A Comprehensive History of the Church
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''A Comprehensive History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: Century I'' is a six-volume history published in 1930 and written by
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 ...
, a general authority and Assistant Church Historian 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). It should not be confused with the seven-volume ''
History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints #REDIRECT History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints #REDIRECT History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints {{R from other capitalisation ...
{{R from other capitalisation ...
'' (nicknamed ''Documentary History of the Church''), which was also produced by Roberts in the early 20th-century but as an editor and which focused on the history of
Joseph Smith Joseph Smith Jr. (December 23, 1805June 27, 1844) was an American religious leader and founder of Mormonism and the Latter Day Saint movement. When he was 24, Smith published the Book of Mormon. By the time of his death, 14 years later, he ...
.


Background

After the ''American Historical Magazine'', owned by the
American Historical Society The American Historical Association (AHA) is the oldest professional association of historians in the United States and the largest such organization in the world. Founded in 1884, the AHA works to protect academic freedom, develop professional s ...
, published articles on the
Spalding–Rigdon theory of Book of Mormon authorship The Spalding–Rigdon theory of Book of Mormon authorship is the theory that the Book of Mormon was plagiarized in part from an unpublished manuscript written by Solomon Spalding. The theory first appeared in print in the book ''Mormonism Unvaile ...
, B. H. Roberts, Assistant Church Historian of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), asked the magazine to allow him to publish a rebuttal. After his four-part response, the editor was so pleased that he invited Roberts to next write a detailed history of the LDS Church. The magazine was willing to change its frequency and format to accommodate the size of this task. From July 1909 to July 1915 Roberts wrote "The History of the Mormon Church" in forty-two-page installments for each issue of the magazine (by that time renamed ''Americana'' and sometimes called ''Americana Illustrated''). After the final article appeared, the First Presidency wanted to publish the work in six volumes, but this was dropped due to the cost, despite Roberts' willingness. He even considered condensing the material into a single volume after
Joseph Fielding Smith Joseph Fielding Smith Jr. (July 19, 1876 – July 2, 1972) was an American religious leader and writer who served as the tenth president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1970 until his death in 1972. He was t ...
's one-volume ''Essentials in Church History'' was authorized for publication. In 1928 apostle
George Albert Smith George Albert Smith Sr. (April 4, 1870 – April 4, 1951) was an American religious leader who served as the eighth president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Early life Born in Salt Lake City, Utah Territor ...
asked Roberts to revisit and update his work for publication in commemoration of the church's 1930 centennial. For this reference work used by members of the church, a separate index volume was published in 1959 by the
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 ...
Library.


Reception

''Comprehensive History'' has been called "Roberts's most important historical labor" and "his magnum opus." It is seen as the "high-water mark" of historical studies before the academics of the
New Mormon History New Mormon history refers to a style of reporting the history of Mormonism by both Mormon and non-Mormon scholars which departs from earlier more polemical or faith-based styles of history. Rather than presenting material selectively to either pro ...
and was "far superior to any history of Mormonism which had yet appeared." It was the first to publish some major portions of recent history and to chronicle so wide a period of the Mormon past in one work. It referenced copious primary and secondary sources and sought to reject historical myths, "the untruth, the spectacular, the bizarre" that was "based on worthless testimony". The work has been criticized for manifesting a strong Mormon bias and using
Romantic Romantic may refer to: Genres and eras * The Romantic era, an artistic, literary, musical and intellectual movement of the 18th and 19th centuries ** Romantic music, of that era ** Romantic poetry, of that era ** Romanticism in science, of that e ...
, "rhapsodic prose that sometimes overshoots the mark", but as late as 2001 was nevertheless considered "unsurpassed for its detail and for its comprehensive treatment" as a synthesis of Latter-day Saint history.


Volumes summary

*Volume I :
Joseph Smith Joseph Smith Jr. (December 23, 1805June 27, 1844) was an American religious leader and founder of Mormonism and the Latter Day Saint movement. When he was 24, Smith published the Book of Mormon. By the time of his death, 14 years later, he ...
's early history until the church's experience in
Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...
*Volume II :Settlement in
Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...
up unto the exodus from Illinois *Volume III :The pioneer trek up until federal intervention in
Salt Lake City Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...
*Volume IV :Various events in Utah Territory in the 1850s *Volume V *Volume VI :Events leading up to the
Manifesto A manifesto is a published declaration of the intentions, motives, or views of the issuer, be it an individual, group, political party or government. A manifesto usually accepts a previously published opinion or public consensus or promotes a ...
, Utah statehood, and other events to 1930


See also

*'' Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia'', a biographical dictionary of the LDS Church from 1830 to 1930


Notes


References

*. *{{Cite book, last=Walker, first=Ronald W., url=https://archive.org/details/mormonhistory0000walk, title=Mormon History, last2=Whittaker, first2=David J., last3=Allen, first3=James B., publisher=
University of Illinois Press The University of Illinois Press (UIP) is an American university press and is part of the University of Illinois system. Founded in 1918, the press publishes some 120 new books each year, plus 33 scholarly journals, and several electronic project ...
, year=2001, isbn=0252026195, location=Urbana, language=English, author-link=Ronald W. Walker, author-link3=James B. Allen (historian), via=
Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...
1930 non-fiction books The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints texts History books about the Latter Day Saint movement History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Works by B. H. Roberts Deseret Book books 1930 in Christianity