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Grant Hardy is professor of history and religious studies and former director of the humanities program at the
University of North Carolina at Asheville The University of North Carolina Asheville (UNC Asheville, UNCA, or simply Asheville) is a public liberal arts university in Asheville, North Carolina, United States. UNC Asheville is the designated liberal arts institution in the University of N ...
. He earned his B.A. in
ancient Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic peri ...
in 1984 from
Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ...
and his Ph.D. in
Chinese language Chinese (, especially when referring to written Chinese) is a group of languages spoken natively by the ethnic Han Chinese majority and many minority ethnic groups in Greater China. About 1.3 billion people (or approximately 16% of the wor ...
and literature from
Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...
in 1988. Having written, cowritten, or edited several books in the fields of
history History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the History of writing#Inventions of writing, invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbr ...
,
humanities Humanities are academic disciplines that study aspects of human society and culture. In the Renaissance, the term contrasted with divinity and referred to what is now called classics, the main area of secular study in universities at the t ...
, and religious texts as literature, Hardy is known for literary studies of the
Book of Mormon The Book of Mormon is a religious text of the Latter Day Saint movement, which, according to Latter Day Saint theology, contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the American continent from 600 BC to AD 421 and during an interlude date ...
.


Chinese Language and Literature Studies

Hardy has a PhD in Chinese Language and Literature from Yale University. At 19 years of age, he served a 2 year
Mandarin Mandarin or The Mandarin may refer to: Language * Mandarin Chinese, branch of Chinese originally spoken in northern parts of the country ** Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Mandarin, the official language of China ** Taiwanese Mandarin, Stand ...
-speaking religious mission for
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...
(LDS Church) in
Taichung Taichung (, Wade–Giles: ''Tʻai²-chung¹'', pinyin: ''Táizhōng''), officially Taichung City, is a special municipality located in central Taiwan. Taichung has approximately 2.8 million residents and is the second most populous city of Taiw ...
(Taizhong),
Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
.


Mormon studies


Book of Mormon study editions and notes

Hardy's contributions in
Mormon studies Mormon studies is the interdisciplinary academic study of the beliefs, practices, history and culture of individuals and denominations belonging to the Latter Day Saint movement, a religious movement associated with the Book of Mormon, though not ...
are ''The Book of Mormon: A Reader's Edition'' (2003), ''Understanding the Book of Mormon: A Readers' Guide'' (2010) and ''The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ: Maxwell Institute Study Edition,'' (2018).


Reception

;Individual works According to a review by Michael Austin of ''The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ, Maxwell Institute Study Edition'' (2018; Hardy, ed.), "By combining with a serious and thoughtful scholar like Grant Hardy, the DSChurch has produced and authorized a version of its signature scripture that is orders of magnitude more helpful, and more scholarly, than anything it has produced before." Hardy's ''Understanding the Book of Mormon'' (2010) has been received favorably for what its publisher,
Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...
, describes as "comprehensive analysis of the work's narrative structure." ;In general Grant Shreve says the Book of Mormon's text, "once derided as 'a fiction of hob-goblins and bugbears,'" now is being examined by non-Mormon academics and university students, its inclusion on syllabi facilitated by "attractive reader’s editions of the Book of Mormon armed with immaculate scholarly introductions framing it for non-Mormon audiences" by Hardy (2005) and also by
Laurie Maffly-Kipp Laurie may refer to: Places * Laurie, Cantal, France, a commune * Laurie, Missouri, United States, a village * Laurie Island, Antarctica Music * Laurie Records, a record label * ''Laurie'' (EP), a 1992 album by Daniel Johnston * "Laurie (Stran ...
(2008, Penguin). Neal Rappleye, in the Mormon apologetics journal '' Interpreter'', lauds Hardy's demonstrations of the Book of Mormon's "depth and complexity, multiple voices, and insightful readings," that Rappleye believes bolsters its truth claims. In April 2016, the ''Journal of Book of Mormon Studies'' devoted an issue to Hardy's Book of Mormon studies, its editor saying, "We see his work as crucially transitional, bringing the scripture increasingly to the attention of the broader academy."


