Standard Works
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The Standard Works of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) consists of several books that constitute its open scriptural canon, and include the following:
- The Holy Bible (King James version)[1]
- The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ
- The Doctrine and Covenants of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
- The Pearl of Great Price
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[edit] Continuing revelation
Under the Church's doctrine of continuing revelation (see the Ninth Article of Faith), Latter-day Saints believe literally in the principle of revelation from God to his children. Individual members are entitled to divine revelation for confirmation of truths, gaining knowledge or wisdom, meeting personal challenges, etc. Parents are entitled to revelation for raising their families.
Divine revelation for the direction of the entire Church comes from God to the President of the Church, who is viewed by Latter-day Saints as a prophet in the same sense as Noah, Abraham, Moses, Peter, and other biblical leaders. When prophets and General Authorities of the Church speak as "moved upon by the Holy Ghost", their words are considered modern-day scripture. Members are encouraged to ponder these revelations and pray to determine for themselves the truthfulness of doctrine.
[edit] The Bible
- See also: King James Version of the Bible
English-speaking Latter-day Saints typically use the King James Version of the Bible. Though the Bible is part of the canon and members believe it to be the word of God, they believe that omissions and mistranslations are present in even the earliest known manuscripts. They claim that the errors in the Bible have led to incorrect interpretations of certain passages. Thus, as Church founder Joseph Smith, Jr. explained, the Church believes the Bible to be the word of God "as far as it is translated correctly."[2]. Still, most Latter-day Saints believe the vast majority of the Bible to be correct.
[edit] The Apocrypha
Although the Apocrypha was part of the 1611 edition of the KJV, the Church does not currently use the Apocrypha as part of its canon. Joseph Smith taught while the contemporary edition of the Apocrypha was not to be relied on for doctrine, it was potentially useful when read with a spirit of discernment.[3] (D&C 91)
[edit] Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible
Joseph Smith translated selected verses of the Bible, working by subject. Smith did not complete the entire text of the Bible during his lifetime. However, his incomplete work is known as the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible, or the Inspired Version. Although this selected translation is not generally quoted by members of the Church, the English Bible issued by the Church and commonly used by Latter-day Saints contains cross references to the Joseph Smith Translation (JST), as well as an appendix containing major excerpts from it. However, with the exceptions of Smith's translation of portions of the book of Genesis (renamed the Book of Moses) and the translation of Matthew 23:39-24:51, no portions of the Joseph Smith Translation have been officially canonized by the Church.
[edit] The Book of Mormon
The introduction of The Book of Mormon describes the book as follows:
- "The Book of Mormon is a volume of holy scripture comparable to the Bible. It is a record of God’s dealings with the ancient inhabitants of the Americas and contains, as does the Bible, the fullness of the everlasting gospel. The book was written by many ancient prophets by the spirit of prophecy and revelation. Their words, written on gold plates, were quoted and abridged by a prophet-historian named Mormon. The record gives an account of two great civilizations. One came from Jerusalem in 600 B.C., and afterward separated into two nations, known as the Nephites and the Lamanites. The other came much earlier when the Lord confounded the tongues at the Tower of Babel. This group is known as the Jaredites. After thousands of years, all were destroyed except the Lamanites, and they are among the ancestors of the American Indians.
- The crowning event recorded in the Book of Mormon is the personal ministry of Jesus Christ among Nephites soon after his resurrection. It puts forth the doctrines of the gospel, outlines the plan of salvation, and tells men what they must do to gain peace in this life and eternal salvation in the life to come."
According to his record, Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon by gift and power of God through the Urim and Thummim. Eleven witnesses signed testimonies of its authenticity, which are now included in the preface to the Book of Mormon. Three witnesses testified to having seen an angel present the gold plates, and to having heard God bear witness to its truth. Eight others stated that Joseph Smith showed them the plates and that they handled and examined them.
[edit] The Doctrine and Covenants
The Doctrine and Covenants of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a collection of revelations, policies, letters, and statements given to the modern Church by past Presidents of the Church.This record contains points of Church doctrine as well as direction on Church government. The book has existed in numerous forms, with varying content, throughout the history of the Church and has also been published in differing formats by the various Latter Day Saint denominations. When the Church chooses to canonize new material, it is typically added to the Doctrine and Covenants; the most recent changes were made in 1981.
[edit] The Pearl of Great Price
The Pearl of Great Price is a selection of materials produced by Joseph Smith and deal with many significant aspects of the faith and doctrine of the Church. Many of these materials were published in Church periodicals in the early days of church.
The Pearl of Great Price contains five sections:
- Selections from the Book of Moses: portions of the Book of Genesis from the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible.
- The Book of Abraham:a translation from papyri acquired by Smith in 1835, dealing with Abraham's journeys in Egypt. The work contains many distinctive Mormon doctrines such as exaltation.
- Joseph Smith-Matthew: portions of the Gospel of Matthew from the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible.
- Joseph Smith-History:a first-person narrative of Joseph Smith's life before the founding of the Church. The material is taken from The Documentary History of the Church and is based on a letter written by Joseph Smith in 1838.
- The Articles of Faith:concise listing of thirteen fundamental doctrines of Mormonism composed by Joseph Smith in 1842.
[edit] Publication Formats
The Standard Works are available as a single binding called a Quadruple Combination. The Standard Works are also available as a set with the Bible in one binding, and the other three books in a second binding called a Triple Combination. Current editions of the standard works include a Bible dictionary, photographs, maps and gazeteer, topical guide, index, footnotes, cross references, excerpts from the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible (JST) and other study aids.
[edit] Church Instruction
In the Church's Sunday School and Church Educational System classes, the Standard Works are studied and taught in a four-year rotation:
- Year One : Old Testament (also includes some coverage of related issues in the Book of Moses and Book of Abraham from the Pearl of Great Price)
- Year Two : New Testament
- Year Three: Book of Mormon
- Year Four: Doctrine and Covenants and Church History
However, in recent times, leaders of the Church have emphasized that Latter-day Saints should not restrict their study of the Standard Works to the particular book being currently studied in Sunday School or other religious courses. Specifically, Church President Ezra Taft Benson taught:
At present, the Book of Mormon is studied in our Sunday School and seminary classes every fourth year. This four-year pattern, however, must not be followed by Church members in their personal and family study. We need to read daily from the pages of [that] book ....[4]
[edit] References
- ^ The LDS Church uses the current edition of the King James Version (KJV) in English-speaking countries; other versions are used in different languages.
- ^ Joseph Smith, Jr., Articles of Faith No. 8
- ^ The Doctrine and Covenants: Section 91.
- ^ Ezra Taft Benson, "Flooding the Earth with the Book of Mormon", Ensign, Nov. 1988, 4
[edit] External links
- Official Edition of the LDS Standard Works with Cross References and Study Helps
- The Doctrine and Covenants at Wikisource
- The King James Bible at Wikisource
- The Book of Mormon at Wikisource
- feastupontheword.org wiki for LDS commentary and discussion on the Standard Works
