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- [00:00]
Casey
The Doctrine and Covenants is saying, get out there, read good stuff, learn as much as you can, and be an inquisitive, thoughtful person, because that will make you better able to carry out the.
- [00:10]
Scott
Purposes of God as the Gospel is taken to all nations. Those nations then bring their unique gifts, talents, goodness, beauty and truth together into Zion.
- [00:19]
Casey
We have an obligation to seek out stuff that will benefit us, and a lot of these come from people that are members of other churches that come from different cultures than ours that might have a radically different background from us. With the Spirit as our guide, we can embrace these things as we seek to make the world a better place. But we should also be wise, use the Spirit to discern what's actually going to be helpful to you and what might be not so helpful.
- [00:44]
Scott
I love that these verses affirm that the Gospel of Jesus Christ transcends national and cultural boundaries. You can almost print that out and put it on your wall. That's so good.
- [00:52]
Casey
If there's anything virtuous, lovely, of good report, or praiseworthy, we seek after these things. I love my membership in the church because I get to see some of these wonderful cultural flourishings that have made me aware of the larger world. Hello Casey, Hello Scott.
- [01:09]
Scott
Welcome back to part two of this week's Come Follow me. We are now in this episode digging into sections 90, 91 and 92. If you missed our discussion on section 89, go catch that in the previous episode. So with that, Casey, let's dive into Section 90. What's going on in Section 90 that brings this revelation about?
- [01:36]
Casey
This is another revelation that's a big step towards the current organization of church government that we have. In this case, it deals with the First Presidency. So let's just really quick give you a bird's eye view of the unfolding leadership offices in the church prior to this time starts with two individuals, Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery, receiving the authority necessary to lead the Church through the ministering of angels. This is the way the Restoration Proclamation phrases it. Under the direction of the Father and Son, heavenly messengers came to instruct Joseph and re establish the Church of Jesus Christ. The resurrected John the Baptist restored the authority to baptize by immersion for the remission of sins. Three of the original 12 apostles, Peter, James and John, restored the apostleship and the keys of priesthood authority. And from the time these angelic messengers appeared to Joseph and Oliver, the necessary keys and powers to teach the Gospel and perform the saving ordinance of the Church were in place regardless of how the Church is organized administratively. So We've got most of the things we need to start the church going. There's going to be other authorities given later on in the Kirtland Temple and other places, but we've got the basics.
- [02:43]
Scott
We need here structurally from the very beginning, like all we have, the original structure is just Joseph and Oliver, first and second elder, correct?
- [02:51]
Casey
Yeah. Section 20, the articles and Covenants of the Church, affirms that Joseph and Oliver were called of God and that they were apostles. It uses that word. But Joseph is designated as the first Elder of the church and Oliver is designated as the second. That's in doctrine and covenants 22, 3. These callings provide kind of a temporary structure for them to minister through their authority and call additional leaders to assist in the work. So on January 25, 1832, Joseph Smith is ordained as president of the high priesthood, following instructions given in November 1831, that one be appointed to that office. And several weeks later, Joseph Smith calls and ordains Sidney Rigdon and Jesse Gauss to assist him as counselors of the ministry of the presidency of the high priesthood. A few days later, this is March 15, 1832, Joseph receives another revelation in which God gave greater authority to the counselors in the presidency. This revelation also declared that Joseph Smith was given the keys of the kingdom which belongs always unto the presidency of the high priesthood. Now, we track this in another episode. But in the months that followed, Jesse Gauss became estranged from the church and was eventually excommunicated in December 1832. A month later, on January 5, 1833, Frederick G. Williams was called to replace Gauss as counselor and scribe. And we noted that in the current version of the Doctrine and Covenants, the name Jesse Gauss has just been replaced by Frederick G. Williams, because he's the one that fills this role. Section 90 elevates the role of the two counselors in the First Presidency. It makes them equal with Joseph Smith in holding the keys of the last kingdom. That's the wording in section 90. And shortly after this revelation was given, official church correspondence began referring to Joseph Smith, Sidney Rigdon, and Frederick G. Williams as the presidents of the high priesthood. By 1835, the three presidents were being referred to as the first presidency of the church. So this is a huge developmental step in the government of the church. And Joseph Smith himself notes this in his 1838 history. He says Elder Rigdon expressed a desire that himself and brother Frederick G. Williams should be ordained to the office to which they had been called, viz. That of presidents of the high priesthood. And to be equal in holding the keys of the kingdom with brother Joseph Smith, Jr. According to the revelation given on the 8th of March, 1833. Accordingly, I laid my hands on brothers Sidney and Frederick and ordained them to take part with me in holding the keys of this last kingdom to assist in the presidency of the high priesthood as my counselors. After which I exhorted the brethren to faithfulness and diligence in keeping the commandments of God and gave much instruction for the benefit of the saints with a promise that the pure in heart should see heavenly vision. And after remaining a short time in secret prayer, the promise was verified. For many present had their eyes of their understanding opened by the Spirit of God so as to behold many things. This is a landmark because the keys are extended to these counselors. And that's a eventually going to become an idea that extends the keys to the quorum of the 12 who are going to be called in 1835 and that we still discuss today. When prophetic succession happens and we have a new prophet called, they talk about how all 15, the First Presidency and the 12, hold the keys and all of them together ordain the new president of the church. So this is a big developmental step down that road.
