Clear as the Cloudless Noonday
Notes on the Background Information for Doctrine and Covenants 20
Today I fished a few additional resources out of my library to help us in our study of the Doctrine and Covenants:
Doctrine and Covenants Commentary, by Hyrum M. Smith and Janne M. Sjodahl
A Joseph Smith Chronology, by J. Christopher Conkling
This is a description of the Doctrine and Covenants Commentary, by Hyrum M. Smith and Janne M. Sjodahl:
While laboring in the European Missions, Elder Hyrum M. Smith, of the Council of the Twelve Apostles, and Elder Janne M. Sjodahl, were impressed very fervently with the desire to prepare a commentary dealing with the revelations given by the Lord to the Prophet Joseph Smith.
In their odd moments, when not otherwise engaged, during the years 1913–1916, these brethren carried on a careful research and study and prepared this volume which has met with popular favor. Since the time of the first publication many world-wide events of the greatest importance have occurred many of which have a bearing on the fulfillment of the prophecies found in the Doctrine and Covenants-these have been noted. The Doctrine and Covenants is a sacred volume of scripture, and in the revision and preparation of this book, the members of the committee have felt their weakness in commenting on these sacred commandments and revelations coming from the Lord.
This is a description of the Doctrine & Covenants Encyclopedia, by Hoyt W. Brewster Jr.:
The classic resource Doctrine and Covenants Encyclopedia is now available in a revised edition. This comprehensive work, first published in 1988, brings together in one volume a wealth of information about the people, places, words, and doctrines recorded in the Doctrine and Covenants.
Updated to include the most current information on that sacred volume of scripture, which President Ezra Taft Benson called "the capstone of our religion," 95 new subject entries have been added to more than 1,600 previous entries, and 217 of the existing topics have been revised.
Alphabetically arranged, the easy-to-find entries will illuminate your study and provide historical and doctrinal clarification for this important latter-day book of scripture.
This is a description of A Joseph Smith Chronology, by J. Christopher Conkling:
What are the important events in the life of Joseph Smith, the man through whom the gospel of Jesus Christ was restored in these latter days? What was his day-to-day life like? A Joseph Smith Chronology draws from the Prophet's own writings as well as the writings of his contemporaries and of later historians to present, in a sequential, chronological format, the major events as well as the everyday happenings in Joseph Smith's life and work. The book was prepared by J. Christopher Conkling for BEI Productions, Inc., of Los Angeles, California, as the basis for a film on the life of the Prophet. Selection of the material was a subjective process, but an attempt has been made to present it with as little personal interpretation as possible. An extensive bibliography has also been prepared to provide the reader with a listing of more in-depth studies. Of particular interest to students and teachers of the Doctrine and Covenants is the historical background surrounding each revelation received by Joseph Smith. The chronology will be equally important to those interested in general Church history, as it details virtually all the important decisions and occurrences leading up to and following the organization of the Church.
This week we are studying the rise of the Church of Christ in Doctrine and Covenants 20-22. The introduction to this topic in the Come Follow Me manual is helpful:
The Savior’s work of bringing forth the Book of Mormon was now complete. But His work of Restoration had just started. In addition to restoring doctrine and priesthood authority, the Lord had made it clear through earlier revelations that He also wanted to restore a formal organization—His Church (see Doctrine and Covenants 10:53; 18:5). On April 6, 1830, more than 40 believers crowded into the Whitmer family’s log home in Fayette, New York, to witness the organization of the Church of Jesus Christ.
Some people wonder why an organized Church is necessary. The answer may be found, at least in part, in the revelations connected with that first Church meeting in 1830. They describe blessings that would not have been possible if the true Church of Jesus Christ had not been “regularly organized and established” in the latter days (Doctrine and Covenants 20:1).
See also Saints, 1:84–86; “Build Up My Church,” in Revelations in Context, 29–32.
According to David Whitmer, the translation of the Book of Mormon at the home of his parents began on June 1, 1829 and was completed on July 1, 1829. After the translation was completed, Oliver Cowdery copied an entire second manuscript of the Book of Mormon in case of a robbery or destruction of the first copy. Think of that. Oliver Cowdery knew the Book of Mormon better than most because he wrote the entire manuscript twice. I challenge critics of the Book of Mormon to copy two complete manuscripts of the Book of Mormon, each within a month’s time, before uttering another word of criticism. Good luck.
How did Oliver’s painstaking work impact his life?
Oliver enjoyed copying the book, and letters he wrote at the time were saturated with its language. Echoing Nephi, Jacob, and Amulek from the Book of Mormon, Oliver wrote to Joseph about his gratitude for Christ’s infinite Atonement.
