Summary Information

Date allocated to Revelation

September 21, 1823

First Date Revelation Recorded

c. June 1839 (Joseph Smith Papers)

First Date Revelation Published

1851 (Pearl of Great Price, First Edition), page 41

First Date Revelation Canonized

Doctrine & Covenants, 1876

Period Between Revelation and First Record
16 years

Versions

Commentary

Written down in the handwriting of James Mulholland, this is part of a wider passage that is included in the Joseph Smith History 1:37-39 (Pearl of Great Price) which was first published in 1851, and canonized in 1880. There are a number of other sources (for eg, Page 188 of 1835 D&C, Oliver Cowdrey’s “Letter VI” in Messenger and Advocate Vol 1:7) that refer to Moroni, but these are all focused on the delivery of the Book of Mormon itself (so 1827) and not the visitation of an angel in 1823. It is possible that the early church believed that Nephi made the early visits and Moroni followed up later to actually show where the Book of Mormon was.
 

The canonized section in D&C 2 is identical to the relevant paragraphs in the Joseph Smith History passage (as written down by James Mulholland), with everything bar the actual words of the angel removed.

There are no textual differences between the original recording of the revelation (1839), the first published version (1851 in the Pearl of Great Price) and the latest version.

In the original version as recorded in 1839, the angel who speaks to Joseph Smith is called “Nephi”. This is repeated in the published 1851 first edition of the Pearl of Great Price and corrected in the 1876 version (canonized in 1880).

There is a gap of 16 years between the claimed date of the revelation and the first reference to it.

 

Bold Text indicates material excised in next edition
Italicised Text indicates material added in this edition

Joseph Smith History (June 11 1839)

D&C (2013)

n/a

An extract from Joseph Smith’s history relating the words of the angel Moroni to Joseph Smith the Prophet, while in the house of the Prophet’s father at Manchester, New York, on the evening of September 21, 1823. Moroni was the last of a long line of historians who had made the record that is now before the world as the Book of Mormon. (Compare Malachi 4:5–6; also sections 27:9; 110:13–16; and 128:18.)

1, Elijah is to reveal the priesthood; 2–3, The promises of the fathers are planted in the hearts of the children.

1

And again he quoted the fifth verse thus, “Behold I will reveal unto you the Priesthood by the hand of Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.”

Behold, I will reveal unto you the Priesthood, by the hand of Elijah the prophet, before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.

2

He also quoted the next verse differently, “And he shall plant in the hearts of the Children the promises made to the fathers, and the hearts of the children shall turn to their fathers,

And he shall plant in the hearts of the children the promises made to the fathers, and the hearts of the children shall turn to their fathers.

3

if it were not so the whole earth would be utterly wasted at his coming.”

If it were not so, the whole earth would be utterly wasted at his coming.