- [06:23]
Scott
Okay, perfect. Well, let's look then at the content now of section 90. We won't read every verse in here, but I think there's a couple key verses that we ought to look at carefully. So in verse one, it opens this way. Thus saith the Lord. Verily, verily, I say unto you, my son, Joseph Smith, thy sins are forgiven thee according to thy petition, for thy prayers and the prayers of thy brethren have come up into my ears. Okay. See, I don't know how many times in the Doctrine and Covenants the Lord forgives Joseph Smith, but it's a lot. It seems like ever since the first vision, the Lord's been forgiving this man. And that tells me he was a fierce repenter. He continued to repent even though he was imperfect and made a lot of mistakes. The Lord continues to forgive him. He loves his sincerity and his seeking spirit. That's clear. Verse 2. Therefore thou art blessed still speaking to Joseph from henceforth that bear the keys of the kingdom given unto you, which kingdom is coming forth for the last time. Verily, I say unto you, the keys of this kingdom shall never be taken from you while thou art in the world, neither in the world to come. Nevertheless, through you shall the oracles be given to another, yea, even unto the Church. By the way, the word Oracle in this instance is talking about revelations, right? That which comes from God through the President of the Church, who has the keys. Here, the Lord's laying out something that he's highlighted in other areas. Like as early as Section 21 of the Doctrine and Covenants, we're seeing this being re emphasized here with a little different angle. Through this key holder, the oracles shall be given to the Church and all they who receive the oracles of God. Verse 5 says, Let them beware how they hold them, lest they are accounted as a light thing and are brought under condemnation thereby, and stumble and fall when the storms descend and the winds blow and the rains descend and beat upon their house. So this echoes the warning the Lord gave back in section 84 when he said that the Church was under condemnation, particularly those in Missouri, for treating lightly the things that they had received, including the Book of Mormon and the revelations that had come through the prophet Joseph Smith. So again, that's being emphasized here, but with this concept of the keys of the kingdom being at the fore, because Joseph has the keys of the kingdom, he is the guy through whom the oracles can come. And he's going to continue to lean into this concept of the keys of the kingdom as he moves forward in the next verses to talk about the counselors who will serve with Joseph Smith.
- [08:53]
Casey
Picking it up in verse 6, this is where the counselors come into the picture. And again, verily I say unto thy brethren, Sidney Rigdon and Frederick G. Williams, their sins are forgiven them also, and they are accounted as equal with thee in holding the keys of this last kingdom, and also through your administration, the keys of the school of the prophets which I have commanded to be organized. So Joseph ordained Sidney Rigdon and Frederick G. Williams, and he gave them the keys necessary to operate the church. You'll note if you go back, the Lord does say in verse four, through you shall the oracles be given to another, yea, even unto the Church. Meaning Joseph Smith can bring other people into this work. Other people can do what he is doing. This might be a first step towards a succession process as we're talking about this. And that's still the way that it works today. The counselors in the First Presidency are accounted as equal and can act in the place of the President of the Church if necessary. A prime example of this would be Gordon B. Hinckley. Gordon B. Hinckley acts as a counselor in three first presidencies under Spencer W. Kimball and Israel Benson and Howard W. Hunter. And in all three cases, near the end of their lives. It became increasingly difficult for Presidents Kimball Benson and President Hunter to fulfill their duties because of health challenges. And in these instances, President Hinckley assumed a greater role in the First Presidency to compensate. For instance, when President Benson was in his 95th year and was dealing with some serious health challenges, President Hinckley gave a major address in General Conference where he introduced this idea. He said, when the President is ill or not able to function fully in all the duties of his office, his two counselors together comprise a quorum of the First Presidency. They carry on with the day to day work of the Presidency. As long as the President of the Church is alive, the counselor of the First Presidency continue to lead the church. And this fits with what verses 1 through 3 and verse 6 says the promises made in verses 13 are Jesus different to Joseph Smith than the promises made to Sidney Rigdon and Frederick G. Williams. Joseph was told that he would hold the keys of the kingdom in this world and the next. But there's no promise like that given to his counselors. And that leads us to another principle of succession that's going to be a big deal. In 1835, Joseph Smith teaches, where I am not, there is no First Presidency. The people in our church have taken that to mean that the counselors in the First Presidency are released when the President of the Church passes away. And leadership of the church falls upon the next highest quorum, which is the Quorum of the twelve Apostles. So if the President of the Church is sick and unable to function, the First Presidency can still be led by the counselors because they're equal in authority. But when the President dies, our interpretation is that the First Presidency dissolves and the next leading quorum takes over the 12 apostles.
- [11:43]
Scott
Why do you say our interpretation? Are there other interpretations?
- [11:46]
Casey
There are other interpretations and other people that look at this differently than we do. Some don't dissolve the First Presidency when a president of the Church passes away.
- [11:56]
Scott
You're talking about various branches of the restoration after Joseph Smith's death.
- [12:00]
Casey
Different restoration movements have different ways of interpreting this. And a lot of it comes back to the fact that when Joseph Smith dies, one of his counselors, Sidney Rigdon, claims leadership to the Church. But Brigham Young and the Apostles are saying, no, there's no First Presidency anymore because Joseph Smith is gone. And that's the rule that we follow to this day. Like right now. If Russell M. Nelson was unable to function, Dallin H. Oaks would be the leader of the Church. If President Nilsen passes away, the First Presidency is gone and we Go back into the quorum of the 12, and the president of the quorum of the 12, who just also happens to be Dallin H. Oaks, becomes the functional leader of the church until there's a new First Presidency organized.
