The Joseph Smith Papers: the Manuscript Revelation Books
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The Papers: The Manuscript Revelation Books The manuscript revelation books journals, administrative papers, legal and busi- contain many of the earliest known ness affairs, and revelations and translations. copies of the revelations received by By providing transcriptions (typed versions) Joseph Smith and provide insights of all original documents, The Joseph Smith into the revelatory process. Papers will provide scholars and other inter- ested persons with readable texts while also BY ELDER MARLIN K. JENSEN reducing the need to handle and potentially Of the Seventy Church Historian and Recorder damage fragile historical documents. Each transcription undergoes a three-step process n the 1970s Latter-day Saint scholars that meets scholarly standards designed to began to recognize the benefits of col- ensure accurately transcribed texts. The study of these I lecting and making available to the public The study of these historical sources, historical sources documents related to the Prophet Joseph particularly in their earliest forms, provides provides students of Smith’s life and works. The Joseph Smith students of Joseph Smith with an enriched Joseph Smith with an EWIS L Papers Project is the culmination of this understanding of the Prophet’s life and the enriched understand- decades-long effort. Project scholars development of the restored Church. The ing of the Prophet’s BY DANIEL intend to collect all journals, diaries, Joseph Smith Papers will also make detailed life and the develop- correspondence, discourses, revela- historical research easier. Documents housed ment of the restored EVELATION, EVELATION, R tions, written histories, notices, and in a variety of locations—including col- Church. legal papers—everything of a written lections held by the Church, universities, ECEIVING R nature that Joseph Smith generated historical societies, and private owners—will MITH JR. or directed to be created. be published and available in many loca- S When finished, The Joseph Smith tions and eventually on the Internet. Because JOSEPH Papers will consist of about 30 this comprehensive project will offer a deep volumes containing more than 2,000 pool of primary sources, including many that documents. The volumes scholars would not otherwise have been able will be divided into to locate, The Joseph Smith Papers will lift the six series based on standards and accuracy of future scholarship areas of emphasis: dealing with Joseph Smith and early Church documents, history, history. LIAHONA JULY 2009 7 One of the Prophet’s The Revelations and Translations Series priorities after the The volumes in the series titled “Revelations organization of the and Translations” will reproduce the earliest Church in 1830 was manuscripts of Joseph Smith’s written revela- the recording and tions and translations, together with the official preservation of editions of these documents as they were pub- his revelations. lished during his lifetime. These publications , Below: Revelation include the first edition of the Book of Mormon Joseph and his scribes procured another book D Book 1. Above right: (1830); the first publication of a collection of in which to copy revelations. Known as the EGGELAN Revelation Book 2. Joseph Smith’s revelations, called A Book of “Kirtland Revelation Book,” this second book W Below right: First Commandments (1833); and the first edition has been labeled as Revelation Book 2 by BY DAN edition of A Book of the Doctrine and Covenants (1835). the Papers editors. It was created from late MITH JR., of Commandments. One of the Prophet’s priorities after the February or early March 1832 to the end of S organization of the Church in 1830 was the 1834. The first volume in the Revelations and JOSEPH recording and preservation of his revelations. Translations Series features these two books Although more comprehensive record keep- of revelation manuscripts. INSCHOTEN; L . ing did not emerge until 1832, Joseph Smith Through careful study, Joseph Smith Papers K ON D L and John Whitmer began in the summer of Project scholars have determined that the “Book E 1830 to assemble the revelations the Prophet of Commandments and Revelations” served as MENTS BY had received to that point. By at least March the principal source for the 1833 publication D of 1831, John Whitmer began copying of A Book of Commandments and that both OMMAN C this early collection of revelation the “Book of Commandments and Revelations” OOK OF manuscripts into what he titled and the “Kirtland Revelation Book” became the B the “Book of Commandments basis for the first edition of the Doctrine and H OF A P and Revelations.” This manu- Covenants in 1835. These manuscript books script book, which Papers were no longer used after publication of the HOTOGRA P ECT; ECT; editors have designated as Doctrine and Covenants but were safely stored J Revelation Book 1, contains with other Church records. Later revelations ERS PRO items that were copied from were recorded in Joseph Smith’s journals and P MITH PA around March 1831 to the record books, as well as in the S H middle of 1835. papers of bishops, Apostles, P Commissioned during a November and other followers. 