Pearl of Great Price

QUESTION: What is the Pearl of Great Price?

ANSWER:

The Pearl of Great Price is one of the four holy books of the Mormon church in addition to the King James Version Bible (interpreted by the Mormon church), the Book of Mormon, and Doctrines and Covenants. The Mormon Church holds the Book of Mormon, Doctrines and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price to be as inspired and authoritative as the Bible. The Pearl of Great Price is comprised of four books: the book of Moses, the book of Abraham, the book of Joseph Smith - Matthew, and the Book of Joseph Smith - History. The Pearl of Great Price also contains thirteen brief statements of what Mormons believe.

Other than the first chapter, the book of Moses in the Pearl of Great Price is identical to Genesis 1:1 through 8:18 in the Joseph Smith translation of the Bible. Joseph Smith claimed the book of Abraham came from Egyptian papyri and was then translated the same way the gold plates of the book of Mormon were translated. Joseph Smith - Matthew is basically Matthew chapter 23, verse 39 through Matthew chapter 24 rearranged and some commentary added. Joseph Smith - History is Joseph Smith's story of how God and Jesus visited him when he was fourteen and told him not to join with any existing church. It also records how the angel Moroni visited him, how John the Baptist gave him the Aaronic priesthood, and how Peter, James, and John conferred the Melchizedek priesthood on him.

There is no evidence that Moses or Abraham wrote any of the content that is found in the books of Moses and Abraham found in the Pearl of Great Price. No manuscript evidence has ever been produced proving that Joseph Smith had the Pearl of Great Price revealed to him directly from God. Significant portions of the Pearl of Great Price are texts taken from the Bible and then rearranged to support Mormon beliefs. The Pearl of Great Price is not inspired by God, it is not a reliable historical document, and it was created to give support to the doctrines of the Mormon Church.