Doctrine and Covenants

The Prophet Joseph Smith not only translated the Book of Mormon, but he also compiled other revelations that he received from God. Most of these revelations are found in two other books of modern-day scripture: The Doctrine and Covenants and The Pearl of Great Price.
The Doctrine and Covenants is a standard work of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Its main purpose is to instruct members and leaders about how the Mormon Church should be organized and directed in order to be in harmony with Christ's kingdom. It also contains many revelations about important doctrines. Most of the revelations were received by the Prophet Joseph Smith (133). The remaining sections (including 2 declarations) were received and written by other leaders of the Mormon Church. 
Most passages in the Doctrine and Covenants have a specific historical setting and they were received from the Lord in answer to specific prayers. Many sections were the result of a request by a specific member, but their words have universal application, and this makes Doctrine and Covenants’ revelations still relevant today. 
These revelations are recognized by members of the Mormon Church as "the will of the Lord,…the mind of the Lord,…the word of the Lord,…the voice of the Lord, and the power of God unto salvation" (Doctrine and Covenants 68:4). 
It is important to realize that not all the revelations received by Joseph Smith are contained in the Doctrine and Covenants, but some of them are included in the History of the Church. 
The decision about which revelations need to be included in the Doctrine and Covenants is made by the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Mormon Church. 
To the members of the Mormon Church the Doctrine and Covenants is the voice of the Lord Jesus Christ. This powerful book of scriptures confirms the teaching of the Book of Mormon, reveals new principles, explains them in more detail, and gives more instruction about the government of His Church. It also warns individuals and nations about the destructions that lay ahead if they will not repent. Thus, there is information in the Doctrine and Covenants that supports the prophecies regarding the Last Days found in the Bible.
==History of the Doctrine and Covenants==
Joseph Smith had received numerous revelations on gospel principles and instruction from the Lord on how to run The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and although the revelations were often announced in conferences, and Joseph often gave copies to missionaries and other Church leaders, most people didn't know what was contained in the revelations. 
The printing press that was set up in Missouri by William W. Phelps solved this problem. In November of 1831, numerous meetings and conferences were held to discuss the printing of these revelations. By this point Joseph Smith had recorded 60 revelations. It was decided that ten thousand copies of the revelations would be printed in the form of a book. This large number was later reduced to only three thousand printings of the book. The book was entitled the Book of Commandments (the name was later changed to the Doctrine and Covenants in 1835, when an expanded version of the book was printed in Kirtland, Ohio), and the revelation found in Doctrine and Covenants 1 was to be included as the preface to the book. 
An appendix was made for the book, and Joseph went through and corrected any errors that could be found in the written manuscripts of the revelations. John Whitmer and Oliver Cowdery were given the responsibility of taking the manuscripts to Missouri. They left on November 20, 1831, and finally arrived in Independence on January 5, 1832. In June, W. W. Phelps began setting the type for the book. The first edition was printed in 1833 and contained only sixty-five chapters. After the first edition, other revelations were received, and some earlier materials were deleted until it reached the current format.
Nearly a third of all the revelations in the Doctrine and Covenants were received between August 1831 and April 1834. Joseph Smith stated that the revelations in the Book of Commandments were "the foundation of the Church in these last days." 
The Explanatory Introduction to the Doctrine and Covenants states, "Most of the revelations in this compilation were received through Joseph Smith, Jun., the first prophet and president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Others were issued through some of his successors in the Presidency. (See headings to Sections 135, 136, and 138, and Official Declarations 1 and 2.)"
As one of the standard works of the Church, the Doctrine and Covenants is unique in that it is not a translation of an ancient document. Rather, it is of modern origin and was given from God through his chosen prophets as part of the restoration of the gospel and the establishment of the kingdom of God on the earth in modern times.
The revelations relate to such gospel doctrines as the nature of the Godhead, the origin of man, the reality of Satan, the purpose of mortality, the necessity for obedience, the need for repentance, the workings of the Holy Spirit, the ordinances necessary for salvation, the functions and nature of the Priesthood, the destiny of the earth, the resurrection and final judgment as well as what comes afterward, the eternal nature of the marriage relationship, and the eternal nature of the family. The Doctrine and Covenants also reveals the administrative structure of the Church, detailing the duties of bishops, the First Presidency, the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and the Seventy, as well as the establishment of other presiding offices and quorums.
