Doctrine and Covenants

The Doctrine and Covenants (sometimes abbreviated and cited as D&C or D. and C.) is a part of the open scriptural canon of several denominations of the Latter Day Saint movement. Originally published in 1835 as Doctrine and Covenants of the Church of the Latter Day Saints: Carefully Selected from the Revelations of God, editions of the book continue to be printed mainly by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and the Community of Christ (formerly the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints [RLDS Church]).

Doctrine and Covenants
Information
Religion	Mormonism
Language	English language
Period	1835–1978 LDS/2016 CoC
Chapters	138 LDS/165 CoC
Verses	Many thousands

The book originally contained two parts: a sequence of lectures setting forth basic church doctrine, followed by a compilation of revelations, or "covenants" of the church: thus the name "Doctrine and Covenants". The "doctrine" portion of the book, however, has been removed by both the LDS Church and Community of Christ. The remaining portion of the book contains revelations on numerous topics, most of which were dictated by the movement's founder Joseph Smith, supplemented by materials periodically added by each denomination.

Controversy has existed between the two largest denominations of the Latter Day Saint movement over some sections added to the 1876 LDS edition, attributed to founder Smith. Whereas the LDS Church believes these sections to have been revelations to Smith,^[1] the RLDS Church traditionally disputed their authenticity.^[2]

History

The Doctrine and Covenants was first published in 1835 as a later version of the Book of Commandments, which had been partially printed in 1833. This earlier book contained 65 early revelations to church leaders, notably Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery. Before many copies of the book could be printed, the printing press and most of the printed copies were destroyed by a mob in Missouri.

 

Title page of the 1903 reprint of the Book of Commandments.

On September 24, 1834, a committee was appointed by the general assembly of the church to organize a new volume containing the most significant revelations. This committee of Presiding Elders, consisting of Smith, Cowdery, Sidney Rigdon, and Frederick G. Williams, began to review and revise numerous revelations for inclusion in the new work. The committee eventually organized the book into two parts: a "Doctrine" part and a "Covenants" part.

 

Title page of the original 1835 edition.

The "Doctrine" part of the book consisted of a theological course now called the "Lectures on Faith". The lectures were a series of doctrinal courses used in the School of the Prophets which had recently been completed in Kirtland, Ohio. According to the committee, these lectures were included in the compilation "in consequence of their embracing the important doctrine of salvation."^[3] The "Covenants" part of the book, labeled "Covenants and Commandments of the Lord, to his servants of the church of the Latter Day Saints", contained a total of 103 revelations. These 103 revelations were said to "contain items or principles for the regulation of the church, as taken from the revelations which have been given since its organization, as well as from former ones."^[3] Each of the 103 revelations was assigned a "section number"; however, section 66 was mistakenly used twice. Thus, the sections of the original work were numbered only to 102.

On February 17, 1835, after the committee had selected the book's contents, the committee wrote that the resulting work represents "our belief, and when we say this, humbly trust, the faith and principles of this society as a body."^[3]

The book was first introduced to the church body in a general conference on August 17, 1835. Smith and Williams, two of the Presiding Elders on the committee, were absent, but Cowdery and Rigdon were present. The church membership at the time had not yet seen the Doctrine and Covenants manuscript as it had been compiled and revised solely by the committee; however, various church members who were familiar with the work "bore record" of the book's truth. At the end of the conference, the church "by a unanimous vote" agreed to accept the compilation as "the doctrine and covenants of their faith" and to make arrangements for its printing.^[4]

In 1835, the book was printed and published under the title Doctrine and Covenants of the Church of the Latter Day Saints: Carefully Selected from the Revelations of God.

A copy of the Doctrine and Covenants from NASA photographer M. Edward Thomas traveled to the moon and back in 1972 with astronaut John Young aboard Apollo 16.^[5]

LDS Church editions

In the LDS Church, The Doctrine and Covenants of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints stands alongside the Bible, the Book of Mormon, and the Pearl of Great Price as scripture. Together the LDS Church's scriptures are referred to as the "standard works". The LDS Church's version of the Doctrine and Covenants is described by the church as "containing revelations given to Joseph Smith, the Prophet, with some additions by his successors in the Presidency of the Church."^[6]

Sections added to LDS edition

The 138 sections and two official declarations in LDS Church's Doctrine and Covenants break down as follows:

• Sections 1–134, 137: From the presidency of Joseph Smith (1828–44)
• Sections 135–136: During the administration of the Quorum of the Twelve (1844–47)
• Official Declaration 1: From the presidency of Wilford Woodruff (1889–98)
• Section 138: From the presidency of Joseph F. Smith (1901–18)
• Official Declaration 2: From the presidency of Spencer W. Kimball (1973–85)

The following sections consist of letters, reports, statements, and other similar documents: 102, 123, 127–131, 134, 135, and Official Declarations 1 and 2.

In 1844, the church added eight sections not included in the 1835 edition. In the current edition, these added sections are numbered 103, 105, 112, 119, 124, 127, 128, and 135.

In 1876, a new LDS Church edition renumbered most of the sections in a roughly chronological order instead of the earlier topical order, and included 26 sections not included in previous editions, now numbered as sections 2, 13, 77, 85, 87, 108–111, 113–118, 120–123, 125, 126, 129–132, and 136. Previous editions had been divided into verses with the early versifications generally following the paragraph structure of the original text. It was with the 1876 edition that the currently used versification was first employed.

