New Testament Revision 2
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Source Note
New Testament Revision 2, ca. 4 Apr. 1831–24 Mar. 1832 and 20–31 July 1832; handwriting of , , , and an unidentified scribe; 206 pages; CCLA.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 in order for the RLDS Church to publish The Holy Scriptures.Note: The transcript of New Testament Revision 2 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), 229–581.
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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. , 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]) began in early April 1831 to copy New Testament Revision 1 through Matthew 26:1, stopping a little short of where JS and Sidney Rigdon left off before they traveled to in June 1831. (JS History, vol. A-1, 126.)When JS resumed the revision of the New Testament, he did so using ’s copy, currently designated New Testament Revision 2. He began with Matthew 26:1, though he had previously translated through Matthew 26:71 in New Testament Revision 1. Work continued on the rest of the New Testament through late July 1832. In addition to , JS was assisted by John Whitmer, , and .New Testament Revision 2, presented here, consists of 203 pages. Work on this manuscript was completed in and , Ohio. During the revision project, JS adopted an abbreviated format for annotating the changes to be made to the New Testament. Previously, JS dictated the entire Bible text to his scribe, revising verses as he read from the Bible. But beginning after John 5, JS marked his copy of the Bible as he read in it, indicating where a change should be made. In the manuscript, the scribes wrote the scripture reference and the specifics of the revisions. Thus, the Bible and manuscript together now constituted the text of the revision project.In total, JS made changes to about 2,100 New Testament verses (Faulring et al., Joseph Smith’s New Translation of the Bible, 5). He introduced a number of significant changes to the King James New Testament text in New Testament Revision 2. Among the more prominent clarifications and corrections were those in Matthew 24 and Mark 13 related to Jesus’s discourse on the Mount of Olives, as well as those in the beginning verses of the Gospel of John. (See, Faulring et al., Joseph Smith’s New Translation of the Bible, 234, 303, and 424–425.)Note: The transcript of New Testament Revision 2 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), 229–581.
Tribute unto Ceaser or not? But Jesus perceived their wickedness, & said, Ye hypocrites, Why tempt ye me? Shew me the tribute money; & they brought unto him a penny. He said unto them, Whose image is this, & superscription? They said unto him, Ceaser’s. Then said he unto them, Render therefore unto Ceasar, the things which are Ceasar’s, & unto God, the things which are Gods. & And when they had heard him 6/ say these words, they marveled, & left him & went their way. 6/ The same day came the Sadusees to him who say that there is no resurrection, & asked him, saying, Master, Moses said, if a man die, having no Children, his brother shall marry his wife & raise up seed unto his brother. Now there were with us, seven brethren; & the first, when he had married a wife, deceased; &, having no isue, he left his wife unto his brother. Likewise the second also, & the third, & even unto the seventh. & And last of all the woman died also. Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife shall she be of the seven? 7/ For they all had her. 7/ Jesus answered & said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God; for in the resurrection, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels of God in Heaven. But as touching the resurrection of the dead, Have ye not read that which was spoken unto you of God, saying, I am the God of Abraham, & the God of Isaac, & the God of Jacob? God 8/ is not the God of the dead, but of the living. 8/ And when the multitude heard him, they were astonished at his doctrine. But when the Pharisees heard that he had put the Sadusees to silence, they were gethered to gether. Then one of them, a lawyer, tempting him, asked, saying, Master, which is the great commandment in the Law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God, with all thy heart, & with all thy soul, & with all thy mind. This is the first & great commandment. And the second is like unto it; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all 9/ the Law & the Prophets. 9/ While the Pharisees were gathered to gether, Jesus asked them, saying, What think ye of Christ? Whose son is he? They say unto him, The Son of David. He said unto them, How then Doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand till I make thine enemies thy footstool? If David then called him Lord, How is he his Son? & no man was able to answer him a word, neither durst any man from that day forth ask him any more questions.
Chapter XXIII Christ upbraideth the Scribs for their hypocracy [p. 42 (first numbering)]
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