Pearl of Great Price

Pearl of Great Price
Name	Pearl of Great Price
Author	Multiple authors
Country	United States
Language	English
Subject	Scripture, Latter Day Saint movement, Joseph Smith
Genre	Religious text
Publisher	The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (canonized edition)
Pub date	1851 (compilation), 1880 (canonized)
Pages	Variable

Pearl of Great Price is a compilation of scriptures and writings associated with the Latter Day Saint movement and Second Great Awakening–era figures. It contains selections attributed to Joseph Smith, extracts from early Book of Moses material, excerpts from the Book of Abraham, selections of Joseph Smith–Matthew, Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible, and other documents historically linked to Early Latter Day Saint publications. The work has played a role in doctrinal formation within The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and related denominations such as the Community of Christ and various Restorationist groups.

Background and Composition

The compilation assembles disparate materials produced in the milieu of Kirtland, Ohio, Nauvoo, Illinois, and the broader contexts of the Mormon migration and American frontier religious movements. Its sources include manuscripts originating from the Kirtland Temple period, revelations recorded during Joseph Smith’s tenure in Kirtland Temple events, and Egyptian papyri associated with Chicago collections and the Kirtland Egyptian papers. The composition reflects interactions with figures such as Sidney Rigdon, Oliver Cowdery, Parley P. Pratt, Brigham Young, and scribes active in the Times and Seasons and the Millennial Star.

Canonical Status and Use in Latter-day Saint Churches

Different Restorationist bodies accord varying canonical status to the compilation. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints included it in its 1880 edition of the Doctrine and Covenants appendices and later standardized it as canonical scripture, used alongside the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and the King James Bible. Community of Christ (formerly RLDS Church) historically printed portions with different emphasis and has adopted distinct editorial approaches in its scriptural publications. Smaller movements like the Church of Jesus Christ (Cutlerite) and Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints may reference or reject parts according to their doctrinal priorities, as do academic institutions such as Brigham Young University and independent scholars at University of Utah and Harvard Divinity School who study its canonical development.

Contents (Books and Texts)

The compilation traditionally contains the Book of Moses extracts from the Joseph Smith Translation, the Book of Abraham, Joseph Smith—History (an autobiographical extract), Joseph Smith–Matthew (an extract augmenting Gospel of Matthew material), and various Articles of Faith and historical documents. Specific manuscripts include material from the Joseph Smith Papers, the Wentworth Letter, and text versions printed in periodicals like the Times and Seasons and the Deseret News. It also preserves Egyptian-related documents linked to the Joseph Smith Papyri and records connected to Emma Smith and William W. Phelps.

Historical Development and Publication History

The items were compiled and first published in the 1850s by figures including Orson Pratt and editors associated with post–Joseph Smith publishing projects. The 1851 and 1853 printings, including editions by John Taylor, shaped reception, while the 1880 formal inclusion in LDS canon under Wilford Woodruff and Lorenzo Snow institutionalized its status. The historiography traces editorial choices through documents preserved in the Church Historian’s Office, correspondence involving George Q. Cannon and Heber J. Grant, and printing history linked to presses in Salt Lake City and Liverpool. Scholarly editions and critical studies have been produced by researchers affiliated with the Joseph Smith Papers Project, BYU Studies, Journal of Mormon History, and independent presses.

Doctrinal Themes and Theological Significance

The compilation addresses themes including premortal existence concepts articulated in texts derivative of Book of Moses material, cosmological accounts in the Book of Abraham concerning Kolob and creation imagery, prophetic narrative as in Joseph Smith—History, and Christological exegesis in Joseph Smith–Matthew. It informs LDS teachings on priesthood restoration, temple symbolism associated with the Kirtland Temple and Salt Lake Temple, and soteriological claims echoed in Articles of Faith extracts. The texts have been cited in addresses by general authorities like Gordon B. Hinckley, Ezra Taft Benson, Joseph Fielding Smith, and in curriculum at Seminaries and Institutes of Religion programs.

Reception, Criticism, and Controversies

Scholarly and public controversies involve questions of translation method and historicity, notably debates over the Book of Abraham’s provenance tied to the Joseph Smith Papyri and Egyptian scholarship at institutions like the Metropolitan Museum of Art and universities such as Brown University and Columbia University. Critics from secular historians and Egyptologists at University of Chicago and University of Pennsylvania have challenged Smith’s Egyptian translations, while apologists at FARMS (now Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship) and defenders associated with Brigham Young University and FairMormon have offered counterarguments. Internal debates within The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Community of Christ have addressed editorial changes, canonical scope, and pastoral use, with landmark incidents involving publication decisions under presidents like Joseph F. Smith and deliberations in councils of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

Category:Latter Day Saint texts