''The Great Apostasy Considered in the Light of Scriptural and Secular History'' is a 1909 book by

James E. Talmage James Edward Talmage (21 September 1862 – 27 July 1933) was an English chemist, geologist, and religious leader who served as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) fro ...

that summarizes the Great Apostasy from the viewpoint of 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 nontrinitarian Christian church that considers itself to be the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ. The c ...

(LDS Church). Talmage wrote his book with the intention that it be used as a teaching tool within the LDS Church's

Young Men's Mutual Improvement Association The Young Men (often referred to as Young Men's) is a youth ministry, youth organization and Auxiliary organization (LDS Church), official program of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Its purpose is to assist the church ...

and the Young Women's Mutual Improvement Association. The book is "in many ways quite derivative" of

B. H. Roberts Brigham Henry Roberts (March 13, 1857 – September 27, 1933) was a historian, politician, and leader in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). He edited the seven-volume ''History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ...

's 1893 ''Outlines of Ecclesiastical History''. Both writers borrowed heavily from the writings of Protestant scholars who argued that Roman Catholicism had apostatized from true Christianity. Talmage's book has been described as "the most recognizable and noted work on the topic" of Latter-day Saint views of the Great Apostasy.Eric R. Dursteler
"Inheriting the 'Great Apostasy': The Evolution of Latter-day Saint Views on the Middle Ages and the Renaissance"
''Early Christians in Disarray: Contemporary LDS Perspectives on the Christian Apostasy'' (Provo Utah: Maxwell Institute, 2002). ''The Great Apostasy'' has gone through many editions and continues to be published by

Deseret Book Deseret Book () is an American publishing company headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, that also operates a chain of bookstores throughout the western United States. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Deseret Management Corporation (DMC), the ...

, a publishing company owned by the LDS Church, and "is regularly referenced today" within the LDS Church. Along with Talmage's other classic works '' Jesus the Christ'' and ''

Articles of Faith A creed, also known as a confession of faith, a symbol, or a statement of faith, is a statement of the shared beliefs of a community (often a religious community) in a form which is structured by subjects which summarize its core tenets. The ea ...

'', ''The Great Apostasy'' has been of the few non-scriptural books that full-time LDS Church

missionaries A missionary is a member of a religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Mi ...

are encouraged to study. However, it is no longer part of the "approved missionary library."

Notes

External links

''The Great Apostasy''
Project Gutenberg Kindle, epub, html, and text editions
''The Great Apostasy''
archive.org on-line reader copy of the first edition
''The Great Apostasy''
archive.org PDF copy of the first edition
''The Great Apostasy''
archive.org TXT copy of the first edition
"The Great Apostasy"
LibriVox audio recording on archive.org {{DEFAULTSORT:Great Apostasy, The (book) 1909 non-fiction books 1909 in Christianity Deseret Book books LDS non-fiction Works by James E. Talmage Works by apostles (LDS Church)