When I first began my journeys in Mormonism, more than a dozen years ago, the news that Joseph Smith had produced his own "translation" of the Bible was big news. I wanted a copy. I wanted to see what he'd done with the text, whether it would be any easier to understand than the King James Version of the Bible, so heavily favored by the Mormon community.

Upon receiving my copy, I was dismayed at first when I realized that a side-by-side comparison with the King James Version would be difficult. The first chapters of Genesis were foreign to me. Where did this text come from? What skills did Joseph Smith possess to "translate" the Bible?

In fact, the word "translation" really doesn't reflect, from a modern perspective, what Joseph Smith accomplished. We can better understand the intention if we substitute the word "correction." It places the work in a category of commentary rather than with strict translations, such as the Revised Standard Version.

The present volume is a massive, thorough and thoroughly engrossing look into the mind of Joseph Smith. Indeed, his "corrections" were not a matter of re-translating ancient manuscripts. Instead, they arose from Joseph's claims to a place in the prophetic line of authority.

"The scriptures give examples of prophets revising, reusing, editing, and adding to the writings of earlier prophets. There are places in Old Testament books where it appears that a later writer may have added to an original author's words. New Testament authors frequently used in their own writings passages from the Old Testament in ways that may not have been anticipated by the earlier prophets. Matthew and Luke seem to be, to some extent, expansions on Mark. Moroni put together a lengthy string of Old Testament passages from various diverse contexts to teach Joseph Smith. Elder Bruce R. McConkie suggested that much of the content of Malachi is actually reused from the earlier prophet Zenos." (p. 11)

These points are well taken, but I'm not aware of any of the above referring to their revisions as a "translation" of the previous text. In each case, an acknowledged source was edited and presented as new text. This further complicates, in my view, the use of the word "translation" to describe this work.

However you understand the origin and value of the Joseph Smith Translation, this current study adds a new dimension of understanding both the revision and the man himself. The bulk of this work constitutes a page by page reproduction of the work done by Joseph Smith and his scribes. You can see, firsthand, the method of editing and correcting used. Included are several color plates, photo-reproductions of the hand-written sheets that ultimately became part of the New Translation.

We are also given glimpses into Joseph's own copy of the Bible, showing the notation system he used in preparation for the revision. It shows the work of an ordered and determined individual, one who takes his task very seriously.

Several introductory chapters enhance the study and provide necessary, helpful information:

"Joseph Smith's New Translation of the Bible" provides a bird's eye view of the work. A brief history of the translation, along with a discussion of the types of changes made by the Prophet, help in understanding the larger work. Also included is a brief note on how the translation has been used in the Church.

"The New Translation and Latter-day Saint Doctrine" discusses the impact of the work on the development of doctrine in the LDS Church.

"The New Translation Materials Since 1844," written by a scholar from the RLDS (Community of Christ) tradition, is a fascinating look at the ownership, publication and use of the materials outside the LDS tradition, and the eventual permission given to the Utah church to utilize the work.

"Scribes" identifies the men and women responsible for the transcription of the Joseph Smith translation. New to me is mention of an unidentified scribe, named Scribe A. Who could this have been?

"Transcription Methods" discusses the awesome responsibility that confronted the editors of the present volume in transcribing the manuscripts. Take as an example the New Testament portions. The marking system used in Joseph Smith's Bible provided only one clue. They had to be placed side by side with the manuscripts created by the scribes. Illegible texts, scribal errors, etc., all made for a rather formidable task.

"The Sequence of the New Translation" presents, in table form, a chronological view of the translation. It reconstructs, as carefully as the record permits, the date, scripture reference, name of the scribe and where the translation was done, along with helpful comments.

The question of whether to purchase this volume depends on many factors. The price, about a hundred bucks, is a major investment, and will necessarily restrict the number of copies that will be sold. When one considers that nearly eight years of research and very hard work went into the production, the price seems more reasonable.

Scholars of the LDS scriptural tradition will find a gold mine of information and insight in this book.

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Jeff Needle
November 16, 2004