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51-658: Joseph Smith–History (abbreviated JS–H ) is a book in the Pearl of Great Price containing excerpts from an autobiographical record of some of the early events in the life of Joseph Smith , the founder of the Latter Day Saint movement . Like many of Smith's publications, it was dictated to scribes. The recording of Joseph Smith–History began in 1838 in Far West, Missouri . Scribes included James Mulholland, Robert B. Thompson , W. W. Phelps , and Willard Richards . Other early leaders in

102-595: A doctrinal foundation for the LDS Church and Mormon fundamentalist denominations of the Latter Day Saint movement . It is not considered to be a religious text by the Community of Christ . Other sects in the Latter Day Saint movement have various opinions regarding the Book of Abraham, with some rejecting and some accepting the text as inspired scripture. The book contains several doctrines that are distinct to Mormonism , such as

153-499: A footnote with a description from Joseph's scribe, Oliver Cowdery, taken from Messenger and Advocate . Here, Cowdery records some of his thoughts about being involved in the translation process of the Book of Mormon . Since its canonization, Joseph Smith–History has become "a foundational piece of literature for the [LDS] Church." It inspired a tradition of record keeping in Mormon culture and

204-503: A history seven times before work on what is now Joseph Smith–History began; each of these attempts was unsuccessful, being either left incomplete or deemed unsatisfactory by Smith. He told W. W. Phelps , "There are but few subjects that I have felt a greater anxiety about than my history". The account found in Joseph Smith–History is the product of the 1838 attempt undertaken by Smith and other early Latter Day Saint leaders to record

255-599: A substantial amount of the history was recorded. In 1844, Richards wrote: "It is now seven years since I have laid my head one night in my own house during that time I have been in England, near four years and the remainder of the time have spent in writing the History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, which, of course will afford no income until it is completed and printed which cannot possibly be done for one or two years. It

306-457: Is a great work and all important to the Church and the world." The history was one of Smith's main priorities in Nauvoo. Richards and Phelps remembered that he once asked the schoolmaster of a nearby class to change locations because noise from the students was distracting those tasked with compiling the record. Smith instructed them to be thorough, pulling information from sources such as newspapers and

357-543: Is an excerpt from the autobiographical record of some of the early events in Joseph Smith's life. Like many of Smith's publications, it was dictated to a scribe. The incidents described in Joseph Smith–History include the First Vision and the visitation of the angel Moroni . In its current form, the narrative ends with Smith translating the Book of Mormon , shortly before the foundation of Smith's Church of Christ , though

408-506: Is now Joseph Smith–History was extracted. Franklin D. Richards selected excerpts from the beginning of the History of the Church and published them in 1851. He later included Joseph Smith–History in the Pearl of Great Price, which became part of the scriptural canon of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) on October 10, 1880, during the 50th semiannual general conference of

459-632: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints , such as Brigham Young , George A. Smith , and Eliza R. Snow , contributed in different ways to the development of the record. It was first published piece by piece in Latter Day Saint periodicals such as the Times and Seasons and the Millennial Star . After 17 years of work, a 2,000-page history entitled History of the Church was completed, from which what

510-577: The Methodist , Baptist , and Presbyterian churches as being in opposition to each other. These opening verses display Smith's personal search for knowledge and his becoming convinced that an answer from God directly was required in order to know which church to join. Smith then describes turning to the Bible for answers and discovering the invitation to "ask of God" in James 1:5 . Verses 5 through 20 then comprise one of

561-711: The presiding patriarch of the church. In October 1840, Thompson succeeded Elias Higbee as official Church Historian , and in November of that year, Thompson and Higbee together drafted a petition to the United States Congress for redress of the grievances of the Latter Day Saints from their experiences in Missouri. Thompson was a colonel and an aide-de-camp in the Nauvoo Legion . He became Associate Editor of

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612-415: The "Visions of Moses", a prologue to the story of the creation and the fall of man (Moses chapter 1), and continues with material corresponding to Smith's revision (JST) of the first six chapters of the Book of Genesis (Moses chapters 2–5, 8), interrupted by two chapters of "extracts from the prophecy of Enoch " (Moses chapters 6–7). Portions of the Book of Moses were originally published separately by

663-517: The 2013 edition. The Pearl of Great Price was first compiled by Franklin D. Richards in Liverpool , England. Some items duplicated text that was already available in the Doctrine and Covenants. It contained the following entries (the placement of the text in today's LDS Church publications is noted in parentheses): Robert B. Thompson Robert Blashel Thompson (October 1, 1811 – August 27, 1841)

