I enjoy reading the Book of Mormon in the format of literary text because it gives me a different outlook on scripture. Before, I would read each verse and dissect versus to get the minute details of principles or doctrine. However, when scripture is placed in paragraph form, it helps me identify the topic of each section. For example, in the first chapter of 1 Nephi, we can see the distinction between Lehi’s calling and his prophesies to the Jews. Before, I read through this chapter as an understanding about the family, and less about the reason why they had to leave Jerusalem in the first place, including their journey across the desert. I completely agree that “this editing gives emphasis to the narrative and highlights literary qualities and complex internal structure of the text” (Hardy). The second example is identifying when scriptural, spiritual, or personal revelation occur; they are put into lines and stanzas that help structure the text in a manner that would have been intended. Instead of looking at scripture as individual versus, looking at scripture as literature brings new sense of origin – an origin intended to be deeply experienced by the reader.
Do you feel like it helps you to not dissect every verse? I noticed the same thing, but I'm trying to decide whether it helped me only as a reader or literature, and not as a reader of scripture.
ReplyDeleteI also really liked the bigger paragraphs instead of verses. Lately, I have been trying to focus more on putting verses into context in my scripture study, instead of looking at them individually. I feel like reading it this way really helps me do that.
ReplyDeleteI like the more personal part of the Hardy addition. I agree. It reads more like a journal or something. I guess thats why it might feel more personal. The narrative form definitely has that effect.
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