During the 1880s, five foreign editions contained two revelations to John Taylor that were received in 1882 and 1883; these revelations "set in order" the priesthood, gave more clarification about the roles of priesthood offices—especially the seventy—and required "men who ... preside over my priesthood" to live plural marriage in order to qualify to hold their church positions.^[7] Due to the LDS Church's change in attitude to polygamy in 1890, these sections were not included in future English editions of the Doctrine and Covenants.^[8]

In 1930, a small volume edited by apostle James E. Talmage titled Latter-day Revelations was published, which was a highly edited selective version of the Doctrine and Covenants. Talmage wrote that the book's purpose was "to make the strictly doctrinal parts of the Doctrine and Covenants of easy access and reduce its bulk" by including only "the sections comprising scriptures of general and enduring value".^[9] Ninety-five of the sections of the Doctrine and Covenants were completely omitted—most notably section 132 on plural and celestial marriage—along with parts of 21 others.^[9] Twenty complete sections were retained along with parts of 21 others.^[10] Fundamentalist Mormons were offended, particularly at the exclusion of section 132, and accused the church of "changing the scriptures."^[10] As a result, church president Heber J. Grant ordered the withdrawal of the book from sale with the remaining copies shredded in order to "avoid further conflict with the fundamentalists".^[10]

Sections 137 and 138 were added to the LDS Church's 1981 edition of the Doctrine and Covenants, which is the edition currently in use by the church. These were accounts of two visions, one from Joseph Smith in 1837 and the other from his nephew, Joseph F. Smith, in 1918. The revelations were earlier accepted as scripture when added to the Pearl of Great Price in April 1976.^[11] No new revelatory sections have been added since 1981.

The LDS Church's 1981 edition contains two "Official Declarations" at the book's conclusion. The 1890 Official Declaration 1 ended the church-authorized practice of plural marriage, and the 1978 Official Declaration 2 announces the opening of priesthood ordination to all worthy male members without regard to race or color. The two Official Declarations are not revelations, but they serve as the formal announcements that a revelation was received. In neither case is the revelation included in the Doctrine and Covenants. The text of Official Declaration 1 has been included in every LDS Church printing of the Doctrine and Covenants since 1908.

Portions removed from the LDS edition

In 1876, section 101 from the 1835 edition (and subsequent printings) was removed. Section 101 was a "Statement on Marriage" as adopted by an 1835 conference of the church,^[12][13] and contained the following text:

Inasmuch as this Church of Christ has been reproached with the crime of fornication and polygamy, we declare that we believe that one man should have one wife, and one woman but one husband, except in the case of death, when either is at liberty to marry again.^[14]

This section was removed because it had been superseded by section 132 of the modern LDS edition, recorded in 1843, which contains a revelation received by Joseph Smith on eternal marriage and plural marriage, the origin of the principles of which the LDS Church traces to as early as 1831.

In 1921, the LDS Church removed the "Lectures on Faith" portion of the book, with an explanation that the lectures "were never presented to nor accepted by the Church as being otherwise than theological lectures or lessons".^[15] The lectures contain theology concerning the Godhead and emphasize the importance of faith and works.

Until 1981, editions of the book used code names for certain people and places in those sections that dealt with the United Order. The 1981 LDS edition replaced these with the real names, relegating the code names to footnotes. The Community of Christ edition still uses the code names.

Community of Christ editions

Officials of the Community of Christ (formerly known as the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints [RLDS Church]) first published an edition of the Doctrine and Covenants in 1864, based on the previous 1844 edition. A general conference of the church in 1878 approved a resolution that declared that the revelations of the Prophet-President Joseph Smith III had equal standing to those previously included in the work. Since that time, the church has continued to add sections to its edition of the Doctrine and Covenants, containing the revelations of succeeding Prophet-Presidents. The most recent addition was formally authorized on April 14, 2010, after being presented to the church for informal consideration on January 17, 2010. The numbers of the sections and versification differ from the edition published by the LDS Church and both modern editions differ from the original 1835 edition numeration.

Sections added to the Community of Christ edition

The 167 sections of the Community of Christ's Doctrine and Covenants break down as follows:

• Sections 1–113 (includes 108A): From the presidency of Joseph Smith (1828–44)
• Sections 114–131: From the presidency of Joseph Smith III (1860–1914)
• Sections 132–138: From the presidency of Frederick M. Smith (1914–46)
• Sections 139–144: From the presidency of Israel A. Smith (1946–58)
• Sections 145–152 (includes 149A): From the presidency of W. Wallace Smith (1958–78)
• Sections 153–160: From the presidency of Wallace B. Smith (1978–96)
• Sections 161–162: From the presidency of W. Grant McMurray (1996–2004)
• Sections 163–165: From the presidency of Stephen M. Veazey (2005–)

The following sections are not revelations, but letters, reports, statements, and other similar documents: 99, 108A, 109–113, and 123.

Based on the above, the number of revelations (accounting for sections that are not revelations) presented by each Community of Christ president, are as follows:

• Joseph Smith: 107
• Joseph Smith III: 17
• Frederick M. Smith: 7
• Israel A. Smith: 6
• W. Wallace Smith: 9
• Wallace B. Smith: 8
• W. Grant McMurray: 2
• Stephen M. Veazey: 3

Portions removed from the Community of Christ edition

The Community of Christ removed the "Lectures on Faith" in 1897. The 1970 World Conference concluded that several sections that had been added between the 1835 and 1844 editions—mainly dealing with the subjects of temple worship and baptism for the dead—had been published without proper approval of a church conference. As a result, the World Conference removed sections 107, 109, 110, 113, and 123 to a historical appendix, which also includes documents that were never published as sections. Of these, only section 107 was a revelation. The World Conference of 1990 subsequently removed the entire appendix from the Doctrine and Covenants. Section 108A contained the minutes of a business meeting, which, because of its historical nature, was moved to the Introduction in the 1970s. After 1990, the Introduction was updated, and what was section 108A was removed entirely.

