If cosmology connotes an understanding of the structure of both a physical and a transcendent universe, contends Erich Robert Paul, it is virtually impossible to understand Mormonism outside the dimensions of cosmological thinking. This study examines how Mormonism shaped its cosmic vision by using and developing cosmological ideas.

Drawing on previously unused archival material, Erich Robert Paul presents the first complete examination of cosmological science and the conception of the galaxy during this formative period. He describes the rise of statistical cosmology, its establishment as the leading area of astronomical research, and finally its decline and the transition to modern methods. He pays particular attention to the accomplishments of two influential astronomers of this period, J. C. Kapteyn and Hugo von Seeliger.

Drawing on previously unused archival material, Erich Robert Paul presents the first complete examination of cosmological science and the conception of the galaxy during this formative period. He describes the rise of statistical cosmology, its establishment as the leading area of astronomical research, and finally its decline and the transition to modern methods. He pays particular attention to the accomplishments of two influential astronomers of this period, J. C. Kapteyn and Hugo von Seeliger.