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Revelation, circa August 1830 [D&C 27]

Source Note

Revelation,
Harmony Township

Located in northeastern Pennsylvania. Area settled, by 1787. Organized 1809. Population in 1830 about 340. Population in 1840 about 520. Contained Harmony village (no longer in existence). Josiah Stowell hired JS to help look for treasure in area, Oct. 1825...

More Info
, Susquehanna Co., PA, [ca. Aug.] 1830. Featured version, titled “28th. Commandment AD 1830,” copied [ca. Mar. 1831] in Revelation Book 1, pp. 35–36; 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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; CHL. Includes redactions. For more complete source information, see the source note for Revelation Book 1.
Two other versions, one copied by
Edward Partridge

27 Aug. 1793–27 May 1840. Hatter. Born at Pittsfield, Berkshire Co., Massachusetts. Son of William Partridge and Jemima Bidwell. Moved to Painesville, Geauga Co., Ohio. Married Lydia Clisbee, 22 Aug. 1819, at Painesville. Initially a Universal Restorationist...

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(with minor gaps in the text of the manuscript) and the other published in the Painesville (OH) Telegraph, are contemporaneous to the featured text below.
1

Revelation, ca. Aug. 1830, in Partridge, Copies of Revelations; “The Mormon Creed,” Painesville (OH) Telegraph, 19 Apr. 1831, [4].


Comprehensive Works Cited

Partridge, Edward. Copies of Revelations, ca. Dec. 1830–Spring 1831. CHL. MS 1133.

Painesville Telegraph. Painesville, OH. 1822–1986.

No significant variant reading distinguishes any of the three texts as being clearly produced earlier than the other two. But because one of the other versions is missing text and the other includes added punctuation, the text below is likely the best representation of the earliest text.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    Revelation, ca. Aug. 1830, in Partridge, Copies of Revelations; “The Mormon Creed,” Painesville (OH) Telegraph, 19 Apr. 1831, [4].

    Partridge, Edward. Copies of Revelations, ca. Dec. 1830–Spring 1831. CHL. MS 1133.

    Painesville Telegraph. Painesville, OH. 1822–1986.

Historical Introduction

This revelation announced guidelines for what members of the
Church of Christ

The Book of Mormon related that when Christ set up his church in the Americas, “they which were baptized in the name of Jesus, were called the church of Christ.” The first name used to denote the church JS organized on 6 April 1830 was “the Church of Christ...

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should use in the
sacrament

Primarily referred to the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, or Communion, as opposed to other religious sacraments. The “Articles and Covenants” of the church directed “that the church meet together often to partake of bread and wine in remembrance of the Lord...

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of the Lord’s Supper to represent the blood of Christ. JS’s history explained that he dictated the revelation during a visit from
Newel

13 Sept. 1800–11 Jan. 1847. Miller, merchant. Born at Marlborough, Windham Co., Vermont. Son of Joseph Knight Sr. and Polly Peck. Moved to Jericho (later Bainbridge), Chenango Co., New York, ca. 1809. Moved to Windsor (later in Colesville), Broome Co., New...

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and
Sally Knight

1804–15 Sept. 1834. Born in Oxford (later in Guilford), Chenango Co., New York. Daughter of Amariah Coburn and Rose Linda Lyon. Resided in Oxford, Chenango Co., by 1810. Moved to Greene, Chenango Co., by 1820. Moved to Colesville, Broome Co., New York, by...

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to his home in
Harmony

Located in northeastern Pennsylvania. Area settled, by 1787. Organized 1809. Population in 1830 about 340. Population in 1840 about 520. Contained Harmony village (no longer in existence). Josiah Stowell hired JS to help look for treasure in area, Oct. 1825...

More Info
in August 1830: “As neither his wife nor mine had been as yet confirmed, it was proposed that we should confirm them, and partake together of the sacrament, before he and his wife should leave us.— In order to prepare for this; I set out to go to procure some wine for the occasion, but had gone only a short distance when I was met by a heavenly messenger, and received the following revelation.”
1

JS History, vol. A-1, 51.


The revelation told JS to use only new wine made by members of the church.
2

In 1833, John Murdock and members of the church in New York where he was preaching made their own wine for this purpose. He recalled that “by my advice the Sisters gathered currents & made wine for our communion.” (Murdock, Autobiography, 34.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Murdock, John. Autobiography, ca. 1859–1867. John Murdock, Journal and Autobiography, ca. 1830–1867. CHL. MS 1194, fd. 4.

Both the dating and the text of this revelation present challenges. The earliest extant copy, in Revelation Book 1 (the version featured here), dated it broadly to the year 1830, and
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...

View Full Bio
placed it between revelations dated July and September 1830.
3

See Revelation, July 1830–C [D&C 25]; and Revelation, Sept. 1830–A [D&C 29].


Despite Whitmer’s placement, however, the versions published in 1833 in The Evening and the Morning Star and the Book of Commandments specified 4 September 1830 as the date.
4

“A Commandment Given, September 4, 1830,” The Evening and the Morning Star, Mar. 1833, [6]; Book of Commandments 28.


Comprehensive Works Cited

The Evening and the Morning Star. Independence, MO, June 1832–July 1833; Kirtland, OH, Dec. 1833–Sept. 1834.