714-552: The Church periodicals of his day." The name of the book is derived from the Parable of the Pearl told by Jesus in Matthew 13 . A copy of the Pearl of Great Price owned by NASA photographer M. Edward Thomas's wife Ruth C. Thomas traveled to the Moon and back in 1972 with astronaut John Young aboard Apollo 16 . The Pearl of Great Price contains five sections: The Book of Moses begins with

765-468: The LDS Church in 1851, but later combined and published as the Book of Moses in the Pearl of Great Price. The same material is published by the Community of Christ as parts of its Doctrine and Covenants and Inspired Version of the Bible . The Book of Abraham is an 1835 work produced by Joseph Smith who said it was based on Egyptian papyri purchased from a traveling mummy exhibition. According to Smith,

816-484: The New Translation of the Bible". Joseph Smith–Matthew includes Smith's retranslation of Matthew 23:39 and all of Matthew chapter 24 . The text deals mainly with Jesus' prophecy of the coming destruction of Jerusalem and of similar calamities that will precede his Second Coming . Joseph Smith–Matthew contains significant changes and additions to the original biblical text. Joseph Smith–History (abbreviated JS–H)

867-564: The air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other—' This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!'" — Joseph Smith—History, verses 16-17 These verses in Joseph Smith–History are the only official, canonized version of the First Vision. According to the account, God and Christ instructed Smith not to join any of the churches. Following the First Vision, Smith describes the prejudice and persecution he faced from religious leaders and others in his community. He then tells about

918-503: The articles as an authoritative statement of basic theology. For some sects, they are known collectively as "An Epitome of Faith and Doctrine". The original contents of the Pearl of Great Price were significantly different, reproducing material found in the Doctrine and Covenants and a poem entitled "Oh Say What is Truth?" (which is now found in the LDS Church hymnal ). In 1878, some material

969-464: The book was "a translation of some ancient records... purporting to be the writings of Abraham , while he was in Egypt, called the Book of Abraham, written by his own hand, upon papyrus". The text that Smith produced describes a story of Abraham's early life, including a vision of the cosmos . The Book of Abraham was canonized in 1880 by the LDS Church as part of the Pearl of Great Price. Thus, it forms

1020-402: The church itself. Besides the Book of Mormon, Joseph Smith–History is a "major literary tool of conversion... that has thoroughly benefitted missionary efforts worldwide." Today, Preach My Gospel , the training manual for Mormon missionaries , encourages its readers to be prepared to quote Smith's description of the First Vision verbatim as it appears in Joseph Smith–History. Select verses from

1071-464: The church. Joseph Smith–History spans 12 pages in the Pearl of Great Price and tells of 14-year-old Joseph Smith's experiences with religious contention and his First Vision , and, later, the visitation of the angel Moroni to him, the coming forth of the Book of Mormon , and the restoration of the Aaronic priesthood . Through these accounts it touches on religious ideas such as baptism , prophets , and

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1122-554: The church. They returned to Kirtland in March 1838. They had one child, Mary Jane Thompson. The Thompsons traveled to Far West, Missouri with the family of Hyrum Smith in May 1838. While in Missouri, Thompson was a Danite and participated in the 1838 Mormon War . He was standing next to apostle David W. Patten when Patten was killed at the Battle of Crooked River . In March 1839, Thompson

1173-808: The concept of God organizing eternal, pre-existing elements to create the universe instead of creating it ex nihilo . The Book of Abraham papyri were thought lost in the 1871 Great Chicago Fire . However, in 1966, several fragments of the papyri were found in the archives of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and in the LDS Church archives. They are now referred to as the Joseph Smith Papyri . Upon examination by professional Mormon and non-Mormon Egyptologists, these fragments were found to bear no resemblance to Smith's interpretation, and were identified as common Egyptian funerary texts , dating to about

1224-608: The doctrine of the trinity . Additionally, the part describing Moroni's appearance to the young Joseph Smith alludes to a prophecy contained in Isaiah 29 . The events described in Joseph Smith–History also refute the belief that God no longer communicates with beings on earth. Milton R. Hunter , a member of the LDS Church's Council of the Seventy , wrote that "in many respects it [the Pearl of Great Price] holds an [ sic ? ] unique position and in all respects it supplements and sustains

1275-524: The first century BC. As a result, the Book of Abraham has been the source of significant controversy, with criticism from Egyptologists and Mormon apologists defending its authenticity. Joseph Smith–Matthew (abbreviated JS–M) is an excerpt from Joseph Smith's "retranslation " of portions of the Gospel of Matthew . It was originally published in 1831 in Kirtland, Ohio , in an undated broadsheet as "Extract from

