Mormonism: The Story of a New Religious Tradition, by Jan Shipps#

Early Christianity thought of themselves in Hebraic terms. As the saints---for that is what the Bible calls them---of Solomon's day rejoiced when fire came down from heaven and the glory of the Lord filled the house during the consecration of the temple, so at Pentecost the "latter-day" saints of early Christianity rejoiced in God's goodness when a rushing mighty wind filled all the house and cloven tongues like as of fire sat on each of them. But as Christianity developed, as Jews and Greeks were together "in Christ" brought beneath the covenant that God had made with Abraham, it gradually became clear that the way espoused by the apostles included important elements that were not a part of Israel's tradition. Without fully and consciously realizing that they were doing so, the followers of Jesus established a new religious tradition. [p. ix]

An interesting parallel between Joseph Smith's account of the First Vision and other visions of Paul, Abraham, Moses, Enoch, Adam, etc.:#

As often as the stories of Joseph Smith's visions are repeated, it is surprising that very little emphasis is placed on Smith's description of how he was affected by these two experiences in which he received his divine calling. At the conclusion of his description of the 1820 experience, Joseph said, "When I came to myself again, I found myself lying on my back looking up to heaven... I had no strength." Then, recalling the aftermath of the night of 21/22 September 1823 in which his interviews with the angel Moroni "must have occupied the whole of that night," Joseph said his strength was so exhausted that when he tried to work alongside his father as usual he found he could not. Leaving his father's side, he started back to the house, only to fall "helpless to the ground, and for a time [to be] quite unconscious of anything." It stands to reason that it was the phenomenon of visionary trance to which Smith referred, and if this is, in fact, correct, then these trances, coming in response to divine calling, parallel a similar trance in which Saul became Paul on the road to Damascus. [p. 10]

Shipps talks a lot about how the early Saints literally re-lived many stories of the Israelites. Lots of examples, but when it occurs to you, you can fill in the details for yourself. (p. 50)#

She also writes about how early Utah Mormonism was vastly different than modern Mormonism. Her hypothesis is that when you are in the Kingdom of God, there is less reason to do things to set you apart. (p. 116)#