The versions published in the 1835 Evening and Morning Star reprint and in the 1835 edition of the Doctrine and Covenants included two additional paragraphs and dated the entire revelation to September 1830, removing the precise date mentioned in the earlier publications.
5

“Revelation Given September, 1830,” Evening and Morning Star, Mar. 1833 (May 1836), 155; Doctrine and Covenants 50, 1835 ed.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Evening and Morning Star. Edited reprint of The Evening and the Morning Star. Kirtland, OH. Jan. 1835–Oct. 1836.

In his later history, however, JS said that the first paragraph of the 1835 text “was written at this time [early August 1830], and the remainder in the September following.”
6

JS History, vol. A-1, 51.


JS, then, affirmed that the first part should be dated August 1830 and the remainder September 1830, in which case the date of 4 September 1830 found in the earlier printed versions may have reflected the date of dictation of the second portion.
Early manuscripts, including the copy featured here, contain only the first portion of the combined revelation as published in 1835. Although an earlier manuscript may have existed for the September portion, the earliest extant text for the expanded version of the revelation is the 1835 edition of the Doctrine and Covenants. For the annotated treatment of the expanded version, see the volume of the Documents series that covers 1835.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    JS History, vol. A-1, 51.

  2. [2]

    In 1833, John Murdock and members of the church in New York where he was preaching made their own wine for this purpose. He recalled that “by my advice the Sisters gathered currents & made wine for our communion.” (Murdock, Autobiography, 34.)

    Murdock, John. Autobiography, ca. 1859–1867. John Murdock, Journal and Autobiography, ca. 1830–1867. CHL. MS 1194, fd. 4.

  3. [3]

    See Revelation, July 1830–C [D&C 25]; and Revelation, Sept. 1830–A [D&C 29].

  4. [4]

    “A Commandment Given, September 4, 1830,” The Evening and the Morning Star, Mar. 1833, [6]; Book of Commandments 28.

    The Evening and the Morning Star. Independence, MO, June 1832–July 1833; Kirtland, OH, Dec. 1833–Sept. 1834.

  5. [5]

    “Revelation Given September, 1830,” Evening and Morning Star, Mar. 1833 (May 1836), 155; Doctrine and Covenants 50, 1835 ed.

    Evening and Morning Star. Edited reprint of The Evening and the Morning Star. Kirtland, OH. Jan. 1835–Oct. 1836.

  6. [6]

    JS History, vol. A-1, 51.

Asterisk (*) denotes a "featured" version, which includes an introduction and annotation.
*Revelation, circa August 1830 [D&C 27]
Revelation Book 1 Revelation, circa August 1830, Edward Partridge Copy [D&C 27] Revelation, circa August 1830, as Published in Painesville Telegraph [D&C 27] Book of Commandments, 1833 Revelations printed in The Evening and the Morning Star, June 1832–June 1833 Doctrine and Covenants, 1835 Revelations printed in Evening and Morning Star, January 1835–June 1836 History, 1838–1856, volume A-1 [23 December 1805–30 August 1834] History, circa 1841, draft [Draft 3] History, circa 1841, fair copy “History of Joseph Smith” Doctrine and Covenants, 1844

Page 35

28th.
Commandment

Generally, a divine mandate that church members were expected to obey; more specifically, a text dictated by JS in the first-person voice of Deity that served to communicate knowledge and instruction to JS and his followers. Occasionally, other inspired texts...

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AD 1830
A Revelation to the
Church

The Book of Mormon related that when Christ set up his church in the Americas, “they which were baptized in the name of Jesus, were called the church of Christ.” The first name used to denote the church JS organized on 6 April 1830 was “the Church of Christ...

View Glossary
given at
Harmony

Located in northeastern Pennsylvania. Area settled, by 1787. Organized 1809. Population in 1830 about 340. Population in 1840 about 520. Contained Harmony village (no longer in existence). Josiah Stowell hired JS to help look for treasure in area, Oct. 1825...

More Info
susquehannh County State of Pennsylvania given to Joseph the
Seer

The Book of Mormon identified a seer as a “revelator, and a prophet also,” specifying, however, that a seer was “greater than a prophet.” A seer could “know of things which has past, and also of things which is to come.” The work of a seer included translation...

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at a time that he went to purchase wine it for
Sacrament

Primarily referred to the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, or Communion, as opposed to other religious sacraments. The “Articles and Covenants” of the church directed “that the church meet together often to partake of bread and wine in remembrance of the Lord...

View Glossary
& he was stoped by an Angel & he he spok to him as follows Saying
1

John Whitmer likely created this heading when he copied the text into Revelation Book 1.


Listen to the voice of Jesus Christ your Lord your God & your Redeemer whose word is quick & powerful for Behold I say unto you it mattereth not what ye <​shall​> eat or what ye shall drink when ye partake of the sacrament if it so be that ye do it with an eye single to my glory Remembering unto the father my Body which [was] laid down for you & my blood which was shed for you the Remission of your sins
2

See Matthew 26:26–28.


Wherefore a commandment I give unto you that ye shall not Purchase Wine neither strong drink of your enemies Wherefore ye shall partake none except it is made new among you yea in this my Fathers Kingdom which shall be built up on the earth Behold this is wisdom in me [p. 35]
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Source Note

Document Transcript

Page 35

Document Information

Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
Revelation, circa August 1830 [D&C 27]
ID #
6482
Total Pages
2
Print Volume Location
JSP, D1:164–166
Handwriting on This Page
  • John Whitmer

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    John Whitmer likely created this heading when he copied the text into Revelation Book 1.

  2. [2]

    See Matthew 26:26–28.

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