1326-486: The first edition of the Pearl of Great Price. Joseph Smith–History remained relatively untouched throughout the canonization process. It spans 12 pages in the Pearl of Great Price. The events recounted in Joseph Smith–History begin with a succinct record of Joseph Smith's genealogy and birth. They then proceed to a description of the confusion Smith felt at the age of fourteen pertaining to the various Christian sects that had grown to prominence around him. He mentions by name

1377-521: The four accounts of Joseph Smith's First Vision , in which he testifies of having seen God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ: "...I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me. It no sooner appeared than I found myself delivered from the enemy which held me bound. When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in

1428-441: The history of the church. Smith's motivation for creating this history was twofold: to adhere to God's direction to record his experiences, and to respond to critics of his story. The paranoia that led up to the 1838 Mormon War may have had an effect on the opening passage of Joseph Smith–History, when Smith states: "Owing to the many reports which have been put in circulation ... I have been induced to write this history, to disabuse

1479-723: The manuscript across the Great Plains . Bullock brought them into the Salt Lake Valley under the direction of Willard Richards. No significant progress was made on the history thereafter until George A. Smith became church historian. He oversaw the addition of 844 pages, ending with a record of August 8, 1844. He drew on various sources, such as transcriptions of Joseph Smith's sermons and sketches of his life previously written by record keepers such as Smith's scribes and Eliza R. Snow . Many of these records George A. Smith inspected had been damaged over time. Wilford Woodruff also worked on

1530-418: The nature of God . It has been used as a proselyting tool by Mormon missionaries ; today, they are encouraged to memorize and recite Joseph Smith's account of the First Vision. When the Church of Christ was organized on April 6, 1830, Joseph Smith received a revelation from God (now known as Doctrine and Covenants 21:1), commanding the Latter Day Saints to record their history. Smith attempted to record

1581-510: The original Times and Seasons serial it is based on continued the story until the mid-1830s. The Articles of Faith are a creed composed by Joseph Smith as part of an 1842 letter sent to "Long" John Wentworth , editor of the Chicago Democrat , and first published in the Latter Day Saint newspaper Times and Seasons . It is a concise listing of the thirteen fundamental doctrines of Mormonism. Most Latter Day Saint denominations view

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1632-507: The other standard works of the Church of Jesus Christ." Pearl of Great Price (Mormonism) The first paragraph of the Introductory Note in the LDS Church edition of the Pearl of Great Price states: "The Pearl of Great Price is a selection of choice materials touching many significant aspects of the faith and doctrine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. These items were produced by Joseph Smith and were published in

1683-511: The passage are also used by missionaries to teach others about the need for the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the need for a prophet. Other doctrines found in Joseph Smith–History include baptism , the priesthood , prayer, the appearances of angels , and the Godhead . The account of the First Vision—in which Smith sees both God the Father and Jesus Christ simultaneously—challenges

1734-399: The passage he had extracted from the History of the Church. The excerpts had been pulled from the earliest section of the history: the 59 pages scribed by James Mulholland. Joseph Smith–History subsequently became part of the official standard works of the LDS Church on October 10, 1880, when the Pearl of Great Price was canonized during the 50th semiannual general conference . The motion

1785-437: The project for a time until Robert B. Thompson picked it up again. However, Thompson was only able to scribe 16 pages due to his untimely death on August 27, 1841. William W. Phelps then became Smith's scribe. Progress on the record was slow due to the task of building up the city of Nauvoo. It wasn't until December 1842, when Willard Richards —Smith's personal secretary and editor of the Times and Seasons —became scribe that

1836-499: The project in his capacity as assistant church historian; he helped gather the testimonies of those who had known Joseph Smith, many of which contradicted each other. The history was completed in August 1856 after a total of 17 years of work. The account eventually expanded into the multi-volume History of the Church (also known as Documentary History of the Church ), edited by B. H. Roberts and published in its current format in 1902. It

1887-580: The public mind." Work on the history began in Far West, Missouri on September 3, 1838. Because he had never received formal education, Smith mostly dictated his history verbally to scribes instead of writing it himself. The passages the scribes recorded were later rewritten in the first person, so as to be from Smith's point of view. The first scribe to work on the history was James Mulholland. Smith drew on material from his incomplete history (begun in 1838) while dictating to Mulholland. After scribing 59 pages, Mulholland abruptly died on November 3, 1839, halting

1938-503: The record in April 1845. The people involved in the project were able to follow the pattern and style Smith had laid out. As the Mormons were preparing to leave Nauvoo, they were encouraged to gather together any documents that would prove useful to the history. By the time they exited the city, the history included Smith's story up until March 1, 1843. Henry Fairbanks and Thomas Bullock transported

