What is the Doctrine and Covenants?

The Come, Follow Me study for 2025 is the Doctrine and Covenants. What is the Doctrine and Covenants? How did we get it? And why do those questions even matter?

Ultimately, it’s the content of the book that we should study, seek to understand, and learn how to live. The Doctrine and Covenants teaches us the gospel of Jesus Christ, and it is vital that we understand those teachings. But there is value in knowing how this book came to be. The gospel of Jesus Christ is meant to be lived, and the story of how we received the Doctrine and Covenants gives us a real-world example of continuing revelation that can help us receive our own guidance and direction from the Holy Ghost.

In the preface to the Doctrine and Covenants, the Lord said that he gave power “to lay the foundation of this church, . . . the only true and living church upon the face of the whole earth.”¹ A study of the history of the Doctrine and Covenants teaches us a great deal about what the Lord meant that this is a “living” church. The various editions of the Doctrine and Covenants help us to see the continuing revelation that drives this living church.

This is the “historiography” of the Doctrine and Covenants

In simple terms, “historiography” refers to “the theory and history of historical writing.”² In other words, historiography is the study of how people kept, interpreted, or analyzed history, rather than the study of the events they were recording. It could be said that historiography is “the study of the way history has been and is written—the history of historical writing.”³

In this age of information, we take for granted that we just know things. But the only reason we know historical events is because someone made a record. Someone had to write it down, and that record had to be preserved through time. Studying the historiography of the Doctrine and Covenants means looking at how it was created, and how the book itself developed over time.

What is the Doctrine and Covenants?

The introduction to the Doctrine and Covenants states that it is “a collection of divine revelations and inspired declarations,” which were “received through Joseph Smith Jr., the first prophet and president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,” and “some of his successors in the Presidency.”⁴ The Doctrine and Covenants is unique “because it is not a translation of ancient documents.”⁵ Instead, it is the word of the Lord to living prophets, who then made an effort to record and publish those revelations.

How did it start?

There are several ways to answer this question, but I think the best place to start is with the Lord’s commandment to Joseph to keep a record.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was organized on April 6, 1830. At that time, Joseph Smith received a revelation in which the Lord said, “Behold, there shall be a record kept among you; and in it thou shalt be called a seer, a translator, a prophet, an apostle of Jesus Christ, an elder of the church through the will of God the Father, and the grace of your Lord Jesus Christ.”⁶

A record. The Lord told Joseph to keep a record. To understand the enormity of that instruction, we need to consider the context in which that revelation was given.

In a prior post, The Problem of Record Keeping, I wrote about some of the problems that Joseph would have faced when trying to keep a record. Joseph’s mother Lucy stated in her book, “As our children had, in a great measure, been debarred from the privilege of schools, we began to make every arrangement to attend to this important duty. We established our second son Hyrum in an academy at Hanover; and the rest, that were of sufficient age, we were sending to a common school that was quite convenient.”⁷

There is not much information about Joseph’s education, but there is no question that he received little formal education. Joseph’s wife Emma, who briefly served as Joseph’s scribe during the translation of the Book of Mormon, said, “[O]ne time while he was translating he stopped suddenly, pale as a sheet, and said, ‘Emma, did Jerusalem have walls around it?’ When I answered ‘Yes,’ he replied ‘Oh! I was afraid I had been deceived.’ He had such a limited knowledge of history at that time that he did not even know that Jerusalem was surrounded by walls.”⁸ She also said, “Joseph Smith could neither write nor dictate a coherent and well-worded letter; let alone dictating a book like the Book of Mormon. And, though I was an active participant in the scenes that transpired, and was present during the translation of the plates, and had cognizance of things as they transpired, it is marvelous to me, ‘a marvel and a wonder,’ as much so as to any one else.”⁹

Joseph and his family were farmers and received little formal education. The idea of keeping a record would have been foreign to him, and he wouldn’t have had any idea how to go about it. Can you imagine how he might have struggled with that instruction? How would he keep a record? What was he supposed to write down? How would he organize it?

Joseph’s efforts to keep a record

Throughout most of his ministry, Joseph relied upon scribes. He would dictate, speaking his thoughts and the words of revelations, and his scribes would write down what he said. But he did make an effort to keep his own record.

