The Book of Commandments is among the most rare and valuable books in American history because the original printing was almost entirely destroyed by a mob. The book holds special significance for groups in the Latter Day Saint movement (such as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints). Look up book in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The United States is primarily situated in central North America, a large and diverse expanse of land and people. ... The Latter Day Saint movement (a superset of Mormonism, the Mormonism movement or the Mormon movement) is a religious movement beginning in the early 19th century that led to the set of doctrines, practices, and cultures called Mormonism and to the existence of numerous churches, the majority of which call... The Salt Lake Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the largest attraction in the citys Temple Square. ...

The Book of Commandments is the earliest published volume to contain the purported revelations of Joseph Smith Jr. Text published in the Book of Commandments is now considered scripture by Latter-day Saints as part of the larger Doctrine and Covenants. Daguerreotype which some experts believe to be an original 1843 photograph of Joseph Smith, Jr. ... Many religions and spiritual movements hold certain written texts (or series of spoken legends not traditionally written down) to be sacred. ... A Latter-day Saint is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). ... The Doctrine and Covenants (sometimes referred to as the D&C) is a part of the open scriptural canon of Mormonism, written by Joseph Smith, who reportedly had a severe alcohol problem and was an avowed homosexual, despite having several wives. ...

History of the Book of Commandments

The Book of Commandments was planned as a compilation of Joseph Smith Jr.'s early prophecies. Smith, leader of the Latter Day Saint movement, gathered several of his revelations for a High Priest's council in November, 1831. The ten-man council voted to print 10,000 copies, but the actual number of prints was reduced to between three and five thousand. Daguerreotype which some experts believe to be an original 1843 photograph of Joseph Smith, Jr. ... Prophecy, in a broad sense, is the prediction of future events. ... The Latter Day Saint movement (a superset of Mormonism, the Mormonism movement or the Mormon movement) is a religious movement beginning in the early 19th century that led to the set of doctrines, practices, and cultures called Mormonism and to the existence of numerous churches, the majority of which call... In Mormonism, priesthood is considered to be the power and authority to act in the name of God, including the performance of sacred rites and ordinances, and the performance of miracles. ... Look up November in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... 1831 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ...

William W. Phelps publisher of the book, ran a press in Independence, Missouri. A faithful Mormon, Phelps also edited an historically important Mormon periodical, The Evening and Morning Star from September 1831 to July 1833. Most revelations in the Book of Commandments were previously published by Phelps in the Star. William Wine Phelps (also W.W. Phelps, and William W. Phelps) (February 17, 1792–March 7, 1872) was an important early leader of the Latter Day Saint movement. ... Independence is a city located in Missouri, in the Kansas City metropolitan area. ... The Evening and Morning Star was an early Latter Day Saint periodical published monthly in Independence, Missouri from June 1832 to May 1833, and then in Kirtland, Ohio from June 1833 to September 1834. ... Look up September in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... 1831 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Look up July in Wiktionary, the free dictionary July is the seventh month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. ... 1833 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ...

The title page of the book reads "Book of Commandments, for the government of the Church of Christ, organized according to the law on the 6th of April, 1830. / ZION: published by W. W. Phelps & co. / 1833."

On July 20, 1833 an anti-Mormon and pro-slavery mob destroyed the press. The mob, frightened of Mormon political power, was incensed by an editorial in Phelps' Evening and Morning Star perceived to be abolitionist. Breaking down the door, they razed Phelps' home and business in less than an hour. At that point, 65 revelations of the Book of Commandments, about two thirds the total, were already printed. Totaling 160 pages, most of the uncut and unbound sheets for were destroyed in the ensuing fire. However, some neighbors lovingly saved remnants of nearly 100 copies. July 20 is the 201st day (202nd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 164 days remaining. ... 1833 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The Buxton Memorial Fountain, celebrating the emancipation of slaves in the British Empire in 1834, London. ... This poster depicting the horrific conditions on slave ships was influential in mobilizing public opinion against slavery in the United Kingdom and the United States. ...