- [12:38]
Scott
All right, now let's jump down to verse 10 and 11. It says this, and then cometh the day when the arm of the Lord shall be revealed in power, in convincing the nations, the heathen nations, the house of Joseph, of the gospel of their salvation. For it shall come to pass in that day. There's a prophecy that every man shall hear the fullness of the Gospel in his own tongue and in his own language through those who are ordained unto this power by the administration of the comforter shed forth upon them for the revelation of Jesus Christ. I love that these verses affirm that the Gospel of Jesus Christ transcends national and cultural boundaries, which creates a new culture, right, and a new people group who are preparing for the coming of Jesus. The Book of Mormon prophet Nephi saw in a vision what he called the Church of the Lamb of God, who were the saints of God, who are also upon all the face of the earth. John the Revelator saw in vision that those redeemed by God came from every kindred and tongue and people and nation, and that these people became kings and priests unto God. That's in Revelation, chapter 5, verses 9 and 10. Now, this does not downplay the importance and beauty of local customs and cultures, because as the Lord says here in section 90, every man shall hear the fullness of the Gospel in his own tongue and his own language through those who are ordained unto this power. Not that it's said explicitly, but church leaders have built on this, this idea that while honoring the best in their local cultures and being encouraged to maintain that which is good, true and beautiful, Latter Day Saints can also see themselves in every part of the world as joining and becoming part of a growing global family called the Body of Christ or the Latter Day Saints or the Church of the Lamb of God. I think that's beautiful. And I love the idea that people from every nation compose Zion, Casey. This idea that when the Savior comes, they will be bringing all of the things that are good, true and beautiful from their cultures and creating a very, I think, diverse potpourri of amazing things to Zion. Like the Lord's not going for homogeneity except for one heart, one mind when it comes to following God and loving him and keeping his commandments and loving other people. Like, that's one heart, one mind focused on that. But in terms of variety, like, I mean, the God we worship is the God who created this planet. Right. The variety of plants, the variety of climates. We worship a God of variety and diversity. And so I think it's beautiful that as the gospel is taken to all nations, those nations then bring their unique gifts, talents, goodness, beauty and truth together into Zion. That's always been a beautiful thought to me.
- [15:18]
Casey
Yeah. And there is a unique culture to the church. Right. But we need to keep in mind and take careful pains to separate church culture from local culture. There are some things in local cultures that don't align with the teachings of the church, and we got to get rid of those things. Right. I can't drink beer with my buddies before the football game because that doesn't align with the culture of the church. But there's a lot that doesn't conflict with the culture of the church, and a lot that just frankly aligns with it. And we're not seeking colonization, basically, is what I would say. If the church is introduced into a new culture, let's look at what works and what doesn't work and what works. Like. Like, let's encourage it to flourish, even if it's different from the culture that the church grew up in, which is this American culture. It's something that can continue to be great and wonderful and that we encourage. In fact, I love my membership in the church because I get to see some of these wonderful cultural flourishings that have made me aware of the larger world.
- [16:16]
Scott
I love in the subsequent verses, like in verse 12, when the Lord says, okay, here's a commandment I give unto you in the ministry and presidency. He talks a couple about a couple things relative to the translation of the Bible, etc. But if we jump down to verse 15, I love that he gives this commandment to the presidency to set in order the churches and study and learn and become acquainted with all good books and with languages, with tongues, with people. Right. The Lord wants us to kind of get out of our own little shell here, our own little bubble of space, wherever that is, whether you're in LA or Rexburg or Provo or Cincinnati, like, see the broader world, because actually that's going to be additive to the Zion project. It's going to help us be better at what we've been asked to do. And so that's right here in section 90 of the Lord, admonishing us to become acquainted with all the people and the tongues and the languages and the books of these people throughout the world. I think that's Beautiful.
- [17:12]
Casey
Yeah. Now, moving on. Verses 12 through 18 are kind of counsel to Joseph Smith and mentions a number of important things. Verse 12 continue in the ministry and presidency. And when you have finished the translation of the prophets, which is referring to the Bible translation, you shall from thenceforth preside over the affairs of the church and the school, and from time to time, as shall be manifested by the comforter, receive revelations to unfold the mysteries of the kingdom. So they're coming up on the end of the Bible translation project, which ends in July 1833. He still continues to tinker with it, and the Lord assures him, yeah, you've learned a lot. Most revelations from section 29 up to this point are linked to the Bible translation, but I'm still going to continue to give greater revelations. And he tells him, verse 15, set an order and study and learn and become acquainted with all good books and with languages, tongues and people. This shall be your business and mission in all your lives. So again, he's not finished with the scholarly part of his prophetic calling when he finishes the Bible. In fact, the Lord talks about finishing the Bible. But just a day or two after this, we get the Next revelation, Section 91, which talks about the Apocrypha, which means Joseph Smith was starting to get close to finish, because remember, he starts out doing the Old Testament, then switches to the New Testament, then goes back to the Old Testament, and the apocrypha is at the end of that. That's kind of how we figure out the sequence here. But the Lord tells him, hey, you're going to continue to study and learn in verse 15. And that's one wonderful thing about this, is Joseph Smith has an inquisitive mind. He is an enthusiastic student throughout the rest of his life. In fact, one scholar noted, beginning in the mid-1830s, around this time and for the remainder of his life, Joseph studied Egyptian, Hebrew, Greek and German. And the scholar continues to write. While his skill with these languages was sometimes rudimentary, his exposure to each of them acted as stepping stones to additional Scripture and distinct teachings about the nature of God, humanity, and the plan of salvation. In fact, the last year of his life, when Joseph Smith is in the council of 50, this is just weeks before his death. He gets up and in the minutes of the Council of 50, says, Every man ought to study geography, government, and languages so that he may be able to go forth to any nation and before any multitude with eloquence. So from this point until the end of his life, he's telling people, study Learn, grow. Which sometimes, maybe this is an unfair stereotype, but religion is seen as something that stunts people intellectually, that discourages learning, because everything you need to know is in the Bible. I've heard some people say, no, the Doctrine and Covenants is saying, get out there, read good stuff, learn as much as you can, and be an inquisitive, thoughtful person, because that will make you better able to carry out the purposes of God. Joseph Smith is a great example of that.