Apologetics

Hardy, a Latter-day Saint, has joined proponents advocating tolerance within the faith for struggles with doubt. Providing context for his work, in his August 5, 2016 address at the annual
FairMormon FAIR (Faithful Answers, Informed Response), formerly known as FairMormon and the Foundation for Apologetic Information & Research (FAIR), is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that specializes in Mormon apologetics and responds to criticism of t ...
conference, he said, "Academics have little interest in debates about whether Mormonism is true or false, but they are increasingly interested in Mormonism as a religious and social movement." When asked during the question-and-answer session concerning believers who harbor questions about the Book of Mormon's historicity, he said, "Can faith in the Book of Mormon as inspired fiction be a saving faith? And I think the answer is, absolutely." A two-part 2017 article by Duane Boyce in the
LDS apologetics Apologetics (from Greek , "speaking in defense") is the religious discipline of defending religious doctrines through systematic argumentation and discourse. Early Christian writers (c. 120–220) who defended their beliefs against critics an ...
journal '' Interpreter'' questions the didactic effectiveness of Hardy's study's ascriptions of possible psychological motives to individuals categorized as prophets within the Book of Mormon. Boyce believes literary analysis of this type retrograde to the book's divine purpose. Ralph C. Hancock published in ''Interpreter'' his argument that Hardy’s reading of the Book of Mormon is "in a way more religious than any other because it is more rational—that is, by allowing natural questions to arise and to resonate, he reveals characters to us (especially the three authors" Nephi,_ Nephi,_Book_of_Mormon_(Mormon's_record)">Mormon_ Mormons_are_a_religious_and_cultural_group_related_to_Mormonism,_the_principal_branch_of_the_Latter_Day_Saint_movement_started_by_Joseph_Smith_in_upstate_New_York_during_the_1820s._After_Smith's_death_in_1844,_the_movement_split_into_several_...
,_and_Book_of_Moroni.html" ;"title="Book_of_Mormon_(Mormon's_record).html" "title="Plates_of_Nephi.html" ;"title="/nowiki>Plates of Nephi">Nephi, Book of Mormon (Mormon's record)">Mormon Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, the principal branch of the Latter Day Saint movement started by Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s. After Smith's death in 1844, the movement split into several ...
, and Book of Moroni">Moroni] "that are more miraculous because they are more human."


Background: Opening the Book of Mormon studies sub-discipline

Studies of the
Book of Mormon The Book of Mormon is a religious text of the Latter Day Saint movement, which, according to Latter Day Saint theology, contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the American continent from 600 BC to AD 421 and during an interlude date ...
–the foundational scripture of the
Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...
–usually were apologetic (devotional) or polemical ( critical of its truth claims) prior to about 2010. Parallel the burgeoning of
Mormon studies Mormon studies is the interdisciplinary academic study of the beliefs, practices, history and culture of individuals and denominations belonging to the Latter Day Saint movement, a religious movement associated with the Book of Mormon, though not ...
generally as a field of more neutral scholarship in early 21st century, university courses began including
literary studies Literary criticism (or literary studies) is the study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. Modern literary criticism is often influenced by literary theory, which is the philosophical discussion of literature's goals and methods. Th ...
of this book. In 2016, Nicholas J. Frederick said, "With a few notable exceptions, such as
Philip Barlow Philip Layton Barlow (born 1950) is a Harvard-trained scholar who specializes in American Religious History, American religious history, religious geography, and Mormonism. In 2019, Barlow was appointed associate director of the Neal A. Maxwell ...
’s ''Mormons and the Bible'' and Grant Hardy’s ''Understanding the Book of Mormon,'' full-length monographs devoted to ook of Mormon studieshave been lacking." In 2017, organizers of a Book of Mormon studies symposium said, "Grant Hardy has introduced the content and the depth of the Book of Mormon into the larger academic world...".


Publications


Books

In addition to chapters and journal articles, Hardy has published the following books: * * * *


Chapter

* *


Multimedia

* *


See also

*
Origin of the Book of Mormon There are several explanations as to the origin of the Book of Mormon. Adherents to the Latter Day Saint movement view the book as a work of divinely inspired scripture. Non-Mormon theories of authorship propose that it is solely the work of man. ...


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hardy, Grant 1961 births Living people 21st-century American historians 21st-century American male writers Brigham Young University alumni Yale University alumni University of North Carolina at Asheville faculty Mormon apologists Latter Day Saints from California Latter Day Saints from North Carolina Book of Mormon scholars American male non-fiction writers