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Old Testament Revision, John Whitmer First Copy

Source Note

Old Testament Revision, between Dec. 1830 and early Jan. 1831; 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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; sixteen pages; CHL.
This copy of the Old Testament Revision remained in the Whitmer family until 1903, when it was acquired by the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (now Community of Christ).
1

Jackson and Faulring, “Old Testament Manuscript 3,” 116.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Jackson, Kent P., and Scott H. Faulring. “Old Testament Manuscript 3: An Early Transcript of the Book of Moses.” Mormon Historical Studies 5, no. 2 (Fall 2004): 113–144.

In 2024, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints acquired the manuscript from the Community of Christ, and it is now held at the Church History Library in Salt Lake City.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    Jackson and Faulring, “Old Testament Manuscript 3,” 116.

    Jackson, Kent P., and Scott H. Faulring. “Old Testament Manuscript 3: An Early Transcript of the Book of Moses.” Mormon Historical Studies 5, no. 2 (Fall 2004): 113–144.

Historical Introduction

Shortly before
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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moved from
New York

Located in northeast region of U.S. Area settled by Dutch traders, 1620s; later governed by Britain, 1664–1776. Admitted to U.S. as state, 1788. Population in 1810 about 1,000,000; in 1820 about 1,400,000; in 1830 about 1,900,000; and in 1840 about 2,400,...

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to
Kirtland

Located ten miles south of Lake Erie. Settled by 1811. Organized by 1818. Latter-day Saint missionaries visited township, early Nov. 1830; many residents joined Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Population in 1830 about 55 Latter-day Saints and...

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, Ohio, in early January 1831, he made a copy of Old Testament Revision 1. This copy includes the first 19 pages and the first five lines of page 20 of the revision (Moses 1; Genesis 1–5). It is possible Whitmer only copied part of the revision manuscript, or that he copied as much as had been dictated by January 1831. The specific circumstances for making this copy are unknown. It was kept in the Whitmer family until 1903, when the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints acquired it.
1

Jackson and Faulring, “Old Testament Manuscript 3,” 116.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Jackson, Kent P., and Scott H. Faulring. “Old Testament Manuscript 3: An Early Transcript of the Book of Moses.” Mormon Historical Studies 5, no. 2 (Fall 2004): 113–144.

For more information on JS’s Bible revision project, see Historical Introduction to Old Testament Revision 1.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    Jackson and Faulring, “Old Testament Manuscript 3,” 116.

    Jackson, Kent P., and Scott H. Faulring. “Old Testament Manuscript 3: An Early Transcript of the Book of Moses.” Mormon Historical Studies 5, no. 2 (Fall 2004): 113–144.

Asterisk (*) denotes a "featured" version, which includes an introduction and annotation. *Visions of Moses, June 1830 [Moses 1]

Page [2]

Hence yea from the presence of Moses that he beheld him not & n[ow]
2

TEXT: There are several tears on the left and right sides of this page; text supplied from Old Testament Revision 1.


of this thing Moses bore record but because of wickedness it is not [had] among the Children of men & it came to pass that when Satan [had] departed from the presence of Moses he lifted up his eyes unto Heav[en] being filled with the Holy Ghost which beareth record of the father & the Son & calling upon the name of God he he beheld again his glory for it was upon him & he heard a voice saying blessed art thou Mose[s] for I the Almighty have chosen thee & thou shalt be made stronger than the many waters for they shall obey thy command even as if th[ou] wert God & lo I am with thee even unto the end of thy days for th[ou] shalt deliver my People from bondage even Israel my Chosen & [it] came to pass as the voice was still speaking he cast his eyes & h[e] beheld the Earth yea even all all the face of it & there was not a p[art]icle of it which he did not behold decerning it by the Spirit of God [& he] beheld also the Inhabitants thereof & there was not a soul which he behe[ld] not & he decerned it by the spirit of God & their numbers were great even as numberless as the sand upon the sea shore & he beheld many lands & each land was called earth & there were Inhabitants upon the face thereof & it came to pass that Moses called upon God saying tell me I pray thee why these things are so & by what thou madest them & be[hold] the glory of God was upon Moses that Moses stood in the presence of God [&] he talked with him face to face & the Lord God said unto Moses for mi[ne] own purpose have I made these things here is wisdom & it remain[eth] in me & by the word of my power have I created them which is min[e] only begotten son full of grace & truth & worlds without number ha[ve] [I] created & I also created them for mine own purpose & by the same [cre]ated I them which is mine only begotten & the first man of all m[en] have I called Adam which is many but only an account of this earth & the inhabitants thereof give I unto you for behold there a[re] many worlds which have passed away by the word of my power & there are many also which now stand & numberless are they unto m[an] but all things are numbered unto me for they are mine & I know th[em] & it came to pass that Moses spake unto the Lord saying be merciful unto thy servant O God & tell me concerning this Earth & the Inhabitants th[er]eof & also the Heavens & then thy Servent will be content & the Lor[d] <​God​> spake unto Moses saying the Heavens there are many & they cannot be numbered unto man but they are numbered unto me for they are mi[ne] & as one Earth shall pass away & the Heavens thereof even so shall an other co[me] & there is no end to my work neither my words for behold this is my work to my glory to the immortality & the Eternal life of man & now Moses my Son I will speak unto you concerning this Earth upon which thou standest & thou shalt write the things which I shall spe[ak] & in a day when the Children of men shall esteem my word as naught & take many of them from the Book which thou shalt write behold I will raise up another like unto thee & they shall be had again among the children of men among even as many as shall believe these wo[rds] was spoken unto Moses in the Mount the name of which shall [not] be known among the Children of men & now they are also sp[oken] unto you shew them not unto any except them that believe a[men]
 
A Revelation given to the
Elders

A male leader in the church generally; an ecclesiastical and priesthood office or one holding that office; a proselytizing missionary. The Book of Mormon explained that elders ordained priests and teachers and administered “the flesh and blood of Christ unto...

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of the
Church of C[hrist]

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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[on the] first Book of Moses [p. [2]]
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Source Note

Document Transcript

Page [2]

Document Information

Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
Old Testament Revision, John Whitmer First Copy
ID #
9243
Total Pages
30
Print Volume Location
Handwriting on This Page
  • John Whitmer

Footnotes

  1. [2]

    TEXT: There are several tears on the left and right sides of this page; text supplied from Old Testament Revision 1.

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