In 1832, Joseph started a journal. This only marginally relates to the publication of the Doctrine and Covenants, but it’s one of my favorite documents of all the Joseph Smith Papers, and it shows Joseph’s struggle to keep a record. The images of his journal are found on the Joseph Smith Papers website:

The left image shows the cover, written in Joseph Smith’s handwriting, and says “Joseph Smith, 1832.3-4.” The right image is the first page, written in Joseph Smith’s handwriting. The following is the transcript of the text from the Joseph Smith Papers website:

“Joseph Smith Jrs— Record Book Baught for to note all the minute circumstances that comes under my observation
“Joseph Smith Jrs Book for Record Baught on the 27th of November 1832 for the purpose to keep a minute acount of all things that come under my obsevation &c— —
oh may God grant that I may be directed in all my thaughts Oh bless thy Servent Amen.”¹⁰

This simple page shows how challenging it was for Joseph Smith to keep a record. He couldn’t even decide how to title his journal, and he crossed out the first words he wrote and started over. How could the Lord expect him to keep a record when he struggled even when writing this first page?

Joseph Smith learned early to do what the Lord told him: “I made this my rule: When the Lord commands, do it.”¹¹ So despite any struggles he might have had, despite any lack of education, despite any concerns or reservations, he moved forward with his attempt to make a record.

The earliest revelations

What we know as sections in the Doctrine and Covenants were revelations that were received by Joseph. He then either wrote them or dictated them to others. But they didn’t have computers, or typewriters, and so anything they wrote had to be kept on paper.

In March 1831, Joseph received a revelation instructing John Whitmer to “write and keep a regular history, and assist you, my servant Joseph, in transcribing all things which shall be given you, until he is called to further duties.”¹²

John Whitmer¹³ was the brother of David Whitmer, and one of the eight witnesses of the Book of Mormon.¹⁴ As mentioned in the heading of Section 47, when the Lord called him to serve as Church historian and recorder, he didn’t want to do it, but he was willing and so he began that great work.¹⁵

In March 1831, John Whitmer began what is now known as “Revelation Book 1.”¹⁶ John obtained copies of Joseph’s revelations, then he copied them into this revelation book. The very first revelation he wrote in this book was given in July 1828, which we now know as Doctrine and Covenants Section 3, which “is the first [] revelation for which a text has survived.”¹⁷ But for most of the revelations, the original document is lost, and they were preserved only because John Whitmer or others copied them into the Revelation Book.

The first printing efforts

In October and November 1831, a conference of elders was held in Hiram, Ohio (just outside of Kirtland).¹⁸ The purpose was to discuss printing the revelations that Joseph had received.¹⁹

In June 1831, William W. Phelps was baptized as a member of the Church. Even before his baptism, Joseph Smith received a revelation calling Brother Phelps to be a printer: “you shall be ordained to assist my servant Oliver Cowdery to do the work of printing, and of selecting and writing books for schools in this church, that little children also may receive instruction before me as is pleasing unto me.”²⁰ The printing was to take place in Independence, Missouri, and so Brother Phelps moved and began the work of acquiring printing materials.

The first publication printed by Phelps was a newspaper titled The Evening and the Morning Star.²¹ The first volume, printed in Independence, Missouri in June 1832, stated that it would be “devoted to the revelations of God as made known to his servants by the Holy Ghost.”²² The Evening and the Morning Star was only published for fourteen months in Missouri, and during that time it printed twenty-six full or partial revelations, including what we now know as Doctrine and Covenants Sections 20, 27, 42, 45, 68, 72, and 76.

In July 1833, a group of Missouri vigilantes destroyed the printing office. After that, Oliver Cowdery was sent to New York to acquire a new printing press, and the printing efforts resumed, but in Kirtland.²³ The first printing of the Doctrine and Covenants occurred in Missouri before the destruction of the printing press.

The Book of Commandments, 1833

In March 1832, Joseph received a revelation that instructed him to establish a “firm,” which came to be known as the “United Firm,” and later the “United Order.”²⁴ One purpose of this “firm” was to organize and gather money for the publishing efforts. The original members of this firm in charge of the publishing efforts were Joseph Smith, Sidney Rigdon, John Whitmer, Oliver Cowdery, William W. Phelps, and Martin Harris.²⁵ This group was called the “Literary Firm.”²⁶ William W. Phelps, Oliver Cowdery, and John Whitmer were tasked “to review [the Revelation Book] and select for printing such as shall be deemed by them proper, as dictated by the Spirit and make all necessary verbal corrections.”²⁷

In other words, Joseph Smith authorized William W. Phelps, Oliver Cowdery, and John Whitmer to use the Revelation Book that had been started by John Whitmer, and select revelations for publication.

