Book of Moses (Mormonism)

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The Book of Genesis ( English Book of Moses ), dictated by Joseph Smith , heard for some parts of Mormonism to the canon of scripture. The book begins with the "Visions of Moses", an introduction to the history of the Six Day Work and the Fall (Moses chapter 1) and continues with Smith's version of the first six chapters of Genesis (Moses chapters 2–5, 8) , interrupted by two chapters of "Excerpts from the Prophecies of Enoch " (Moses Chapters 6-7).

Portions of the book of Moses were published separately by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1851, but later merged and published under the title "The Book of Moses" in the Pearl of Great Price , which is part of the Church's scriptures. The same material was published by the fellowship of Christ as part of their Doctrine and Covenants and the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible .

origin

In June 1830, Joseph Smith said he began a new translation of the Bible with the intention of restoring "many important points about human salvation that were removed from the Bible or lost before it was compiled." The texts now compiled in the Book of Moses were first published in Church magazines.

Published in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

The eight chapters were not joined together until after the death of Joseph Smith. There were several parts. The first pages were published in 1851, but not as a book. They were later put together by two apostles of the church and then incorporated into the collection of precious pearls in 1878 . The Pearl of Great Price was canonized in 1880.

Publication in the community of Christ

The Communion of Christ published parts of the Book of Moses in their canonical work Doctrine and Covenants in 1864. Section 22 of the L&B contains Moses Chapter 1 and Section 36 contains Moses Chapter 7. The Communion of Christ officially declared the addition of these excerpts in 1970 to be binding.

The fellowship of Christ began publishing the complete Joseph Smith translation of the Bible in 1867. Portions of the Book of Moses that are not in L&B are included in this Bible translation.

Synopsis and ancient parallels

Moses 1

  • Moses 1: The plot takes place some time after God spoke to Moses through the burning bush, but before Moses returned to Egypt to free the Israelites. The experience of Moses in Moses 1 places this chapter precisely in the Merkaba literature.

Moses 2-8

  • Genesis 2–8 generally follow Genesis , but add additional details and interpretations not found in the Bible .

family tree

The book of Moses contains a detailed account of Adam's descendants. The family tree of the Book of Abraham is shown below. Individuals marked in bold are not mentioned in Genesis . The names Egyptus and Pharaoh are not mentioned in the Book of Moses, but they are mentioned in the Book of Abraham, another Mormon scripture.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Adam
 
 Eve
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 son
 
 Cain
 
 Abel
 
 
 Seth
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 daughter
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Enos
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Enoch
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Kainan
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Irad
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Mahalaleel
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Mahujael
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Jared
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Methusael
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Enoch
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Adah
 
 Lamech
 
 Zillah
 
 Methuselah
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Jabal
 
 Jubal
 
 Tubal Cain
 
 Naamah
 
 Lamech
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Noah
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Japheth
 
 Shem
 
 Ham
 
 Egyptus
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Egyptus
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Pharaoh
 
 

Scientific analysis

Unlike the other works of Joseph Smith, such as the Book of Mormon and the Book of Abraham , scientific analysis of this book did not begin until the 1960s. A reproduced transcription of all the texts in the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible was not published until 2004.

Harold Bloom was among the non-Mormon scholars who commented on the Joseph Smith translation of the Bible . He called the Book of Moses and the Book of Abraham the "more surprising" and "ignored" writings of Latter-day Saints.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b Robert J. Matthews , How We Got the Book of Moses , Ensign , January 1986.
  2. ^ Robert J. Matthews : Plain and Precious Things Restored . July 1982. Retrieved October 22, 2014.
  3. ^ Joseph Smith, Ed. Joseph Fielding Smith , Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith , Feb. 16, 1832, pp. 10-11.
  4. ^ Hugh Nibley : To open the last dispensation: Moses chapter 1 . In Nibley on the Timely and the Timeless: Classic Essays of Hugh W. Nibley , edited by Truman G. Madsen , pp. 1-20. Provo, Utah: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University , 1978.
  5. ^ Howard, Richard P. Restoration Scriptures . Independence, MO: Herald House, 1969.
  6. ^ Robert J. Matthews A Plainer Translation: Joseph Smith's Translation of the Bible — A History and Commentary. Provo, UT: Brigham Young University Press, 1975.
  7. ↑ Scott H. Faul ring , Kent P. Jackson , and Robert J. Matthews , eds. Joseph Smith's New Translation of the Bible: Original Manuscripts. Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center , Brigham Young University, 2004.
  8. ↑ Harold Bloom . Jesus and Yahweh: The Names Divine . New York City, NY: Riverhead Books (Penguin Group), 2005, p. 25.

Further literature

Web links