Elias-An Epic of the Ages

<p>Orson F. Whitney's <em>Elias-An Epic of the Ages</em> stands as Mormonism's most ambitious literary achievement a sweeping poetic retelling of the plan of salvation and the Restoration. First published in 1904 and refined in Whitney's 1914 edition the ten-canto epic draws upon scripture history and inspired imagination to place the life and mission of Jesus Christ at the center of a cosmic narrative that spans premortality the Savior's mortal ministry the apostasy and the dispensation of the fulness of times. In the tradition of Milton's <em>Paradise Lost</em> and Dante's <em>Divine Comedy</em> Whitney sought to give his faith a literary monument equal to its spiritual grandeur-an epic in which doctrine history and prophecy meet in verse.</p><p></p><p>This new critical edition edited by Reid L. Neilson presents the definitive text of Whitney's 1914 revision alongside rich historical context literary analysis and contemporary responses that situate <em>Elias</em> in the cultural and religious landscape of turn-of-the-century Mormonism. Both a devotional masterpiece and a literary artifact <em>Elias-An Epic of the Ages</em> invites modern readers to encounter Whitney's soaring vision anew.</p>