Dr. John M Bernhisel had copy of manuscripts in his possession

Dr. John M Bernhisel had copy of manuscripts in his possession

Robert J. Matthews, "How We Got the Book of Moses," Ensign, January, 1986

Ensign Jan 1986 (Excerpt)

How We Got the Book of Moses

The book of Moses is the first of several documents in the collection of sacred writings published as the Pearl of Great Price. Although this material is currently labeled “Selections from the Book of Moses,” it was not always specified by that name, nor has the content of the material always been exactly as it is today. A quick look at its origin, development, and content can help us more fully appreciate what the book of Moses is, how it came to be, and why it is a unique witness for Jesus Christ.

Origin of the Book of Moses Material

The material constituting the eight chapters of the book of Moses is an extract from Joseph Smith’s translation of the Bible. More precisely, chapter one of Moses is an account of a revelation given to the Prophet Joseph just prior to, or at the commencement of, the translation, while Moses chapters two through eight constitute his translation of Genesis from chapter one through chapter six, verse thirteen. [Moses 1, 2–8; Gen. 1–6:13] The Joseph Smith translation of the Bible (hereafter identified as JST) began with Genesis and continued through the entire Bible to the book of Revelation. The initial draft of his Bible translation was made between June 1830 and July 1833. However, the short excerpt that we recognize as the book of Moses, being the early part of Genesis, was completed in its first draft by February 1831. 1

Examination of the original manuscripts of the JST shows that, soon after the initial writing, Joseph further modified and revised these early chapters in a number of ways. This included a complete rewriting of the early chapters of Genesis, which was then followed in the editorial process by a number of inter-linear inserts and deletions. In some instances, additional material was written on small pieces of paper and pinned to the manuscript at places needing still further correction.

Thus, there are two drafts of the manuscript for the first twenty-four chapters of Genesis, with the second copy being more complete and presenting a more extensive text than the first draft. These pre-publication documents are not numbered, but they are dated in various portions, and these dates serve to clarify and delineate the sequence.

Although the translation of the early chapters of Genesis was initially revealed and recorded between June 1830 and February 1831, it is clear that the Prophet Joseph Smith continued to revise and modify this material until his death in 1844. The manuscripts then came into the possession of his widow, Emma Smith, who subsequently gave them to her children. Eventually they became the property of the Reorganized Church (RLDS). 2 The RLDS church has retained them to this day, and it was from these manuscripts that they published the Inspired Version of the Bible in 1867.

A partial copy of the manuscripts had been made in 1845 by Dr. John M. Bernhisel in Nauvoo. This copy was brought to the West by Brother Bernhisel and is now in the Church offices in Salt Lake City. The Bernhisel copy is a valuable historical document, but it is not as helpful as one might wish, since it does not contain all of the translation. A comparison with the originals has made it clear that Dr. Bernhisel made his copy from the final revision of the Prophet’s manuscript. This is a very significant fact in attempting to trace whether or not the Bernhisel copy was used as the source for the first or any subsequent edition of the Pearl of Great Price.

The greatest deficiency of the Bernhisel copy is that it does not contain any of the material now identified as Moses chapter 7 or Matthew chapter 24. [Moses 7; Matt. 24] Hence, it could not have been the source for these items in the Pearl of Great Price. As will be seen later, the text of the Bernhisel copy shows that it could not have been the source for any part of the first edition of the Pearl of Great Price.