- [20:12]
Scott
Amen. I love it. To the end of his life, he was an insatiable student of language and the world. He even, like, learned law while he was in Liberty jail. He's unstoppable, unflappable. Joseph Smith.
- [20:26]
Casey
The last couple weeks of his life, he gets up and brags about his German Bible, you know, and ask the Germans to, like, say I and stuff like that. Like, he was remarkably inquisitive. And I hope that that's been passed on to church members who see learning as a real plus, as a good thing for them to engage in.
- [20:41]
Scott
Yeah, 100%. Now, in the next verses, like verses 19, going forward, there's kind of a lot of really practical matters that are laid out. So maybe we don't need to read these verses, like having a place built and provided for Frederick G. Williams and some timely counsel about Joseph Smith Senior and. And Sidney Rigdon, where he lives and this kind of thing. And as we go down, you're going to find little nuggets that are, I think, universally applicable. Things like verse 24. Search diligently, pray, always be believing, and all things shall work together for your good. If you walk uprightly and remember the covenant wherewith you have covenanted one with another. You can almost print that out and put it on your wall. That's so good. And then it goes back to some practical matters about. About things in their own families. And then as we. As we go down. Casey, verse 28 is, I think, interesting. This catches the eye because this is the second mention of a woman in the Doctrine and Covenants, the first being section 25 with Emma Smith. And now here, let me read the verse it says, and again, verily I say unto you, it is my will that my handmaid, Vienna Jacques should receive money to bear her expenses and go up unto the land of Zion. Again, it's kind of a practical verse. But do we know anything about this woman, Casey? I know I've had students be very interested. Who is this Vienna Jacques? What do we know about her?
- [21:59]
Casey
Yeah, I mean, a large part of this revelation Provides direction and counsel to Vienna Jacques, who's at this time a new convert who's just traveled from Boston, Massachusetts, to Kirtland to meet with Joseph Smith. I think we give a lot of recognition to Section 25, which is a revelation to Emma Smith. And we kind of overlooked this second place in the Doctrine and Covenants, where a woman is addressed directly. And what a woman. Vienna. Jacques is one of the great heroic women of the Revelation restoration. She's directed to consecrate her funds to the church and to travel to Missouri to assist in building up the city of Zion, which she does. She takes off and goes to Missouri, arriving in Zion in July 1833, which, unfortunately, is just in time to hit the mob persecutions that break out in Missouri. So she gets there and immediately loses almost everything that she has because of the fury of the mobs that oppose the saints in Jackson county and drive them out of Jackson County. When Zion camp arrives to assist the Saints, Vienna's there. She helps assist and care for members of the camp that are stricken with cholera. Heber C. Kimball, who's a member of the camp future apostle, later wrote in his journal, I received great kindness from Sister Vienna Jacques, who administered to my wants and also to my brethren. And Joseph Smith also expresses his gratitude for Vienna's sacrifice. He writes a letter to her in September 1833 to thank her for her generosity. This letter is the earliest known communication from Joseph Smith that he wrote to a woman other than his wife, Emma Smith. And in the letter, Joseph Smith describes the following. He says, I have often felt a whispering voice since I received your letter. Like Joseph, thou art indebted to thy God for the offering of thy sister Vianna, which proved a savior of life as pertaining to thy pecuniary concern. And he continues to write, therefore she should not be forgotten of thee. For the Lord hath done this, and thou shouldst remember her in all thy prayers and also by letter. For she oftentimes calleth on the Lord saying, o Lord, inspire thy servant Joseph to communicate by letter some word to thine unworthy handmaid. Canst thou not speak peaceably unto thine handmaid? So Vienna eventually relocates to Nauvoo with her husband Daniel Shearer, who's a widower. She married after she met him in Missouri. So the time this revelation is given, Vienna is a single woman who's asked to go to Zion, where she meets her husband. While she living in Nauvoo, she takes place in another landmark event. She is one of the witnesses when what is likely the first baptism for the dead is performed. She rides her horse out into the Mississippi river and is there to witness when the first baptism for a deceased person takes place. Later, her marriage ends. She drives her own wagon across the plains at the age of 60 years old, arriving in the Salt Lake Valley in October 1847. She's one of the earliest people to get there, and she stays there. And she remains true and faithful to the Gospel until the end of her life at 96 years of age. And when she passes away, one tribute written to her reads, she was true to her covenants and esteemed the restoration of the Gospel as a priceless treasure. So just a minute to note that the Lord speaks to this other great heroine of the restoration, Vienna Jacques, and give her a little attention. And by the way, this is the Reader's Digest version. Do a little bit dig and you'll find that Vienna has some stories to tell. She's an interesting, interesting person.
- [25:37]
Scott
That's awesome. Okay, let's talk controversies from Section 90. Casey, I don't know of any controversies from Section 90, other than perhaps one we already brought up, which was, does this have any implications for succession after the death of Joseph Smith? You said we interpret this a certain way, which is that when the president of the church dies, there is no first presidency anymore. And so therefore Sidney Rigdon's claim to be the successor of Joseph Smith would be null and void based on that reading. Anything else you want to say about that?