Doctrinal developments in the Community of Christ edition

The ongoing additions to the Community of Christ edition provide a record of the leadership changes and doctrinal developments within the denomination. When W. Grant McMurray became Prophet-President, he declared that instruction specific to leadership changes would no longer be included, so that the focus of the work could be more doctrinal in nature, and less administrative. The record of these leadership changes are still maintained in the form of published "letters of counsel." Prophet-President Stephen M. Veazey has conformed to this pattern. Although these letters are not formally published in the Doctrine and Covenants, they are still deemed to be inspired, and are dealt with in the same manner that revelations are (that is, they must be deliberated and approved by the voting members of a World Conference).

A modern revelation that resulted in some "disaffection" and "led to intense conflict in scattered areas of the RLDS Church"^[16]: 1211 is contained in the Community of Christ version's section 156, presented by Prophet–President Wallace B. Smith and added in 1984, which called for the ordination of women to the priesthood and set out the primary purpose of temples to be "the pursuit of peace".^[17] A resulting schism over the legitimacy of these change led to the formation of the Restoration Branches movement, the Restoration Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and the Remnant Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

While some of the prose in the new revelations seems designed to guide the denomination on matters of church governance and doctrine, others are seen as inspirational. One such example can be cited from section 161, presented as counsel to the church by W. Grant McMurray in 1996: "Become a people of the Temple—those who see violence but proclaim peace, who feel conflict yet extend the hand of reconciliation, who encounter broken spirits and find pathways for healing."

Editions used by other denominations

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Strangite) uses the 1846 edition that was published in Nauvoo, Illinois; this version is virtually identical to the 1844 edition. Most recently a facsimile reprint was produced for the church at Voree, Wisconsin by Richard Drew in 1993.

The Church of Christ (Temple Lot) contends that the thousands of changes made to the original revelations as published in the Book of Commandments (including the change of the church's name) are not doctrinal and result from Joseph Smith's fall from his original calling. As a result, the Church of Christ (Temple Lot) prefers to use reprints of the Book of Commandments text.

The Church of Jesus Christ (Cutlerite) accepts the 1844 edition of the Doctrine and Covenants, including the Lectures on Faith, which it insists are as much inspired as the revelations themselves.

The Restoration Branches generally use the older RLDS Church Doctrine and Covenants, typically sections 1–144.

The Remnant Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints uses the older RLDS Church version of the Doctrine and Covenants up to section 144, and also 19 new revelations from their previous president, Frederick Niels Larsen.

"Remnant" movement, a spiritual movement in schism with the LDS Church, published an online "Restoration" edition of the Doctrine and Covenants in 2017. It includes any sections authored by Joseph Smith. It also: includes a new version of D&C 54, as revised by Denver Snuffer;^[18] excludes the Kirtland Temple visitation by Elijah and other angelic beings in D&C 110; excludes portions based on fragmentary teachings by Smith in D&C 129; includes Smith's Lectures on Faith; and includes a new appendix titled, "A Prophet’s Prerogative," by Jeff Savage.^[19][20]

Chart comparison of editions

The following chart compares the current editions of the Doctrine and Covenants used by the LDS Church (LDS ed.) and Community of Christ (CofC ed.) with the 1833 Book of Commandments (BofC), the 1835 edition published in Kirtland, and the 1844 edition published in Nauvoo. Unless otherwise specified, the document is styled a "revelation" of the person delivering it.

