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 of ancient records using objects called interpreters. A revelation read at the organization of the church on 6 April 1830 indicated that JS was to be acknowledged in church records as a seer, in addition to other titles. In some early recorded revelations, a variation of the phrase “given to Joseph the Seer” preceded or followed the text of the revelations. JS’s responsibilities as a seer including dictating revelation, “which contained doctrine, instructions, and prophecies,” to the church as a whole and to specific individuals. A November 1831 revelation specified that one of the duties of the president of the high priesthood is “to be a Seer.” Apostles, members of the presidency of the high priesthood, and the church patriarch were also sometimes specifically identified as seers.