This volume represents a treasure trove of Book of Mormon knowledge published by the Religious Studies Center. Although all these papers have been previously published, it is hoped that collecting these papers in one place will provide readers with fruitful ground for their study of the Book of Mormon through Come, Follow Me and beyond. Each paper in this volume was carefully selected for its distinctive contributions to our understanding of the Book of Mormon. The opening of the title of this book is “A Hundredth Part,” a phrase employed by several Book of Mormon authors to indicate they were only providing a small portion of what could have been written. We too believe the future of Book of Mormon studies is bright and that many more informative and faith-promoting articles like those in this volume are on the horizon.

The authors’ contributions in the present volume approach the Book of Mormon from a variety of perspectives and processes. This variety, in and of itself, speaks to the richness and the depth of the Book of Mormon record and to the value that can be found in an in-depth study of this remarkable book. We begin the book with an article by President Dallin H. Oaks on the importance of engaging with the historical claims made within and by the Book of Mormon. The rest of the volume is divided into four main topical divisions: “Doctrinal Contributions,” “Church and Priesthood,” “Cultural Contributions and Close Readings,” and “Post–Book of Mormon Readings on the Text.” The papers in “Doctrinal Contributions” explore many of the distinctive teachings of the Book of Mormon on doctrinal concepts such as the plan of salvation and dealing with divine violence. The contributions in “Church and Priesthood” discuss how the Book of Mormon presents concepts arising from church organization and related ideas. The third category, “Cultural Contributions and Close Readings,” is one of the more diverse sections, and contains articles that strongly illustrate the value in reading the Book of Mormon closely and carefully. The final section, “Post–Book of Mormon Readings on the Text,” collects papers that discuss the Book of Mormon in the Restoration.

We commend all these articles to our readers and hope that they will provide precious new insights as you study the Book of Mormon.

Avram R. Shannon

Kerry Hull

Editors