LDS edition of the Bible

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Not to be confused with Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) publishes editions of the Bible in English and Spanish that it encourages its members to use. The text of the LDS Church's English-language Bible is the Authorized King James Version and the church's Spanish-language Bible is a revised Reina-Valera translation. The editions include footnoting, indexing, and summaries that are consistent with LDS Church teachings and that integrate the Bible with the church's other Standard Works.

The eighth Article of Faith of the church states, "We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly".[1]

Contents

English-language King James Version edition [edit]

Quadruple combination (Bible & other Standard Works) opened to the Book of Isaiah - note the cross references between Biblical and Latter-day Saint scripture in the footnotes

In 1979, the LDS Church published its first edition of the Bible in English.[2][3] The text of the Bible is that of the Authorized King James Version.[2][4] Both the Old and New Testaments are included, but the Apocrypha is not. Each chapter includes a paragraph-long heading that summarizes the contents of the chapter from a "Mormon perspective".[4] Cross-referencing footnotes to the Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price are included, as is an LDS-oriented 600-page topical index and the church's Bible Dictionary.[2][4] Selected references to the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible are included in footnotes, with longer excerpts included in an appendix.[4] Lastly, the edition contains bible maps and a gazetteer.[2] In 1999, color photographs from the Holy Land were added. None of the LDS-specific supplements in the edition claim doctrinal authority: only the text of the King James Version (and the other Standard Works) is considered canonical by the LDS Church.[4]

The publication of the English-language LDS edition of the Bible was overseen by apostle Thomas S. Monson, who later became the President of the LDS Church. The English-language edition has been described as portraying a "strongly conservative" version of Mormonism that is largely reflective of the theological positions of apostle Bruce R. McConkie,[4] who assisted Monson in editing the work and wrote the chapter headings.[2]

The LDS First Presidency announced in 1992 that the KJV was the church's official English Bible, stating "[w]hile other Bible versions may be easier to read than the King James Version, in doctrinal matters latter-day revelation supports the King James Version in preference to other English translations."[5] In 2010 this was written into the church's Handbook, which directs official church policy and programs.[6][7]

Spanish-language Reina-Valera edition [edit]

In 2009, the LDS Church published a Spanish-language edition of the Bible.[8] Entitled Santa Biblia: Reina-Valera 2009,[9] the text of the Bible is based on the 1909 version of the Reina-Valera translation.[10] Changes to the text included modernization of grammar and vocabulary.[11] Like the English-language edition, the Spanish-language edition includes LDS-oriented footnotes and chapter headings, as well as a topical index.[11] Selections of the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible are similarly included.[11] The church's Spanish-language Bible project was supervised by general authorities Jay E. Jensen and Lynn A. Mickelsen.[10] In 2010 the LDS Church's Handbook was modified to state: "Spanish-speaking members should use the Latter-day Saint edition of the Reina-Valera Bible."[7]

Other languages [edit]

As of 2013 the LDS Church does not publish Bibles in any other languages besides English and Spanish. However, as stated in the Handbook, "[i]n many other non-English languages, the Church has approved a non–Latter-day Saint edition of the Bible for use in Church meetings and classes."[7]

Notes [edit]

  1. ^ Articles of Faith 1:8, Pearl of Great Price.
  2. ^ a b c d e Robert J. Matthews, "The New Publications of the Standard Works—1979, 1981", BYU Studies, vol. 22, no. 4, pp. 387–424 (Fall 1982).
  3. ^ Lavina Fielding Anderson, “Church Publishes First LDS Edition of the Bible”, Ensign, Oct. 1979, p. 9.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Philip L. Barlow (1997). "The New LDS Edition of the Scriptures", in Mormons and the Bible: The Place of the Latter-day Saints in American Religion (New York: Oxford University Press) pp. 205–214.
  5. ^ First Presidency Statement on the King James Version of the Bible, "News of the Church", Ensign, August 1992: 80 
  6. ^ Stack, Peggy Fletcher (February 18, 2011). "LDS sticking with King James Version". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved 2010-02-21. 
  7. ^ a b c 21.1.7 Bible, "Selected Church Policies", Handbook 2: Administering the Church (LDS Church), 2010 
  8. ^ "LDS Church releases Spanish-language Bible", Salt Lake Tribune, 17 September 2009.
  9. ^ LDS Edition of Spanish Bible – FAQ, lds.org.
  10. ^ a b Scott Taylor, "LDS Church publishes new Spanish-language Bible", Deseret News, 13 September 2009.
  11. ^ a b c LDS Edition of Spanish Bible, lds.org.

References [edit]

External links [edit]

English-language edition
Spanish-language edition
Other media
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