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Learning to Love the Pearl of Great Price ______ Learning to Love the Pearl of Great Price ____________________________________________________________ Contents Introduction to the Pearl of Great Price 2 • Some Unique Doctrinal Contributions of the Book of Moses 392 The Book of Moses • Some Unique Contributions of Overview of the Book of Moses 3 the Book of Abraham 395 Brief Early History of the Prophet Moses 8 • The Book of Abraham Facsimiles 399 Moses Chapter 1 9 • Moses Chapter 2 29 The History of the Coming Forth of the Pearl of Great Price 403 Moses Chapter 3 46 Moses Chapter 4 60 • The Joseph Smith Papyri and Their Relationship to the Book of Abraham 413 Moses Chapter 5 78 Moses Chapter 6 103 • Moses and Mount Sinai 428 Moses Chapter 7 139 Moses Chapter 8 170 The Book of Abraham Abraham Chapter 1 184 Abraham Chapter 2 207 Abraham Chapter 3 219 Abraham Chapter 4 241 Abraham Chapter 5 257 Facsimiles of the Book of Abraham 264 Joseph Smith–Matthew 283 Joseph Smith–History 313 The Articles of Faith 356 Supplemental Articles • Brief Biblical History of Abraham (Genesis 12-25) 376 • Abrahamic Lore that Supports the Book of Abraham 381 • Some Unique Contributions of the Pearl of Great Price to Our Gospel Understanding 388 An Introduction to The Pearl of Great Price ____________________________________________________________ Through the prophet Joseph Smith the Lord has mercifully revealed to us, in this last dispensation, priceless insights into eternal doctrines and into the lives and ministries of prophets of the distant past. Many of these insights appear in the collection of scripture we have come to know as the Pearl of Great Price. This book of scripture is perhaps the least understood and least appreciated of the church’s “standard works.” Yet in its pages are some of the most sublime and profound doctrinal truths anywhere. In this precious collection of scripture we are introduced to, and given remarkable insight into the lives and teachings of seven major heads of gospel dispensations: Adam, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus Christ, and Joseph Smith. Each of these was called of God to minister to a generation that had been traveling for a time in darkness. Each stood as a restorer of truth and a legal administrator for the introduction of a new and everlasting covenant. Each has imparted to us invaluable insights into the scope of the eternities and the very purposes of this earth’s existence. Learning to Love the Pearl of Great Price has been written to hopefully enrich the reader’s understanding of this marvelous book of scripture. This commentary is written from a bias of belief. Your author knows with all his heart that the Pearl of Great Price contains the word of God as it was revealed through the prophet Joseph Smith. For a discussion of just how we came to possess this book of scripture, see the supplemental article, The History of the Coming Forth of the Pearl of Great Price. 2 An Overview of the Book of Moses ____________________________________________________________ The Book of Moses consists of Joseph Smith’s inspired revision or “translation” of part of the book of Genesis—actually Genesis 1:1 through Genesis 6:13. For many years Joseph’s inspired revision of the Bible was called “the Inspired Version,” but it is now more properly named the “Joseph Smith Translation” (abbreviated JST). It is suggested that the reader review the supplemental article in Learning to Love the Doctrine and Covenants, Joseph Smith’s Inspired Revision of the Bible. This historical connection between the Pearl of Great Price and the JST has eluded most members of the Church since the Book of Moses has been published by the Church separately in the Pearl of Great Price, and since the Church is not the publisher of the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible. Doctor Robert J. Matthews has observed: “The original manuscript of Joseph Smith’s translation leaves no doubt on the matter . the two are the same” (Studies in Scripture, Volume Two, The Pearl of Great Price, 25). The Book of Moses is 250 verses longer than the corresponding King James account. At this point it is important to pause and note an important insight into what is meant by the term “translation” and what the process was. When the prophet Joseph Smith “translated” the Bible, he was not limited to what was found on the working page in front of him, whether that page was a sheet from the King James Version or a handwritten draft of his own early revision. The text seems to have been a “starting point,” but the spirit of revelation was always an additional source of information. In the case of the Bible translation, the manuscript source was the King