LDS ed.	CofC ed.	BofC (1833)	Kirtland ed. (1835)	Nauvoo ed. (1844)	Date	Delivered by	Description
1	1	1	1	1	1 Nov 1831	Joseph Smith	Lord's "Preface"
2	–	–	–	–	21 Sep 1823	Joseph Smith (angelic visitation)	Moroni's visit to Joseph Smith
3	2	2	30	30	Jul 1828	Joseph Smith	lost 116 pages
4	4	3	31	31	Feb 1829	Joseph Smith	To Joseph Smith, Sr.
5	5	4	32	32	Mar 1829	Joseph Smith	To Martin Harris; golden plates
6	6	5	8	8	Apr 1829	Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery	To Oliver Cowdery
7	7	6	33	33	Apr 1829	Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery	To Joseph Smith, Oliver Cowdery; the Account of John
8	8	7	34	34	Apr 1829	Joseph Smith	To Oliver Cowdery; Book of Mormon translation
9	9	8	35	35	Apr 1829	Joseph Smith	To Oliver Cowdery; Book of Mormon translation
10	3	9	36	36	Apr 1829 (suspected; possibly earlier)	Joseph Smith	lost 116 pages
11	10	10	37	37	May 1829	Joseph Smith	To Hyrum Smith
12	11	11	38	38	May 1829	Joseph Smith	To Joseph Knight, Sr.
13	–	–	–	–	15 May 1829	Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery (angelic visitation)	Conferral of Aaronic priesthood by John the Baptist
14	12	12	39	39	Jun 1829	Joseph Smith	To David Whitmer
15	13	13	40	40	Jun 1829	Joseph Smith	To John Whitmer
16	14	14	41	41	Jun 1829	Joseph Smith	To Peter Whitmer, Jr.
17	15	–	42	42	Jun 1829	Joseph Smith	To Three Witnesses
18	16	15	43	43	Jun 1829	Joseph Smith, Oliver Cowdery, and David Whitmer	selection of Twelve Apostles
19	18	16	44	44	Summer 1829	Joseph Smith	To Martin Harris
20	17	24	2	2	Summer 1829 (received); 6 Apr 1830 (recorded and finalized)	Joseph Smith	Church organization and government
21	19	22	46	46	6 Apr 1830	Joseph Smith	Joseph Smith's calling
22	20	23	47	47	16 Apr 1830	Joseph Smith	baptism
23	21	17–21	45	45	Apr 1830	Joseph Smith	To Oliver Cowdery, Hyrum Smith, Samuel H. Smith, Joseph Smith, Sr., Joseph Knight, Sr.
24	23	25	9	9	Jul 1830	Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery	Callings of Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery
25	24	26	48	48	Jul 1830	Joseph Smith	To Emma Smith; compilation of a church hymnal
26	25	27	49	49	Jul 1830	Joseph Smith, Oliver Cowdery, and John Whitmer	Common consent
27	26	28	50	50	Aug 1830	Joseph Smith	Sacrament and priesthood ordinations
28	27	30	51	51	Sep 1830	Joseph Smith	To Oliver Cowdery; Joseph Smith to receive revelations until another appointed
29	28	29	10	10	Sep 1830	Joseph Smith	To six elders; Second Coming; origin of Satan; redemption of children
30	29	31–33	52	52	Sep 1830	Joseph Smith	To David Whitmer, Peter Whitmer, Jr., John Whitmer
31	30	34	53	53	Sep 1830	Joseph Smith	To Thomas B. Marsh
32	31	–	54	54	Oct 1830	Joseph Smith	To Parley P. Pratt and Ziba Peterson
33	32	35	55	55	Oct 1830	Joseph Smith	To Ezra Thayre and Northrop Sweet
34	33	36	56	56	4 Nov 1830	Joseph Smith	To Orson Pratt
35	34	37	11	11	7 Dec 1830	Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon	Callings Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon; signs and miracles; the elect
36	35	38	57	57	9 Dec 1830	Joseph Smith	To Edward Partridge
37	37	39	58	58	Dec 1830	Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon	Saints to gather in Ohio
38	38	40	12	12	2 Jan 1831	Joseph Smith	equality; wars
39	39	41	59	59	5 Jan 1831	Joseph Smith	To James Covel
40	40	42	60	60	6 Jan 1831	Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon	Concerning James Covel
41	41	43	61	61	4 Feb 1831	Joseph Smith	To the church; Edward Partridge called as bishop
42	42	44, 47	13	13	9, 23 Feb 1831	Joseph Smith	"The Laws of the Church of Christ"; explanation of the United Order
43	43	45	14	14	Feb 1831	Joseph Smith	Role of President of the Church; missionary work; forces of nature
44	44	46	62	62	Feb 1831 (latter part)	Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon	Church conference called
45	45	48	15	15	7 Mar 1831	Joseph Smith	Matthew chapter 24 explained; missionary work; Christ as advocate
46	46	49	16	16	8 Mar 1831	Joseph Smith	Sacrament meeting, gifts of the Spirit
47	47	50	63	63	8 Mar 1831	Joseph Smith	John Whitmer to keep history of church
48	48	51	64	64	10 Mar 1831	Joseph Smith	Purchase of lands
49	49	52	65	65	7 May 1831	Joseph Smith	To Joseph Smith, Sidney Rigdon, Parley P. Pratt, and Leman Copley; Shaker beliefs
50	50	53	17	17	9 May 1831	Joseph Smith	Recognizing the Spirit
51	51	–	23	23	20 May 1831	Joseph Smith	Property division
52	52	54	66	66	6 Jun 1831	Joseph Smith	Sending elders to Missouri
53	53	55	66^[21]	67	8 Jun 1831	Joseph Smith	To Algernon Sidney Gilbert
54	54	56	67	68	10 Jun 1831	Joseph Smith	To Newel Knight