- [26:15]
Casey
I would say some restoration movements interpret the saying in here, given early on in the section where the Lord tells Joseph Smith, he says, through you shall the oracles be given to another, yea, even unto the church, to mean that Joseph Smith chooses his successor. And we wouldn't disagree with that. We would just say the prophet chooses his successor in who he chooses to be ordained an apostle and brought into the quorum of the 12. Other churches have said, no, it's more direct. I know. For instance, the RLDS Church, which is known as Community of Christ today, has at times taught that the prophet chooses his direct successor. They've used different methods at different times. We would say we don't disagree with that. We just disagree about when the prophet chooses his successor, that the prophet by Revelation calls apostles, and then apostles advance in seniority and the senior apostle is called as a prophet. So maybe that's a nothing burger. It's not really a controversy, except maybe they emphasize that principle more than we do. It does set up the idea here that the keys are going to be given to other people. And in our movement, they eventually go to the Quorum of the twelve Apostles. And all of them have the keys necessary to lead the church, even if the prophet is the presiding officer within the church. Church.
- [27:32]
Scott
Very good. So this is the beginning of setting up what will come to a head after Joseph Smith's death, his untimely death, when there's not a clear successor that he had pointed out publicly to the whole church. And therefore there ensues what is sometimes called the succession crisis, where people are trying to figure out, okay, so who's the proper successor? And we've done an entire series on this. It's a really in depth topic. It's a rabbit hole worth going down. But some principles being laid out here in section 90 that are relev. This idea that the first presidency holds the keys equally is huge in that conversation, but it's also huge practically for Latter Day Saints today as well, in that the oracles of the Church come through the First Presidency. This section says simply that they come through Joseph Smith, and then the counselors hold the keys equally with him. But when you go over to section 124, we find in verse 126, the Lord says this. He says, I give unto him, Joseph for counselors, my servant Sidney Rigdon and my servant William Law that these may constitute a quorum and first presidency. And then he says to receive the oracles for the whole church. So by section 124, the Lord is putting all three in the first presidency as the ones who receive the revelation for the whole church. And so they are. They constitute the highest quorum in the church when there is a first presidency on the earth. We're going to say more about this as we get to section 107 and 124. But. But yeah, section 90 is kind of setting up some early understandings about this.
- [29:06]
Casey
Yeah, this is a major step on the road to the government of the Church that we have and that we enjoy today.
- [29:11]
Scott
In fact, it was Shortly after Section 90 was given when the First Presidency is officially organized. Right. We have the presidency of the high priesthood, now officially called the First Presidency, shortly after this section is received. All right, Casey, Section nine. This is a very unique revelation, short but interesting revelation regarding Joseph Smith's Bible translation. He had a really cool question, and the Lord gives a really fascinating answer. Do you want to drop us into what's going on here?
- [29:49]
Casey
Here's the backstory. In the spring of 1833, Joseph Smith is continuing his project to translate the Bible just About a month before this, Joseph Smith writes in his minute book this day completed the translation and reviewing of the New Testament and seale up no more to be broken till it goes to Zion, meaning they're going to send it to Zion to be printed. It seems that after he completed his work on the New Testament, Joseph Smith returned to his translation of the Old Testament. The day before he received Section 91, Joseph Smith obtained a different revelation that outlined several responsibilities. When you finish the translation of the prophets, that's in section 90, verse 13, which probably refers to the prophets at the end of the Old Testament, meaning he's made it that far. This may have caused Joseph Smith to wonder what point the work would be finished, though importantly whether the translation of the prophets also includes the books of the Bible known as the Apocrypha.
- [30:45]
Scott
What's the Apocrypha? Most Latter Day Saints probably have never heard of this. I hadn't for a long time growing up in the church. What is the Apocrypha?
- [30:53]
Casey
Okay, so let me explain. We have the Bible that Joseph Smith was using. In fact, it was one of the things that was part of the sale from Community of Christ to our church when the Kirtland Temple and other historic sites were purchased. Let me give you a backstory on the Bible. So we're going even deeper here. Several months before Joseph Smith began the Bible translation project in October 1829, Oliver Cowdery and he purchased a King James Bible from the grand and Press. That's the same place the Book of Mormon is being printed. And this Bible, which is now in our custody, is helpful in understanding why Joseph Smith and his associates asked about the Apocrypha in the first place. The Bible that Oliver Cowdery purchased is big. It's like a pulpit style version of the Bible. It contains the Old and New Testaments and it has the Apocrypha. It's nine inches wide, it's 11 inches long, it's about two and a half inches thick. It weighs just under five pounds. If you're interested in all those dimensions, I love this. But on the inscription on the inside of the Bible is an inscription where Joseph and Oliver wrote the Book of the Jews. And the property of Joseph Smith Jr. And Oliver Cowdery bought October 3, 1829 at Egbert B. Grandin's Bookstore, Palmyra, Wayne County, New York. Price $3.75. Holiness to the the Lord. And we think that this Bible is the primary text he uses when he's doing his Bible translation. Latter Day Saints tend To be close to Protestants who don't use the Apocrypha. Catholic Christians do use the Apocrypha. The Apocrypha is a collection of books. Here's the short version of it. They're not found in Hebrew collections of sacred writings, but were found in the Greek version of the Old Testament, commonly known as the Septuagint. Most compilations of the Hebrew Bible, meaning the Old Testament, don't have these books. But the Septuagint, which was the Greek version of that, did have these books. And most people that use the Apocrypha are Roman Catholic or Eastern Orthodox. They include the Apocrypha in their Old Testament and consider it to contain the inspired writings of God. However, when Martin Luther translated the Bible in 1534, he moved the books of the Apocrypha to the end of the Old Testament, writing that they are not held equal to equal to the Holy Scriptures, but yet are profitable and good to read. That's Martin Luther's assessment. Most Protestants follow Martin Luther's lead and generally don't use the Apocrypha. They exclude it from the Old Testament now throughout the Reformation. So we're backstory to our time period we're dealing with here. Subsequent editions of the Bible also place these books in a separate section labeled Apocrypha. The Roman Catholic Church responded by affirming the canonical status of all but three of the books at the Council of Trent in 1540. So acceptance or rejection of the authority of the Apocrypha was at times part of the larger religious disputes surrounding the Reformation. But despite the general movement of American Protestants away from the Apocrypha, Early Latter Day Saints did not seem to see the Apocrypha the way most Protestants did, maybe because they're comfortable with the idea of the existence of scriptural books outside of the Old and New Testaments, like the Book of Mormon. And given the openness that Joseph Smith shows to the concept of additional Scripture Scripture, it's probably absolutely normal that when Joseph Smith is translating the Bible, he gets to these apocryphal books, which are at the end of the Old Testament, and asks if we're supposed to translate that. In fact, that's the way Joseph Smith introduces this in his own history. He just simply writes, having come to that portion of the ancient writings called Apocrypha, I received the following doctrine and Covenants 91. So that's the backstory. Fairly straightforward. This is part of Joseph Smith's Bible translation and still something that people wrestle with as to how authoritative the books of the Apocrypha.
