030 How Has Canonizing/De-Canonizing Happened in the Doctrine & Covenants?
Sep 26, 2023
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Take a thrilling ride through the historical twists and turns of the Doctrine and Covenants. Discover how it evolved from the 1833 Book of Commandments to its latest version, revealing major additions and deletions along the way. Dive into the dynamics of canon versus scripture, the rare Book of Commandments, and the controversies surrounding changes influenced by Joseph Smith's martyrdom. Recent textual revisions reflect ongoing efforts for accuracy, making this a fascinating exploration of religious evolution.
The Doctrine and Covenants has evolved significantly since its 1833 origin, illustrating an ongoing process of additions, deletions, and textual changes in response to revelations.
The distinction between scripture and canon is crucial, as scripture encompasses broader teachings while canon refers to the officially recognized texts within the church.
Recent revisions to the Doctrine and Covenants affirm its status as a living document, adapting to provide accuracy and relevance for contemporary faith.
Deep dives
Evolution of the Doctrine and Covenants
The Doctrine and Covenants has experienced significant changes from its inception in 1833 as the Book of Commandments to its latest version. This sacred text has seen major additions and deletions, along with rearrangements and textual adjustments over the years. For example, the 1835 edition included new revelations and major theological lectures, later removed in the 1921 edition. This illustrates a dynamic process of scriptural development, highlighting how canonized scripture can change in response to ongoing revelations and church needs.
Understanding Scripture vs. Canon
A fundamental discussion in the episode revolves around the distinction between scripture and canon, emphasizing that scripture can encompass a broad range of inspired messages. The definition of scripture includes any teaching delivered through the Holy Ghost, while canon refers to a more official and authoritative collection of texts recognized by the church. This clarification is essential for understanding how doctrines are determined and how they change over time. The harmonized scriptural canon is suggested as a means to validate teachings through repeated concepts across multiple scriptural sources.
Revelation as a Dynamic Process
The podcast stresses that revelation is an ongoing process, with the understanding that it can be influenced by human interpretation and historical context. For instance, Joseph Smith’s own translations and revelations contributed significantly to the content of the Doctrine and Covenants. The process reflects the interplay between divine guidance and the imperfect nature of human understanding. This dynamic nature of revelation reinforces the concept that canonization is not a final destination but rather a continual journey of faith and discovery.
The Impact of Decanonization
Decanonization is also discussed as a significant aspect of the Doctrine and Covenants' history, illustrated by the removal of the Lectures on Faith in the 1921 edition. These lectures were initially considered part of the doctrinal foundation but were eventually deemed less essential compared to the more direct revelations. Such decisions reflect the church's commitment to clarity and doctrinal accuracy, as they sought to avoid confusion regarding foundational beliefs. The careful handling of these texts underscores the ongoing quest for truth within the church's teachings.
Recent Updates and Ongoing Revisions
The most recent revisions to the Doctrine and Covenants, particularly the 2013 edition, highlight the church's commitment to accuracy and relevance in scriptural texts. Changes made in this edition primarily involved grammatical updates and the introduction of precise historical contexts for various sections. This process demonstrates that the Doctrine and Covenants is regarded not as a static document but as a living text that adapts as new insights are gained from historical studies. Such revisions affirm the belief that scripture continues to be an evolving discourse relevant to contemporary faith.
Because of our location in time and good record keeping, we are privileged to have an up close and personal view of the production of modern scriptural canon. And it’s a bit of a rollercoaster! From its first publication in 1835 to its current version today the Doctrine and Covenants has undergone major additions, deletions, rearrangement, and textual changes to its contents.
In this episode of Church History Matters we’ll take a ride through the history of this iterative production of the Doctrine and Covenants from its earliest 1833 version known as the Book of Commandments, to its 1835 version which added new revelations and 7 major theological lectures known as The Lectures on Faith, to the 1844 version which added a few crucial revelations and was the last version most of branches of the Restoration agreed upon after Joseph’s death, to the 1876 version which contained MASSIVE additions and rearranging, to the 1921 version which de-canonized the Lectures on Faith, and finally to the version we use today which underwent revisions as recently as 2013. So please keep your arms and legs inside at all times as we as we now embark on our tour of the ongoing story of the Doctrine and Covenants!