In this original printing, they called the book a “Book of Commandments.” On July 20, 1833, “a group of four to five hundred Missouri vigilantes stormed the printing office, destroyed or confiscated much of the contents, and halted the printing of not only the Book of Commandments but of all Mormon publications in Independence.”²⁸

By the time the press was destroyed, the book had been printed, but it had not yet been bound. Several sheets were saved, and those copies were later individually bound.²⁹ “It is unclear how many copies were saved and bound, but fewer than three dozen are currently known to exist.”³⁰ A copy can be seen on the Joseph Smith Papers website.

The 1833 Book of Commandments contained chapters that correspond to the following sections from our current Doctrine and Covenants: 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, and 64.³¹

The 1835 Doctrine and Covenants

After the destruction of the printing press in Independence in 1833, the printing efforts resumed in Kirtland, but not until January 1834.³² These printing efforts were put on hold, however, due to Joseph’s departure to Missouri with Zion’s Camp.³³ Joseph returned to Kirtland from Missouri in August 1834, and his focus immediately turned to publishing the revelations.³⁴

In September 1834, the Kirtland High Council appointed a committee consisting of Joseph Smith, Oliver Cowdery, Sidney Rigdon, and Frederick G. Williams to lead the efforts to publish the revelations.³⁵ The title chosen for this new book was “Doctrine and Covenants.”

The first part of the book, or the “Doctrine,” was a series of lectures, which we now know as the “Lectures on Faith.”³⁶

The second part of the book, or the “Covenants,” were the revelations that Joseph Smith had received, and were being kept in the Revelation Book started by John Whitmer.

While this newly formed committee was working on preparing the book, the printing of the revelations continued in the newspaper called Evening and the Morning Star (continuing with the same name as the Missouri publication). The initial production of that paper in Kirtland in September 1834 announced that it would print the revelations, and that it would correct “errors” in the revelations that had resulted from “transcribing manuscripts.”³⁷ In other words, it was not correcting errors of doctrine, but changes in wording or spelling that had occurred as pages were copied from the original revelations, to the Revelation Book, then to other manuscripts that were used for printing. It is easy to understand that as people made copies by hand, errors would creep into the text.

Joseph Smith’s full involvement in this printing of the Doctrine and Covenants is not known. There is evidence that he did at least some of the work selecting which revelations to publish. There are also corrections in his handwriting in Revelation Books 1 and 2, indicating that he was at least partially involved in reviewing the text to ensure accuracy.³⁸

Historical sources indicate that the typesetting for this edition began in approximately January 1835, but due to financial challenges, the printing was delayed. On August 17, 1835, a “general assembly” was held so the Doctrine and Covenants could be approved by the whole church.³⁹ “Voting on the book proceeded by quorums and groups, with the leader of each group bearing witness of the truth of the volume before his group voted to accept it. After the voting by quorums, the entire church membership present, both male and female, voted to accept the book as ‘the doctrine and covenants of their faith.'”⁴⁰

Many of the section numbers differed from our current version. Only the following sections from our current version were not included in the 1835 edition of the Doctrine and Covenants: 2, 13, 77, 85, 87, 103, 105, 108 through 138 (many of those revelations had not yet been received by 1835).⁴¹

The 1844 Doctrine and Covenants

As the Church continued to grow, the work of printing became increasingly important. In 1839, Parley P. Pratt, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (the “Twelve”), stopped in New York on his way to serve a mission in England. He wrote to Joseph Smith, addressed the growth of the church, and said there was a “great call for our Books,” and suggested plans for printing additional copies of the Book of Mormon and other church publications.⁴²

In January 1842, the Twelve were given the charge by Joseph Smith to take over the printing of church publications.⁴³ Wilford Woodruff and John Taylor were placed in charge of the printing office in Nauvoo.⁴⁴

The 1844 edition is largely a reprint of the 1835 edition, with the following sections added (referenced by our current edition): 103, 105, 112, 119, 124, 127, and 128.⁴⁵