Lastly, the Doctrine and Covenants is a testimony that Jesus is the Christ, and that He governs His Church and speaks to His chosen servants in modern times as He did in ancient times. 
==Sections of the Doctrine and Covenants==
The Doctrine and Covenants is divided into numbered sections, similar to chapters in a book. The following shows the sections in the Doctrine and Covenants, the date it was written, and the location where the section was written.
Section	Date 	Location
1 	November 1, 1831 	Hiram, Ohio
2 	September 21, 1823 	Manchester, New York
3 	July 1828 	Harmony, Pennsylvania
4 	February 1829 	Harmony, Pennsylvania
5 	March 1829 	Harmony, Pennsylvania
6 	April 1829 	Harmony, Pennsylvania
7 	April 1829 	Harmony, Pennsylvania
8 	April 1829 	Harmony, Pennsylvania
9 	April 1829 	Harmony, Pennsylvania
10 	Summer 1828 	Harmony, Pennsylvania
11 	May 1829 	Harmony, Pennsylvania
12 	May 1829 	Harmony, Pennsylvania
13 	May 15, 1829 	Harmony, Pennsylvania
14 	June 1829 	Fayette, New York
15 	June 1829 	Fayette, New York
16 	June 1829 	Fayette, New York
17 	June 1829 	Fayette, New York
18 	June 1829 	Fayette, New York
19 	March 1830 	Manchester, New York
20 	April 1830 	Fayette, New York
21 	April 6, 1830 	Fayette, New York
22 	April 1830 	Manchester, New York
23 	April 1830 	Manchester, New York
24 	July 1830 	Harmony, Pennsylvania
25 	July 1830 	Harmony, Pennsylvania
26 	July 1830 	Harmony, Pennsylvania
27 	August 1830 	Harmony, Pennsylvania
28 	September 1830 	Fayette, New York
29 	September 1830 	Fayette, New York
30 	September 1830 	Fayette, New York
31 	September 1830 	Fayette, New York
32 	October 1830 	Fayette, New York
33 	October 1830 	Fayette, New York
34 	November 4, 1830 	Fayette, New York
35 	December 1830 	Fayette, New York
36 	December 1830 	Fayette, New York
37 	December 1830 	Fayette, New York
38 	January 2, 1831 	Fayette, New York
39 	January 5, 1831 	Fayette, New York
40 	January 1831 	Fayette, New York
41 	February 4, 1831 	Kirtland, Ohio
42 	February 9, 1831 	Kirtland, Ohio
43 	February 1831 	Kirtland, Ohio
44 	February 1831 	Kirtland, Ohio
45 	March 7, 1831 	Kirtland, Ohio
46 	March 8, 1831 	Kirtland, Ohio
47 	March 8, 1831 	Kirtland, Ohio
48 	March 1831 	Kirtland, Ohio
49 	March 1831 	Kirtland, Ohio
50 	May 1831 	Kirtland, Ohio
51 	May 1831 	Thompson, Ohio
52 	June 7, 1831 	Kirtland, Ohio
53 	June 1831 	Kirtland, Ohio
54 	June 1831 	Kirtland, Ohio
55 	June 1831 	Kirtland, Ohio
56 	June 1831 	Kirtland, Ohio
57 	July 20, 1831 	Zion, Jackson County, Missouri
58 	August 1, 1831 	Zion, Jackson County, Missouri
59 	August 7, 1831 	Zion, Jackson County, Missouri
60 	August 8, 1831 	Zion, Jackson County, Missouri
61 	August 12, 1831 	Missouri River, Missouri
62 	August 13, 1831 	Missouri River, Missouri
63 	August 1831 	Kirtland, Ohio
64 	September 11, 1831 	Kirtland, Ohio
65 	October 1831 	Hiram, Ohio
66 	October 25, 1831 	Orange, Ohio
