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Historical Perspectives on the Kirtland Revelation Book John A. Tvedtnes In the LDS Church Archives is a manuscript record from the Kirtland era that is labeled Kirtland Revelations on the spine and Book of Revelations on the cover. However, it has come to be known as the Kirtland Revelation Book (KRB). It contains some 50 entries, 48 of them revelations.1 Of these, 44 are in the Doctrine and Covenants.2 For the most part, clear separators, consisting of lines or lines and strokes going across the entire page between two entries, separate the text. Exceptions occur when one entry ends at the bottom of a page and the next begins at the top of the following page. Corrections and notations to some of the revelations were subsequently added in Joseph Smith’s handwriting. A later, smaller hand has written the relevant Doctrine and Covenants section numbers in the upper left-hand corner of most of the revelations (here noted with section numbers from the 1981 edition). The notation To go into the covenants was added at the beginning of two of the revelations, Doctrine and Covenants 84 (p. 20) and 86 (p. 31). This evidently refers to the intention to include these revelations in the 1835 Doctrine and Covenants, where they became sections 4 and 6, respectively.3 It is surprising that the same notation was not added at the beginning of other revelations in the KRB. Scott Faulring has suggested that the KRB was used as a “printer’s manuscript” for the 1835 Doctrine and Covenants.4 Such a possibility is made plausible by the fact that all but three of the revelations recorded in the KRB were published in 1835.5 Another evidence for this is that the KRB has a later notation added to the revelation on pages 60–61 (D&C 96) that became the heading for the revelation in the 1835 edition. The note is in the handwriting of Oliver Cowdery, who helped prepare that edition.6 The KRB has great importance for studying the physical preservation and textual development of the written revelations of Joseph Smith. Here, however, we shall concern ourselves with the implications of the book as a source for the revelations contained therein. Two questions readily present themselves: (1) During what time period were revelations actually recorded in the book, and (2) were any of the revelations originally recorded in the book, as opposed to being copied from earlier documents? I believe that we can give at least partial answers to these questions to enlighten us on a number of issues. For example, some revelations have been assigned more than one date in different documents. In some cases, the KRB can help us determine the actual date a given revelation was received. This, along with information on which scribe recorded the revelation in the KRB,7 can shed light on when the entry was made. A manuscript table of contents (some call it an index) at the beginning of the book lists the page on which each revelation begins and, for some entries, the date it was received. This index lists the revelations down to page 31. This is followed by an indented entry for page 33, which actually describes the revelation (D&C 87) that begins on page 32. The entries for the two revelations that became Doctrine and Covenants 88 were later added to the list but inserted in the wrong position. Thus the entry for Doctrine and Covenants 88:1–126, which begins on page 33, was squeezed into the table of contents between the listings for pages 19 and 20, while the entry for Doctrine and Covenants 88:127–37, which begins on page 47, is squeezed into the listings for pages 18 and 19. The reason for this inconsistency is unclear. The contents page had evidently been deliberately left blank to accommodate entries as revelations were added to the KRB. There is no consistency in the page number entries in the contents. The rst, for example, reads “Page rst.” The three entries for pages 10–11 are all preceded by “P,” while the rest have only the page number. KRB Entries The table on pages 410–18 lists the date, pages, current Doctrine and Covenants section number, scribal hand, and notes associated with each of the KRB entries, including those found in the table of contents. The dates given on the contents page sometimes contradict the dates given at the beginning of the revelations themselves. I have noted in parentheses where they differ. Where either date differs from the one given in the current edition of the Doctrine and Covenants, the latter date is indicated in square brackets. Written text that was crossed out in the KRB is noted; the use of < > indicates an editorial correction made