Once again, financial concerns delayed the project. In November 1843, the Twelve appointed Wilford Woodruff, Brigham Young, Parley P. Pratt, Willard Richards, and John Taylor, to raise five hundred dollars “to get paper &c to print the Doctrine and Covenants.”⁴⁶ In December 1843, Joseph Smith advised the Twelve to send Orson Hyde east to get paper for the printing.⁴⁷ By June 1844 the printing was nearly complete, and it was expected that the books would be available in July 1844. However, before the printing could be finalized, Joseph and his brother Hyrum were tragically killed on June 24, 1844,

Despite the martyrdom of the Prophet, the work of publication continued. John Taylor, who was in charge of the printing office, had been so seriously injured in the events at Carthage Jail that Willard Richards took over his duties for a time.⁴⁸

An announcement of the death of Joseph and Hyrum was quickly composed and included in the 1844 edition. This announcement is now Section 135 in our current Doctrine and Covenants. The typeface in the 1844 edition is smaller than the rest of the book, because of the limited space remaining. The image below shows the beginning of this announcement (Section CXI, or 111 in the 1844 edition), and demonstrates the change of typeface to try and fit the text:

It is unknown when the printing was completed, but it seems that the 1844 edition was available beginning in August 1844.⁴⁹

The 1876 Doctrine and Covenants

The 1876 edition of the Doctrine and Covenants made the most significant changes since the days of Joseph Smith.⁵⁰ Orson Pratt, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, was called as the Church Historian in January 1874.⁵¹ In this new assignment, he was tasked to publish a new edition of the Doctrine and Covenants. An entry in the Historical Office journal dated January 15, 1875, provides a brief report on his assignment:

“Orson Pratt has been engaged, at times, for several days in recopying and arranging the order in which the revelations are to be inserted in the edition of the Book of Doctrine and Covenants, now in the hands of the printer. By the counsel of President B[righam] Young, Elder Pratt has divided the various revelations into verses, and arranged them for printing, according to the order of date in which they were revealed.”⁵²

Pratt’s 1876 edition added an additional twenty-six sections, divided the sections into smaller verses, added new section headings, and included a table of contents.⁵³ Additionally, former versions of the Doctrine and Covenants used substituted names for individuals mentioned in the revelations, presumably to protect their privacy. Pratt included the real names in parentheses after the substitute ones, creating a better understanding of the historical context.⁵⁴

For the new sections, Pratt used historical records to draw from Joseph’s writings. For example, sections 121, 122, and 123 were obtained from a letter that Joseph Smith wrote in Liberty Jail.⁵⁵ Sections 2 and 13 were taken from Joseph Smith’s history, quoting Moroni and John the Baptist.⁵⁶ Section 109 was the dedicatory prayer for the Kirtland temple, and section 110 (discussing the visitation of the Savior to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery in the Kirtland temple) was taken from Joseph’s journal.⁵⁷ One section, 136, was a revelation dictated by Brigham Young in Winter Quarters to prepare for the migration west.

The 1921 Doctrine and Covenants

A few other printings followed after 1876, but a significant change occurred in 1921. A committee comprised of George F. Richards, Joseph Fielding Smith, James E. Talmage, and others, recommended that the Lectures on Faith be removed.⁵⁸ This revision had been suggested by Orson Pratt, but at the time the suggestion had not been followed. The 1921 edition contained a preface that said: “Certain lessons, entitled ‘Lectures on Faith,’ which were bound in with the Doctrine and Covenants in some of its former issues, are not included in this edition. Those lessons were prepared for use in the School of the Elders, conducted in Kirtland, Ohio, during the winter of 1834-1835; but they were never presented to nor accepted by the Church as being otherwise than theological lectures or lessons.”⁵⁹

The historiography of the Lectures on Faith is a significant topic. There is much historical debate about their authorship, the only consensus being that they were likely written by a committee, with Joseph Smith at its head.⁶⁰ Based on the preface to the 1921 edition, it seems that the main reason the lectures were removed was because they were not held out to be revelations, but were instead doctrinal teachings or lectures. Perhaps my favorite explanation for why the lectures were included in the 1835 edition, and why they were removed from the 1921 edition, was made by Larry E. Dahl, a professor of Church history and doctrine at Brigham Young University. He said, “The Lectures on Faith were written and published in the Doctrine and Covenants by men called of God to lead the Church in 1834. The decision not to print them in the Doctrine and Covenants was made by men called of God to lead the Church in 1921. I submit that both actions were appropriate.”⁶¹

