Joseph affirms that he believes the Bible "as it read when it came from the pen of the original writers"; translators, transcribers, and corrupt priests have resulted in errors in the present text.

Date
Oct 15, 1843
Type
Manuscript
Source
Joseph Smith, Jr.
LDS
Hearsay
Scribed Verbatim
Direct
Reference

History, 1838–1856, volume E-1 [1 July 1843–30 April 1844]: 1755, The Joseph Smith Papers website, accessed December 8, 2023

Scribe/Publisher
Robert L. Campbell
People
Joseph Smith, Jr.
Audience
N/A
Transcription

I believe the bible as it read when it came from the pen of the original writers; ignorant translators, careless transcribers, or designing and corrupt priests have committed many errors. As it read Gen: 6 ch. 6 v. ‘it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth;’ also Num: 23 ch. 19 v. ‘God is not a man that he should lie; neither the son of man that he should repent,’ which I do not believe; but it ought to read ‘it repented Noah that God made man’ This I believe, and then the other quotation stands fair. If any man will prove to me by one passage of Holy Writ, one item I believe, to be false, I will renounce and disclaim it far as I have promulged it.

The first principles of the gospel as I believe, are, Faith, Repentance, Baptism for remission of sins, with the promise of the Holy Ghost. [HC 6:57]

Look at Heb. 6 ch. 1 v. for contradictions ‘Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ let us go on unto perfection.’ If a man leaves the principles of the doctrine of Christ, how can he be saved in the principles? This is a contradiction— I don’t believe it: I will render it, as it should be, ‘therefore not leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.’

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