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| The four canonized scriptures of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. |
Have you ever found an old family journal and realized the dates were slightly off, or a location was misspelled? When it comes to historical documents—especially sacred ones—getting the facts right matters.
That’s exactly what the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been doing, and it just resulted in a small but significant update to your digital scriptures.
The News: Two Core Books Get Fact-Checked
The Church has announced minor adjustments to the introductory material—the helpful summaries and context notes—in two of its four standard works: the Doctrine and Covenants and the Book of Mormon.
This isn't a doctrinal shift; it's a historical check-up.
The "Why": Historical Detectives at Work
For over two decades, researchers involved in the Joseph Smith Papers Project have been doing intense detective work, sifting through original documents written by and for the Prophet Joseph Smith. Their mission? To find the most precise, verifiable details possible.
The changes in the Doctrine and Covenants are the direct result of this project. They involve correcting or clarifying small things like:
* The exact date a revelation was received.
* The specific location where an event took place.
* Minor factual errors in the original summary text.
As Elder Kyle S. McKay, Church Historian, explained, the goal is simple:
“We hope the contextual additions help readers better understand why and how the Lord communicated with the Church through His Prophet.”
By getting the historical setting absolutely correct, we get a clearer picture of the prophet's life and the context of the revelation.
How Minor Are the Changes?
To give you a sense of the scale, the changes are limited to:
* Doctrine and Covenants: 25 section introductions received adjustments, mostly for factual accuracy and context.
* Book of Mormon: Two chapter summaries received tweaks to clarify the Savior’s ministry to the Nephites and the importance of taking His name upon us.
In short: These are footnotes and headings being polished, not the chapters themselves.
The Bottom Line for You
You don't need to rush out and buy a new set of scriptures!
These adjustments are already live on Church website Churchofjesus.org and in the Gospel Library mobile app in most languages. If you read your scriptures digitally, the most accurate historical context is already at your fingertips.
This update is a testament to the Church’s ongoing commitment to using the best available historical sources to help every member connect more clearly and accurately with the foundation of the Restoration.
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