LDS Church releases New Edition of the English Scriptures.

This is huge.

Otherwise known as small changes that make a remarkable difference.

Since 1981, the LDS Church has been using the same edition of the scriptures. There were significant changes for that edition (see here for a fantastic new gallery stroll though all the editions of LDS scriptures noting the significant changes in each edition since the 1833 Book of Commandments), but I was a kid. I certainly didn't see the significance. I only knew that my mom had this old triple combination that to which she was very attached and every once in a while she'd read something different or was on a different page than what was in my own scriptures. (For those of you who don't want to make a change, none of the page numbers have changed.)

Last night, early this morning for me, a new edition of the English scriptures was announced. See the announcement here and a host of important additions to help us in our understanding of scripture and particularly the Doctrine and Covenants. Personally, I am rejoicing this morning.

The Church History Department's work on the Joseph Smith Papers (JSP) and and the work of some individual historians has yielded much new information. This adds much of that to the contextual material available in introductions and section headings. If you want to compare, the church has here published an 87-page side by side comparison of the changes. (It is a big file, it took a while.) Hooray for transparency.

As I've perused this morning, here is a smattering of some of the changes:

• There is a significant addition to the Introduction to the Doctrine and Covenants. It is very succinct, but it more correctly and more specifically explains the process of how revelations were distributed, edited, early editions created, and how the historical context is based on the "most accurate historical information." This is a tremendous effort to help us understand and teach our history better. 
• The headings no longer reference the History of the Church (HC). We've known for a long time that the HC was a problematic source, but the JSP is endeavoring to go back to the earliest versions and no longer needs to rely on the HC. 
• Section 10. If you've ever wondered why a section that was dated as summer 1828 was in order after a revelation given in April 1829, we no longer have that problem. The dating in the section heading has changed to "likely around April 1829, though portions may have been received as early as the summer of 1828." In the 1876 edition Orson Pratt rearranged the revelations chronologically and placed Section 10 where we find it today. The dating was later thought to be wrong and the date in the introduction was changed for the 1921 Apostles Revision of the Doctrine and Covenants without changing the order of the revelations. The earliest manuscript Revelation book--the Book of Commandments and Revelations, now known as Revelation Book 1--helped to begin to properly re-date the section. 
• Section 39-40. No one had ever been able to find the James Covill mentioned in Sections 39 & 40 in Baptist records, you would think that there would be some record of you if you preached for forty years. The problem was he wasn't a Baptist. Thanks to the work of my friend Chris Jones published here, we know know that his last name was spelled Covel and he was a Methodist. This led to more important context regarding section 39 & 40.
• Official Declaration 1. Neither of the official declarations had introductions in the 1981 version of the scriptures. The introduction for OD1 is significant, particularly the last sentence. "This led to the end of the practice of plural marriage" acknowledges that as a church we did not collectively stop on a dime. The end of polygamy took time and additional prophetic clarification even after Wilford Woodruff's death.  
• Official Declaration 2. The introduction for OD2 is for me perhaps the most important addition. 
  The Book of Mormon teaches that “all are alike unto God,” including “black and white, bond and free, male and female” (2 Nephi 26:33). Throughout the history of the Church, people of every race and ethnicity in many countries have been baptized and have lived as faithful members of the Church. During Joseph Smith’s lifetime, a few black male members of the Church were ordained to the priesthood. Early in its history, Church leaders stopped conferring the priesthood on black males of African descent. Church records offer no clear insights into the origins of this practice. Church leaders believed that a revelation from God was needed to alter this practice and prayerfully sought guidance. The revelation came to Church President Spencer W. Kimball and was affirmed to other Church leaders in the Salt Lake Temple on June 1, 1978. The revelation removed all restrictions with regard to race that once applied to the priesthood. 
  Though unsurprisingly succinct, it is theologically and historically weighty. It begins quoting the Book of Mormon standard that "all are alike unto God." It acknowledges those black members of the church, like Elijah Able, who were ordained to the priesthood in the 19th century. Most importantly it lacks the claim of divine sanction to the priesthood ban. Instead it says we do not completely understand the origin of the ban of black members of African descent from the priesthood--"church records offer no clear insights into the origins of this practice." The origins of the ban that was deemed policy, not revelation are becoming more clear, but this statement is significant progress. It took a long time, but on a "long awaited day" in June 1978 by revelation this historical wrong was no more. 
• Book of Abraham Introduction. The the short introduction to the Book of Abraham now reads--"An inspired translation of the writings of Abraham. Joseph began the translation in the 1835 after obtaining some Egyptian papyri." I believe this more appropriately describes the papyri as something that prompted or inspired Joseph's translation rather than the exact source of the material Joseph translated.

The changes demonstrate my faith in an open canon and I believe they testify to the need for modern revelation (and good historians doing good work).

Today, I am rejoicing.

The digital edition is available now. On apple devices it will not update automatically, go into your Gospel Library app and delete and re-add the scriptures.