55	55	57	68	69	14 Jun 1831	Joseph Smith	To W. W. Phelps
56	56	58	69	70	15 Jun 1831	Joseph Smith	The rebellious; the rich and the poor
57	57	–	27	27	20 Jul 1831	Joseph Smith	Location of Zion at Jackson County, Missouri
58	58	59	18	18	1 Aug 1831	Joseph Smith	Tribulations; gather to Zion
59	59	60	19	19	7 Aug 1831	Joseph Smith	The sabbath; reward for the righteous
60	60	61	70	71	8 Aug 1831	Joseph Smith	Elders to travel to Cincinnati, Ohio; missionary work
61	61	62	71	72	12 Aug 1831	Joseph Smith	"Destruction upon the waters"
62	62	63	72	73	13 Aug 1831	Joseph Smith	Missionary work
63	63	64	20	20	30 Aug 1831	Joseph Smith	Signs; mysteries; impending war and woe; gather to Zion; authority to use Lord's name
64	64	65^[22]	21	21	11 Sep 1831	Joseph Smith	Forgiveness; financial debt; tithing; Zion to flourish
65	65	–	24	24	30 Oct 1831	Joseph Smith (prayer)	Prayer of Joseph Smith; keys of the kingdom
66	66	–	74	75	29 Oct 1831	Joseph Smith	To William E. McLellin
67	67	–	25	25	early Nov 1831	Joseph Smith	Testimony of the Book of Commandments
68	68	–	22	22	1 Nov 1831	Joseph Smith	To Orson Hyde, Luke S. Johnson, Lyman E. Johnson, and William E. McLellin; bishops; parents
69	69	–	28	28	11 Nov 1831	Joseph Smith	Assignments for John Whitmer
70	70	–	26	26	12 Nov 1831	Joseph Smith	Stewardship; equality
71	71	–	90	91	1 Dec 1831	Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon	Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon called to preach
72	72	–	89	90	4 Dec 1831	Joseph Smith	Bishops
73	73	–	29	29	10 Jan 1832	Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon	Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible
74	74	–	73	74	1830 (month unknown)	Joseph Smith	Explanation of 1 Corinthians 7:14; salvation of children
75	75	–	87	88	25 Jan 1832	Joseph Smith	Missionary work; families of missionaries
76	76	–	91	92	16 Feb 1832	Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon (vision)	Jesus Christ; resurrection; degrees of glory; origin of Satan; called "The Vision"^[23]
77	–	–	–	–	Mar 1832	Joseph Smith	Explanation of certain verses in Revelation
78	77	–	75	76	1 Mar 1832	Joseph Smith	United Order; equality
79	78	–	76	77	12 Mar 1832	Joseph Smith	To Jared Carter
80	79	–	77	78	7 Mar 1832	Joseph Smith	To Stephen Burnett and Eden Smith
81	80	–	79	80	15 Mar 1832	Joseph Smith	To Jesse Gause; on 18 Mar 1833 its application was transferred to Frederick G. Williams
82	81	–	86	87	26 Apr 1832	Joseph Smith	Obedience; United Order; equality
83	82	–	88	89	30 Apr 1832	Joseph Smith	Husbands and fathers; widows and orphans
84	83	–	4	4	22–23 Sep 1832	Joseph Smith	Priesthood
85	–	–	–	–	27 Nov 1832	Joseph Smith (letter)	Letter from Joseph Smith to W. W. Phelps; United Order; One Mighty and Strong; equality
86	84	–	6	6	6 Dec 1832	Joseph Smith	Parable of the Tares explained
87	–	–	–	–	25 Dec 1832	Joseph Smith	Prophecy of war and calamity
88	85	–	7	7	27–28 Dec 1832; 3 Jan 1833	Joseph Smith	The "olive leaf"; "Lord's message of peace"
89	86	–	80	81	27 Feb 1833	Joseph Smith	A "Word of Wisdom"
90	87	–	84	85	8 Mar 1833	Joseph Smith	Keys of the kingdom; First Presidency
91	88	–	92	93	9 Mar 1833	Joseph Smith	The Apocrypha
92	89	–	93	94	15 Mar 1833	Joseph Smith	To Frederick G. Williams
93	90	–	82	83	6 May 1833	Joseph Smith	John's record of Christ; intelligence; innocence of children
94	91	–	83	84	2 Aug 1833	Joseph Smith	To Hyrum Smith, Reynolds Cahoon, and Jared Carter; construction of various buildings commanded
95	92	–	95	96	1 Jun 1833	Joseph Smith	Kirtland Temple to be built; purpose of temples
96	93	–	96	97	4 Jun 1833	Joseph Smith	Division of property
97	94	–	81	82	2 Aug 1833	Joseph Smith	Saints in Jackson County, Missouri; temple to be built in Jackson County
98	95	–	85	86	6 Aug 1833	Joseph Smith	Promises and warnings; martyrs; when war is justified; forgiving enemies
99	96	–	78	79	29 Aug 1832^[24]	Joseph Smith	To John Murdock
100	97	–	94	95	12 Oct 1833	Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon	Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon to preach gospel; Rigdon to be Smith's spokesman; welfare of Orson Hyde and John Gould
101	98	–	97	98	16–17 Dec 1833	Joseph Smith	Redemption of Zion; parables; United States and the U.S. Constitution; Saints to seek redress
102	99	–	5	5	17 Feb 1834	Oliver Cowdery and Orson Hyde (minutes of meeting)	Minutes for first high council meeting
103	100	–	–	101	24 Feb 1834	Joseph Smith	Redemption of Zion; organization of Zion's Camp
104	101	–	98	99	23 Apr 1834	Joseph Smith	United Order