The 1981 Doctrine and Covenants

The 1981 edition was part of widespread changes to the Church’s standard works. The Church’s seminary and institute program began in the early 1970s, and the Sunday school curriculum began focusing more on the scriptures.⁶² With this new emphasis on studying the standard works, in 1979 the Church published for the first time its own edition of the Bible.⁶³ Under a committee comprised of Thomas S. Monson, Boyd K. Packer, and Bruce R. McConkie, a plan was created to standardize the appearance, layout, and resources for all books of scripture. The 1981 edition of the Doctrine and Covenants followed the pattern of the newly printed Bible, with expanded historical introductions, more footnotes and cross-references, and included additional sections and the two official declarations.⁶⁴

The 2013 Doctrine and Covenants

The Joseph Smith Papers is, in my opinion, one of the most significant historical undertakings in the history of the Church. Modern technology has provided a greater ability to understand the past. This may seem counterintuitive, but digital scanning and indexing allows researchers the ability to access a much broader range of historical records. Modern photography and imaging provide the ability to read documents that were indecipherable just a few years ago. The work of the Joseph Smith Papers has provided a significantly greater understanding of Church history.

An announcement in the Church News on March 1, 2013, stated that eight years prior, “Church leaders requested that an updated edition of the English-language scriptures be produced. The intent was to make helpful adjustments, such as updating some archaic spellings, correcting mistakes in the study helps and incorporating recent historic findings into the section headings of the Doctrine and Covenants.”⁶⁵

The introduction to the 2013 version states, “Each new edition of the Doctrine and Covenants has corrected past errors and added new information, particularly in the historical portions of the section headings. The present edition further refines dates and place-names and makes other corrections. These changes have been made to bring the material into conformity with the most accurate historical information.”⁶⁶

The 2013 edition was made available digitally for free in the Gospel Library several months before it was available to purchase in print. In addition to this new version, the Church has caused to be published a significant amount of references to help members better understand Church history, such as the four-volume book called “Saints,” Revelations in Context, and many others.

Why does any of this matter?

The Lord called this his true and “living” church.⁶⁷ In a recent proclamation to the world titled “The Restoration of the Fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ,” The First Presidency and Council of the Twelve Apostles declared that the “Restoration goes forward through continuing revelation.”⁶⁸ Through the various editions of the Doctrine and Covenants, we see firsthand the impact of continuing revelation. In each of the editions, prophets and apostles sought revelation to know what to include. Various editions were presented to and sustained by members of the church, and changes have been made to include additional revelations and correct errors that made their way into the text because of the challenges of early record-keeping.

This Church is the Church of Jesus Christ. The Doctrine and Covenants contains revelations given by the Lord Jesus Christ to his prophet. One of those revelations, given in June 1829, counseled Oliver Cowdery to “rely upon the things which are written,” and stated, “[t]hese words are not of men nor of man, but of me,” and “they are given by my Spirit unto you, and by my power you can read them one to another; and save it were by my power you could not have them; wherefore, you can testify that you have heard my voice, and know my words.”⁶⁹

The Doctrine and Covenants contains the words of the Savior, and if we will study them and seek the guidance of the Spirit to understand them, we will be able to hear his voice, and know his words.