James Version. This suggested certain ideas, but the spirit apparently suggested many enlargements, backgrounds, and additional concepts not found on the page. Thus the term “translation,” when referring to Joseph Smith’s translation of the Bible, differs somewhat from that normally used when one thinks of translating languages. To a prophet, a revelation is a more vital and dependable source than a written text. This revelationary, progressive, open-ended process that was used in translating the Bible may give us a more instructive clue in understanding Joseph Smith’s “translation” of the Egyptian papyrus from whence came the Book of Abraham. It may not have been a literal translation at all, and the Book of Abraham may go far beyond what was actually written on the papyrus. What is now called the Book of Moses originally consisted of three separate revelations. The first is dated June 1830. The original manuscript is in the handwriting of Oliver Cowdery. It was recorded at the beginning of the process of Joseph’s inspired revision of the Bible at Harmony, Pennsylvania, and in the JST manuscript it was originally given the title “A Revelation given to Joseph the Revelator.” This is the same information now published as Moses chapter 1. 3 4 LEARNING TO LOVE THE PEARL OF GREAT PRICE The second revelation is also taken from the JST manuscript where it is entitled: “A Revelation given to the Elders of the Church of Christ on the first Book of Moses, Chapter First.” This was also in the handwriting of Oliver Cowdery. This revelation covers Moses 2, 3, and 4. There is no date given on this part of the manuscript, but from other evidences, it is determined that it was received and recorded partly in Harmony, Pennsylvania, and partly in Fayette, New York, between June and October 1830. The third portion was also received in the process of making the JST and in that manuscript is titled: “A Revelation concerning Adam after he had been driven out of the Garden of Eden.” The content actually goes considerably beyond what is suggested in the title, for it not only deals with Adam but carries the biblical story from Adam down to Noah, with an especially long section about Enoch. This material makes up what is now Moses 5:1 to 8:12. Several dates are given in the manuscript itself for these materials, and also several scribes were involved in recording them. While the details of scribes and dates of these materials are not overridingly important, the dates are included in the Book of Moses, and they will be summarized here as written by Brother Robert J. Matthews: The material comprising what we now call Moses 1:1-5:42 was recorded by Oliver Cowdery between June 1830 and October 21, 1830, at Fayette, New York. In October, Oliver Cowdery left New York on a mission to Ohio and Missouri (see D&C 32). Significantly, at this point in the manuscript the handwriting changes from that of Oliver Cowdery to that of John Whitmer. Whitmer recorded a few verses on 21 October 1830 (comprising what we now call Moses 5:43-51) and some additional material on 30 November 1830 (comprising what is now Moses 5:52-6:18). After John Whitmer had served as scribe for less than two months, he left for a short while because of a personal matter. Joseph Smith, anxious that the work continue as rapidly as possible, enlisted the help of his wife, Emma, who had already been called to act as scribe when necessary (D&C 25:6). She penned Moses 6:19-52. John Whitmer returned to his duties, and on 1 December 1830 he recorded what is now Moses 6:19-7:1. This also was done at Fayette, New York. At this time John Whitmer, having been previously called, left New York to engage in a mission to the Kirtland, Ohio area. At this point Sidney Rigdon came into the picture. [It should be noted that much of the Moses material was already recorded before Sidney Rigdon entered the picture. He was neither the genius for, nor the recorder for, the early part of the Bible translation.] Brother Rigdon had joined the Church in Ohio a few weeks earlier (on 24 November 1830) and had arrived in Fayette, New York, on or about 7 December 1830. Soon after his arrival in Fayette he was appointed by revelation to be a scribe for the prophet Joseph (D&C 35:19-20). Sometime after Sidney’s arrival and before the end of December, in connection with the translation of the Bible, the prophet Joseph received an extended revelation about Enoch. The manuscript shows that this revelation was AN OVERVIEW OF THE BOOK OF MOSES 5 originally recorded in the handwriting of Sidney Rigdon. It is the material now printed as Moses chapter 7 and is the first known contact that Sidney Rigdon had with Joseph Smith’s translation of the Bible.
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