Doctrine and Covenants

Doctrine and Covenants
Compiled by Joseph Smith Jr., et al. · Public domain · source
Name	Doctrine and Covenants
Author	Various (Joseph Smith and subsequent leaders)
Country	United States
Language	English
Subject	Latter Day Saint revelations, church governance, priesthood
Genre	Religious scripture
Publisher	The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (current edition)
Pub date	1835 (first edition), multiple later editions
Pages	varies by edition

Doctrine and Covenants

The Doctrine and Covenants is a collection of revealed texts and administrative directives associated with the restoration movement begun by Joseph Smith in early 19th‑century United States. It functions as a canon of scripture within branches of the Latter Day Saint movement, especially The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Community of Christ, and has shaped institutional organization, missionary practice, and ritual of groups descending from the 1830s Nauvoo and Kirtland communities. The work records purported revelations, letters, and prophetic counsel spanning from the 1820s through twentieth‑century leadership.

History

The compilation originated amid the early expansion of the restoration movement led by Joseph Smith following events such as the First Vision and the publication of the Book of Mormon. Early revelations were recorded in private journals and the so‑called Book of Commandments produced by the Church of Christ in Independence, Missouri. Persecutions during the Missouri Mormon War and the destruction of printing materials in Jackson County, Missouri precipitated reorganizations of the texts in Kirtland, Ohio and later Nauvoo, Illinois. After the death of Smith, competing claims to prophetic succession by figures such as Brigham Young, Sidney Rigdon, and James Strang contributed to divergent canons and led to differing editions among successors.

Composition and Contents

The collection comprises revelations, letters, revelations transcribed by scribes like Oliver Cowdery, Sidney Rigdon, and William W. Phelps, and later administrative declarations from leaders including Brigham Young, John Taylor, and Wilford Woodruff. Sections address priesthood organization, missionary directives, temple practices, and civic guidance, often tied to locations such as Kirtland Temple, Nauvoo Temple, and settlements in Utah Territory. Later additions include declarations such as those from First Presidency proclamations and Community of Christ revisions by figures like Joseph Smith III. The arrangement is nominally by topic and revelation date, with numbered sections and occasional appended documents like the Official Declaration 2 and other pronouncements specific to denominational needs.

Canonization and Editions

Canonical status diverged after Smith’s death, with the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (later Community of Christ) adopting a different editorial policy than the Utah‑based church led by Brigham Young. The 1835 edition introduced a "Doctrine" and "Covenants" division and incorporated material from the Lectures on Faith. Subsequent revisions by church authorities produced editions that added, removed, or renumbered sections; significant moments include the inclusion of revelations under Brigham Young in the 1840s and the later addition of declarations such as Official Declaration 1 and Official Declaration 2 in the 20th century. Scholarly editions and critical texts have been produced by historians associated with institutions like Brigham Young University, University of Utah, and independent scholars working with archival collections such as the Joseph Smith Papers.

Major Themes and Teachings

Key themes include restoration of priesthood authority through figures like Peter, James and John (as referenced in early revelations), institutional revelation guiding leaders such as Brigham Young and Heber C. Kimball, the centrality of missionary work epitomized by missions to the British Isles and expansion to Utah, and instructions for communal projects like Zion‑building in Jackson County, Missouri. The text addresses temple ordinances associated with Kirtland Temple and Nauvoo Temple, the organization of quorums such as the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and the First Presidency, and principles of stewardship and tithing reflected in later administrative sections. Doctrinal statements on topics such as continuing revelation, priesthood authority, and eschatology intersect with teachings attributed to Smith and later presidents including Wilford Woodruff and Gordon B. Hinckley in the LDS tradition.

Reception and Influence

Reception has varied across religious, academic, and public spheres. Within the Utah‑based The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints the work is cited alongside the Bible and the Book of Mormon as standard scripture, influencing social policy, temple practice, and missionary deployment. The Community of Christ regards a revised edition with different emphasis on revelations and prophetic succession under leaders like Emma Hale Smith’s descendants. Critics and historians at institutions such as Harvard University, Yale University, and Princeton University have analyzed its historical context, textual development, and role in nineteenth‑century American religious movements. The text continues to inform legal, cultural, and settlement patterns tied to figures such as Brigham Young and events like the Mormon Exodus to Great Salt Lake Valley, and it remains a focal point in interfaith dialogues and scholarship on new religious movements.

Category:Latter Day Saint texts