- [34:46]
Scott
Yeah. And if you want to like dig deeper into what the Apocrypha is, you're not going to find it in your scriptures today, in Latter Day Saint Scripture. But I would recommend going to like Wikipedia and typing in Apocrypha and then you'll be able to see all the books of the Apocrypha. Books like first Esdras, second Esdras, Tobit, Judith, an addition to the book of Esther, a book that's just called Wisdom, one that's called Ecclesiasticus, Baruch, the Epistle of Jesus, Jeremy, additions to the book of Daniel, the Prayer of Manasseh, first and second Maccabees. Like maybe you've heard these, these books, like, quoted, but they are of dubious biblical authenticity or the level of like inspired scripture. And so, yeah, I think it's, it's fascinating to see what the Lord says when Joseph says, should I translate those as well? So let's get into the content. What the Lord says. Verily, thus saith the Lord unto you concerning the Apocrypha. This revelation opens. There are many things contained therein that are true, and it is mostly translated correctly. There are many things contained therein that are not true, which are interpolations by the hands of men. So verily I say unto you that it is not needful that the Apocrypha should be translated. Translated. So there you go. Just in the first three verses, we learn a couple really important things about the Apocrypha. Some of it is true, some of it is false. And so Joseph doesn't need to translate it. I mean, that answers his immediate question, which is, should I do it? And the answer is no.
- [36:19]
Casey
You listed off a lot of the books of the Apocrypha that are found there. And I have read the Apocrypha. My assessment is the Lord is spot on when he says this. There's some stuff in the Apocrypha that's really good. Like, I really like first and second book Maccabees. And the story of Hanukkah is found there, which is a really inspiring and beautiful story. There's others that are. Yeah, not so much. The book of Tobit is sort of funny and interesting. The main plot is a guy who goes blind because a bird poops in his eyes. But we also should take what the Lord is saying here as a general principle. The name Apocrypha is derived from a Greek term that means hidden or concealed. You'll note that it's linked to words like Apocalypse or things like that. We should prob. Probably distinguish the term apocrypha from the term apocryphal, which is used to describe other works of ancient origin, like the Dead Sea Scrolls or the Nag Hammadi Library or apocryphal books of the New Testament. The revelation in section 91 only addresses the specific books in the apocrypha, which again, are books found in the Greek Septuagint, but not in the Hebrew Bible or the uppercase apocrypha. I guess we'd say that accepted by Catholic Christians, but generally not by Protestant Christians. So that's one thing is there's principles here we could adapt, because I have people all the time come up and say stuff like, well, what about the Dead Sea Scrolls or the Gospel of Thomas, which has gained a lot of currency in the last couple years?
- [37:48]
Scott
We would say that's apocryphal, but it's not apocrypha.
- [37:51]
Casey
Yeah. So the Lord is only addressing the apocrypha when he says there are many things therein that are true and it is mostly translated correctly. But the Lord also says it's not really necessary for you to translate it again. And I take that to mean that the Lord is basically saying it is of lesser substance and lesser value than the Bible, the Old, the New Testaments as we understand it. At the same time, I'd be cautious to apply this to all apocryphal works, which vary widely in their claims to authenticity and their usefulness. So there's stuff out there like the Isaiah scroll from the Dead Sea Scrolls from the Qumran community that are pretty useful, Right. It's very close to the version of Isaiah we have in the Old Testament and the Book of Mormon. And in that sense, it's really, really useful. But there's other things like the Gospel of Judas, which became a whole thing a couple years ago, that much more dubious and have much bigger problems with them when it comes to their authenticity. So first, this is just talking about the apocrypha, but the general principle would be be cautious. It seems like the Lord is cautioning Latter Day Saints to not put too much stock in books outside of the scriptural canon established by the Lord's authorized servants. These books can be useful, they can be enlightening, but they don't carry the same weight as the canonical books.
- [39:07]
Scott
And like, when we say can canon, we're talking about, like, I love the word, right? The word canon is a word that comes from Greek origin that means like a rod for Testing, like the straightness of something. So Lord's not saying there's not value in the apocrypha. He's just saying let's not use it as one of the measuring rods of true doctrine. Right. And if you want to evaluate the apocrypha, you should probably evaluate it through the canon, through the Old and New Testaments in terms of its validity and therefore, you know, truthfulness or usefulness.
