Sacred Borders

In Sacred Borders, David F. Holland examines how early Americans—ranging from elite theologians to slave prophets, liberal intellectuals to revivalists—grappled with the authority and limits of the biblical canon during a period of intense religious innovation.

The book argues that the antebellum era saw some of the most significant efforts to expand or defend the canon, as groups like the Shakers, Mormons, Transcendentalists, and others sought new revelations beyond traditional scripture.

Holland’s analysis reveals how these debates reflected broader tensions between conservatism and innovation, orthodoxy and plurality, shaping the intellectual and spiritual landscape of early America.