Prophetic Messages or Dogmatic Theology? Commenting on the Book of Mormon: A Review Essay

Joseph Fielding McConkie and Robert L. Millet, Doctrinal Commentary on the Book of Mormon: Volume I-First and Second Nephi, Volume II-Jacob through Mosiah. Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1987, 1988. xviii+ 414 pp.; xviii+ 358 pp, subject and scripture indexes. $13.95 each. Prophetic Messages or Dogmatic Theology? Commenting on the Book of Mormon: A Review Essay Reviewed by Louis Midgley In two handsome volumes taking us through Mosiah,l Joseph F. McConkie and Robert L. Millet reproduce the text of the Book of Mormon divided into blocks of dissimilar length, which they follow with annotations on what they understand to be doctrinal matters. Though they never indicate exactly what they mean by doctrine, the Book of Mormon is treated as a ''theological treatise" (2:2) containing "theological gems," which provides an indication of what they have in mind. Doctrinal Commentary on the Book of Mormon is a series of statements, either about phrases or about topics suggested by some of the language in the Book of Mormon. The primary exception to this practice is found in the treatment of the long passages taken from Isaiah (2 Nephi 7-8, 12-24), where brief paraphrases are provided for entire chapters, and the text, as it is found in the Book of Mormon, is not reproduced.2 Topics are addressed in Doctrinal Commentary, whose outlines are occasioned by language in the Book of Mormon, but little or no attention is given to literary forms, narrative contexts, or to larger structures, patterns or distinctive language in the text. The statements of others are at times quoted either to advance or bolster the opinions of the authors. Doctrinal Commentary is thus an inventory of statements about what are thought to be Mormon doctrines or Mormon theology, cast in the form of glosses (or annotations) on the text. Because the Book of Mormon is viewed as a source for theology, little effort is made in Doctrinal Commentary to ascertain the subtlety of 1 Presumably the remainder of the Book of Mormon will be covered in yet unpublished volumes, though no explanation of the plan for the series appears in the currently available volumes. 2 It is also indicated that in "the latter part of the book of Alma, where history dominates the text," the text of the Book of Mormon will not be included (l':xvi). MCCONKIE AND MILLET, DOCTRINAL COMMENTARY (MIOOLEY) 93 what it teaches, or. to weigh possible alternative readings of the text. Instead~ the faith of the Nephites and the language of the Book of Mormon tend to be harmonized with certain contemporary statements about Mormon beliefs, though that is of necessity done in a random manner, and always on the assumption that the two must be made to appear identical. Unfortunately, in some ways the work tends to resemble the mode of biblical interpretation employed by Protestant Fundamentalists, including argument by assertion and a penchant to proof text the scriptures, sometimes augmented by statements made on various topics by certain of the Brethren. "The genius of the Book of Mormon, like any work of art," according to Richard Bushman, "is that it brings an entire society and culture into existence, with a religion, an economy, a technology, a government, a geography, a sociology, all combined into a complete world. For purposes of analysis, we must, of course, call forth one thread, one theme, one idea at a time, but we must also bear in mind the existence of this larger world and relate individual passages to greater structures if we are to find their broadest meaning. "3 If anything like that is correct, then it is a mistake for us to claim to possess the one and only proper mode of interpretation and explication, since, when we begin to focus on any one theme or thread to the exclusion of the whole and especially in opposition to the legitimate work of others on other threads or themes, we threaten to warp the world that is called into existence by our text. Instead of focusing merely on a single aspect or theme, as important as that may be, when we approach the Book of Mormon we must strive to keep in sight the entire world which it evokes. And we need to take advantage of all possible resources for understanding and probing every aspect of the book. Collaboration among the faithful in the serious study of the Book of Mormon would help us avoid being drawn into the quarrelsome factions which now tend to divide us and weaken our efforts to build the Kingdom. From my perspective, the Book of Mormon signals that far more is going on in the restoration achieved through its means than merely an awkward way of providing a random assortment of theological gems that we can fit into our own schema. If the 3 Richard Bushman, "The Book of Monnon in Early Mormon History," i~ New Views of Mormon History, ed. by Davis Bitton and Maureen Ursenbach Beecher (Salt Lake City: University of Utah, 1987), 3-