Grant Underwood, a former BYU–Hawaii religion professor, returned to address students, faculty, and staff in a devotional message on October 13, about Joseph Smith and the revelatory process. Underwood, now a professor of history at BYU, also leads a distinguished career as a Church historian.
The purpose of his devotional was to "strive to deepen our understanding of how the great founding prophet of this dispensation, Joseph Smith, received, recorded, and published his revelations."
Underwood began his message by addressing the issue of how Joseph Smith and his scribes, Sidney Rigdon, John Whitmer, Oliver Cowdery, and W. W. Phelps, relayed information to the saints. After Joseph Smith’s scribes wrote down his revelatory experiences, the items were then published in the Church's first periodical, The Evening and the Morning Star.
"The first page of the first issue was entirely devoted to the Church's foundational Articles and Covenants, what we today call D&C 20," said Underwood. He noted that the Doctrine and Covenants is larger then it was back in 1835 as it was revised.
"The revised wording was designed to more fully and perfectly communicate the Word of God. Literally hundreds of these revisions, usually involving only a word or two but sometimes comprising an entire phrase or more, were made to the revelation texts between initial dictation and final publication in the Doctrine and Covenants," said Underwood. "Properly understood, these inspired revisions help us gain a deeper understanding of the revelatory process and a heightened appreciation for the Prophet Joseph Smith."
"But my point this morning is not to privilege the original. Rather, it is to relish the revisions," said Underwood.
The points of these revisions were to make the wording clearer and not to change the meaning of the context. As long as the meaning was not changed, Joseph Smith allowed his scribes to make revisions where they felt impressed to by the spirit, said Underwood.
To further explain, he quoted Elder John A. Widtsoe: "Seldom are divine revelations dictated to man....Instead, ideas are impressed upon the mind of the recipient, who then delivers the ideas in his own language." More often, stated Underwood, the voice of God is heard internally rather than audibly.
"Seeing scriptural texts as both fully divine and fully human allows ample room for regarding as inspired both the earliest wording of, and the subsequent revisions to, the revelation texts," said Underwood, because, as Elder Jeffrey R. Holland stated, "The ultimate source of knowledge and authority for a Latter-day Saint is the living God."
--Photo by Monique Saenz
Click here to read the full transcript of Grant Underwood's devotional