Real Author of the Lectures on Faith

[marc]

One of you Lof aficionados can verify what I heard / read that Joseph Smith edited the lectures on faith...

I have personally read in the Joseph Smith Papers (can't remember which book--there are many in the series at Deseret Bookstore) that Joseph Smith edited the LoF. I wish I would have taken a screenshot. Furthermore, in the book series, Church History and Modern Revelation by Joseph Fielding Smith (137), he states that Joseph Smith did the final revision. One of these days, I'll compile all my research into a more comprehensive work. It is clear that Joseph was not the sole author, but he clearly seemed to have the final say in its content. But none of this matters so much as the fruit yielded by applying the faith taught in the lectures. I'd much rather have that than ALL the scholarly commentary and research on the historicity of the lectures.

[investigator]

John Taylor taught that the LOF were sanctioned and published with the approval of Joseph Smith.

"The Lectures on Faith were published with the sanction and approval of the Prophet Joseph Smith and we do not feel that it is desirable to make any alteration in that regard at any rate not at the present" (John Taylor to Orson Pratt, 25 April 1879, retained copy in John Taylor letter book, 16 August 1878 to 27 May 1879, pp. 710– 13, at the LDS Church Archives, cited in Robert J. Woodford, "Historical Development of the Doctrine and Covenants" (Ph.D. diss., Brigham Young University, 1974), 1:87–88).

[Arenera]

Joseph Fielding Smith also believed it "was unfortunate that the guiding hand of the Prophet was not there at this conference. We may been assured that some things were considered and passed upon that would not have been entertained had he been present."

"We attended that meeting, and noticed that a majority of those voting did so upon the testimony of those who bore recorded to the truth of the book, as they had...no means of knowing whether any alterations had been made in any of the revelations or not." Ebenezer Robinson

Nor was Oliver Cowdery the only one of Joesph's associates to successfully resist his direction in publishing matters. Heber C. Kimball recorded John Taylor's refusal to allow Joseph Smith to meddle with the Times and Seasons after Joseph had appointed him to be the editor. In contrast, Peter Crawley has shown how Parley P. Pratt revised two of his works after reveiving public criticisms from Joseph."

It is also worth noting that the presiding quorums of the Church eventually deleted the 1835 preface, the statement on marriage, and the Lectures."

The statement on marriage was written by Oliver Cowdery.

When Orson Pratt undertook the 1876 edition, he added another twenty-six revelations, and because the new section 132 conflicted with the statement on marriage, dropped it. Three years later, Pratt who was in England preparing another edition, requested permission from John Taylor, president of the Twelve, to drop the Lectures on Faith. Taylor denied the request, explaining that "the Lectures on Faith were published with the sanction and approval of the Prophet Joseph Smith, and we do not feel that is is desirable to make any alteration in that regard, at any rate, not at present. Taylor's letter to Pratt does not provide new insights into the Lectures or their origins. It specifically did not claim that Joseph smith helped write the Lectures. Nor does it provide any further evidence for Joseph's approval of the Lectures than any reader would infer from seeing Joseph's name included on the refractory letter of 1835."

In 1921 the Lectures were finally dropped from the Doctrine and Covenants, and the presiding authorities of the Church chose to return to the 1833 model of the original Book of Commandments - featuring officially recognized revelations, introduced once again by the "Lord's Preface" as Section 1."