In the historical memory of Latter-day Saints, Joseph Smith is the Prophet of the Restoration who pronounced hundreds of revelations and prophecies, most of them canonized today in the Doctrine and Covenants. However, what many Saints may be surprised to learn is that a number of Joseph Smith’s revelations have, for various reasons, remained uncanonized even after their pronouncement.
Latter-day Saints claim unique understanding of the Atonement of Jesus Christ thanks to the ongoing Restoration initiated through Joseph Smith. Yet we’re also influenced by Christian traditions that emphasize the very notions of equity and fairness repudiated by Jesus in the New Testament—which can lead to flawed perceptions of salvation. In this interview, Terryl Givens traces the history of atonement theology and explains why it matters to Latter-day Saints.
Joseph Smith recognized that preparation to receive an expansive view of the afterlife as presented in the Vision in the Doctrine and Covenants was still limited. Later, he acknowledged: “I could explain a hundred fold more than I ever have of the glories of the kingdoms manifested to me in the vision, were I permitted, and were the people prepared to receive them.”
When the Urim and Thummim are identified [in the Old Testament] with the gems of the breastpiece, light is often associated with them. 4QpIsa i 4–6 can be interpreted in this way. Josephus clearly links a miraculous light with the divine revelation. The oracular shining or dimming of a stone on the breastpiece is also found in subsequent Jewish and Samaritan tradition.
The Book of Mosiah is a theologically rich collection of stories and sermons in the Book of Mormon. The sermon of King Benjamin, the story of Abinadi, and the conversion of Alma1 all bring some important thoughts to the table. This interview with James E. Faulconer discusses some of the theological contributions in the Book of Mosiah.
Here is a question. If you are trying to do any kind of serious research into ancient documents, why would you ever prefer to use a translation, rather than the original texts themselves? In the case of the Bible, however, there is one translation that it really pays to know. Often, when we read Scriptures, we might debate exactly how they were read and understood in very early times. In the case of the Septuagint, we have a reliable snapshot of just how Jewish people did just that at a particular moment in time, and the resulting picture is often startling.
Melchizedek is a fragmentary exegetical work from the Dead Sea Scrolls collection (11QMelch) that may be classified as a thematic pesher.1 The author quotes or alludes to biblical passages2 and reveals their true hidden meaning in connection with his main theme: the eschatological victory of good over evil.
Although the scholars that Martin Harris had encountered in eastern New York had not been able to supply him with a translation of the transcript of the characters he carried, he was content that the Lord had indeed endowed Joseph Smith with “spectacles for to read the Book.” As for his spouse, there were few options left to Lucy Harris in 1828 short of either embracing Joseph Smith’s talk of gold plates or continuing her strenuous efforts to undermine Martin’s relationship with him.
The restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ in this final dispensation included the restoration of the Abrahamic Covenant, the renewal of God’s promises to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and their almost limitless posterity. Those promises are set forth in the Old Testament (Genesis 13:14-16; 15:1-6; 17:1-8; 26:1-5; 28:1-4). In many ways, however, the promises are stated with greater clarity in the Book of Abraham, as contained in the Pearl of Great Price. Here Abraham is promised that if he and his posterity remain faithful to God, they will be given the gospel, the priesthood, an endless and eternal posterity, eternal life, the continuation of the family into eternity (exaltation), and a land inheritance (Abraham 2:8-11, 19). These are “the promises made to the fathers,” to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (see Joseph Smith-History 1:38-39 and D&C 2; compare D&C 27:10).
Willard Richards was an important early Latter-day Saint leader. He kept the journal of Joseph Smith—and may have fulfilled a prophecy by escaping harm in Carthage Jail. The Apostle also practiced polygamy, served in Brigham Young’s First Presidency, and remained faithful his entire life. Some think that his name has less cache than prominent pioneers like Eliza R. Snow, Heber C. Kimball, and George Q. Cannon. However, historian Alex Smith says in this interview that Richards’s critical contributions are widely appreciated by scholars.