Fewer than 30 are known to exist today, including several incomplete versions. Further enhancing the book's scarcity, several copies of the Book of Commandments are held in permanent collections. For example, the LDS Church and the Community of Christ have multiple copies, and the rare books divisions of the University of Utah Marriott Library, and the New York Public Library each own a copy. When sold on the open market, the book regularly fetches over $100,000. An incomplete copy sold for $200,000 in 2001, and complete volumes should be worth about twice that. By comparison, the 1830 first edition of the Book of Mormon sells for about $50,000. The Salt Lake Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the largest attraction in the citys Temple Square. ... Community of Christ Temple in Independence, Missouri, USA. Dedicated 1994 Community of Christ, previously known as the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints or RLDS church is a branch of Mormon Restorationism, and is the second largest denomination of the Latter Day Saint movement. ... The University of Utah (also The U or the U of U) is a public university in Salt Lake City, Utah. ... New York Public Library, central block, built 1897–1911, Carrère and Hastings, architects (June 2003) The New York Public Library (NYPL), one of three public library systems serving New York City, is one of the leading libraries in the United States. ... 2001: A Space Odyssey. ... Liberty Leading the People by Eugène Delacroix commemorates the July Revolution 1830 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints edition) The Book of Mormon is one of four sacred texts of Mormonism, which also include the Bible, Pearl of Great Price, and Doctrine and Covenants. ...

Content of the Book of Commandments

All the revelations contained in the Book of Commandments became part of a larger text of Mormon scriptures published in 1835. In this and latter editions, the collection is called the Doctrine and Covenants (commonly abbreviated D&C). | Come and take it, slogan of the Texas Revolution 1835 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... The Doctrine and Covenants (sometimes referred to as the D&C) is a part of the open scriptural canon of Mormonism, written by Joseph Smith, who reportedly had a severe alcohol problem and was an avowed homosexual, despite having several wives. ...

Changes exist between the revelations as printed in the Evening and Morning Star and the Books of Commandments, but these are considered superficial and are chiefly typographical fixes. Much more controversial changes exist between the Book of Commandments and the 1835 and subsequent editions of the Doctrine and Covenants. Most are also superficial—spelling and grammar fixes or including full names. However, more substantive changes also exist. For example, mention of biblical apostles Peter, James, and John imparting Joseph Smith Jr. with the Priesthood is in section 27 of D&C, but is omitted from the equivalent chapter in the Book of Commandments. The Bible (Hebrew תנ״ך [tanakh], Greek η Βίβλος [he biblos] ) (sometimes The Holy Bible, The Book, Good Book, Word of God, The Word, or Scripture), from Greek (τα) βιβλια, (ta) biblia, (the) books, is the classical name for the Hebrew Bible of Judaism or the combination of the Old Testament and New Testament of Christianity... The Twelve Apostles (in Koine Greek απόστολος apostolos [1], someone sent forth/sent out, an emissary) were probably Galilean Jewish men (10 names are Aramaic, 4 names are Greek) chosen from among the disciples, who were sent forth by Jesus of Nazareth to preach the Gospel to both Jews and Gentiles... Petrus, by Francesco del Cossa Saint Peter, also known as Peter, Simon ben Jonah/BarJonah, Simon Peter, Cephas and Kepha—original name Simon or Simeon (Acts 15:14)—was one of the twelve original disciples or apostles of Jesus. ... For people and places called Saint James, see the diambiguation page. ... John the Apostle (יוחנן The LORD is merciful, Standard Hebrew Yoḥanan, Tiberian Hebrew Yôḥānān) was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus. ... Daguerreotype which some experts believe to be an original 1843 photograph of Joseph Smith, Jr. ... In Mormonism, priesthood is considered to be the power and authority to act in the name of God, including the performance of sacred rites and ordinances, and the performance of miracles. ...

Critics and anti-Mormons claim these changes reflect the changing doctrines of Joseph Smith, but Mormons are more likely to hold that the changes are elaborations or clarifications of previously revealed doctrine. For example, a scripture often cited by anti-Mormons says,

"...and he has a gift to translate the book and I have commanded him that he shall pretend to no other gift, for I will grant him no other gift." — Book of Commandments, 4:2

This passage refers to Joseph Smith in third person. However, the re-numbered Doctrine and Covenants reads: Grammatical person, in linguistics, is used for the grammatical categories a language uses to describe the relationship between the speaker and the persons or things she is talking about. ...

