![]() ![]() In the post-Joseph Smith Latter Day Saint tradition, multiple versions of canonical texts may exist, each of which has impacted the way it is received and interpreted. (40)Įssays in Open Canon thus analyze the reception of Joseph Smith’s revelations and give case studies of new scripture brought forth following his death. It is profitable to ‘ all of the ways in which individuals and communities receive these words and texts: the ways people respond to the texts, the way they make use of them, the contexts in which they turn to them, and the understandings of what it is to read them or to understand them, and the roles they find such words and texts can have in their religious projects’. Saunders suggests by quoting Miriam Levering: “traversed canonical borders more exuberantly” than anyone else, frequently turning to the King James Version of the Bible to frame their imaginings (19).įinally, as Richard L. Indeed, as Laurie Maffly-Kipp writes, early followers of Joseph Smith Jr. This approach to reading the Bible enabled early Latter-day Saints to grapple with their prophet Joseph Smith’s relationship to scripture. The Bible was no longer the same once it was read through the lens of new revelation…Mormons learned to read the Bible in innovative ways, reinterpreting well-known stories to fit their new tradition. (xxvii)Įxtracanonical scripture is essential in the Latter-day Saint tradition because it helps believers to reinterpret the Bible from a new perspective. We do not understand the complex religion emerging from the life and work of the antebellum American prophet Joseph Smith if we fail to grapple with his relation to scripture…we cannot comprehend scripture’s character unless we grasp its potential for assuming alternate forms. The essays invite readers on a journey through the pages of new scripture and new religious movements, traversing horizons of divine revelation and forging paths of understanding and faith. The book Open Canon, a collection of essays edited by Christine Elyse Blythe, Christopher James Blythe, and Jay Burton, showcases the expansive landscape of the LDS open canon. It also promotes ongoing discussions and debates about what should be considered canonical. This perspective can be seen as more inclusive and flexible, allowing for the incorporation of new voices and perspectives. Therefore, the canon must remain open to allow for the possibility of new revelations and spiritual insights. The belief in an open canon is based on the idea that God is still revealing himself to humanity through new texts and prophets. The closed canon perspective is held by most Christians, including Catholics, Orthodox, and Protestants. In the Christian tradition, the New Testament canon was officially closed by church councils in the fourth century, establishing a list of 27 books considered authoritative and divinely inspired. One of the most proudly proclaimed principles of the Latter Day Saint movement is that we have an open canon.Ī closed canon refers to the belief that the collection of texts that make up the biblical canon is fixed and complete, with no additional texts to be added. Bruno for the Association for Mormon Letters ![]() Title: Open Canon: Scriptures of the Latter Day Saint TraditionĮditors: Christine Elyse Blythe, Christopher James Blythe, and Jay Burton ![]()
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