“When I begin to write on the mercies of God,” he told Joseph, “I know not when to stop, but time and paper fail.”9
With Oliver’s help (and the help of others) the Prophet Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon in three months, assisted by one scribe at a time, but it took the publishers, Grandin and a dozen men, seven months to print and bind the first copies of the 590-page work. (see “The Rise of the Church of Christ,” in Saints, Volume 1.)
Joseph Smith instructed Oliver Cowdery to guard the manuscripts carefully and to only deliver a few pages at a time for printing. As soon as 64 pages of the Book of Mormon were printed, Solomon Chamberlain embarked upon a mission (probably the first mission of the Church) of 800 miles through Canada, instructing the people to prepare for the coming forth of the full Book of Mormon. (see A Joseph Smith Chronology, p. 12)
Section 20 of the Doctrine and Covenants was known as “Articles and Covenants of the Church of Christ,” and it served as a constitution for the restored Church of Christ:
The revelation was at once a formal declaration of belief as well as a written modus operandi for administering the affairs of the divine organization. Authored by Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery, section 20 soon became a standard against which proper conduct and procedure were measured. The writing of this revelation was begun sometime in 1829 but apparently not completed until after 6 April 1830. Section 20 was first presented to the Church membership for sustaining vote on 9 June 1830 at the first conference of the Church in Fayette, New York.
The “Articles and Covenants” were read aloud to the congregation almost as a routine requirement at the early Church conferences. But as Church leaders became more conversant with the revelation, an entire reading became less frequent. The continual reference to the revelation, evidenced throughout Church records during the lifetime of Joseph Smith, served to teach proper Church policy and procedure to leader and layman alike.
Section 20 was first published in the Evening and Morning Star (June 1832) and was included as chapter 24 in the Book of Commandments in 1833. (Lyndon W. Cook, The Revelations of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pp. 31-32)
In Revelations in Context, we learn more about the background for the sections that we are studying this week:
As early as the summer of 1828, Joseph Smith Jr.’s revelations had discussed establishing a church. In the aftermath of Martin Harris’s loss of the first 116 pages of the Book of Mormon manuscript, Joseph dictated a revelation in which the Lord stated, “I will establish my church.”2 It was becoming clear that Joseph Smith’s mission would not end with the translation of the plates. Yet even believing associates like Joseph Knight were unaware of preparations Joseph and Oliver seemed to be keeping close to the vest.
Knight later recalled that he did not learn of the impending church organization until shortly before the actual event. “Now in the Spring of 1830,” he recalled, “I went with my Team and took Joseph out to Manchester to his Father. When we was on our way he told me that there must be a Church formed But did not tell when.”3
Preparations had been underway since at least June 1829. In that month, Joseph Smith dictated the revelation for Oliver Cowdery that would become Doctrine and Covenants 18. In it Oliver was instructed to “build up my church, and my gospel, and my rock.” In doing so, Cowdery was told to “rely upon the things which are written.”4 The Book of Mormon translation was nearly finished, and Cowdery indeed used the manuscript as he began to outline the polity of the new church.
Cowdery produced a document he called “Articles of the Church of Christ” in preparation for the organization of the Church. Much of this document was either a direct quotation or a close paraphrase from the Book of Mormon manuscript. Like the Nephite church, this new church would have priests and teachers. It would also have disciples, or elders. The June 1829 revelation also appointed Cowdery, along with David Whitmer, to select twelve who would serve as the Apostles sent out to spread the new church’s message.
Many of those who accepted that message awaited the organization of a church. About this time, Joseph Smith announced a revelation specifying that the Church should be organized on April 6, 1830. On that day, forty or fifty men and women gathered in the small Fayette home of Peter Whitmer Sr. to observe the event. Six of them—Joseph Smith, Oliver Cowdery, and four others—served as the official organizers.5
In Saints, Volume 1, we also learn more about “The Rise of the Church of Christ”:
Almost immediately after the Book of Mormon was published, Joseph and Oliver prepared to organize the church of Jesus Christ. Several months earlier, the Lord’s ancient apostles Peter, James, and John had appeared to them and conferred on them the Melchizedek Priesthood, as John the Baptist had promised. This additional authority allowed Joseph and Oliver to confer the gift of the Holy Ghost on those they baptized. Peter, James, and John had also ordained them to be apostles of Jesus Christ.19
Around that time, while staying in the Whitmer home, Joseph and Oliver had prayed for more knowledge about this authority. In reply, the voice of the Lord commanded them to ordain each other elders of the church, but not until believers consented to follow them as leaders in the Savior’s church. They were also told to ordain other church officers and confer the gift of the Holy Ghost on those who had been baptized.20
On April 6, 1830, Joseph and Oliver met in the Whitmer home to follow the Lord’s commandment and organize His church. To fulfill the requirements of the law, they chose six people to become the first members of the new church. Around forty women and men also crowded into and around the small home to witness the occasion.21
In the following posts, we will take a closer look at the formal organization of the Church of Christ, the first meeting of the Church, and the “Articles and Covenants of the Church of Christ,” or the constitution for the restored Church of Christ.