References

1. Doctrine and Covenants 1:30. ↩︎
2. Vann, R. T. “historiography.” Encyclopedia Britannica, November 15, 2024. https://www.britannica.com/topic/historiography. ↩︎
3. “Historiography,” Wikipedia, January 21, 2025, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historiography. ↩︎
4. Doctrine and Covenants Introduction, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/dc-testament/introduction?lang=eng. ↩︎
5. “Doctrine and Covenants,” Topics and Questions, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics/doctrine-and-covenants?lang=eng. ↩︎
6. Doctrine and Covenants 21:1. ↩︎
7. “The Problem of Record Keeping,” https://discoverfaithinchrist.com/the-problem-of-record-keeping/, quoting Lucy Mack Smith, The History of Joseph Smith by His Mother, ebook published on Kindle by Zion’s Camp Books, chapter 13. ↩︎
8. “The Book of Mormon Translation: Witness Statements,” https://discoverfaithinchrist.com/the-book-of-mormon-translation-witness-statements/, quoting John W. Welch, “The Miraculous Timing of the Translation of the Book of Mormon,” in “Opening the Heavens: Accounts of Divine Manifestations, 1820–1844 (Second Edition),” Brigham Young University Press, Provo, Utah, 81, https://byustudies.byu.edu/online-chapters/documents-of-the-translation-of-the-book-of-mormon/. ↩︎
9. Id. ↩︎
10. Journal, 1832–1834, p. 1, The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed January 30, 2025, https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/journal-1832-1834/2. ↩︎
11. Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith, Chapter 13: Obedience, p. 160, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/teachings-joseph-smith/chapter-13?lang=eng&id=p9#p9. ↩︎
12. Doctrine and Covenants 47. ↩︎
13. Doctrine and Covenants Historical Resources: John Whitmer, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/history/doctrine-and-covenants-historical-resources-2025/people/bio-john-whitmer?lang=eng&id=title1#title1. ↩︎
14. The Book of Mormon, The Testimony of Eight Witnesses, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/bofm/eight?lang=eng&id=title1#title1. ↩︎
15. Doctrine and Covenants 47, Introduction, “He wrote, ‘I would rather not do it but observed that the will of the Lord be done, and if he desires it, I desire that he would manifest it through Joseph the Seer.'” https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/47?lang=eng&id=study_intro1#study_intro1. ↩︎
16. Revelation Book 1, p. 0, The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed January 30, 2025, https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/revelation-book-1/2#historical-intro. ↩︎
17. Joseph Smith’s Revelations: A Doctrine and Covenants Study Companion from the Joseph Smith Papers, Doctrine and Covenants 3, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/church-historians-press/jsp-revelations/dc-003-1828_07_01_000?lang=eng&id=p2#p2. ↩︎
18. Doctrine and Covenants 1, Introduction, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/1?lang=eng&id=study_intro1#study_intro1. ↩︎
19. Revelations in Context, “William McLellin’s Five Questions,” https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/revelations-in-context/william-mclellins-five-questions?lang=eng&id=p6#p6. ↩︎
20. Doctrine and Covenants 55:4. ↩︎
21. Revelations printed in The Evening and the Morning Star, June 1832–June 1833, p. 1, The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed January 30, 2025, https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/revelations-printed-in-the-evening-and-the-morning-star-june-1832-june-1833/1#historical-intro. ↩︎
22. Id., https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/revelations-printed-in-the-evening-and-the-morning-star-june-1832-june-1833/1#historical-intro. ↩︎
23. Id. ↩︎
24. Doctrine and Covenants 78. ↩︎
25. “United Firm,” Church History Topics, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/history/topics/united-firm-united-order?lang=eng&id=p2#p2. ↩︎
26. Book of Commandments, 1833, p. 1, The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed January 30, 2025, https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/book-of-commandments-1833/5#historical-intro. ↩︎
27. Id. ↩︎
28. Id. ↩︎
29. See the story of Mary Elizabeth Rollins, told briefly under an entry under her name on the Church’s history website: https://history.churchofjesuschrist.org/content/mary-elizabeth-rollins?lang=eng. She wrote of her experience saving some of the pages: “The mob renewed their efforts again by tearing down the printing office, a two story building, and driving Brother Phelps’ family out of the lower part of the house and putting their things in the street. They brought out some large sheets of paper, and said, ‘Here are the Mormon Commandments.’ My sister Caroline and myself were in a corner of a fence watching them; when they spoke of the commandments I was determined to have some of them. Sister said if I went to get any of them she would go too, but said ‘They will kill us.’ While their backs were turned, prying out the gable end of the house, we went, and got our arms full, and were turning away, when some of the mob saw us and called on us to stop, but we ran as fast as we could. Two of them started after us. Seeing a gap in a fence, we entered into a large cornfield, laid the papers on the ground, and hid them with our persons. The corn was from five to six feet high, and very thick; they hunted around considerable, and came very near us but did not find us. After we satisfied ourselves that they had given up the search for us, we tried to find our way out of the field, the corn was so high we could not see where to go. . . . Soon we came to an old log stable which looked as though it had not been used for years. Sister Phelps and children were carrying in brush and piling it up at one side of the barn to lay her beds on. She asked me what I had. I told her. She then took them from us, which made us feel very bad. They got them bound in small books and sent me one, which I prized very highly.” ↩︎
30. Id. ↩︎
31. The Joseph Smith Papers, “Corresponding Section Numbers in Editions of the Doctrine and Covenants,” https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/back/corresponding-section-numbers-in-editions-of-the-doctrine-and-covenants. ↩︎
32. Doctrine and Covenants, 1835, p. 0, The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed January 31, 2025, https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/doctrine-and-covenants-1835/1#historical-intro. ↩︎
33. Church History Topics, “Zion’s Camp,” https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/history/topics/zions-camp-camp-of-israel?lang=eng&id=title1#title1; Revelations in Context, “The Acceptable Offering of Zion’s Camp,” https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/revelations-in-context/the-acceptable-offering-of-zions-camp?lang=eng&id=title1#title1. ↩︎
34. Doctrine and Covenants, 1835, p. 0, The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed January 31, 2025, https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/doctrine-and-covenants-1835/1#historical-intro. ↩︎
35. Id. ↩︎
36. Church History Topics, “Lectures on Theology,” https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/history/topics/lectures-on-faith?lang=eng&id=title1#title1. ↩︎
37. Doctrine and Covenants, 1835, p. 0, The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed January 31, 2025, https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/doctrine-and-covenants-1835/1#historical-intro. ↩︎
38. Id. ↩︎
39. Id. ↩︎
40. Id. ↩︎
41. The Joseph Smith Papers, “Corresponding Section Numbers in Editions of the Doctrine and Covenants,” https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/back/corresponding-section-numbers-in-editions-of-the-doctrine-and-covenants. ↩︎
42. Doctrine and Covenants, 1844, p. 0, The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed January 31, 2025, https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/doctrine-and-covenants-1844/5#historical-intro. ↩︎
43. Id. ↩︎
44. Id. ↩︎
45. The Joseph Smith Papers, “Corresponding Section Numbers in Editions of the Doctrine and Covenants,” https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/back/corresponding-section-numbers-in-editions-of-the-doctrine-and-covenants. ↩︎
46. Doctrine and Covenants, 1844, p. 0, The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed January 31, 2025, https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/doctrine-and-covenants-1844/5#historical-intro. ↩︎
47. Id. ↩︎
48. Id. ↩︎
49. Id. ↩︎
50. Richard E. Turley, Jr. and William W. Slaughter, How We Got the Doctrine and Covenants, Salt Lake City, Deseret Book, 2015, 81. ↩︎
51. Passantino, Brian C., “Orson Pratt and the Expansion of the Doctrine and Covenants” (2020), p. 27. All Graduate Theses and Dissertations. 7886. https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd/7886. ↩︎
52. Id. ↩︎
53. Id. ↩︎
54. Turley, How We Got the Doctrine and Covenants, 82. ↩︎
55. Id., p. 85. ↩︎
56. Id. ↩︎
57. Id. ↩︎
58. Id., p. 101. ↩︎
59. Id., p. 105. ↩︎
60. Larry E. Dahl, “Authorship and History of the Lectures on Faith,” in The Lectures on Faith in Historical Perspective, ed. Larry E. Dahl and Charles D. Tate Jr. (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University), 1–21, https://rsc.byu.edu/lectures-faith-historical-perspective/authorship-history-lectures-faith. ↩︎
61. Id. ↩︎
62. Turley, How We Got the Doctrine and Covenants, 111. ↩︎
63. Id. ↩︎
64. Id., pp. 111-122. ↩︎
65. Church News, “New edition of English scriptures,” March 1, 2013, https://www.thechurchnews.com/2013/3/1/23224666/new-edition-of-english-scriptures/. ↩︎
66. Doctrine and Covenants, Introduction, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/dc-testament/introduction?lang=eng&id=p32#p32. ↩︎
67. Doctrine and Covenants 1:30. ↩︎
68. Restoration Proclamation, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/the-restoration-of-the-fulness-of-the-gospel-of-jesus-christ/a-bicentennial-proclamation-to-the-world?lang=eng&id=p8#p8. ↩︎
69. Doctrine and Covenants 18:34-36. ↩︎