New Testament Revision 2 (first numbering)
New Testament Revision 2
Source Note
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; CHL.
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 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.
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. , 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.
and & he said unto them, O ye of little faith, Why reason ye among yourselves, bcause because ye have brought no bread? Do ye not yet understand, neither remember the five loves of the five thousand, and how many baskets ye took up? Neither the seven loaves of the four thousand, & how many baskets ye took up? How is it that ye do not understand, that I spake not unto you concerning bread, that <4/> ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharicees & of the Saducees? <4/> Then understood they, how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of <4/> bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees & of the Saducees. <4/> And when Jesus came unto <into> the coasts of Ceserea Philipi, he asked his Deciples, saying, Whom do men say that I, the Son of man, am? And they said, Some say, John the Baptist; some, Elias; & others, <5> Jeremias, or one of the Prophets. <5/> He saith <said> unto them, but whom say ye, that I am? And Simon Peter answered, & said, Thou art the Christ, the son of the living God. And Jesus anserred & said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjonah; for flesh & blood hath not revealed this unto thee, but my father which <who> is in Heaven And I say also unto thee, that thou art Peter; & upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it. & <And> I will give unto thee the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven; & whatsoever thou shalt bind on Earth, shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt bind <loose> on Earth, shall be loosed in Heaven, Then charged he his Deciples that they should tell no man that he was <6/> Jesus, the Christ. <6/> From that time forth bgan Jesus to shew unto his Deciples, how that he must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the Elders & chief priests. & Scribes, & be killed, & be raised again the third day. Then Peter took him, & began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord; this shall not be done unto thee. Lord But he turned & said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan; thou art an offence unto me; for thou savourest not things that be of God, but those <7/> that be of men. <7/> Then said Jesus unto his deciples, If any will come after me, let him deny himself, & take up his cross, & follow me. And now for a man to take up his cross, is to deny himself from all ungodliness, & from evry worldly lust, and keep my commandments. Brake not my commandments, for to save your lives; for whosoever will save his life in this world, shall loose it in the world to come; and whosoever will loose his life <in this world,> for my sake, shall find it in the <8/> World to come. <8/> Therefore, <forsake> the world, & save your Souls; for what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world , & loose his [p. 31 (first numbering)]
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