Fullness of the Scriptures

Joseph Smith restored the Book of Mormon as his first assignment. But he was also required to revise the Bible. Joseph referred to the revision of the Bible as “the fullness of the scriptures.” He referred to the Book of Mormon as only “the Book of Mormon.” Joseph’s reference to “the fullness of the scriptures” was exclusively to the Bible. In the minutes of an October 1831 conference, Joseph made this statement, “God had often sealed up the Heavens because of covetousness in the church. Said the Lord would cut his work short in righteousness and except the church receive the fullness of the scriptures they would yet fall.”¹ After that warning on July 17, 1840, two men were assigned to go on a mission for the purpose of raising money to publish scriptures. This included a new edition of the Book of Mormon and the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible. (It is called a “translation” but is more correctly understood as the prophet’s inspired revision clarifying the text.) In October 1840, a letter to all the saints was published in the Times and Seasons asking for their full support in the effort to publish “the new translation of the Scriptures.” That effort failed to put the Joseph Smith Translation in print, and Joseph died without it ever being published. Excerpts with edits done by others were published by the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, but it failed to include Joseph’s entire work.² The fullness of the scriptures, or Joseph Smith’s inspired revision of the Bible, has never been available in full, in print, until now. They are published for the first time in the new set of Restoration Edition scriptures. They can be found in the Old Testament (now called The Old Covenants) and in half the volume called The New Covenants. The fullness of the scriptures, without which the church would fall, is being made available for the first time.³