Contextualizing And Dating Section 10

[Michael Sanders]

Does the recently published Joseph Smith Papers - Documents, Volume 1: July 1828 – June 1831 shed any light on the dating of LDS Section 10?  Its contextualization with reference to the Book of Mormon translation timeline in 1829?

 

Any new insights since Max Parkin’s, “A Preliminary Analysis of the Dating of Section 10” back in 1979?

 

The Joseph Smith Papers website gives a brief overview of some of the issues with contextualizing and dating Section 10:

 

http://josephsmithpapers.org/paperSummary/revelation-spring-1829-dc-10

 

The Book of Abraham Project has a blog that tackled some of these issues in 6 parts awhile back:

 

http://boaporg.wordpress.com/2010/09/09/dc-10-part-1-external-characteristics/

 

As noted above, there are several textual parallels with 3 Nephi found in the second half of Section 10 and I’m trying to determine where the dependency lies?  Did the language in Section 10 proceed the translation of the parallel material in the Book of Mormon or did it come after?

 

Compare D&C 10:38-70 with 3 Nephi 11:18-41 specifically with similar themes like: "true points of my doctrine"; "satan stirring up the hearts of men to contention"; "belief, repentance, and baptism as true doctrine"; "established upon the rock"; "gates of hell not prevailing"; "other sheep"; "if this generation harden not their hearts"; "establishment of the church", etc...

 

Any thoughts?

Mike

[Michael Sanders]

It seems that D&C 10:38-70 would fit well with the April - May 1829 timeframe and would correlate with Oliver's statement in the M&A about translating the account of Christ's visit to the Nephites and their subsequent desire to be baptized (shortly thereafter, they have the visitation of John who confered priestly authority on them in May 1829).  The two texts (i.e. Section 10 & 3 Nephi 11) use the same verbiage and suggests that they were received/translated near the same time.  However, the D&C "likens" those same instructions to the present generation as they are on the eve of establishing the church.

 

Does anyone have the JSP Documents Volume One in their possession yet?  Surely, it mentions something about this.

 

Mike  

[Michael Sanders]

Elden Watson gives a plausible sequence in his "Approximate Book of Mormon Translation Timeline" here:

 

http://www.eldenwatson.net/BoM.htm

 

Although there doesn't appear to be a good seam in D&C 10 as we now have it that suggests a merging of two revelations - i.e. one in an 1828 setting with the initial loss of the 116 pages and one later in April/May 1829 after they have presumably finished the translation of the large plates.  Hence, the instruction not to retranslate what was received, but go ahead and translate the small plates.  Watson suggests that 3 Nephi 27:19-20 was likely the scripture that caused them to repair to the water for baptism.  I think 3 Nephi 11 fits better with the language employed in Oliver's M&A account and has close textual parallels with D&C 10.   

 

Any thoughts?

Mike

[David T]

It seems that D&C 10:38-70 would fit well with the April - May 1829 timeframe and would correlate with Oliver's statement in the M&A about translating the account of Christ's visit to the Nephites and their subsequent desire to be baptized (shortly thereafter, they have the visitation of John who confered priestly authority on them in May 1829).  The two texts (i.e. Section 10 & 3 Nephi 11) use the same verbiage and suggests that they were received/translated near the same time.  However, the D&C "likens" those same instructions to the present generation as they are on the eve of establishing the church.

 

Does anyone have the JSP Documents Volume One in their possession yet?  Surely, it mentions something about this.

 

Mike

They note (in pp 37-44) the complexity of dating the text, and also the apparent relationship in the language of those 3 Nephi portions. "... a series of close textual parallels between the featured text and Christ's teachings in the Book of Mormon also support a Spring 1829 date." They note some passages as having potential antecedents, and one such 'antecedent' is noted as "a Book of Mormon passage likely dictated in May 1829 - 'if they will repent and hearken unto my words, and harden not their hearts, I will establish my Church among them.'" [reference to 3 Nephi 21:22, BOM 1830, p 501)

 

Also note that, in reference to the suggestion of it appearing to be a composite text (earliest extant copy of complete text is the published form in the Book of Commandments, Chapter IX), some initial material from 1828 may have been conceptualized previously, but it looks like in its current form what is there, language wise, wasn't written until Spring 1829 - no signs of a clear seam.

 

From D1, p 39: 

 

"A potential solution to these complexities is to consider the featured text to be a composite of two revelations, one from 1828 and the other from 1829.  The stylistic features of the revelation, however, strongly suggest that although JS may have received the first portion of the revelation in the summer of 1828, it was not actually written down until April or May 1829, along with the rest of the text.  This revelation, written in the first-person voice of Jesus Christ, more closely resembles JS's April 1829 texts, which include such proclamations as "behold I am God," than it does the July 1828 revelation, which speaks of God in the second person.  The text featured below also lacks the typical signs of a composite revelation such as an amen marking the end of a particular revelation within a larger text."

Edited December 16, 2013 by David T