Joseph SmithRonald O. BarneyLabel: University of Utah PressU.S.Description: The study of Joseph Smith and his writings have long been shaped by the polemical atmosphere that surrounds Smith's claims to divine authorship. Even after a half-century of serious scholarship devoted to Smith fundamental questions remain about how to best interpret features of his life and writing. Smith's own History of Joseph Smith (edited and revised at the beginning of the twentieth century by B. H. Roberts) created an enduring image that influenced Mormon theology doctrine and polity for generations. With new historical documents now available however a reappraisal of Smith and the origins of Mormonism warrant attention. Ronald O. Barney - a former editor of the Joseph Smith Papers - applies new interpretations to Smith in history and memory re-examining both his writings and contemporary accounts. The book explores the best methodologies for appraising the historical record including a review of Smith's world and its contextual background an analysis of his foundational experiences and a characterization of Smith as a man and prophet. Though the premise of re-evaluation may be unsettling to traditionalists a modern reconsideration of the historical record's entire range of sources is necessary to fashion a strategy for evaluating Smith and his enduring but complex legacy.
