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- Herausgeber: Booksell-Verlag
- Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
- Sprache: Englisch
In "Joseph Smith the Prophet-Teacher: A Discourse," B. H. Roberts presents a meticulously crafted exploration of the life and teachings of Joseph Smith, the founder of the Latter Day Saint movement. Through a combination of scholarly analysis and personal narrative, Roberts contextualizes Smith's role as both a religious leader and an educator, addressing the theological and social impact of his teachings. The discourse blends historical documentation with Roberts's own theological insights, characteristic of the early 20th-century Mormon intellectual tradition, prompting readers to grapple with the complexities of Smith's visionary leadership against the backdrop of American religious thought. B. H. Roberts, an esteemed Mormon historian and theologian, was deeply involved in the intellectual and spiritual currents of his time, which greatly influenced his work. His extensive background in church history, combined with his commitment to the Restoration movement, positioned him uniquely to articulate Smith's significance. Roberts's efforts to reconcile faith and reason reflect the challenges faced by early Latter Day Saints in a rapidly modernizing society, illustrating the depth of Smith's influence through both personal conviction and scholarly pursuit. Readers interested in the intersections of religion, education, and American history will find "Joseph Smith the Prophet-Teacher: A Discourse" an invaluable resource. Roberts's articulate prowess and thoughtful reflections offer profound insights into Smith's teachings, appealing not only to Mormon scholars but to all those interested in the dynamics of faith and leadership in American religious history. In this enriched edition, we have carefully created added value for your reading experience: - A succinct Introduction situates the work's timeless appeal and themes. - The Synopsis outlines the central plot, highlighting key developments without spoiling critical twists. - A detailed Historical Context immerses you in the era's events and influences that shaped the writing. - A thorough Analysis dissects symbols, motifs, and character arcs to unearth underlying meanings. - Reflection questions prompt you to engage personally with the work's messages, connecting them to modern life. - Hand‐picked Memorable Quotes shine a spotlight on moments of literary brilliance. - Interactive footnotes clarify unusual references, historical allusions, and archaic phrases for an effortless, more informed read.
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Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2021
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Joseph Smith the Prophet-Teacher: A Discourse
Table of Contents
Introduction
At the heart of this work lies a claim that prophetic authority is inseparable from the labor of teaching. Joseph Smith the Prophet-Teacher: A Discourse by B. H. Roberts presents a focused portrait of the Latter-day Saint founder through the lens of pedagogy, not only prophecy. Written by a prominent Latter-day Saint thinker and church leader, the discourse reframes Joseph Smith’s influence in terms of how he taught—by revealing doctrine, organizing a learning community, and modeling inquiry. Roberts invites readers to consider instruction as the medium of restoration, offering a study that is devotional in purpose yet attentive to ideas, institutions, and practical habits of faith.
This work belongs to the genre of religious discourse—part sermon, part essay—rooted in the Latter-day Saint tradition. First circulated in the early twentieth century, it reflects a period when church writers articulated the legacy of nineteenth-century beginnings for new generations. The setting it engages is the early American milieu of the Restoration, but its vantage point is that of a mature movement taking stock of its foundations. Roberts writes with the authority of an insider addressing both believers and inquiring outsiders, situating Joseph Smith’s ministry within a broader conversation about education, scripture, and the responsibilities of spiritual leadership.
The premise is straightforward: to understand Joseph Smith, one must see him as a teacher who organized knowledge as deliberately as he organized a church. Rather than offering a full biography, Roberts concentrates on method and meaning, tracing how instruction shapes discipleship, community, and personal growth. Readers encounter an orator’s cadence recast in print—clear structure, well-signposted arguments, and an evident pastoral concern. The voice is confident and explanatory, seeking to persuade without rancor. The mood is reverent, yet it leaves room for reflection, inviting readers to weigh claims, follow lines of reasoning, and assess the practical outcomes of religious ideas.
Among the themes that emerge, the relation of revelation to reason stands prominent: instruction is portrayed as a bridge between divine communication and human understanding. Education appears as a communal undertaking, where doctrine, ritual, and governance function as a curriculum for living. Authority is treated not merely as pronouncement but as stewardship to cultivate learning souls. The discourse also explores the moral purposes of knowledge, emphasizing character, duty, and the formation of habits aligned with spiritual aims. In presenting Joseph Smith as a teacher, Roberts underscores how texts, practices, and institutions together transmit a way of life rather than isolated propositions.
Stylistically, the piece bears traces of its spoken origins—periodic sentences, rhetorical balance, and an emphasis on definition and enumeration. Roberts moves between doctrinal exposition and historical reference, using episodes and teachings from early church experience to illustrate patterns of pedagogy without lingering on controversy. The result is both analytical and accessible, a synthesis that mirrors his broader reputation as a Latter-day Saint interpreter of history and faith. Careful transitions guide the reader through layered claims, and the cumulative effect is to depict teaching as the organizing principle of a movement that prizes learning as a sacred obligation.
