Revelation, 9 February 1831 [D&C 42:1–72]
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Source Note
Revelation, , OH, [9 Feb.] 1831. Featured version, titled “The Laws of the Church of Christ,” copied May 1831; handwriting of ; six pages; Revelations Collection, CHL. Includes archival marking.Each of the three leaves, measuring 7½ × 6½–6¾ inches (19 × 17 cm), has a similar jagged cut on the left edge of the recto. Also running along the left edge of each recto are eight small holes, likely used for sewing the booklet together. Based on comparison of the cuts and tears of the pages, these pages, along with copies of Articles and Covenants, circa April 1830 [D&C 20], and Revelation, 23 February 1831 [D&C 42:74–93], were part of a notebook of at least sixteen leaves, likely created by . It is unknown when these pages were removed from the notebook.likely supplied a copy of this revelation to the Western Courier (Ravenna, OH), which first published it 1 September 1831. The manuscript version featured here was possibly created 23 May 1831, the date found on the manuscript and the date given by the Western Courier. However, the same manuscript that includes a copy of the 9 February 1831 revelation also includes a copy of Revelation, 23 February 1831 [D&C 42:74–93], and gives the correct date of the latter revelation. It is possible that when he inscribed “May 23d 1831” near the top of the 9 February revelation, Rider intended to write “February 23d 1831” but gave May as the month rather than February. This possible error may hint that the copy was created simply sometime in May of 1831.Of the many extant versions of this text, the Rider manuscript is likely the earliest, save the incomplete version found in Revelation Book 1. According to a letter filed with this manuscript, this document, with several other manuscript revelations, was donated to the Church Historian’s Office in the early 1960s by a descendant of . The rolled-up papers were discovered by the Rider family in 1958, having presumably been held by the family since Rider obtained them circa 1831.
Footnotes
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1
“Secret Bye Laws of the Mormonites,” Western Courier (Ravenna, OH), 1 Sept. 1831, [1]. When introducing the document, the editor of the Courier stated, “A responsible and intelligent individual, who has devoted much time to make himself acquainted with the principles, practices and objects of the Mormonite leaders, and at whose request we publish the following, assures us that it is a correct copy of the regulations to which the deluded followers are compelled to assent, after joining the church.” Because the Courier version appears to be textually dependent on the Rider manuscript, and because both the Rider manuscript and the Courier version have the same date (23 May 1831) in the heading of the revelation, Rider is probably the individual referred to in the Courier.
Western Courier. Ravenna, OH. 1826–1833.
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2
Revelation Book 1, pp. 62–67.
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3
Note, [27 May 1964], in Revelations Collection, CHL; Faulring, “Examination of the 1829 ‘Articles of the Church of Christ’ in Relation to Section 20 of the Doctrine and Covenants,” 87n70.
Revelations Collection, 1831–ca. 1844, 1847, 1861, ca. 1876. CHL. MS 4583.
Faulring, Scott H. “An Examination of the 1829 ‘Articles of the Church of Christ’ in Relation to Section 20 of the Doctrine and Covenants.” BYU Studies 43, no. 4 (2004): 57–91.
