Doctrine and Covenants

From Wikinfo

Jump to: navigation, search

The Doctrine and Covenants of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (usually shortened to Doctrine and Covenants and abbreviated and cited as D&C) is a part of the open scriptural canon of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), The Doctrine and Covenants stands alongside the Bible, the Book of Mormon, and The Pearl of Great Price as holy scripture. Together they are referred to as the "Standard Works."

The book includes revelations concerning church organization and governance, gospel covenants and blessings, the importance of temples, the coming of the prophets John the Baptist, Moses and Elijah to restore priesthood authority, and encouragement to serve God faithfully throughout life. It is officially described by the Church as "containing revelations given to Joseph Smith, the Prophet, with some additions by his successors in the Presidency of the Church."[1]

Contents

History

The Doctrine and Covenants was first published in 1835 as a later version of the Book of Commandments, which had been partially printed in 1833. This earlier book contained 65 early revelations by church leaders including Joseph Smith, Jr. and Oliver Cowdery. Before many copies of the book could be printed, however, the printing press and most of the printed copies were destroyed by a mob in Missouri.

On September 24, 1834 a committee was appointed by the general assembly of the church to organize a new volume containing the most significant Latter Day Saint revelations. This committee of Presiding Elders, consisting of Joseph Smith, Jr., Oliver Cowdery, Sidney Rigdon, and Frederick G. Williams, began to review and revise numerous revelations for inclusion in the new work. The committee eventually organized the book into two parts: a "Doctrine" part followed by a "Covenants" part.

The "Doctrine" part of the book consisted of a theological course now called the Lectures on Faith. The Lectures were a series of doctrinal courses used in the School of the Prophets which had recently been completed in Kirtland, Ohio. According to the committee, these Lectures were included in the compilation "in consequence of their embracing the important doctrine of salvation." (See 1835 D&C, Preface.)

The "Covenants" part of the book, labeled "Covenants and Commandments of the Lord, to his servants of the church of the Latter Day Saints", contained a total of 103 revelations on church governance. These 103 revelations were said to "contain items or principles for the regulation of the church, as taken from the revelations which have been given since its organization, as well as from former ones." (See id.) Each of the 103 revelations was assigned a "section number"; however, section 66 was used twice. Thus, the original work was numbered only to 102.

On February 17, 1835, after the committee had selected the book's contents, the committee wrote that the resulting work represents "our belief, and when we say this, humbly trust, the faith and principles of this society as a body. (See 1835 D&C, Preface.)

The book was first introduced to the church body in a general conference on August 17, 1835. Joseph Smith, Jr. and Frederick G. Williams, two of the Presiding Elders on the committee, were absent, but Oliver Cowdery and Sidney Rigdon were present. The church membership at the time had not yet seen the Doctrine and Covenants manuscript as it had been compiled and revised by the committee; however, various church members who were familiar with the work "bore record" of the book's truth. At the end of the conference, the church voted to accept the compilation as "the doctrine and covenants of their faith, by a unanimous vote" (History of the Church 2: 243-6), and to make arrangements for its printing.

Later in 1835, the book was printed and published under the title Doctrine and Covenants of the Church of the Latter Day Saints: Carefully Selected from the Revelations of God.

Sections

The 138 Sections in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' Doctrine and Covenants break down as follows:

  • Sections 1–134, 137 — From the presidency of Joseph Smith, Jr. (1828–1844)
  • Sections 135–136 — During the administration of the Twelve (1844–1847)
  • Official Declaration 1 — From the presidency of Wilford Woodruff (1889–1898)
  • Section 138 — From the presidency of Joseph F. Smith (1901–1918)
  • Official Declaration 2 — From the presidency of Spencer W. Kimball (1973–1985)

The 1844 edition added eight sections not included in the 1835 edition. In the current edition, these are numbered Sections 103, 105, 112, 119, 124, 127, 128, and 135.

In 1876, a new edition renumbered most of the sections in a roughly chronological order instead of the earlier topical order, and included twenty-six revelations not included in previous editions, now numbered as Sections 2, 13, 77, 85, 87, 108-11, 113-18, 120-23, 125, 126, 129-32, and 136. This was the first edition in which the text was divided into verses.

During the 1880s five foreign editions contained two revelations to John Taylor (in 1882 & 1883) which "set in order" the priesthood, gave more clarification about the roles of priesthood offices - especially the Seventy and required Priesthood leaders to live plural marriage in order to qualify to hold their Church positions. Probably due to the LDS Church's change in attitude to this doctrine in 1890, these sections were not included in future English editions.

In 1930 a small volume edited by James E. Talmage titled "Latter-day Revelations" was published, which contained a highly edited selective version of the Doctrine and Covenants. Some believe it was intended to replace the Doctrine and Covenants, but that due to the controversy that arose this plan was dropped. Interestingly it did not contain the section on plural marriage (Covenant 132) at all.

Sections 137 and 138 were added in the 1981 edition. These were accounts of two visions, one from Joseph Smith and the other from his nephew, Joseph F. Smith in 1918. No new revelatory sections have been added since then.

The LDS Church's edition also now contains two "Official Declarations" at the book's conclusion, the first renouncing polygamy in 1890, and the second in 1978 announcing the opening of Priesthood ordination to all worthy male members including previously restricted members of African descent. An "Official Declaration" is not a revelation, but an announcement that a revelation was received. In neither case is the entire revelation included in the Doctrine and Covenants, and these two revelations were possibly not of the nature of a writable piece of text.

In 1921, the LDS Church removed the Lectures on Faith portion of the book, with an explanation that the Lectures "were never presented to nor accepted by the Church as being otherwise than theological lectures or lessons". (See Introduction, 1921 edition.) The Lectures contain theology concerning the Godhead and emphasize the importance of faith and works.

External links

References

  1. ^ Title Page

Sources

  • The Doctrine and Covenants of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Containing Revelations Given to Joseph Smith, the Prophet, with Some Additions by his Successors in the Presidency of the Church, Intellectual Reserve: Salt Lake City, UT, 2000.
  • Book of Doctrine and Covenants: Carefully Selected from the Revelations of God and Given in the Order of their Dates, Herald Publishing House: Independence, MO, 2000.
  • Joseph Smith, The Doctrine and Covenants of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints: Carefully Selected from the Revelations of God, photo enlarged and reprinted from the 1846 Nauvoo edition by Richard Drew, Burlington (Voree), Wisconsin, 1993, for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Strangite).
  • Peter Judd, Journey in Trust: A Study Resource for D&C 161, Herald House, 2004. ISBN 0-8309-1122-7
  • Book of Commandments: Herald Heritage Reprint, Herald House, 1833 (reprint). ISBN 0-8309-0066-7
  • F. Henry Edwards, The Edwards Commentary on the Doctrine & Covenants, Herald House, 1986. ISBN 0-8309-0187-6

Adapted from the Wikipedia article, "Doctrine and Covenants" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctrine_and_Covenants

Retrieved from "http://www.wikinfo.org/index.php/Doctrine_and_Covenants"
Personal tools