Where to start?
 

We've got some serious LDS scholars on this board. There are others (at least me) who would like to learn.

However, some of us may not know where to start, particularly if there are certain subjects that catch our interest.

There's the Bushman book and "Misquoting Jesus" that have been addressed significantly, but it might be helpful if some of the more studied could identify some good starting points on the various areas of LDS scholarship. For instance, I enjoyed Misquoting Jesus, and I will likely seek out more books by that author. But I don't know where to go from there. I'd like to read more about Old Testament scholarship, but I don't read Greek or Hebrew, or whatever language the older transcripts are in. I've seen references to Latter-day history (i.e. the Bushman biography and others that are out or are coming out), but with limited time and so many books out there, I'd like to avoid the books that are not worth the time.

Also, with the unevenness of LDS scholarship, it's hard to discern who are the good LDS scholars, and who are the posers.

Maybe those who consider themselves well-versed in LDS scholarship can share some of the "must-reads" for a novice LDS scholar. I'd bet there are others beside me who feel a little behind in this area.

(I'm not limiting this to particular viewponts - both apostates and mullahs are welcome to share, as far as I'm concerned :) )

Adam, SEIQ, Chapel Hill and AA are best versed to utter opinions on these matters.

Bart Ehrman is a competent scholar, as is David Parker on New Testament Matters.

There is the issue of Q which has a bunch of scholars.

Kitchen is a leading evangelical, but competent scholar on Old Testament.

I'll remember some others but again, I'm a schmuck with little initiation into these matters, so ask the guys who know.

O, Solon knows this stuff as well.

I recommend Givens' By The Hand of Mormon. A nice background of the historical influences surrounding the translation and influence of the BOM. Givens is LDS, but the book was published by Oxford University Press.

http://www.amazon.com/Hand-Mormon-Am.../dp/019513818X

Read Umberto Cassuto's work countering the Documentary Hypothesis and the counters to his work.

Depends on what area you want to start with.

For BoM, I also recommend Givens.

For a great, balanced intro comparison on Mormonism and classical Christianity, read Robinson and Blomberg's How Wide the Divide?. Both are NT scholars. they touch on the issues of Scripture, God's nature, Godhead, and salvation.

HarperCollins Study Bible is great. It's put together by various scholars from the Society of Biblical Literature.

I'm reading Brueggmann, et al's Theological Introduction to the Old Testament right now.

All of the above are for novices.

Most of that is very basic, do you really think we should start there?

Blomberg is a literary critic, not an NT scholar I thought, like Ehrman or David Parker out of England.

Do you like Mark Goodacre for the NT and Q theories?

you're thinking of Bloom (jewish agnostic). Blomberg is an evangelical NT scholar.

I don't think he should start out by studying Q and documentary hypothesis in depth (esp. since latter is becoming passé). He should read primers explain what they are.

I like Raymond Brown for NT, but he's kinda dry.

I'd add Compton's "In Sacred Loneliness".

I'll come back with more (and on other topics), but these will help you get a solid foundation in Mormon History:

1. Leonard J. Arrington, Great Basin Kingdom: An Economic History of the Latter-day Saints, 1830-1900

2. Leonard J. Arrington and Davis Bitton, The Mormon Experience: A History of the Latter-day Saints

3. Leonard J. Arrington & Co. Building the City of God: Community & Cooperation Among the Mormons

4. Leonard J. Arrington, Brigham Young, American Moses

5. Edward Lyman, Political Deliverance: The Mormon Quest for Utah Statehood

6. Thomas Alexander, Mormonism in Transition: A History of the Latter-day Saints, 1890-1930

7. Richard L. Bushman, Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling

8. L.K. Newell and V.T. Avery, Mormon Enigma: Emma Hale Smith

9. V.T. Avery, The 1838 Mormon War in Missouri

10. Carmen Hardy, Solemn Covenant: The Mormon Polygamous Passage

11. Todd Compton, In Sacred Lonliness: The Plural Wives of Joseph Smith

12. Dean C. Jessee, Personal Writings of Joseph Smith (When the JS Papers Project comes out, be sure to get that too)

13: D. Michael Quinn, Mormon Hierarchy: Origins of Power

14. D. Michael Quinn, Mormon Hierarchy: Extensions of Power

15. D. Michael Quinn, Mormonism and the Magic World View

16. Greg Prince and Rob Wright, David O Mckay and the Rise of Modern Mormonism

17. Armand Mauss, All Abraham's Children: Changing Conceptions of Race & Lineage

18. Armand Mauss, The Angel and the Beehive: The Mormon Struggle with Assimilation

19. BH Roberts, A Comprehensive History of the Church

20. BH Roberts, The Life of John Taylor

21. BH Roberts, Studies of the Book of Mormon

22. John Silito, History's Apprentice: The Diaries of BH Roberts

23. Ed & Andrew Kimball, Spencer W. Kimball

24. Juanita Brooks, The Mountain Meadows Massacre

25. Robert Flanders, Nauvoo: Kingdom on the Mississippi

26. Glen Leonard, Nauvoo: A Place of Peace, A People of Promise

27. James Allen & Glen Leonard: The Story of the Latter-day Saints

28. Will Bagley & Dave Bigler, Army of Israel: Mormon Batallion Narratives

29. Subscribe to the Mormon History Association's Journal of Mormon History

30. Subscribe to Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought

Happy reading!