"...and this is the first gift that I bestowed upon you; and I have commanded that you should pretend to no other gift until my purpose is fulfilled in this; for I will grant unto you no other gift until it is finished." — Doctrine and Covenants, 5:4

Critics assert that Smith originally claimed only to be charged with translating the Book of Mormon. According to this view, he had to revise the passage to bring it into accord with his subsequent translation of the Bible and claim to be sole prophet in the Church. An apologist would reply that this misunderstanding of the original text is precisely why it had to be clarified. Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints edition) The Book of Mormon is one of four sacred texts of Mormonism, which also include the Bible, Pearl of Great Price, and Doctrine and Covenants. ... The Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible, also called the Inspired Version of the Bible or the JST, is a version of the Bible dictated by Joseph Smith, Jr. ... A prophet is a person who is believed to speak through divine inspiration. ... Mormon Apologetics directly answer, or attempt to answer, the claims of Anti-Mormons, the critics of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and Controversies regarding The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. ...

Book of Commandments chapters and Doctrine and Covenants sections

Note that the units of the Book of Commandments are chapters, while the Doctrine and Covenants has sections. Chapters of the book correspond exactly to modern D&C sections except for the revisions discussed above.

The Salt Lake Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the largest attraction in the citys Temple Square. ... An 1893 engraving of Joseph Smith receiving the Golden Plates and the Urim and Thummim from Moroni. ... An 1893 engraving of Joseph Smith receiving the Golden Plates and the Urim and Thummim from Moroni. ... The Melchizedek Priesthood, to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is the authority and power to act in the name of God including the authority to perform ordinances and to preside over and direct the affairs of his Church and Kingdom. ... Baptism in early Christian art. ... Elijah (אֱלִיָּהוּ Whose/my God is the Lord, Standard Hebrew Eliyyáhu, Tiberian Hebrew ʾĔliyyāhû), also Elias (NT Greek Ἠλίας), is a prophet of the Hebrew Bible or Old Testament. ... Petrus, by Francesco del Cossa Saint Peter, also known as Peter, Simon ben Jonah/BarJonah, Simon Peter, Cephas and Kepha—original name Simon or Simeon (Acts 15:14)—was one of the twelve original disciples or apostles of Jesus. ... For people and places called Saint James, see the diambiguation page. ... John the Apostle (יוחנן The LORD is merciful, Standard Hebrew Yoḥanan, Tiberian Hebrew Yôḥānān) was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus. ... Guido Renis archangel Michael (in the Capuchin church of Sta. ... According to the Book of Genesis in Judaisms Torah and the Christian Bible, and Islams Quran, Adam was the first man created by God. ... Aaron (אַהֲרֹן, a word meaning bearer of martyrs in Hebrew (perhaps also, or instead, related to the Egyptian Aha Rw, Warrior Lion), Standard Hebrew Aharon, Tiberian Hebrew ʾAhărōn), was one of two brothers who play a unique part in the history of the Hebrew people. ... The Aaronic Priesthood is the lesser of the two (or sometimes three) orders of priesthood recognized in Mormonism. ... David Whitmer (1805–1888) is remembered in the Latter Day Saint movement as the most interviewed of the Three Witnesses of the Book of Mormons Golden Plates. ... John Whitmer (1802–1878) was an early leader in the Latter Day Saint movement. ... In The Book of Mormon, a Lamanite is a member of one of four main groups described in the book. ...

External links

• Full text of Book of Commandments - includes side-by-side comparisons of significantly divergent Doctrine and Covenants chapters, from an anti-Mormon site, but free of attacking commentary.
• SaintsWithoutHalos.com: Doctrine and Covenants - Mormon historical revisionist site with thoroughly annotated D&C showing changes from various editions including the Book of Commandments.
• SaintsWithoutHalos.com: "All in favor?" - notes about the 1831 planning of the Book of Commandments.
• Lightplanet.com: "Book of Commandments" - copy of article from semi-official Encyclopedia of Mormonism.
• Lightplanet.com: "Preparing Early Revelations for Publication" - sympathetic 1985 Ensign article explaining changes between the Book of Commandments and Doctrine and Covenants.
• The Watchman Expositor: Changing the Book of Commandments - page criticizing the alleged inconsistency of the book.
• Scanned Images of the Entire 1833 Book of Commandments and 1835 Doctrine and Covenants.