New Testament Revision 1
New Testament Revision 1
Source Note
Source Note
New Testament Revision 1, 8 Mar.–ca. June 1831; handwriting of ; 65 pages; CHL. Includes redactions.
The Bible revision manuscripts remained in JS’s possession throughout his life—except during a brief period in 1838 and another in 1839. Upon the death of JS, the manuscript was in possession of his wife for over twenty years, until 1867 when she gave it to her son so that the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (RLDS church) could publish it. It was in the possession of the RLDS church (now Community of Christ) until 2024, when The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints acquired it. The manuscript is now held at the Church History Library in Salt Lake City.
Note: The transcript of New Testament Revision 1 presented here is used with generous permission of the Brigham Young University Religious Studies Center. It was published earlier, with some differences in style, in Scott H. Faulring, Kent P. Jackson, and Robert J. Matthews, eds., Joseph Smith's New Translation of the Bible: Original Manuscripts (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 2004), 153–228.
Footnotes
- [1]
Call, “Copied from the Journal of Anson Call,” 9 and Cooper, “Spiritual Reminiscences, No. 2,” Autumn Leaves (January 1891): 18.
Call, Anson. “Copied from the Journal of Anson Call,” 1879. CHL. MS 4783.
Cooper, F. M. “Spiritual Reminiscences.—No. 2,” Autumn Leaves 4, no. 1 (Jan. 1891): 17–20.
- [2]
Emma Smith Bidamon, Nauvoo, IL, to Joseph Smith III, Plano, IL, 10 Feb. 1867, CCLA.
Bidamon, Emma Smith. Materials, 1842–1871. CCLA.
- [3]
The Holy Scriptures: Translated and Corrected by the Spirit of Revelation ([Plano, IL]: [Reorganized] Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, 1867).
Historical Introduction
Historical Introduction
As noted in the introduction to Old Testament Revision 1, in June 1830, JS and began recording a revelation related to Moses and other prominent Old Testament figures. (See Visions of Moses, June 1830 [Moses 1].) Eventually this work expanded into what is now designated as the Book of Moses and a complete revelatory re-reading, reviewing, and revising of the Bible, an endeavor that came to be known as JS’s “New Translation,” or Bible revision. By March 1831, JS and his scribes created a sixty-one-page manuscript containing a narrative account of the visions of Moses and a revised version of the Old Testament book of Genesis, from the beginning to chapter 24, verse 41. (See Old Testament Revision 1.)
JS set that work aside when instructed in a March 1831 revelation to instead begin work on the New Testament. (Revelation, ca. 7 Mar. 1831 [D&C 45:60–61].) He and began the new document on 8 March 1831, titling it “A Translation of the New Testament translated by the power of God.” It is currently designated as New Testament Revision 1 and consists of sixty-five pages, all of it in Rigdon’s hand.
New Testament Revision 1, presented here, begins with Matthew 1:1 and continues through part of Matthew 26:71. It was copied almost immediately by , who had been directed by revelation to “write & keep a regulal [regular] history & assist my servant Joseph in Transcribing all things which shall be given him.” (Revelation, ca. 8 Mar. 1831–B [D&C 47:1].) Whitmer’s copy (New Testament Revision 2) became the working copy of the New Testament for the revision project, and JS’s subsequent corrections to the text were inscribed on it. Consequently, New Testament Revision 1 is largely free from later revisions and emendations. Although the exact date JS stopped work on New Testament Revision 1 is unknown, it was apparently prior to his and ’s journey to in June 1831. (JS History, vol. A-1, 126.) John Whitmer’s copying of the manuscript began in early April 1831 and continued until shortly after JS and Sidney Rigdon stopped working on New Testament Revision 1.
An analysis of both New Testament manuscripts indicates that JS made changes to about 2,100 New Testament verses (Faulring et al., Joseph Smith’s New Translation of the Bible, 5). He introduced several significant changes to the King James New Testament text in New Testament Revision 1. Among other revisions, he revised and clarified material related to Matthew 24, John the Baptist’s role, and some aspects of the Sermon on the Mount and the Beautitudes. (See, Faulring et al., Joseph Smith’s New Translation of the Bible, 157.)
Note: The transcript of New Testament Revision 1 presented here is used with generous permission of the Brigham Young University Religious Studies Center. It was published earlier, with some differences in style, in Scott H. Faulring, Kent P. Jackson, and Robert J. Matthews, eds., Joseph Smith's New Translation of the Bible: Original Manuscripts (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 2004), 153–228.
he said unto his disciples you know that after two days is the passover and the son is to be betrayed and crucified and then assembled together the cheif preists and the Scribes and the Elders of the people unto the pallace of the High Preist who is called Caiaphas and consulted that they might take Jesus by subtilty and kill him that they might put and end to his work but they said lest there be an uproar among the people let us not do it on the feast day now when Jesus was in Bethany in the house of Simon the Leper there came unto him a woman having an Alabaster box of very precious ointment and poured it on his head as he sat in the house but when his disciples saw her they had indignation against her saying to what purpose is this waste for this ointment might have been sold for much and given to the poor and when they had thus reasoned among themselves and understood not Jesus knowing their hearts he said unto them why trouble you the women woman and from whence is this evil in your hearts for verily I say unto you she hath wrought a good work upon me for the poor you have allways with you but me you have not allways this woman hath poured this ointment on my body for my buriel verily I say unto <you> wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world shall this that this woman hath done be told for a memorial of her for in that she hath done for me she hath obtained a blessing of my father then one of the twelve called Judas Iscariot went unto the Cheif Preists and said what will you give me and I will deliver him unto you and the[y] covenented with him for thirty peices of silver now when th and from that time he sought oppertunity to betray him now on the first day of the unleavened bread the disciples came to Jesus saying unto him where wilt thou that we prepare for thee to eat the passover and he said go into the City to such a man and say unto him the master saith my time is at hand I will keep the passover at thy house with my disciples and the disciples did as Jesus had commanded them and they made ready the passover Now when the even was come he sat down with the twelve and as they did <eat> he said verily I say unto you that one of you shall betray me and they were exceeding sorrowfull and began every one of them to say unto him Lord is it I and he answered <and said> he that dipeth his hand with we <me> in the dish the same shall betray me the son of man goeth as it is written of him but wo unto that man by whom the son of man is betrayed it had been good for that man if had not been born then Judas which betrayed him answered and said master is it I [p. 60]
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