- [39:36]
Casey
At least that's the guideline that I think we'd admire. Punish all Latter Day Saints to follow. For instance, the Book of Tobit, which I just derided. I'm sorry, Also contains an appearance of the angel Raphael. Now, Raphael is mentioned by Joseph Smith in section 128 of the Doctrine and Covenants. And so comparing it to our canon, we would say, is there an angel named Raphael and is he really important? Yeah. So that part of the apocrypha, when compared to the canon of Scripture, holds up a little bit. There's other things in the Book of Tobit that I would say I don't know that much about. And again, that's the guidelines is Scripture gains priority. But these other books, especially things like the Dead Sea Scrolls or the Nag Hammadi Library, nobody is saying that they aren't ancient, but are they true? Because it was common in ancient settings to sometimes write fan fiction. Right. Where you love a certain scriptural character and so you write something that elaborates on their story. And I know a ton of people that have found a lot of meaning in things like the Book of Egypt, Enoch, or the Book of Jasher, which contains some really good stuff, too. Hugh Nibley did a whole thing on the Book of Enoch that appeared in church magazines back in the 1970s. And it's good stuff. Right. But Hugh Nibley was also smart enough to compare it to our canon scripture. And the Book of Moses, which talks at length about the Book of Enoch, establishes what we could trust or what might be interpolations or extrapolations that weren't in there originally or weren't inspired of God. God to begin with.
- [41:10]
Scott
Yeah. And I think the Lord also drops a really important principle when it comes to reading extra canonical stuff, things outside of Scripture. In verses four through six, the final verses of this revelation, like, look what he says here. He says verse 4. Therefore whoso readeth it, he's not against reading it. Let him understand. For the Spirit manifesteth truth, and whoso is enlightened by the Spirit shall obtain benefit therefrom. And whoso receiveth not by the Spirit Cannot benefited. Therefore, it's not needful that it should be translated. Amen. So, as you read, we've talked about the various lenses of doctrine. Casey, The Lord is emphasizing the Spirit of God here. That's an important lens. We've emphasized canon. Right. Compare it to the canon here. So that's two of the three lenses we often talk about when it comes to trying to discern doctrinal accuracy and truth. And the Lord doesn't seem to have a problem with that. He says, go ahead, read it. Just make sure you have the spirit of God while you. While you do it. Yeah, and I'd say that's true of reading anything like, you know, in my world Religions courses, we're reading things like Quran, we're reading the Bhagavad Gita, we're reading the Dhammapada of Buddha. And I think these verses, like, we sometimes will even read these verses to say, hey, these books have a lot of really true, beautiful doctrines in them. Read with the Spirit and you'll gain benefit therefrom. Like, the Lord's not against us reading any book. I don't think just inviting us to make sure we have the spirit of God as we do.
- [42:30]
Casey
So very, very well said. I mean, this kind of goes back to Joseph smith and the 13th Article of Faith, Right, where he says, if there's anything virtuous, lovely, of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things. And, you know, as followers of Jesus Christ, we have an obligation to seek out stuff that will benefit us. And a lot of these come from people that are members of other churches that come from different cultures than ours that might have a radically different background from us. But the admonition in section 91 stands like, with the Spirit as our guide, we can embrace these things as we seek to make the world a better place, but we should also be wise. He says this, whoso was enlightened by the Spirit shall obtain benefit therefrom. That's talking directly about the apocrypha, but I think you can apply it to pretty much any work of literature or film or music or you name it. Use the Spirit to destroy what's actually going to be helpful to you and what might be not so helpful, a.
- [43:31]
Scott
Powerful lens to think of all media that you consume, printed or visual. If you don't have the Spirit of God, maybe no benefit.
- [43:40]
Casey
Yeah, use the Spirit.
- [43:41]
Scott
Okay, let's head on to controversies of Section 91. Casey, any controversies here that you want to highlight in section 91?
- [43:54]
Casey
Just the general controversy that we've already talked about, which is, what are we to make of these ancient sources that have come forth like the Dead Sea Scrolls fascinate me. I've been to Qumran where they were discovered. I think in some ways they fulfill the prophecy found in the Book of Mormon that other books would come forth confirming the truth of the first. Not in the exact way we expected it. You know, the Book of Mormon confirms the truth of the Bible in verifying the reality of Jesus Christ, his resurrection. Many Old Testament events, the Dead Sea Scrolls, in a lot of ways do the same thing. A lot of the Dead Sea Scrolls are the oldest copies of the Old Testament books that we have anywhere, by a wide margin. They're the oldest. At the same time too, if you go to Qumran, you'll also realize that the people that lived at Qumran were following some different laws and had some beliefs that don't quite align with what the Lord has told us today either. They were separatists. They were obsessed with physical and spiritual cleanliness, and they believed that a war was coming in their time. And so there wasn't a war between the forces of light and darkness, at least the way they imagined it, apocalyptically and physically, anywhere near the time that the Qumran community existed. And so in that sense, they were wrong. Are they right in a general sense, that there's a war between light and darkness? Yeah, absolutely. But that just goes to show, hey, take it and look at it as interesting and maybe even a fulfillment of prayer prophecy. But be cautious with it, because the prophets in our time haven't seen the need to add any of those to the canon of Scripture. So good literature, ancient literature, literature that can be uplifting and very positive, but that before you start to build your life around it and look at it salvationally, you compare to the Scriptures to see what works and what doesn't. Another example would be the Nag Hammadi Scriptures, which include things like the Gospel of Thomas. People cite the Gospel of Thomas all the time, but some things in the Gospel of Thomas conflict with what we know about the nature of the Savior and the Atonement. Some things in it are really, really great. I just say use with caution and use with the Scriptures and use the Scriptures as your guide. There's a set of books that we trust. We've all sat down and agreed on this. The leaders of the church haven't seen fit to add any of these further editions that have come come forth to the canon of Scripture. So we treat it as good but not essential.
