Mormons will refer to “the Pearl of Great Price.” But how confusing to someone who is just learning about our faith and membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Just what is “the Pearl of Great Price”?
First of all, the Pearl of Great Price is included within a volume of scripture that contains the Book of Mormon and the Doctrine & Covenants. The Pearl of Great Price comes third in that volume. And since the entire volume contains three books of scripture, Mormons often call it “the triple.”
There are several segments to “the Pearl of Great Price.” But before I share those pieces, just know that as members of the Church of Jesus Christ, or otherwise called Mormons, we hold the scriptures in great esteem. We believe the Bible to be true, inasmuch as it is translated correctly. We also believe the Book of Mormon to contain the word of God, along with the Doctrine & Covenants. Feel free to browse through this blog to learn more about these great books or even click on the links to read directly from their pages.
But within specifically the Pearl of Great Price we find these priceless extracts:
“Selections from the Book of Moses”
This contains portions from the book of Genesis, but retranslated by the prophet Joseph Smith.This actually isn’t that odd to consider when one understands how many times the Bible has been translated and retranslated from its original languages. Errors crept in over time; Joseph Smith simply clarified confusing portions of Genesis.
“The Book of Abraham”
Many in the world have heard of Egyptian papyri and other findings archeologists have uncovered through the years. The Book of Abraham is one such find. Joseph Smith translated this particular papyrus, which contained the writings of none other than father Abraham from the Bible. Wouldn’t you love to know what Abraham recorded of his experiences? The early records from the Bible are from thousands of years ago; having the Book of Abraham helps clarify some confusing, yet significant points.
“Joseph Smith – Matthew”
This extract and clarification comes from the book of Matthew in the New Testament. D&C 45:60-61 gives additional information as to how this extract came about.
“Joseph Smith – History”
This brief portion within the Pearl of Great Price contains Joseph Smith’s official history of his experiences being called to as the Lord’s prophet to usher in the fulness of times in the latter-days. The beauty is that you don’t have to take Joseph’s words at face value. As always when discovering information, why not petition the Lord to understand the truth of each matter … or not!
“The Articles of Faith of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints”
Want to know in brief what Mormons believe?
Altogether, the Pearl of Great Price truly is of great value. I can’t wait for you to explore it further!
What an important time we live in to have received these additional clarifications and aids to understand the Lord’s almighty word and His love for His children.