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Historical Introduction
A late December 1830 revelation first directed members of the to migrate from to , and at a church a few days later, another revelation declared, “There [in Ohio] I will give unto you my law.” Within a month, JS himself relocated to Ohio, and immediately after his arrival in , the church received on 4 February 1831 the revelatory promise, “By the prayer of your faith ye shall receive my law that ye may know how to govern my Church.” Less than a week later, on 9 February, JS dictated the revelation featured here during the course of a meeting of twelve who were “called together, and united in mighty prayer.” titled it “The Laws of the Church of Christ.”Outside of Revelation Book 1, there are few extant manuscript copies of most of JS’s early revelations. The 9 February 1831 revelation, however, is an exception: five early manuscript copies survive. This was one of the earliest revelations to be published; it was printed in part by two newspapers only a few months after its dictation. The most complete version of the revelation (presented here) is in the handwriting of early church member and was possibly created 23 May 1831, the date Rider inscribed on the manuscript. This is likely the earliest of the five early surviving manuscripts, although it is possible that the partial copy found in Revelation Book 1 was recorded first.The earliest extant copies of this revelation suggest that “the Law” may have originally been a compilation of five distinct revelatory , each given in response to a practical question posed by the twelve present at the 9 February 1831 meeting. The elders apparently asked questions of JS, who then dictated revelatory answers, closing each answer with the words “even so Amen.” The document featured here collates the revelations into a single document divided into five sections. Although it is unknown whether the initial writing captured the texts as a single document, early manuscripts confirm that the individual answers were originally understood as separate commandments. For example, when copied what he titled “The Church Law” into ’s diary, he included only the second section, and in September 1831 local newspapers published the first and second sections as “the Law.” Further, although only the second of the five sections was titled “the Law” in the early manuscripts, the composite document, including all five sections, also came to be known as “the Law.” When the revelation was published in the Book of Commandments, it was introduced as “A Revelation given to twelve elders assembled in , Ohio; and also the law for the government of the church, given in the presence of the same.” By describing the revelation in two parts, the heading suggests that the second through fifth sections of the text were considered together as “the Law.”On 23 February, two weeks after the initial dictation of this text, JS and seven elders met to determine “How the Elders of the church of Christ are to act upon the points of the Law,” and JS dictated several additional paragraphs of instruction. Analysis of the early manuscripts of the 9 February revelation and the 23 February revelation suggests that “the Law” was a working document, meant to be revised or expanded as new circumstances raised new questions. In three of the five early manuscripts, the 23 February revelation was included at the end of the 9 February text.The historical context for the 9 February revelation included the recent conversion of a significant number of members and the imminent arrival of church members from , a migration the Ohio converts first learned of from when he arrived in Ohio in mid-January. The elders’ first question was whether the various communities should gather “into one place or continue in seperate establishments.” This question was answered in conjunction with a commandment that called the elders to preach “to the regions westward” and “build up my Church in every region.”Second, the elders inquired about the “Law regulating the Church in her present situation till the time of her gathering.” The revelatory response codified basic matters of authority, moral conduct, and economic organization, addressing specific concerns among the membership. In the first six months after the organization of the Church of Christ, questions had arisen in about authority and also about who could receive revelation for the church. Converts in asked similar questions. Many had been baptized by and his companions, but the missionaries’ departure for at the same time left to meet JS in New York left the new converts without experienced leaders. In the absence of such leadership, several charismatic individuals offered their own revelations to bolster their self-declared authority.In addition, the second section responded to the form of communalism that many converts had previously embraced. In their effort to strictly apply the New Testament passage calling for believers to have “all things common,” they formed a communal group called “the Family,” with several families sharing and Lucy Morley’s home and farm. However, “the Law” modified the members’ communal ownership of property. It commanded members to “conscrate all [their] propertys,” which in the religious terminology of the day meant to “set apart, dedicate, or devote, to the service and worship of God” one’s possessions. This vision of consecration shared similarities with practices of other utopian communities, such as the Shakers and the Owenites. This revelation not only provided a guideline for economic organization directed by the church but also outlined a code of conduct to which members of the church were expected to adhere, as well as procedures for casting out those who did not.Third, knowing that many members of the church would leave their homes to preach, the elders then inquired about the welfare of their families while they were “proclaiming repentance or are otherwise engaged in the Service of the Church.” This concern was initially raised in in late September and early October 1830, when several members were called to proselytizing missions. This revelation answered that they should “go forth in the power of my spirit preaching my Gospel two by two in my name” and that their families would be supported by the consecrated properties held by the church.While the first three questions addressed in the 9 February revelation involved relationships within the church, the fourth question asked, perhaps with some urgency given the previous commandment to consecrate their property, “How far it is the will of the Lord that we Should have dealings with the wo[r]ld & how we Should conduct our dealings with them?” The brief answer was to avoid becoming indebted to the world but to counsel together and seek the Spirit in whatever dealings were necessary.The elders’ final question addressed the concerns of members about the expected influx of members gathering from : “What preperations we shall make for our Brethren from the East & when & how?” The revelation called for single residences for each family, located as close together as possible, and instructed the , , to appoint individuals who would assist him in procuring and distributing the land.The text of this revelation, together with the church’s founding “Articles and Covenants,” may have served to unify the and membership into a single community of believers by organizing them under the same laws and regulations. The New York members had been promised such a commandment as soon as they united with the Ohio members, and the questions asked at the 9 February meeting were followed by revelations that brought the two groups together under one law.