105	102	–	–	102	22 Jun 1834	Joseph Smith	Redemption of Zion; purpose of Kirtland Temple; peace
106	103	–	99	100	25 Nov 1834	Joseph Smith	To Warren A. Cowdery; Second Coming
107	104	–	3	3	Apr 1835 (completed); some portions received 11 Nov 1831	Joseph Smith	Priesthood; quorums
108	–	–	–	–	26 Dec 1835	Joseph Smith	To Lyman Sherman
109	–	–	–	–	27 Mar 1836	Joseph Smith (prayer)	Dedicatory prayer for Kirtland Temple
110	–	–	–	–	3 Apr 1836	Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery (vision and angelic visitations)	Visitation of Jesus Christ to accept Kirtland Temple; conferral of priesthood keys; coming of Moses, Elias, and Elijah
111	–	–	–	–	6 Aug 1836	Joseph Smith	temporal needs of the church
112	105	–	–	104	23 Jul 1837	Joseph Smith	To Thomas B. Marsh; Quorum of the Twelve Apostles; First Presidency
113	–	–	–	–	Mar 1838	Joseph Smith (answers to questions)	Answers to questions on the Book of Isaiah
114	–	–	–	–	11 Apr 1838	Joseph Smith	Concerning David W. Patten
115	–	–	–	–	26 Apr 1838	Joseph Smith	Name of the church; stakes; temple to be built at Far West, Missouri
116	–	–	–	–	19 May 1838	Joseph Smith	Adam-ondi-Ahman
117	–	–	–	–	8 Jul 1838	Joseph Smith	Concerning William Marks, Newel K. Whitney, and Oliver Granger; property; sacrifice
118	–	–	–	–	8 Jul 1838	Joseph Smith	Vacancies in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles filled
119	106	–	–	107	8 Jul 1838	Joseph Smith	Tithing
120	–	–	–	–	8 Jul 1838	Joseph Smith	Council on the Disposition of the Tithes
121	–	–	–	–	20 Mar 1839	Joseph Smith (prayer and prophecies)	Prayer and prophecies of Joseph Smith; why many are called but few chosen
122	–	–	–	–	20 Mar 1839	Joseph Smith	Destiny of Joseph Smith
123	–	–	–	–	20 Mar 1839	Joseph Smith (letter)	Letter to church; duty in relation to their persecutors
124	107^[25]	–	–	103	19 Jan 1841	Joseph Smith	Nauvoo Temple and Nauvoo House to be built; baptism for the dead
125	–	–	–	–	Mar 1841	Joseph Smith	Saints in Iowa
126	–	–	–	–	9 Jul 1841	Joseph Smith	To Brigham Young
127	109^[25]	–	–	105	1 Sep 1842	Joseph Smith (letter)	Letter to church; baptism for the dead
128	110^[25]	–	–	106	6 Sep 1842	Joseph Smith (letter)	Letter to church; baptism for the dead
129	–	–	–	–	9 Feb 1843	Joseph Smith (instructions)	Distinguishing the nature of angels and disembodied spirits
130	–	–	–	–	2 Apr 1843	Joseph Smith (instruction)	Various items of instruction; corporeal nature of God and Jesus Christ; intelligence; seer stones
131	–	–	–	–	16–17 May 1843	Joseph Smith (instruction)	Various items of instruction; celestial marriage; eternal life
132	–	–	–	–	12 Jul 1843	Joseph Smith	Plural marriage; celestial marriage; sealing power; exaltation
133	108	–	100	108	3 Nov 1831	Joseph Smith	Original "Appendix"; Second Coming; missionary work
134	112	–	102	110	17 Aug 1835	Church (declaration)	secular governments and laws in general
135	113^[25]	–	–	111	27 Jun 1844	John Taylor (eulogy)	Martyrdom of Joseph Smith and Hyrum Smith
136	–	–	–	–	14 Jan 1847	Brigham Young	Organization of Mormon pioneer westward journey
137^[26]	–	–	–	–	21 Jan 1836	Joseph Smith (vision)	Salvation for the dead; salvation of little children
138^[26]	–	–	–	–	3 Oct 1918	Joseph F. Smith (vision)	Jesus Christ preached to spirits in prison; salvation for the dead
OD 1	–	–	–	–	24 Sep 1890	Wilford Woodruff (declaration)	Cessation of plural marriage
OD 2	–	–	–	–	8 Jun 1978	Spencer W. Kimball, N. Eldon Tanner, Marion G. Romney (declaration)	1978 Revelation on Priesthood: cessation of priesthood restrictions based on race
–^[27]	22^[28]	–	–	–	Jun 1830	Joseph Smith	God's words to Moses (article)
–^[29]	36^[30]	–	–	–	Dec 1830	Joseph Smith	Prophecy of Enoch (article)
–	108A	–	103	–	17 Aug 1835	Thomas Burdick, Warren Parrish, and Sylvester Smith (minutes of meeting)	General meeting of the quorums of the church to consider the labors of the committee charged with organizing publication of the revelations into a book
–	111 2015-09-06 at the Wayback Machine	–	101	109	17 Aug 1835	Church (declaration)	Declaration on marriage; one spouse only
–	114 2015-09-06 at the Wayback Machine	–	–	–	7 Oct 1861	Joseph Smith III (letter)	Tithing
–	115	–	–	–	Mar 1863	Joseph Smith III	Calling of William Marks
–	116 2015-09-23 at the Wayback Machine	–	–	–	4 May 1865	Joseph Smith III	Priesthood ordination of other races
–	117 2007-06-07 at the Wayback Machine	–	–	–	10 Apr 1873	Joseph Smith III	Changes in leadership positions
–	118	–	–	–	28 Sep 1882	Joseph Smith III	Foreign missions
–	119	–	–	–	11 Apr 1887	Joseph Smith III	Instructions to the elders
–	120	–	–	–	8 Apr 1890	Joseph Smith III	Branch and district presidents
