a comprehensive answer to the question of why Nephi was interested in Isaiah in the first place. Along the way, the book presents both a general approach to reading Isaiah in the Book of Mormon and a set of specific tactics for making sense of Isaiah's writings. For anyone interested in understanding what Isaiah is doing in the Book of Mormon, this is the place to start. Praise for The Vision of All:  "Joseph Spencer uses a lecture style to gently ease his readers into what many Book of Mormon readers fear the most--Isaiah. Spencer's approach carefully replaces the fear with understanding, elucidates textual complexities, examines scholarly issues, and is remarkably helpful in showing his readers how and why we should care deeply about the presence of this Old World prophet in our New World scripture." -- Brant A. Gardner, author of Traditions of the Fathers: The Book of Mormon as History "With this book, Joseph M. Spencer has accomplished a remarkable feat. He has produced a reader-friendly, engaging study of the writings of Isaiah in the Book of Mormon that makes Isaiah accessible without overly-simplifying his theology and message. After reading Spencer's book, Latter-day Saints will more fully understand why Nephi devoted so much of his life and writings to Isaiah and why Jesus expressed to the Nephites that 'great are the words of Isaiah.' This book needs to be on the shelf of every serious Book of Mormon student." -- Nicholas J. Frederick, Assistant Professor of Ancient Scripture, Brigham Young University, author of The Bible, Mormon Scripture, and the "Rhetoric of Allusivity" About the Author:  Joseph M. Spencer is visiting assistant professor of Ancient Scripture at Brigham Young University. He's the author of An Other Testament (Maxwell Institute Press, 2016) and For Zion: A Mormon Theology of Hope(Greg Kofford Books, 2014). He currently serves as the associate director of the Mormon Theology Seminar and as an associate editor of the Journal of Book of Mormon Studies. He and Karen, his wife, live with their five children in Provo, Utah.

The Vision of All: Twenty-five Lectures on Isaiah in Nephi's Record

Few scholars of the Book of Mormon have read this volume of scripture as closely and rigorously as Joseph M. Spencer. And of those, none have devoted as much time and effort as he to a theological reading of that sacred text—that is, as Spencer writes, “how it might shape responsible thinking about questions pertaining to the life of religious commitment” (p. 1:173.) 
The Anatomy of Book of Mormon Theology divides into two volumes exploring and thinking about these pertinent questions. Each concerns a different part of the defense of the claim that theology is and ought to be particularly important for Book of Mormon studies. In this first volume, Spencer gathers early essays in which he gestures toward theological interpretation without knowing how to defend it; essays about why theology is important to Book of Mormon scholarship and how to ensure that it does not overstep its boundaries; and essays that do theological work on the Book of Mormon in relatively obvious ways or with relatively traditional topics. The last category of essays divides into two subcategories: essays specifically on the central theological question of Jesus Christ’s atonement, as the Book of Mormon understands it; and essays on a variety of traditional theological topics, again as the Book of Mormon understands them.

The Anatomy of Book of Mormon Theology, Volume One (Contemporary Studies in Scripture)

Few scholars of the Book of Mormon have read this volume of scripture as closely and rigorously as Joseph M. Spencer. And of those, none have devoted as much time and effort as he to a theological reading of that sacred text-that is, as Spencer writes, "how it might shape responsible thinking about questions pertaining to the life of religious commitment" (p. 1:173).\nThe Anatomy of Book of Mormon Theology divides into two volumes exploring and thinking about these pertinent questions. Each concerns a different part of the defense of the claim that theology is and ought to be particularly important for Book of Mormon studies. In this first volume, Spencer gathers early essays in which he gestures toward theological interpretation without knowing how to defend it; essays about why theology is important to Book of Mormon scholarship and how to ensure that it does not overstep its boundaries; and essays that do theological work on the Book of Mormon in relatively obvious ways or with relatively traditional topics. The last category of essays divides into two subcategories: essays specifically on the central theological question of Jesus Christ's atonement, as the Book of Mormon understands it; and essays on a variety of traditional theological topics, again as the Book of Mormon understands them.

The Anatomy of Book of Mormon Theology: Volume One (Contemporary Studies in Scripture)

Few scholars of the Book of Mormon have read this volume of scripture as closely and rigorously as Joseph M. Spencer. And of those, none have devoted as much time and effort as he to a theological reading of that sacred text—that is, as Spencer writes, “how it might shape responsible thinking about questions pertaining to the life of religious commitment” (p. 1:173.) 
The Anatomy of Book of Mormon Theology divides into two volumes exploring and thinking about these pertinent questions. Whereas the first volume principally contains essays that deal with relatively traditional theological questions and concerns, the essays in this volume ask about what new worlds might be discovered in doing theological work on the Book of Mormon, focusing on what Spencer calls “microscopic” and “macroscopic” theological readings of the text. Essays in the first set examine no more than a verse of the Book of Mormon—more often just a single phrase or two—to see what theological implications lie within the details of the text. The second set of essays ask questions about the shape and intentions of the whole of the Book of Mormon, as this can be discerned through the ways it deploys biblical texts—and especially the writings of Isaiah. A third set of essays follows the two on microscopic and macroscopic styles of theology and are invitations to blur the boundaries that separate different styles of Book of Mormon scholarship. These final essays call on Book of Mormon scholars to move closer to theology and calls on theologians to move closer to the Book of Mormon.

The Anatomy of Book of Mormon Theology, Volume Two (Contemporary Studies in Scripture)

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