shortly after it was originally written, and [ ] indicates an expansion of an abbreviation. Initials for the scribes are as follows: FGW = Frederick G. Williams, JS = Joseph Smith, OH = Orson Hyde, OC = Oliver Cowdery, NI = not identied. Table 1. Entries in the Kirtland Revelation Book Date Page(s) D&C Hand Notes8 16 Feb 1832 1–10 76 FGW, JS Contents: “The Vision of Joseph and Sidney” At beginning: “The Vision” At end: “Sidney Rigdon/Joseph Smith Jr.,” in the handwriting of Frederick G. Williams Many above-line additions and corrections in a different hand 27 Feb 1832 10 – FGW Contents: “A Revelation to Lincoln Hasskins” “X”ed out, probably to exclude from publication because Hasskins left the church. 8 Mar 1832 10–11 – FGW Contents: “Ordination of Jesse Gause & his call to be councellor” Ordination of Sidney Rigdon and Jesse Gause as counselors, 9 beginning “chose this day & ordained.” 1 Dec 1832 11–12 71 FGW Contents: “A commandment to Joseph and Sidney to go into the [31] world and call upon the people to repent” (supralinear and warn (contents: the people)- 1832) 12 Mar 1832 12 79 FGW Contents: “A Revelation to Jared Carter” At beginning: “A revelation given to Jared Carter” 7 Mar 1831 12–13 47 FGW, JS Contents: “A Revelation to John Whitmer calling him to be a (contents: 7 hystorian to the church” Mar 18312 ) 4 Dec 1831 13 72:1–8 JS Contents: “A Revelation given to choose a Bishop. N. K. Whitney was chosen & was sanctioned by the Lord and also another in addition to the law making known the duty of the Bishop.” Beginning with “and also,” this entry describes the revelation that follows (see D&C 72:9), with which it was combined to form D&C 72. 4 Dec 1831 13–15 72:9–26 JS, FGW For the contents description, see the previous revelation. 1 Mar 1832 15–17 78 FGW Contents: “A Revelation given for Sidney Joseph & Newel to go an[d] sit in council with the elders in Zion” Several corrections 15 Mar 1832 17–18 81 FGW Contents: “Revelation to Jesse Gauze” In text, “Jesse” crossed out, supralinear “Frederick G. Williams added (verse 1) 7 Mar 1832 18–19 80 FGW Contents: “Revelation to Stephen Burnett” 20 Mar 1832 19 – FGW Contents: “A commandment to Joseph Sidney & Newel to purchase pa-per and omit translating for the present time” “X”ed out 29 Aug 183219–20 99 FGW Contents: “Revelation to John Murdock” At end: “by Joseph the seer—and writen by—F. G. Williams Scribe” 22–23 Sep 20–31 84 FGW, JS “Revelation given to six Elders Sept 22 & 23d of 1832 explaining 1832 the two priesthoods and commissioning the Apostles to preach the gospel” Note added at beginning: “To go into the covenants” At end: “F. G. Williams Scribe.” A few corrections A break in the KRB between what now constitute verses 102 and 103 seems to denote two parts to the revelation.10 6 Dec 1832 31–32 86 FGW Note added at beginning: “To go into the covenants” At beginning and in contents: “A Revelation explaining the parable of the wheat & tears [sic]” (on p. 31, where supralinear “the” was added before “tears”) At end: “Kirtland December 6th AD 1832 given by Joseph the seer and writen by Sidney the scribe and Councellor & Transcribed by Frederick assistant scribe and councellor” 25 Dec 183232–33 87 FGW Contents: “Prophecy given Dec 25 – 1832 concerning concerning the wars” At beginning: “A Propecy given Decm 25th 1832” At end: “Given by Joseph the Seer written by F G Williams” 27 Dec 183233–46 88:1–126FGW, JS Squeezed into contents between entries for pages 19 and 20: “A Rev given to the first Elders &c” At beginning: “A Revelation given the rst Elders of this Church of Christ in the last days Dec 27th 1832,” with supralinear “to” later inserted after “given” At end: “Given by Joseph the seer and writen by F. G. Williams assistan scribe and councellor to s[ai]d Joseph” A number of corrections 3 Jan 1833 47–48 88:127– FGW Squeezed into contents between entries for pages 18 and 19: “A 37 Revelation giving instructions how to regulate the Elders school” At beginning: “Revelation given to organize for a pattern” At end: “Given by Joseph the seer and writen by Frederick assistant scribe and Councellor” 27 Feb 1833 48–49 – FGW At beginning: “Sang by the gift of Tongues & Translated” 27 Feb 1833 49–51 89 FGW At beginning: “A Revelation for the benefit of the saints &c” 8 Mar 1833 51–55 90 FGW At end: “Geven by Joseph the seer and writen by Frederick Councellor & Scribe” An asterisk is inserted on p. 54 at the end of what became verse 28 and, after end “scribe” notation, what now constitute verse 29 and the rst half of verse 30 (to the word “Zion”) has been added, probably in hand of FGW.

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