–	121	–	–	–	11 Apr 1885	Joseph Smith III	Changes in leadership positions
–	122	–	–	–	15 Apr 1894	Joseph Smith III	Duties of quorums
–	123^[25]	–	–	–	20 Apr 1894	Joint council of the First Presidency, Council of Twelve Apostles, and Presiding Bishopric (report)	Lamoni College; church publications; relations with the LDS Church; doctrinal tracts; interpretation of various scriptures; gospel boat; branch in Detroit
–	124 2007-06-07 at the Wayback Machine	–	–	–	Apr 1894	Joseph Smith III	Changes in leadership positions
–	125	–	–	–	15 Apr 1901	Joseph Smith III	Patriarchs; foreign missions
–	126	–	–	–	16 Apr 1902	Joseph Smith III (vision)	Quorums
–	127	–	–	–	14 Apr 1906	Joseph Smith III	Sanitarium
–	128	–	–	–	18 Apr 1909	Joseph Smith III	Organization and colonization
–	129 2007-06-07 at the Wayback Machine	–	–	–	18 Apr 1909	Joseph Smith III	Changes in leadership positions
–	130	–	–	–	14 Apr 1913	Joseph Smith III	Changes in leadership positions
–	131	–	–	–	14 Apr 1914	Joseph Smith III	Presiding Bishopric
–	132	–	–	–	5 Apr 1916	Frederick M. Smith	Presiding Bishop
–	133	–	–	–	7 Apr 1920	Frederick M. Smith	Missionary work
–	134 2007-11-04 at the Wayback Machine	–	–	–	2 Oct 1922	Frederick M. Smith	Changes in leadership positions
–	135	–	–	–	18 Apr 1925	Frederick M. Smith	Changes in leadership positions
–	136	–	–	–	14 Apr 1932	Frederick M. Smith	Changes in leadership positions; unity
–	137 2007-11-04 at the Wayback Machine	–	–	–	7 Apr 1938	Frederick M. Smith	Changes in leadership positions
–	138	–	–	–	10 Apr 1940	Frederick M. Smith	Changes in leadership positions; work toward Zion
–	139 2007-06-07 at the Wayback Machine	–	–	–	9 Apr 1946	Israel A. Smith	Changes in leadership positions
–	140	–	–	–	7 Apr 1947	Israel A. Smith	Changes in leadership positions; Zion
–	141	–	–	–	2 Oct 1948	Israel A. Smith	Changes in leadership positions; counsel
–	142	–	–	–	2 Apr 1950	Israel A. Smith	Commendation; urge to work
–	143	–	–	–	7 Apr 1954	Israel A. Smith	Changes in leadership positions; counsel
–	144	–	–	–	7 Apr 1954	Israel A. Smith (letter)	New President of the Church named
–	145	–	–	–	8 Oct 1958	W. Wallace Smith	Changes in leadership positions
–	146	–	–	–	2 Apr 1960	W. Wallace Smith	Changes in leadership positions; unity commended
–	147	–	–	–	11 Mar 1964	W. Wallace Smith	Changes in leadership positions; stewardship
–	148	–	–	–	18 Apr 1966	W. Wallace Smith	Changes in leadership positions; counsel
–	149	–	–	–	1 Apr 1968	W. Wallace Smith	Changes in leadership positions; relationship between ministerial programs; prepare to build temple at Independence
–	149A	–	–	–	5 Apr 1968	W. Wallace Smith	Clarification of 149
–	150	–	–	–	14 Apr 1972	W. Wallace Smith	Changes in leadership positions; counsel on culture; Independence Temple preparation; ecology
–	151	–	–	–	1 Apr 1974	W. Wallace Smith	Changes in leadership positions; reconciliation
–	152	–	–	–	29 Mar 1976	W. Wallace Smith	New precedent on presidential succession; presidential successor named; changes in leadership positions; reconciliation
–	153	–	–	–	6 Apr 1978	Wallace B. Smith	New President of the Church; changes in leadership positions; counsel on outreach
–	154	–	–	–	8 Apr 1980	Wallace B. Smith	Changes in leadership positions; counsel on outreach
–	155	–	–	–	29 Mar 1982	Wallace B. Smith	Changes in leadership positions; counsel on witness
–	156	–	–	–	3 Apr 1984	Wallace B. Smith	Purpose of Independence Temple; priesthood opened to women; changes in leadership positions
–	157	–	–	–	12 Apr 1988	Wallace B. Smith	Changes in leadership positions; unity; humility
–	158	–	–	–	5 Apr 1992	Wallace B. Smith	Changes in leadership positions; the spiritual life
–	159	–	–	–	10 Apr 1994	Wallace B. Smith	Changes in leadership positions; trusting the Spirit; Independence Temple accepted
–	160	–	–	–	14 Apr 1996	Wallace B. Smith	New President of the Church named
–	161	–	–	–	4 Apr 2000	W. Grant McMurray	Proclaim peace; reach out; patience; embrace differences; respect tradition
–	162	–	–	–	29 Mar 2004	W. Grant McMurray	Be a prophetic people; diversity; tithing
–	163	–	–	–	29 Mar 2007	Stephen M. Veazey	Strive for peace; missionary work; use and misuse of scripture; equality; generosity
–	164	–	–	–	17 Jan 2010	Stephen M. Veazey	Effects of baptism, confirmation, and sacrament of the Lord's Supper; cultural awareness and sensitivity; flexibility in number of quorums of seventy; accelerate evangelism
–	165	–	–	–	5 Apr 2016^[31]	Stephen M. Veazey	Expand community, promote peace, and end poverty; tithing; unity in diversity; act in accordance to beliefs

