The Story of the Doctrine and Covenants By Robert J. Woodford Ensign, Dec. 1984, pp. 32-38 [Two kinds of referencing were used in this article. Original footnotes are bracketed within the text. References in parenthesis are original.] We think of the “knowledge explosion” as a but because care was not always taken in copying, many twentieth-century phenomenon—modern printing errors were made, repeated, and multiplied as the copies presses, humming computers, and chattering teletypes. were copied. Realizing the importance of having correct But for Latter-day Saints, the explosion started even copies, the leaders of the Church determined to publish before the organization of the Church, with the Prophet them. Because the originals contained spelling and Joseph receiving revelation upon revelation, sometimes grammar errors, a Church conference moved that Joseph several a day, for the guidance and instruction of the Smith should make the necessary corrections. (Far West Saints. Record, p. 16.) This was the beginning of controversies We think of the Doctrine and Covenants as a tidily and charges made by persons who do not know or defined book, quietly resting with the other scriptures. understand that the text of recorded revelation can be But the story of how those revelations were written, edited and “changed.” prepared for publication, and moved through various First, we must recognize that Joseph Smith’s stages until they reached our present edition is the story purposeful changes are in a different category from of trying to keep up with a flood of revealed copying errors. Orson Pratt, who worked closely with knowledge—the story of how the prophets received him, described some of these changes: revelation for the Church, how it was recorded, and how “Joseph, the Prophet, in selecting the revelations it was edited for publication. This article tells how we from the Manuscripts, and arranging them for obtained our current edition of the Doctrine and publication, did not arrange them according to the order Covenants. of the date in which they were given, neither did he think Even before the Church was organized, the Prophet it necessary to publish them all in the Book of Doctrine had received a number of revelations—for example, the and Covenants, but left them to be published more fully First Vision and sections 2 through 19. Early Church in his History. Hence, paragraphs taken from the members knew that continued revelation from God was revelations of a later date, are, in a few instances, one of the most important and distinctive aspects of the incorporated with those of an earlier date. Indeed, at the Church, and they were always eager to learn what the time of compilation, the Prophet was inspired in several Lord communicated through the prophet in their behalf, instances to write additional sentences and paragraphs to At the first conference, in June 1830, members voted to the earlier revelations. In this manner the Lord did truly receive from the Prophet “revelations and give ‘line upon line, here a little and there a little,’ the Commandments for this Church” [Far West Record same as He did to a revelation that Jeremiah received. (microfilm of the manuscript), Church Historical And even though this revelation was burned by the Department Archives, p. 2]. Members copied them for wicked king of Israel, the Lord revealed the central their own study. Missionaries recorded them for help in message again with great numbers of additional content. instructing converts. Orson Pratt remembers: (See Jeremiah xxxvi.32.)” (Millennial Star 17 [25 Apr. “We often had access to the manuscripts [of the 1857]: 260.) revelations] when boarding with the Prophet; and it was An example appears in section 20. When part of this our delight to read them over and over again, before they revelation was originally given in 1830, the offices of were printed. And so highly were they esteemed by us, bishop, high councilor, and high priest were not yet part that we committed some to memory; and a few we of the Church, so Joseph Smith added them to the 1835 copied for the purpose of reference in our absence on edition, as footnotes in the editions between 1876 and missions, and also to read them to the saints for their 1920 explain. Section 107 is another example. Close edification. These copies are still in our possession.” textual study shows at least five separate revelations (The Seer [Mar. 1854]: 228.) received between November 1831 and 28 March 1835, Many other people made copies of the revelations; the latter date being assigned to the compilation. The Book of Commandments, 1833 revelations were dictated and written. … As he dictated At a momentous conference of the Church in Ohio, them so they stood.” (Autobiography, 5th ed., Salt Lake beginning 1 November 1831, a council of high priests of City: Deseret Book, 1961, p. 62.) the Church in Ohio (Joseph Smith presiding) made the Since all of the sections have been edited at some decision to publish the revelations under the title Book of time or other, Elder Pratt’s description, while it may be Commandments and voted 10,000 copies for the first accurate in describing the dictation, is not complete in edition. (D&C 1; Far West Record, p. 15.) The Lord’s accounting for the final form of the revelations. President will concerning the publication of the revelations was Wilford Woodruff defined revelation as “the inspiration manifested when Joseph Smith received section 1, the of the Holy Ghost to man. Joseph Smith said to Brother Lord’s “preface” to the book, during an interlude. Then John Taylor in his day: ‘Brother Taylor, you watch the began a lively discussion by Joseph Smith asking the impression of the Spirit of God; you watch the elders what testimony they were willing to attach to the whisperings of that Spirit to you; you carry them out in commandments. Some said they were willing to testify your life, and it will become a principle of revelation in that the revelations came from God; others, however, you, and you will know and understand this Spirit and expressed criticism of the language in which the power. Joseph Smith was full of revelation. He could revelations were expressed. (Far West Record, p. 16, translate anything given to him of God. He could receive History of the Church, 1:224.) Out of the discussion revelation without the Urim and Thummin. … [The emerged a revelation, now section 67, in which a revelations] were given to him by the inspiration of challenge was given by the Lord to anyone present to Almighty God.’ ” (Millennial Star, 12 Oct. 1891, p. write a revelation equal to “the least” among those 642.) already given. (D&C 67; History of the Church, 1:225.) Elder Orson Pratt confirmed President Woodruff’s William E. McLellin, “having more learning than sense,” statement and added: “Joseph … received the ideas from tackled the project overnight and failed. (History of the God, but clothed those ideas with such words as came to Church, 1:226.) his mind” (italics added) [Minutes of the School of That experience settled the controversy. Oliver Prophets, Salt Lake Stake, 9 Dec. 1872, Church Cowdery read section 67 the next morning and “the Historical Department Archives]. brethren then arose in turn and bore witness to the truth Joseph Smith, acting on the vote of the conference of the Book of Commandments.” (Far West Record, p. that he correct the errors of language and clarity that he 16.) During this same session, Joseph Smith received by could discover, under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, inspiration a statement intended to be a verification of set to work at once. The conference did not end until the truthfulness of the revelations that the elders were November 12 and Oliver Cowdery and John Whitmer, apparently going to sign and include in the Book of the messengers who would take the revelations to be Commandments, somewhat as the testimony of the Three printed in Independence, Missouri, were planning to and Eight Witnesses included in the Book of Mormon. leave by November 15. Actually, they didn’t set out until However, this declaration was not published at the time, November 20, arriving in Independence on January 5. probably because the press was destroyed in the middle A few months later, in the spring of 1832, Joseph of the project. (History of the Church, 1:226.) With a Smith joined them for conferences and also to transact few minor changes in wording, the revelation now more business about the book. At an April 30 meeting, appears in the introductory pages of the Doctrine and they decided to print only 3,000 instead of 10,000, to Covenants as “Testimony of the Twelve Apostles to the restrict availability of the manuscripts to those concerned Truth of the Book of Doctrine and Covenants.” with the printing, and to appoint Oliver Cowdery, W. W. It may be a surprise that the brethren at the Phelps, and John Whitmer to review the revelations conference would express any opposition to the wording again and “select for printing such as shall be deemed by of the revelations. Elder Parley P. Pratt, describing how them proper, as dictated by the Spirit and make all the revelation which is now section 50 was given, wrote: necessary verbal corrections.” (Far West Record, p. 25.) “After we had joined in prayer … he dictated in our This last motion gave these brethren the responsibility of presence the following revelation—(Each sentence was selecting those revelations to appear in the LDS uttered slowly and very distinctly, and with a pause newspaper, The Evening and Morning Star.