Mormon Books
The Mormon canon of scripture is often referred to as the “standard
works.” It contains the Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine
and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price.
The Bible
The Bible is the first of the Mormon books and contains the
everlasting gospel. Mormons use the King James Version of the
Bible because Church founder Joseph Smith
performed a revision of that version of the Bible by revelation,
correcting finer points that had been altered or omitted over the years
of transcription and translation. It is because of this that one
of the Mormon Articles of Faith states that “We believe the Bible to be
the word of God, as far as it is translated correctly.” The Mormon
Church prints the King James Bible with Joseph Smith Translation corrections as footnotes.
The Book of Mormon
This Mormon book is an ancient record of God’s dealings with a
people on the American continent. It contains records of this
people for a thousand years, from 600 B.C. to 400 A.D. The Book of Mormon
is a testament of Jesus Christ. It is a companion volume to the
Bible. It too, contains the gospel of Jesus Christ. The Book
of Mormon in no way diminishes the importance of the Bible, but is
often given more attention because it is a belief unique to
Mormons. This Mormon book has been called the keystone of the
religion. Joseph Smith brought forth the Book of Mormon. The
final author had buried it around 400 A.D. An angel visited Joseph
Smith and revealed the place of its burial. Joseph unearthed it
and found a record written on golden plates. He commenced a
translation by the aid of two seer stones buried with the
plates. From the translation, Joseph Smith published the Book of
Mormon in 1830, just before organizing the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints. The Book of Mormon is the tool by which one is
converted to the Mormon Church. Its truth verifies the claim of
Joseph Smith as a prophet and the Mormon Church as the kingdom of God
on earth.
The Doctrine and Covenants
This Mormon book is a series of revelations, most received by Joseph
Smith, beginning with the angel’s appearance to Joseph Smith in 1823,
and the most recent addition being in 1978. Its purpose is the
establishment and regulation of the Church of Jesus Christ. Many
of the revelations were received as answers to the prayers of Joseph
Smith concerning specific points of doctrine and governing of the
Church. Many other revelations were directed as counsel or
commandment to specific people, but the principles contained in these
revelations are now applied to the followers of Christ generally, and
many points of doctrine are clarified or revealed in the Doctrine and Covenants.
The Pearl of Great Price
This Mormon book contains five sections. The first is the Book of Moses. When
Joseph Smith was doing a translation of the Bible he greatly expanded
upon sections of the book of Genesis. The Creation and the account
of the Fall of Adam are both given in more detail, as well as mention
of the generations following Adam, particularly Enoch. Next is the
Book of Abraham. This
is a translation of Egyptian papyri that Joseph Smith acquired in
1835. It is the writings of Abraham, with an account of his life
in Egypt, as well as a vision that he experienced where he saw the
stars and planets, the dwelling place of God, and was shown the
Creation. Then, Joseph Smith-Matthew
is also taken from the Bible translation and is Jesus’ prophecy of the
destruction of Jerusalem and the second coming. After that, Joseph Smith-History
is an account written in 1838 by Joseph himself, of the creation and
rise of the Mormon Church, beginning with Joseph’s first vision in
1820. Last are the Articles of Faith. These
are thirteen statements summarizing the core beliefs of
Mormonism. Joseph Smith included these in a letter to a Chicago
newspaperman who was inquiring about the Mormon’s beliefs.
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