See also

•  Christianity portal
•  Latter Day Saint movement portal

• List of non-canonical revelations in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
• Proclamations of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
• Urim and Thummim (Latter Day Saints)

Notes

1. Section 132, churchofjesuschrist.org, accessed December 26, 2008.
2. Differences between the RLDS and LDS Doctrine and Covenants on the subject of Marriage, accessed December 26, 2008.
3. See 1835 D&C, Preface.
4. Joseph Smith, B. H. Roberts (ed.) (1902). History of the Church 2:243–46.
5. Stephenson, Kathy. "Book of Mormon that traveled to the moon makes a Utah landing", The Salt Lake Tribune, 2 October 2019. Retrieved on 26 March 2020.
6. "LDS 1981 D&C Title Page".
7. Holzapfel, Richard; Jones, Christopher. ""John the Revelator": The Written Revelations of John Taylor". BYU Religious Studies Center. Retrieved 2014-12-16.
8. Mary Jane Woodger. ""John the Revelator": The Written Revelations of John Taylor". Religious Studies Center. from the original on April 26, 2020. Retrieved May 25, 2021.
9. Newell G. Bringhurst, "Section 132 of the Doctrine and Covenants: Its Complex and Controversial Legacy" in Newell G. Bringhurst and Craig L. Foster (eds.), The Persistence of Polygamy: Joseph Smith and the Origins of Mormon Polygamy (Independence, Missouri: John Whitmer Books, 2010 ISBN 9781934901137) pp. 83-84.
10. James P. Harris, "Foreword" in James E. Talmage, Articles of Faith (1st ed. photo reproduction, Salt Lake City, Utah: Signature Books, 2010 ISBN 9781560851677).
11. "Scriptural Text for Visions Added to Pearl of Great Price". Ensign: 127. May 1976.
12. History of the Church 2:247.
13. Messenger and Advocate, August 1835, p. 163
14. Doctrine and Covenants (1835 edition) 101:4.
15. See Introduction, 1921 edition.
16. Howard, Richard P. (1992), "Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (RLDS Church)", in Ludlow, Daniel H (ed.), Encyclopedia of Mormonism, New York: Macmillan Publishing, pp. 1211–1216, ISBN 0-02-879602-0, OCLC 24502140
17. D&C Section 156.
18. "Section 54: Revelation given to Joseph Smith, Nauvoo, Illinois, 12 July 1843. Revision by Denver Snuffer Jr.". Restoration edition [preview] Doctrine and Covenants; Pearls of Great Price. Scriptures.info. March 2017. pp. 147–150.
19. Doctrine and Covenants & Pearls of Great Price. Scriptures.info. March 2017.
20. Mary Ann (2017-03-22). "Denver Snuffer's Teachings to be Canonized as Scripture – Wheat & Tares". Wheatandtares.org. Retrieved 2017-10-31.
21. This section was mistakenly numbered LXVI, the same as the previous section. This numbering error was corrected in the Nauvoo edition, thus changing the number of all subsequent sections.
22. Incomplete; due to the loss of printed pages, all copies of the Book of Commandments end in the middle of this revelation.
23. "'The Vision'" by Matthew McBride. Revelations in Context: The Stories Behind the Sections of the Doctrine and Covenants ed. Matthew McBride and James Goldberg. 2016. Accessed March 18, 2021.
24. Some older LDS and RLDS editions mistakenly date this revelation to August 1833.
25. Placed in the Appendix at the 1970 World Conference; the Appendix was removed completely by the 1990 World Conference.
26. Originally included in the LDS Church’s Pearl of Great Price.
27. Included in the LDS Pearl of Great Price as Moses chapter 1.
28. Approved by the 1970 World Conference.
29. Included in the LDS Pearl of Great Price as Moses chapter 7.
30. Approved by the 1970 World Conference; Genesis 7:1–78 in the Inspired Version of the Bible.
31. "Official Actions of the 2016 World Conference" (PDF). Community of Christ. 11 June 2016. Retrieved 19 December 2016.

References

• The Doctrine and Covenants of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Containing Revelations Given to Joseph Smith, the Prophet, with Some Additions by his Successors in the Presidency of the Church, Intellectual Reserve: Salt Lake City, UT, 1981.
• Book of Doctrine and Covenants: Carefully Selected from the Revelations of God and Given in the Order of their Dates, Herald Publishing House: Independence, MO, 2000.
• Joseph Smith, The Doctrine and Covenants of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints: Carefully Selected from the Revelations of God, photo enlarged and reprinted from the 1846 Nauvoo edition by Richard Drew, Burlington (Voree), Wisconsin, 1993, for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Strangite).
• Peter Judd, Journey in Trust: A Study Resource for D&C 161, Herald House, 2004. ISBN 0-8309-1122-7
• Book of Commandments: Herald Heritage Reprint, Herald House, 1833 (reprint). ISBN 0-8309-0066-7
• F. Henry Edwards, The Edwards Commentary on the Doctrine & Covenants, Herald House, 1986. ISBN 0-8309-0187-6
• Woodford, Robert J. (1992), "Doctrine and Covenants Editions", in Ludlow, Daniel H (ed.), Encyclopedia of Mormonism, New York: Macmillan Publishing, pp. 425–427, ISBN 0-02-879602-0, OCLC 24502140

Further reading

• Hedges, Andew (2008), The Doctrine and Covenants: Revelations in Context, BYU, ISBN 978-1-60641-015-8
• Esplin, Scott (2012), , BYU, ISBN 978-0-8425-2819-1, archived from the original on 2013-03-15
• Benjamin E. Park (May 14, 2020). "How An 1843 Revelation on Polygamy Poses A Serious Challenge to Modern Mormonism". Religion Dispatches.

External links

• The Doctrine and Covenants at Wikisource (LDS Church version).
• Doctrine and Covenants – Complete official 2013 LDS Church edition
• Doctrine and Covenants Official LDS Church edition (pdf)
• RLDS Sections 1–144 – unofficial HTML version produced for the Restoration Branches
• RLDS Sections 145–159 – unofficial HTML version produced for the Restoration Branches
• Community of Christ Edition 2017-07-08 at the Wayback Machine (Section 160; official HTML version)
• Community of Christ Edition 2017-07-08 at the Wayback Machine (Section 161; official HTML version)
• Community of Christ Edition 2014-11-15 at the Wayback Machine (Section 162; official HTML version)
• Community of Christ Edition 2019-12-02 at the Wayback Machine (Section 163; official HTML version)
• Community of Christ Edition 2017-07-08 at the Wayback Machine (Section 164; official HTML version)
• Community of Christ Edition 2017-02-07 at the Wayback Machine (Section 165; official HTML version)
• Scanned images of the complete 1833 Book of Commandments, 1835 Doctrine and Covenants (with Lectures on Faith)], and 1844 Doctrine and Covenants
•  – Mormon historical revisionist site with thoroughly annotated D&C showing changes from various editions.