Schooling the Prophet

How the Book of Mormon Influenced Joseph Smith and the Early Restoration

Joseph Smith wasn’t merely the Book of Mormon’s prophetic translator—he was also a student of the sacred record. Gerald E. Smith’s Schooling the Prophet offers evidence that the Latter-day Saint prophet was quietly influenced by one of the most important sources of religious thought and sacred protocol that he knew—the Book of Mormon—on issues such as the nature of God, priesthood, and the temple.

Painstakingly researched and carefully written, Gerald Smith’s study demonstrates how profoundly—and paradoxically, since Joseph Smith only occasionally cited it—the Book of Mormon shaped early Latter-day Saint theology and practice, including baptism, the sacrament, the temple, and the concept of Zion. Warmly to be recommended.”

—Stephen D. Ricks, Professor of Hebrew and Cognate Learning, Brigham Young University

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Read Gerald Smith’s
 Interpreter articles related to Schooling here (part 1, part 2).

About the Author

Gerald E. Smith

As of 2015, Gerald E. Smith teaches religion courses for the Boston LDS Institute of Religion. He is a business professor at Boston College in the Carroll School of Management, advisor to American and European business leaders, and advisor to religious educators with the Roche Center for Catholic Education and  the Lynch School of Education. He received his bachelor’s degree from Brandeis University, his MBA from Harvard Business School, and his doctorate from Boston University.

Table of Contents

  • Foreword: Terryl L. Givens
  • Preface
  • Acknowledgments
  • Introduction
  • 1. The Formative Influence of the Book of Mormon
  • 2. Influences on Doctrine and Theology
  • 3. Sacred Rituals: Symbols and Narratives of Sacrament, Baptism, and Zion
  • 4. Influences on the Temple of the Early Restoration
  • 5. Priesthood Restorations, Origins, and Influences
  • 6. The Meaning of the Book of Mormon in the Early Restoration
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Publication Information

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  • Language: , ,
  • ISBN 13: 978-0-8425-2936-5
  • Page Count: 304
  • Illustration(s): 3
  • Price: $ 19.95
  • Sub Site: Laura F. Willes Center for Book of Mormon Studies
  • Imprint:

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The views expressed here and in Maxwell Institute publications are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Maxwell Institute, Brigham Young University, or The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

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