- [46:26]
Scott
You know, I've been reading a lot of Stoicism lately. I love Marcus Aurelius, his writings. I love the writings of Seneca. I'm a nerd, Casey. But there is so much good in there, so much truth, and then there's some stuff that's not really. And I think the Lord encourages that. Like we saw back in section 90. He says, get acquainted with all the good books and language and culture of people at around the world. He is all about us reading widely. Just do it with discernment, do with the Spirit. You're going to be all right.
- [46:54]
Casey
Yeah, that's the best attitude to take.
- [46:56]
Scott
By way of consequence, I think we would simply say with section 91 that as a result of this revelation, Joseph Smith did not attempt to translate the Apocrypha and it has rarely been referenced in LDS discourse since.
- [47:10]
Casey
Yeah, we've had some good colleagues. Jared Ludlow is one specifically that's written some great stuff about the Apocrypha that's easily obtained. And if you're curious, I would say go for it. There's also been some great Latter Day Saint scholars that have done work on the Dead Sea Scrolls and get their stuff and read through it. You'll find it fascinating and enlightening. But the council in section 91 still stands almost 200 years later. We would say that's still our first line that we give when it comes to apocryphal works.
- [47:45]
Scott
Okay, section 92. Let's move on to our final section of this week. This is only a two verser. It's just a short little guy. Tell us what's going on in the background for section 92.
- [47:55]
Casey
This is just a really short revelation that affirms that Frederick G. Williams is going to become part of the United Firm. And we've talked extensively about the United Firm. It's about a year earlier, on the 26th of April, 1832, that Joseph Smith organized the United Firm during a trip to Missouri. He was commanded to do this in section 78 and again in section 82, which is received while he's in Missouri. And we've talked about this. But the United Firm is kind of the governing financial council of the Church. It has members in Ohio and Missouri who are responsible for printing church publications, holding church properties and trust, assisting the poor, and operating general stores in Independence, Missouri and Kirtland, Ohio, to generate funds for the Church. So you referred to it as the Church's first master plan for business. Basically, it's this group that kind of oversees the Financial affairs affairs of the church. And the original members of the United Firm consisted of the nine men that are named in these two sections, with five operating primarily from Missouri and four operating primarily in Kirtland, all of whom were considered to be equal with each other. So it's an iteration of the law of Consecration where these small group of individuals are uniting their resources to manage the church and help it progress. This was the beginning of the corporate management of the Church's financial and commercial. Commercial interests. And what's happening here is Frederick G. Williams is kind of coming into his own. So Frederick G. Williams is brought in as a counselor to Joseph Smith. He's an important scribe to Joseph Smith. And he's already been brought into the presidency of the high priesthood and been confirmed. We don't know if there was a specific question that prompted them to receive Section 92, but it just is basically bringing Frederick G. Williams into this group, which isn't surprising given that this group is most mostly the leaders of the Church. And Frederick G. Williams is now in a really important position as a counselor in the First Presidency. So that's the backstory. Let's talk about what's actually in the revelation itself.
- [49:58]
Scott
Okay, so section 92 opens by the Lord first addressing the members of the United Firm directly, saying, quote, verily, thus saith the Lord, I give unto the united order or firm organized, agreeable to the commandment previously given. Referring to Section 82, a revelation and commandment concerning my servant Frederick G. Williams, that ye shall receive him in to the firm. And what I say unto one, I say unto all. Then, shifting his audience, the Lord addresses Frederick G. Williams directly. He says, quote, verse two, and again I say unto you my servant, Frederick G. Williams, you shall be a lively member in this firm, and inasmuch as you are faithful in keeping all former commandments, you shall be blessed forever. Amen. Now, one of the former commandments that the Lord had given to Frederick related to the United Firm was the commandment given two months previous previously in which he was commanded to consecrate his 144 acre farm for the bringing forth of the revelations the Lord said, which he evidently did shortly after joining the United Firm. And that farmland is very significant because that farmland that he deeds to Joseph Smith on 5 May, 1834, becomes central to church development in Kirtland. And part of which is where they're going to build the Kirtland Temple. I can't think of any controversies associated with section 92, can you?
- [51:19]
Casey
No, not really. I mean, all the controversies that we would associate with it are ones that we've already dealt with with regards to the united firm. The only thing I can even hint at is that this just shows that there's flexibility. You know, the Lord can call new people into this council. The Lord can adjust the things that the council does. And adding Frederick G. Williams just makes plain old good sense because he's so important in the work of the church at this time.
- [51:45]
Scott
Yeah. Awesome. And in terms of consequences, this basically rounds out. Now. We've got five in Missouri, and with Frederick, we now have five in Kirtland. The Kirtland branch of the firm, we can call it, who are now in full partnership, both sides with them. And Frederick is now just a part of that group. And again, his property is going to become really significant in the future of the church, especially as regards the Kirtland Temple, which has major impact. But that basically wraps up section 92, unless there's more you want to say about it.
- [52:16]
Casey
No. Yeah, you spoiled it a little bit there. But one of the consequences is that Frederick G. Williams does give them the land that the Kirtland Temple is built on. And so this lays the groundwork for that temple to be built, which in the sections upcoming, that's going to become a major focus is the building of the first temple in the second dispensation. So a little revelatory tidbit that leads us to bigger and better things down the road.
- [52:43]
Scott
Awesome. Well, that concludes our study of this week's Come Follow me. Casey, that was a fun ride. Thank you, as always, for your good scholarship and being such a great conversational partner.
- [52:53]
Casey
You, too, Scott. Well done. Thanks for challenging me. Thanks for still being friends after our discussion.
- [52:58]
Scott
Always.
- [52:58]
Casey
And I'll look forward to our next discussion.
- [53:00]
Scott
Yeah. Next week is section 93 3, so buckle up.
- [53:03]
Casey
All right, see you then.