Footnotes
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1
Revelation, 30 Dec. 1830 [D&C 37:3]; Revelation, 2 Jan. 1831 [D&C 38:32].
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2
Revelation, 4 Feb. 1831 [D&C 41:3].
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3
Whitmer, History, 12.
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4
In addition to the Rider manuscript featured here, four other early handwritten versions of this revelation are extant. The versions are in Revelation Book 1, pp. 62–67; Gilbert, Notebook, [13]–[23]; Coltrin, Diary, [11]–[18]; and Hyde and Smith, Notebook, [12]–[22].
Gilbert, Algernon Sidney. Notebook of Revelations, 1831–ca. 1833. Revelations Collection, 1831–ca. 1844, 1847, 1861, ca. 1876. CHL. MS 4583, box 1, fd. 2.
Coltrin, Zebedee. Diaries, 1832–1834. CHL. MS 1443.
Hyde, Orson, and Samuel Smith. Notebook of Revelations and Missionary Memoranda, ca. Oct. 1831–ca. Jan. 1832. Revelations Collection, 1831–ca. 1844, 1847, 1861, ca. 1876. CHL. MS 4583, box 1, fd. 2.
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“Secret Bye Laws of the Mormonites,” Western Courier (Ravenna, OH), 1 Sept. 1831, [1]; “Secret Bye Laws of the Mormonites,” Painesville (OH) Telegraph, 13 Sept. 1831, [1].
Western Courier. Ravenna, OH. 1826–1833.
Painesville Telegraph. Painesville, OH. 1822–1986.
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The five questions answered in this revelation, as found in early copies of the text, are “First Shall the Church come to gether into one place or continue in seperate establishments?”;a “Question 2d the Law regulating the Church in her present situation till the time of her gathering”;b “3rd How the Elders are to dispose of their families while they are proclaiming repentance or are otherwise engaged in the Service of the Church?”; “4th How far it is the will of the Lord that we Should have dealing with the wo[r]ld & how we Should conduct our dealings with them?”; and “5th What preperations we shall make for our Brethren from the East & when & how?”c In place of the second question, Revelation Book 1 has “The Law,” and Symonds Rider’s copy (the text featured here) has “The Law?” When John Whitmer copied the revelation into Revelation Book 1, the questions served as introductory headings to each section. However, when the revelation was later prepared for publication, Oliver Cowdery crossed out the questions.
(aRevelation Book 1, p. 62. bGilbert, Notebook, [15]. cRevelation, 9 Feb. 1831.)Gilbert, Algernon Sidney. Notebook of Revelations, 1831–ca. 1833. Revelations Collection, 1831–ca. 1844, 1847, 1861, ca. 1876. CHL. MS 4583, box 1, fd. 2.
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Coltrin, Diary, [11]–[18]; “Secret Bye Laws of the Mormonites,” Western Courier (Ravenna, OH), 1 Sept. 1831, [1]; “Secret Bye Laws of the Mormonites,” Painesville (OH) Telegraph, 13 Sept. 1831, [1].
Coltrin, Zebedee. Diaries, 1832–1834. CHL. MS 1443.
Western Courier. Ravenna, OH. 1826–1833.
Painesville Telegraph. Painesville, OH. 1822–1986.
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8
Four of the five early manuscripts reference “the Law” in titling the second section.
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10
The 9 February and 23 February revelations appeared separately in the Book of Commandments in 1833, but the two revelations were combined when published in the 1835 edition of the Doctrine and Covenants. (Book of Commandments 44, 47; Doctrine and Covenants 13, 1835 ed.)
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Only the Symonds Rider manuscript (featured below) includes the entirety of both texts. Revelation Book 1 includes the first four sections of the 9 February 1831 revelation and the last section of the 23 February revelation; Orson Hyde includes parts two, three, and four of the 9 February revelation, and the last two parts of the 23 February revelation. The Gilbert and Coltrin copies do not include the 23 February text (Revelation Book 1, pp. 62–67; Hyde and Smith, Notebook, [12]–[22]; Gilbert, Notebook, [13]–[23]; Coltrin, Diary, [11]–[18]; see also Revelation, 23 Feb. 1831 [D&C 42:74–93].)
