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BYU Studies Quarterly

BYU Studies Quarterly

Ronald E. Romig

Keywords

Mormon studies, Book of Commandments and Revelations, Joseph Smith Papers Project, manuscript

Abstract

This article is one of several in this issue about the Book of Commandments and Revelations, a foundational document of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In this response to the four preceding papers, Ron Romig, the Archivist for the Community of Christ (formerly the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, or RLDS), focuses partly on the provenance of the eight pages John Whitmer removed from the manuscript book that eventually found their way to the archives of the RLDS Church. While RLDS scholars made good use of their BCR manuscript pages, lack of access to the larger manuscript limited their analyses. With the forthcoming publication of the Book of Commandments and Revelations as part of The Joseph Smith Papers, a broader interpretation of its contents will now be possible. Access to information about scriptural textual revisions will ultimately grant scholars freedom to develop a more flexible view of Joseph Smith's revelatory technique and his humanity. The Community of Christ Archives is allied with the LDS Archives to ensure that scholars have access to all known BCR content. Romig writes that the Community of Christ Archives is pleased that their eight pages of manuscript material is included in the first volume of the Revelations and Translations Series of The Joseph Smith Papers.

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