Before that, however, I would like to share Hyrum M. Smith’s “Preface” to the book that he co-authored with Janne M. Sjodahl, Doctrine and Covenants Commentary, because he articulates so well how diligent study of the Doctrine and Covenants blesses our lives and helps us to understand other scriptures:
While engaged in studying the Standard Works of the Church, I have been deeply impressed with the thought-which I believe to be the fact also-that the Revelations contained in the Doctrine and Covenants are pre-eminently the Scriptures of the Dispensation of the Fulness of Times. Every phrase, sentence, and paragraph is so instructive and enlightening; so pregnant with wisdom and purpose, and throws such a flood of light upon the gospel, as to bear convincing witness of their Divine Source, and proclaim them to be the very Word of God.
Splendid and glorious as are the ancient and meridian Hebrew and Nephite Scriptures, their splendor and glory are infinitely enhanced by the light these modern Scriptures cast upon them. As a group of great lights are more brilliant and beautiful than the light of one of them alone, so the Scriptures of different periods, when brought together, illuminate each, making clearer the meaning of the other. Such has been the effect of joining the "Light of Truth" as contained in the Bible and the Book of Mormon-the "Sticks of Judah and of Ephraim." When the "Light of Truth" in the Revelations in the Doctrine and Covenants is added, the Word of God and the "Way of Life" are revealed in all their power and purity and straightforwardness.
Without the light of these Revelations, many of the truths of the Bible would still be obscure, or seen dimly, "as through a glass darkly"; its prophecies, miracles, and history would be as unintelligible, meaningless, and mythical to the Latter-day Saints as they are to the world. Without it, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints could not have been organized; the Kingdom of God could not have been established in these days. It would have been impossible to designate the offices and officers, and set in order the quorums of the Holy Priesthood, and indicate the proper duties and calling of each. Very little would be known about the gathering of Israel and the building up of Zion in the last days. The appointed times and places, when and where the ancient predictions concerning these matters were to be fulfilled, would be veiled in darkness. Temple building, its object and purpose, and the doctrine of baptisms for the salvation and redemption of the unnumbered dead would be shrouded in impenetrable mystery. The coming of the Son of Man, His Millennial reign on the earth, the resurrection of the dead; eternal judgments, executed in justice and mercy according to the works of men, with everlasting rewards and punishments, would remain "rocks of offense," and discord upon which mankind would continue to split and be rent asunder.
All these principles, and many others pertaining to the gospel of Jesus Christ and the fulness of times, are made as clear as the cloudless noonday in the Revelations given to Joseph the Prophet.
In view of this, and the fact that the Lord has commanded His people to, “Search these commandments, for they are true and faithful, and the prophecies and promises which are in them shall all be fulfilled,” it has been felt that the Priesthood, and members of the Church, in all departments, and in every place, should diligently study the Doctrine and Covenants; that they should become more familiar with the Word of the Lord and His great latter-day work; that they should sense more fully that they are living in the “hour of His judgment,” the signs of which are terribly apparent, the world over, to all who have eyes to see, and ears to hear, and hearts open to understanding; and that they might realize the eternal importance of setting themselves and their houses in order, and thereby be ready to meet the Lord whose coming is at the very doors.
To this end the historical and explanatory notes relating to the coming forth, context, and import of each of these Revelations have been prepared. They are humbly offered to the Saints, and to all men, in the hope that those who read, may do so with faith and prayerful hearts, and thereby come to a fuller knowledge of the truth, and find added charm and interest in, and increased love for, the Word of the Lord, as well as a higher conception of the inspiration and greatness of Joseph Smith, the Prophet, and a broader understanding of the magnitude of the “marvelous” and “wonderful” work inaugurated by him.
To Elder J.M. Sjodahl, our fellow-laborer and companion in the service, is chief credit due, for his faithful and untiring efforts in searching out the references from the sermons of the Presidents, Apostles, and leading Elders of the Church, as well as from historical and other sources available, and for his other valuable labors in connection with this work.
We pray our heavenly Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, His Son, to bless His word and seal it upon the hearts of his children by the sanctifying power and witness of the Holy Ghost, for to know the Truth and continue in it, is to be made free and have Eternal Life.