Professor Anthony Sweat (an assistant professor of Church history and doctrine at Brigham Young University) and the Religious Studies Center at BYU have kindly allowed FairMormon to post an excerpt from the new volume From Darkness unto Light: Joseph Smith’s Translation and Publication of the Book of Mormon by Michael Hubbard MacKay and Gerrit J. Dirkmaat. (See these two blog posts here and here for more information on the book.) Professor Sweat wrote an appendix to the book discussing artistic depictions of the translation of the Book of Mormon, including his new piece “By the Gift and Power of God.” The appendix is posted below as a PDF file. Among other things, Professor Sweat explores the “language of art” and depictions of the translation of the Book of Mormon done by past and contemporary Latter-day Saint painters. He likewise discusses the significance of the Church’s commissioned artwork of the translation of the Book of Mormon and the artistic process behind his own piece.

From Darkness unto Light can be purchased in hardcover or eBook format from Deseret Book and the FairMormon Bookstore.

“By the Gift and Power of Art”