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Old Testament Revision, John Whitmer First Copy

Source Note

Old Testament Revision, between Dec. 1830 and early Jan. 1831; handwriting of
John Whitmer

27 Aug. 1802–11 July 1878. Farmer, stock raiser, newspaper editor. Born in Pennsylvania. Son of Peter Whitmer Sr. and Mary Musselman. Member of German Reformed Church, Fayette, Seneca Co., New York. Baptized by Oliver Cowdery, June 1829, most likely in Seneca...

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; sixteen pages; CHL.
This copy of the Old Testament Revision remained in the Whitmer family until 1903, when it was acquired by the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (now Community of Christ).
1

Jackson and Faulring, “Old Testament Manuscript 3,” 116.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Jackson, Kent P., and Scott H. Faulring. “Old Testament Manuscript 3: An Early Transcript of the Book of Moses.” Mormon Historical Studies 5, no. 2 (Fall 2004): 113–144.

In 2024, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints acquired the manuscript from the Community of Christ, and it is now held at the Church History Library in Salt Lake City.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    Jackson and Faulring, “Old Testament Manuscript 3,” 116.

    Jackson, Kent P., and Scott H. Faulring. “Old Testament Manuscript 3: An Early Transcript of the Book of Moses.” Mormon Historical Studies 5, no. 2 (Fall 2004): 113–144.

Historical Introduction

Shortly before
John Whitmer

27 Aug. 1802–11 July 1878. Farmer, stock raiser, newspaper editor. Born in Pennsylvania. Son of Peter Whitmer Sr. and Mary Musselman. Member of German Reformed Church, Fayette, Seneca Co., New York. Baptized by Oliver Cowdery, June 1829, most likely in Seneca...

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moved from
New York

Located in northeast region of U.S. Area settled by Dutch traders, 1620s; later governed by Britain, 1664–1776. Admitted to U.S. as state, 1788. Population in 1810 about 1,000,000; in 1820 about 1,400,000; in 1830 about 1,900,000; and in 1840 about 2,400,...

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to
Kirtland

Located ten miles south of Lake Erie. Settled by 1811. Organized by 1818. Latter-day Saint missionaries visited township, early Nov. 1830; many residents joined Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Population in 1830 about 55 Latter-day Saints and...

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, Ohio, in early January 1831, he made a copy of Old Testament Revision 1. This copy includes the first 19 pages and the first five lines of page 20 of the revision (Moses 1; Genesis 1–5). It is possible Whitmer only copied part of the revision manuscript, or that he copied as much as had been dictated by January 1831. The specific circumstances for making this copy are unknown. It was kept in the Whitmer family until 1903, when the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints acquired it.
1

Jackson and Faulring, “Old Testament Manuscript 3,” 116.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Jackson, Kent P., and Scott H. Faulring. “Old Testament Manuscript 3: An Early Transcript of the Book of Moses.” Mormon Historical Studies 5, no. 2 (Fall 2004): 113–144.

For more information on JS’s Bible revision project, see Historical Introduction to Old Testament Revision 1.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    Jackson and Faulring, “Old Testament Manuscript 3,” 116.

    Jackson, Kent P., and Scott H. Faulring. “Old Testament Manuscript 3: An Early Transcript of the Book of Moses.” Mormon Historical Studies 5, no. 2 (Fall 2004): 113–144.

Asterisk (*) denotes a "featured" version, which includes an introduction and annotation. *Visions of Moses, June 1830 [Moses 1]

Page 3

And it came to pass that the Lord spoke to Moses saying behold I Reveal unto you concerning this Heaven & this Earth write the words which I speak I am the beginning & the end the Almighty God by mine only begotten I created these things yea in the beginning I created the Heaven & the Earth upon which thou standest & the Earth was withou[t] form & void & I caused darkness to come up upon the face of the deep & my spirit moved upon the face of the waters for I am God & I God said let there be light & there was light & I God saw the light & that light was good & I God divided the light from the darkness & I God called the light day & the darkness I called night & this I done by the wo[rd] of my Power & it was done as I spoke & the evening & the Morning were [th]e
3

TEXT: There are several tears on the left and right sides of this page; text supplied from Old Testament Revision 1.


first day & again I God said let there be a firmament in the mid[st] [of] the waters & it was so even as I spoke & I said let it divide the waters from the waters, & it was done & I God made the firmament & divided the waters yea the great waters under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament & it was so even as I spoke & I God Called the firmament Heavens & the evening & the Morning were the second day & I God said let the waters under the Heavens be gathered to gether unt[o] one place & it was so & I God said let there be dry land & it was so & I God called the dry Land Earth & the gethering to gether of the waters called I the Seas & I God saw that all things which I had made were good & I God said let the Earth bring forth grass the herb yielding seed the fruit tree yie[l]ding fruit after his kind & the tree yielding fruit whose seed should be in itself upon the Earth & it was so even as I spake & the Earth brought forth grass every herb yielding seed after his kind & the tree yielding fru[it] whose seed should be in itself after his kind & I God saw that all things which I had made were good & the evening & the Morning were the third day & I God said let there be lights in the firmament of the Heaven to di[vi]de the day from the night & let them be for signs & for seasons & for day[s] & for years & let them be for lights in the firmament of the Heaven to give light upon the Earth & it was so & I God made two great lights the great[er]light to rule the day & the lesser light to rule the night & the greater light was the Sun & the lesser light was the Moon & the Stars also was made even according to my word & I God set them in the firmament of the Heaven to give light upon the Earth & the Sun to rule over the day & the Moon to rule over the night to divide the light from the darkness I God saw that all things which I made were good & the eveni[ng] & the Morning were the fourth day & I God said let the waters bring forth abundantly the moveing creature that hath life & fowl which may fly abo[ve] th[e] Earth in the open firmament of Heaven & I God created great whales & every living that creature that moveth that the waters brought forth abundantly after their kind & every winged fowl after his kind & I God saw that all things which I had created were good & I God blessed them saying be fruitful & Multiply & fill the waters in the Seas & let fowl multiply in the Earth & the evening & the morning were the fifth day & I God said let the Earth bring forth the living creature after his kind cattle & creeping things & beasts <​of the Earth​> after his kind & it was so & I God made the beasts of the Earth after his kind & cattle after their kind & evry thing which creepeth upon the Earth after his kind & I God saw that all things were good & I God said unto mine only begotten which was with me from the beginning let us make man in our image after our likeness & it was so & I God said let them have dominion over the fishes of the sea & over the fowl o[f the] [p. 3]
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Page 3

Document Information

Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
Old Testament Revision, John Whitmer First Copy
ID #
9243
Total Pages
30
Print Volume Location
Handwriting on This Page
  • John Whitmer

Footnotes

  1. [3]

    TEXT: There are several tears on the left and right sides of this page; text supplied from Old Testament Revision 1.

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