1989-587: The records of city council meetings and other organization proceedings. While in Carthage Jail , Smith expressed to Richards his wish that work on the history continue. Richards kept his promise, spearheading the production of the history for the next decade. After Smith's death , the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles also took over responsibility for the history. Brigham Young began his task of reviewing and revising

2040-527: The selection would "increase the members' ability to defend the faith." In the years leading up to the canonization of Joseph Smith–History, Brigham Young and other leaders of the church had expressed growing concern over members' lack of understanding of church history, particularly among the younger generations. Richards focused on extracting the main events of the text, excluding revelations given to Smith in God's words. He emphasized that this passage's intended audience

2091-517: The translation process, Martin Harris and Oliver Cowdery . The passage concludes with the restoration of the Aaronic priesthood by John the Baptist to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery in verses 68 and 69. The timeline of the events described in Joseph Smith–History ends in May 1829. While the body of the text is written from Joseph Smith 's perspective, the current edition of Joseph Smith—History includes

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2142-428: The visitation of the angel Moroni and the coming forth of the Book of Mormon . The remainder of the account includes details about Joseph Smith's marriage to his wife, Emma Hale , his experience receiving the ancient Book of Mormon record and beginning translation, and Professor Charles Anthon authenticating the characters found on the golden plates . It also includes his interactions with two major participants in

2193-470: Was 2,000 pages long in its entirety. The history was published serially in the newspaper Times and Seasons from March 15, 1842 until February 15, 1846. It was first featured in volume 3, issue 10 of the paper. The portion scribed by Mulholland was what was featured in the Times and Seasons . This selection was later printed into a pamphlet, called "Joseph Smith's Own Story," to be used for proselyting purposes. It

2244-625: Was added to the Book of Moses . The Pearl of Great Price was canonized by the LDS Church in 1880. In 1902, the material reproduced in the Doctrine and Covenants was removed. Two other documents, Vision of the Celestial Kingdom and Vision of the Redemption of the Dead , were added to the Pearl of Great Price in 1976 and moved to the LDS Church edition of the Doctrine and Covenants (sections 137 and 138) in 1979. Minor changes to introductions were made in

2295-580: Was also published in the Millennial Star , the Latter Day Saint publication in England. After the Mormon pioneers arrived in Utah Territory , the record was printed in the Deseret News beginning on November 15, 1851. Franklin D. Richards , Willard Richards's nephew and a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, extracted excerpts from the History of the Church and published them in 1851, hoping that

2346-635: Was an associate of Joseph Smith Jr. , a leader in the Latter Day Saint movement , a Danite , and an official historian of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints . Thompson was born in Great Driffield , England on October 1, 1811. He joined the Methodists at an early age and participated in preaching in Yorkshire. In 1834, Thompson emigrated to Upper Canada and settled in Toronto . In May 1836, he

2397-524: Was baptized a member of the Church of the Latter-day Saints by Parley P. Pratt . On July 22, 1836, Thompson was ordained an elder in the church by John Taylor . Thompson moved to Kirtland, Ohio , where the majority of Latter Day Saints were gathering, in May 1837. He married Mercy Rachel Fielding in Kirtland on June 4, 1837. Later that month, the couple traveled to Upper Canada as missionaries for

2448-483: Was brought forth by George Q. Cannon and Joseph F. Smith . John Taylor was appointed president of the church at that same general conference. After the proceedings, the manuscript was sent to James E. Talmage , then a professor at the University of Utah , for some minor editing: mainly, adding footnotes and organizing the passages into chapters and verses. Talmage's edited version was accepted in 1902 and published as

2499-425: Was charged with "gather[ing] up and obtain[ing] all the libelous reports and publications which had been circulated against the Church." When the Latter Day Saints were forced to leave Missouri, Thompson moved to Quincy, Illinois . He then moved to Nauvoo, Illinois , where he worked as a scribe for Joseph Smith . On September 15, 1840, Thompson delivered the funeral oration at the funeral of Joseph Smith Sr. ,

2550-483: Was existing members of the church, not newcomers to the faith. Church leader Orson Pratt recognized the value of Smith's history and played a pivotal role in its becoming important in the eyes of church members. He also recognized its potential as a proselyting tool; the mid to late 1800s saw a boom in the usage of Smith's account by missionaries. When Franklin Richards compiled the Pearl of Great Price , he chose to include

2601-407: Was the clerk to the disciplinary council convened by Brigham Young that excommunicated a number of prominent Latter Day Saints, including George M. Hinkle , Sampson Avard , John Corrill , W. W. Phelps , Frederick G. Williams , Thomas B. Marsh , and others. At a conference of the church in May 1839, Thompson, Almon W. Babbitt and Erastus Snow were appointed to be a traveling committee that

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