Pearl of Great Price [Paperback]

Joseph Smith (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 24, 2003 | ISBN-10: 0766136531 | ISBN-13: 978-0766136533

A selection from the revelations, translations and narrations of the author, who is considered the first prophet, seer and revelator to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Within are sections dealing with the Book of Moses; the Book of Abraham; writings of Joseph Smith; the Articles of Faith; and a list of commonly used abbreviations.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 108 pages
• Publisher: Kessinger Publishing, LLC (January 24, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0766136531
• ISBN-13: 978-0766136533
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.2 x 0.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,400,732 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A curiosity, October 8, 2011

By 

othoniaboys - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Pearl of Great Price (Kindle Edition)

This curiosity, written in a turgid style, will be of interest to the student of Mormonism, and to the student of the esoteric and the bizarre. With regard to the Book of Abraham, for those who refuse to accept the new translation of the papyrus, let me say that the third illustration shows a crowned figure seated on a throne, with a female behind him, and three figures facing him, one of whom is a female. Joseph Smith in his caption identifies the two female figures as male. It is evident that (a) Smith didn't know the difference between male and female costumes in Egypt, and (b) the caption is patently false, and (c) therefore we may suppose, on the basis of this caption alone, that the document as Smith presents it is a fraud.

2.0 out of 5 stars provides new lessons in the credulity of some people, February 14, 2012

By 

David T. (Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pearl of Great Price (Paperback)

Over the next few years, I sort of have a goal to read many of the major religious texts. Last night I couldn't sleep and read this one on my phone. Honestly of the religions I'm at least somewhat aware of, I think that Mormonism (along with Scientology), would be the ones I'd have the most trouble accepting. I say that because I approach this book as someone who doesn't accept Joseph Smith as a prophet and this has obviously biased my view. Anyways the bulk of this work contains the Book of Moses, The Book of Abraham and a Joseph Smith History.

If I understand correctly, The book of Moses is the first few chapters of Smith's new translation of the bible and has parts added to Genesis, this contains a new introduction where God spoke to Moses and told Moses about Jesus, then Moses was tempted by Satan (think very similar to Jesus's temptation). This also contains the creation account but this time its God speaking to his Only Begotten (instead of Let us make man in our image, its And I, God, Said unto mine Only Begotten, which was with me from the beginning: Let Us make man in our image). I guess this gets rid of some ambiguities in the original creation account (who was this us mentioned). This also contained a much longer section on Enoch. Honestly this reminded me a bunch of some Gnostic scriptures. Of course I fail to see how the bible was mistranslated for all of these centuries and Joseph Smith has to correct it (along with the fact that there is no know Hebrew scriptures which back his sayings). I find it odd that Satan and Jesus aren't mentioned until much much later on in the regular King James version (Jesus in the new Testament and Satan until Job and 2 Chronicles (note I think Job was written far latter than the Pentateuch)), yet in hindsight they should have both been mentioned here.

The story of Abraham was even more bizarre, no descendant of Pharaoh can ever be a member of the Priesthood, God sits on his own planet Kolob which also has a lesser and greater light and a day there is 1000 years on earth, he has a collection of spirits which he picks the best one to inhabit his created planets which is where Adam got his spirit from, Satan and Jesus get into an argument on who will get to redeem mankind and since God chooses Jesus, Satan leaves with many angels. This has a copy of the creation account again but this time instead of God creating the Heavens or God and His Beloved (as in Moses), its "Gods" which may lead to Polytheism, but I'm not sure if this was meant to be divine or just Abraham's understanding. This one sort of reminds me of the feeling I had when I first read the rumors about what Scientologists believe, I have a hard time believing that people read this and accept it as divine, although it also makes me question how I would react if I presented beliefs I was taught growing for the first time when I was 30. Furthermore there is the problem that smith claimed that this one was translated from Egyptian papyri and this was written by Abraham, but no professional Egyptologists accept the translation as being anything remotely close to what Smith claims (his translation was before the Rosetta Stone).

Then the history of Joseph Smith tell of how he was approached by Moroni, got the golden tablets and translated them. To those who say the book of mormon is proof that Smith was a prophet, he seems to write well enough in this, so I fail to see how he was unlearned.

I would have preferred less of an attempt of King James English in this book, I fail to see way God commanded Jopseph Smith to translate a book into a writing style which was already aging and in disuse, but that's another question. Anyways, I walked away from this without feeling anything in the pit of my bowels and any desire to convert, of course I'll read the Book Of Mormon next and maybe I should have started there. If anything I walk away more intrigued about belief in general and how people believe what they do, of course I'm sure if I was taught this stuff my whole life I might have a different opinion.

23 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Word of God, July 13, 2005

By 

Bobby Boylan - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pearl of Great Price (Paperback)

I have read a lot of criticisms of the Pearl of Great Price, mainly on the Book of Abraham (Charles Larson and the Tanners, for example). Notwithstanding, the main trust of anti-Mormon charges are based on a fault assumption that the Book of Breathings was the source material the prophet Joseph Smith emploiyed for the text. However, the charges of fraud have been dealth a blow since Tvedtnes et al published "Traditions about the early life of Abraham" that provide over-whelming evidence for the Book of Abraham's authenticity.

As for the text itself, the PGP contains a portion of Joseph Smith's redaction of the Bible, the Book of Abraham (as afforementioned), redaction of Matthew, the 13 articles of faith and Joseph Smith - History, containing the story of the First Vision, Moroni's visitation to thr young prophet and the coming forth of the Book of Mormon.

Study the PGP with an open mind, as with the more foundational Book of Mormon, and "test all things," (Acts 17:11) to discover the texts truthfulness.