1831 Church conference in Ohio to pub- lish the collected revelations, John Whitmer USEUM M and Oliver Cowdery carried the “Book of OF JOSE T BOOKS COURTESY P Commandments and Revelations” to Missouri ISTORY H where they, along with W. W. Phelps, set HURCH C about publishing A Book of Commandments HS OF MANUSCRI P (see D&C 67). By early 1832, with the first book of revelation manuscripts in Missouri, PHOTOGRA OF COURTESY 8 Following the publication of the Doctrine Preparing the Manuscript Revelation Books and Covenants in 1835, these two manuscript for Publication during Joseph Smith’s Time books were largely ignored because the One of Joseph Smith’s tasks in reviewing published volumes were available. However, the manuscripts prior to their publication was scholars in recent years have gained a strong to “correct those errors or mistakes which interest in examining early manuscripts of he may discover by the Holy Spirit.” 3 Joseph Joseph Smith’s revelations. Revelation Book 2 knew from experience that the human pro- had not been readily accessible until cess of writing down revelations, copy- the Church published images of the ing them into manuscript books, original manuscripts as part of its and then passing them through 2002 Selected Collections from the various hands in preparation for Archives DVD collection. 1 Also, publication inevitably intro- only in recent years have schol- duced unintentional errors. ars begun to assess the value of Sometimes changes were Revelation Book 1, which had required to clarify wording. been in the possession of the Occasionally, later revela- First Presidency. tions would supersede or Revelation Book 1 contains update previously received the earliest known copies revelations, necessitating the of many revelations and, in editing of documents to alter some cases, the only surviv- previous versions. Various ing early manuscript copies. other changes were also made It was the source for the revela- from time to time. Most of these, tions published in the first issue of such as dividing the text into the Church periodical The Evening verses or clarifying meaning, did and the Morning Star. Four leaves that not involve substantive corrections. had been removed from the book at some Joseph seemed to regard the manu- point are currently owned by the Community script revelations as his best efforts to capture of Christ Library-Archives in Independence, oseph seemed the voice of the Lord condescending to com- Missouri, and are being reproduced with per- to regard the municate in what Joseph called the “crooked, mission in The Joseph Smith Papers. manuscript broken, scattered, and imperfect language” of J 4 Revelation Book 1 is a near comprehen- revelations as his men. The revealed preface to the published sive collection of early revelations, contain- best efforts to cap- revelations also seems to express this prin- ing 64 of the 65 items published in 1833 ture the voice of ciple: “I am God and have spoken it; these in A Book of Commandments 2 as well as the Lord. commandments are of me, and were given 95 of the 103 sections published in 1835 in unto my servants in their weakness, after the the Doctrine and Covenants. Only 10 items manner of their language” (D&C 1:24). from the manuscript book do not appear in Joseph and his associates were appointed by either A Book of Commandments or the 1835 the actions of Church conferences to prepare Doctrine and Covenants. the revelations for publication by correcting LIAHONA JULY 2009 9 the texts. Recent analysis of both manuscript instance, had been revealed after the 1833 revelation books reveals how and when many publication and were subsequently added to of the changes were made. For example, some the 1835 publication. changes were made before selected items were Joseph Smith reviewed many of his published in Missouri, while others were made associates’ editorial changes and made slight in Ohio before the 1835 publication of the alterations in his own hand before A Book Doctrine and Covenants. Joseph Smith of Commandments was published in 1833. One common example involves changes He made additional changes, including made by Sidney Rigdon. He often changed adding surnames to individuals mentioned the language in the revelations in the revelations, just before the from the biblical “thee,” “thy,” and Doctrine and Covenants was pub- “thine” to the modern “you,” “your,” lished in 1835. and “yours.” Many of these changes Sidney Rigdon John Whitmer were later reversed. He also cor- rected grammar and changed some of the language to clarify and modify words and meaning. In a few cases, more substantive Oliver Cowdery changes were made as revelations were updated for the 1835 Doctrine Sometime around 1834–35 in and Covenants.