Hyde, Orson, and Samuel Smith. Notebook of Revelations and Missionary Memoranda, ca. Oct. 1831–ca. Jan. 1832. Revelations Collection, 1831–ca. 1844, 1847, 1861, ca. 1876. CHL. MS 4583, box 1, fd. 2.
Gilbert, Algernon Sidney. Notebook of Revelations, 1831–ca. 1833. Revelations Collection, 1831–ca. 1844, 1847, 1861, ca. 1876. CHL. MS 4583, box 1, fd. 2.
Coltrin, Zebedee. Diaries, 1832–1834. CHL. MS 1443.
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12
Whitmer explained, “The Lord manifested himself to Joseph the Revelater and gave commandment for me to go to the Ohio, and carry the commandments and revelations, with me, to comfort and strengthen my brethren in that land.” (Whitmer, History, 10.)
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13
See Articles and Covenants, ca. Apr. 1830 [D&C 20:38–67].
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14
Several months earlier, Hiram Page reported receiving a number of revelations, which were taken seriously by Oliver Cowdery and the Whitmers. (See Knight, History, 145–147; JS History, vol. A-1, 53–54; see also Historical Introduction to Revelation, Sept. 1830–B [D&C 28].)
Knight, Newel. History. Private possession. Copy in CHL. MS 19156.
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15
See Letter from Oliver Cowdery, 12 Nov. 1830; and JS History, vol. A-1, 78.
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16
See Whitmer, History, 10; and George A. Smith, in Journal of Discourses, 15 Nov. 1864, 11:2–4; see also Historical Introduction to Revelation, Feb. 1831–A [D&C 43].
Journal of Discourses. 26 vols. Liverpool: F. D. Richards, 1855–1886.
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17
Acts 2:44; see also “Fanaticism,” Connecticut Courant (Hartford), 12 July 1831, [1]. JS had recently dictated, as part of his Bible revision, an account of the people of Enoch, who were “of one heart and of one mind” and who had “no poor among them.” (Old Testament Revision 1, p. 16 [Moses 7:18].)
Connecticut Courant. Hartford, CT. 1764–.
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18
“Consecrate,” in American Dictionary.
An American Dictionary of the English Language: Intended to Exhibit, I. the Origin, Affinities and Primary Signification of English Words, as far as They Have Been Ascertained. . . . Edited by Noah Webster. New York: S. Converse, 1828.
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19
See Brewer, “Shakers of Mother Ann Lee,” 37–56; and Pitzer, “New Moral World of Robert Owen,” 88–134; see also May, “Communal Life and Values among the Mormons,” 135–158.
Brewer, Priscilla J. “The Shakers of Mother Ann Lee.” In America's Communal Utopias, edited by Donald E. Pitzer, 37–56. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1997.
Pitzer, Donald E. “The New Moral World of Robert Owen and New Harmony.” In America's Communal Utopias, edited by Donald E. Pitzer, 88–134. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1997.
May, Dean L. “One Heart and Mind: Communal Life and Values among the Mormons.” In America's Communal Utopias, edited by Donald E. Pitzer, 135–158. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1997.
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20
See Historical Introductions to Revelation, Oct. 1830–A [D&C 32]; and to Revelation, Oct. 1830–B [D&C 33].
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21
On 22 February 1831, JS wrote to Martin Harris: “We have received the laws of the Kingdom since we came here and the Disciples in these parts have received them gladly.” (Letter to Martin Harris, 22 Feb. 1831.)
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22
For additional research about “the Law,” see Underwood, “Laws of the Church of Christ,” 108–141.
Underwood, Grant. “‘The Laws of the Church of Christ’ (D&C 42): A Textual and Historical Analysis.” In The Doctrine and Covenants: Revelations in Context, edited by Andrew H. Hedges, J. Spencer Fluhman, and Alonzo L. Gaskill, 108–141. Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 2008.
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