Wednesday, April 24, 2013

The Pearl of Great Price


The Pearl of Great Price is another book of scripture received through revelation and translation.  The Pearl of Great Price is one of the standard works of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormons).  It is used in company with the Holy Bible, the Book of Mormon (What is the Book of Mormon?), and the Doctrine & Covenants (What is the Doctrine andCovenants?).  

The Book of Genesis covers over 2,000 years of history, most of that being in the first eleven chapters.  The information we have during this time period is sparse.  One important aspect the Pearl of Price offers is the revelations of Moses that contain a more detailed account of the creation and Adam & Eve.  Another is the complete story of Abraham.  Within these books of scriptures, concepts such as baptism and repentance are found to pre-date the Law of Moses and the coming of Christ.  

Joseph Smith was also commanded to translate the Bible to fix mistakes and add lost meanings. (Isn’t the Bible enough?)  In doing so, Matthew chapter 24 had important enough revisions to be included in the Pearl of Great Price.  Most of the other translations of the Bible are found in the footnotes of our LDS edition of the scriptures or at the back of the Bible.  

Joseph Smith’s history and the 13 basic beliefs of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Days Saints are also included in the Pearl of Great Price.  Here is a description of each part of the Pearl of Great Price.

1.      The Book of Moses. This was given to Joseph Smith through revelation.  This restores Moses’ account of the creation up to Noah. 
2.      The Book of Abraham. This was translated from Egyptian papyri that Joseph Smith obtained.  This gives much more insight into the story of Abraham. 
3.      Joseph Smith—Matthew. This was received through revelation and restores lost pieces of Matthew’s record.
4.      Joseph Smith—History. Excerpts from Joseph Smith’s official testimony and history.
5.       The Articles of Faith of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In response to a question of what the church believed, Joseph Smith replied with these 13 Articles of Faith. 

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