When the
resurrected Lord appeared to the multitudes of His disciples
gathered in the land Bountiful in Book of Mormon times, He
declared, "Behold, I am Jesus Christ, whom the
prophets testified shall come into the
world." He
then invited them to "arise and come forth" and healed their
sick, blessed their children, and prayed to the Father
on their behalf.
Centuries passed
before the Prophet Joseph Smith translated this account from
the gold plates as part of the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus
Christ. Today the Book of Mormon serves as another
witness of Jesus Christ, that He is the Eternal God.
As his ministry
unfolded, the Prophet Joseph received revelations from
the Lord to direct the Restoration of His gospel and His
Church. In these revelations, published in what is now
known as the Doctrine and
Covenants and the Pearl of Great Price, is
given a testimony of Jesus Christ, "his divinity, his
majesty, his perfection, his love, and his redeeming
power."
translated
To express the meaning of an idea given in one language in equal terms in another language (see Mosiah 8:8–13; Articles of Faith 1:8; The Guide to the Scriptures, "Translate," 246).
restoration
The Restoration, as used by Latter-day Saints, means that the true Church of Jesus Christ, which was lost through apostasy, was brought back as it originally existed when organized by Jesus Christ (Preach My Gospel, 44).
Doctrine and Covenants
A collection of latter-day divine revelations and inspired declarations. The Lord gave these to Joseph Smith and several of his successors for the establishment and regulation of the kingdom of God on the earth in the last days. The Doctrine and Covenants is one of the standard works of scripture in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, along with the Bible, the Book of Mormon, and the Pearl of Great Price (The Guide to the Scriptures, "Doctrine and Covenants," 68).
Pearl of Great Price
The Pearl of Great Price is the name given to one of four volumes of scripture called the "standard works" of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The first edition of the Pearl of Great Price was published in 1851 and contained some material that is now in the Doctrine and Covenants. Editions published since 1902 contain (1) excerpts from Joseph Smith's translation of Genesis, called the book of Moses, and of Matthew 24, called Joseph Smith—Matthew; (2) Joseph Smith's translation of some Egyptian papyrus that he obtained in 1835, called the book of Abraham; (3) an excerpt from Joseph Smith's history of the Church that he wrote in 1838, called Joseph Smith—History; and (4) the Articles of Faith, thirteen statements of belief and doctrine (The Guide to the Scriptures, "Pearl of Great Price," 189).