67 	November 1831 	Hiram, Ohio
68 	November 1831 	Hiram, Ohio
69 	November 1831 	Hiram, Ohio
70 	November 12, 1831 	Kirtland, Ohio
71 	December 1, 1831 	Hiram, Ohio
72 	December 4, 1831 	Kirtland, Ohio
73 	January 10, 1832 	Hiram, Ohio
74 	January 1832 	Hiram, Ohio
75 	January 25, 1832 	Amherst, Ohio
76 	February 16, 1832 	Hiram, Ohio
77 	March 1832 	Hiram, Ohio
78 	March 1832 	Hiram, Ohio
79 	March 1832 	Hiram, Ohio
80 	March 1832 	Hiram, Ohio
81 	March 1832 	Hiram, Ohio
82 	April 26, 1832 	Jackson County, Missouri
83 	April 30, 1832 	Jackson County, Missouri
84 	September 22/23, 1832	Kirtland, Ohio
85 	November 27, 1832 	Kirtland, Ohio
86 	December 6, 1832 	Kirtland, Ohio
87 	December 25, 1832 	Kirtland, Ohio
88 	December 27, 1832 	Kirtland, Ohio
89 	February 27, 1833 	Kirtland, Ohio
90 	March 8, 1833 	Kirtland, Ohio
91 	March 9, 1833 	Kirtland, Ohio
92 	March 15, 1833 	Kirtland, Ohio
93 	May 6, 1833 	Kirtland, Ohio
94 	May 6, 1833 	Kirtland, Ohio
95 	June 1, 1833 	Kirtland, Ohio
96 	June 4, 1833 	Kirtland, Ohio
97 	August 2, 1833 	Kirtland, Ohio
98 	August 6, 1833 	Kirtland, Ohio
99 	August 1832 	Hiram, Ohio
100 	October 12, 1833 	Perrysburg, New York
101 	December 16, 1833 	Kirtland, Ohio
102 	February 17, 1834 	Kirtland, Ohio
103 	February 24, 1834 	Kirtland, Ohio
104 	April 23, 1834 	Kirtland, Ohio
105 	June 22, 1834 	Fishing River, Missouri
106 	November 25, 1834 	Kirtland, Ohio
107 	March 28, 1835 	Kirtland, Ohio
108 	December 26, 1835 	Kirtland, Ohio
109 	March 27, 1836 	Kirtland, Ohio
110 	April 3, 1836 	Kirtland, Ohio
111 	August 6, 1836 	Salem, Massachusetts
112 	July 23, 1837 	Kirtland, Ohio
113 	March 1838 	Far West, Missouri
114 	April 17, 1838 	Far West, Missouri
115 	April 26, 1838 	Far West, Missouri
116 	May 19, 1838 	Spring Hill, Daviess County, Missouri
117 	July 8, 1838 	Far West, Missouri
118 	July 8, 1838 	Far West, Missouri
119 	July 8, 1838 	Far West, Missouri
120 	July 8, 1838 	Far West, Missouri
121 	March 20, 1839 	Liberty Jail, Clay County, Missouri
122 	March 1839 	Liberty Jail, Clay County, Missouri
123 	March 1839 	Liberty Jail, Clay County, Missouri
124 	January 19, 1841 	Nauvoo, Illinois
125 	March 1841 	Nauvoo, Illinois
126 	July 9, 1841 	Nauvoo, Illinois
127 	September 1, 1842 	Nauvoo, Illinois
128 	September 6, 1842 	Nauvoo, Illinois
129 	February 9, 1843 	Nauvoo, Illinois
130 	April 2, 1843 	Ramus, Illinois
131 	May 16/17, 1843 	Ramus, Illinois
132 	July 12, 1843 	Nauvoo, Illinois
133 	November 3, 1831 	Hiram, Ohio
134 	August 17, 1835 	Kirtland, Ohio
135 	June 27, 1844 	Nauvoo, Illinois
136 	January 14, 1847 	Winter Quarters
137 	January 21, 1836 	Kirtland, Ohio
138 	October 3, 1918 	Salt Lake City, Utah
OD1 	October 6, 1890 	Salt Lake City, Utah
OD2 	June 8, 1978 	Salt Lake City, Utah
Category:Scriptures and Scriptural TopicsCategory:Doctrine and Covenants TopicsCategory:LDS Literature
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