For contemporary readers, the discourse matters because it frames leadership as an educational vocation, a theme with resonance in classrooms, congregations, and civic life. It asks enduring questions: How should authority foster inquiry? What does it mean to teach for transformation rather than mere information? It speaks to those negotiating the relationship between intellect and devotion, suggesting that faithful commitment need not eclipse critical thought. Students of American religious history will find a concise window into Latter-day Saint self-understanding, while educators may recognize familiar challenges and aspirations in the call to build communities where learning is both disciplined and humane.
Approached today, Joseph Smith the Prophet-Teacher: A Discourse offers a compact, reflective entry point into the Latter-day Saint worldview and its educational ethos. It rewards readers who value argument joined to reverence, history linked with principle, and practice animated by purpose. Without presuming prior expertise, Roberts lays out a framework that encourages further study of sources and contexts. The result is not a definitive portrait but a clarifying lens: to see the founder as a teacher is to reconsider what restoration aims to restore. In that reframing lies the book’s enduring appeal and its invitation to read with disciplined curiosity.
Synopsis
B. H. Roberts presents Joseph Smith principally as a teacher, arguing that his prophetic mission is best understood through the lens of instruction. The discourse frames Smith’s work as an effort to transmit knowledge about God, humanity, and society, organized into a coherent system. Roberts outlines his approach: to examine the ideas Smith introduced, the institutions he founded, and the methods by which he taught. He situates the discourse within the context of nineteenth century religious ferment and the Latter day Saint movement’s formative period, emphasizing that Smith’s authority combined revelation with pedagogy. The narrative proceeds from principles to doctrines, then to organization and practical application.
Roberts begins with the central ideal that knowledge is sacred and salvific, portraying intelligence as the heart of spiritual progress. He describes Smith’s encouragement of learning in both sacred and secular fields, establishing education as a religious duty. The School of the Prophets and other instructional settings exemplify this commitment, pairing scripture study with language, history, and practical skills. Revelation, in Roberts’s account, operates as a pedagogical process that invites inquiry, clarifies doctrine, and guides community decisions. By positioning learning as the medium of divine communication, Roberts asserts that Smith’s prophetic role is inseparable from his role as a systematic teacher.
The discourse then examines the scriptures associated with Joseph Smith as a curricular framework. The Book of Mormon is presented as a foundational text that teaches faith, covenants, and divine governance. The Doctrine and Covenants provides direct instruction on doctrine and Church administration, delivering directives that shaped daily religious life. The Pearl of Great Price expands cosmological and historical perspectives, offering narratives and teachings that supplement the biblical record. Roberts highlights the incremental method of instruction, often described as line upon line, emphasizing clarity, repetition, and practical application. These texts, he argues, form a structured syllabus for belief, worship, and communal order.
Roberts turns to Smith’s teachings about God and humanity, emphasizing their organizing influence. He explains that Smith taught of a personal, knowable Deity and affirmed the eternal nature and agency of human beings. The discourse underscores the concept of human potential and progression, locating dignity and moral responsibility in the nature of intelligence. By framing the relationship between God and humanity as familial and developmental, Smith’s doctrine, in Roberts’s narration, reorients ethics and worship around purpose, growth, and accountability. These themes, Roberts argues, give coherence to the broader system, linking metaphysical claims to practical moral consequences and educational priorities.
Next, Roberts outlines the plan of salvation as Smith taught it, centering on the atoning work of Jesus Christ and a comprehensive view of redemption. Ordinances are presented as instructional rites that bind doctrine to practice. The discourse emphasizes the inclusion of vicarious work for the dead and the sealing of families, situating temples as houses of learning as well as worship. This framework, Roberts notes, balances universal opportunity with law and order, situating mercy within a structured economy of covenants and authority. The pedagogical thrust is prominent: salvation unfolds through knowledge, commitment, and ordinances that teach by symbol and ceremony.
The organization of the Church is treated as an educational system in itself. Roberts describes priesthood offices, quorums, and councils as settings for training, mentoring, and shared governance. Common consent, disciplinary councils, and the use of conference assemblies are portrayed as participatory mechanisms that teach responsibility and unity. Missionary work functions as global instruction, inviting learners into the curriculum of doctrine and practice. Auxiliary organizations, including those for women and youth, extend the teaching mandate across demographics. Through these structures, Roberts argues, Smith embedded learning into leadership and community life, ensuring that governance and education advance together.
Roberts then surveys Smith’s moral and social teachings, presenting them as a practical code that shapes daily living. Health counsel, economic principles such as tithing, sexual morality, honesty, and civic duty are highlighted as integral to discipleship. He notes Smith’s emphasis on industry, self reliance, and mutual aid, connecting personal ethics to community welfare. Educational initiatives, including schools and study groups, reinforce literacy and informed citizenship. In Roberts’s portrayal, these norms do not stand apart from theology but translate doctrine into practice, creating a culture that aligns belief with behavior and temporal stewardship with spiritual aspiration.
