Mosiah: A Brief Theological Introduction

By: James E. Faulconer

Narrated by: Bruce Lindsay

Whosoever should believe that Christ should come...might receive remission of their sins, and rejoice with exceedingly great joy.

The prophet Mormon faces the monumental task of abridging Nephite history for future generations. He looks back hundreds of years to discern God’s hand amid the people’s divisions and conversions. Multiple records recount multiple migrations to lands where different kings organize competing societies. A righteous monarchy ends, and a reign of judges begins.

In this brief theological introduction to the book of Mosiah, philosopher and theologian James E. Faulconer untangles a complicated timeline. Mormon transports listeners back and forth through time - King Benjamin’s sermons provide a backdrop for the earlier speeches of the prophet-martyr Abinadi and the later conversion of the renegade Alma. What might we learn about covenant and community from a history of Nephite division?

Faulconer presents the book of Mosiah as a fragmentary history about a fragmented people, written by a record keeper obsessed with unity. According to Mormon, destruction can be avoided only if we understand the mysteries of Christ’s atonement and perform the service God calls us to do together.

©2020 The Neal A Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship (P)2020 The Neal A Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

A masterclass in how to read scripture

I really disagree with the review left by Mindful on 11-03-20, which implies that Faulconer's work here somehow argues that you need to be a philosopher to read Mosiah. I left with the opposite impression: while Faulconer is a philosopher, his approach here is about reading what the text actually says, untangling the convoluted timeline of Mosiah, and then asking why Mormon compiled the book this way (i.e., why start with King Benjamin, and then have flashbacks embedded in flashbacks?). As a result, he really helped me to think about the book of Mosiah as a purposefully constructed book meant to teach me something.

The audiobook itself is expertly narrated and produced. I own both the paperback (which is lovely) and the audiobook, and have learned different things from each. This book is a masterclass on how to read scripture with charity, focus, imagination, and faith. Highly recommended!

worth reading for sure

very insightful. I highly recommend this short book. excellent insight into our indebtedness to God, and what our obligations are as Christians.

Disappointment

This is a big disappointment after the first four volumes of this series, which were exceptionally good. You do not have to be a philosopher to understand Mosiah! It is less of an introduction to Mosiah and more of an exegesis of Mosiah 4 and the first five verses of Mosiah 15.