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Doctrine and Covenants 21: Metanarrative of the Restoration
Abstract: Joseph Smith dictated Doctrine and Covenants 21 at the inaugural meeting of the Church of Jesus Christ on April 6, 1830. The present study examines the literary craftsmanship of the revelation to plumb the depths of its role in the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The analysis explores the meaning of patterns of usage in the text from the most specific (diction, syntax, figures of speech) to the most general (tone, rhetoric, and structural logic). The hypothesis of this study is that Doctrine and Covenants 21 provides a metanarrative of the Restoration — that is, a set of governing principles and guidelines for keeping the official record of the gospel’s final dispensation.
The revelation known as section 21 of the Doctrine and Covenants was dictated by Joseph Smith on April 6, 1830, during the inaugural meeting of the Church of Jesus Christ at the home of Peter and Mary Whitmer in Fayette Township, New York. The revelation:
* Provides crucial details about the order and identity of the Church of Jesus Christ and instructs Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery on its formal organization.
* Defines core spiritual responsibilities for Church members and leaders and promises sublime heavenly blessings for their faithfulness.
* Identifies the three members of the Godhead and clarifies their complementary roles in the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ in this dispensation.
* [Page 78]Confirms Joseph Smith’s central roles in the Restoration1 and his qualification to perform them.
To illustrate the implications and complex interconnections of these points, the present study takes a “deep dive” into the canonized text of the revelation — that published in the current edition of the Doctrine and Covenants. While I acknowledge the analytical value of earlier editions of the text, this study privileges that which The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints accepts as scripture — the authoritative word of God.2 In studying this sacred text, I explore multiple features of its literary craftsmanship, ranging from the most specific, e.g., diction, syntax, and figures of speech, to the most general, e.g., tone, rhetoric, and structural logic.
The present approach is greatly indebted to scholarly studies of the literary crafts manship of biblical texts from the mid-twentieth century to the present.
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Abstract: Joseph Smith dictated Doctrine and Covenants 21 at the inaugural meeting of the Church of Jesus Christ on April 6, 1830. The present study examines the literary craftsmanship of the revelation to plumb the depths of its role in the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The analysis explores the meaning of patterns of usage in the text from the most specific (diction, syntax, figures of speech) to the most general (tone, rhetoric, and structural logic). The hypothesis of this study is that Doctrine and Covenants 21 provides a metanarrative of the Restoration — that is, a set of governing principles and guidelines for keeping the official record of the gospel’s final dispensation.
The revelation known as section 21 of the Doctrine and Covenants was dictated by Joseph Smith on April 6, 1830, during the inaugural meeting of the Church of Jesus Christ at the home of Peter and Mary Whitmer in Fayette Township, New York. The revelation:
* Provides crucial details about the order and identity of the Church of Jesus Christ and instructs Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery on its formal organization.
* Defines core spiritual responsibilities for Church members and leaders and promises sublime heavenly blessings for their faithfulness.
* Identifies the three members of the Godhead and clarifies their complementary roles in the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ in this dispensation.
* [Page 78]Confirms Joseph Smith’s central roles in the Restoration1 and his qualification to perform them.
To illustrate the implications and complex interconnections of these points, the present study takes a “deep dive” into the canonized text of the revelation — that published in the current edition of the Doctrine and Covenants. While I acknowledge the analytical value of earlier editions of the text, this study privileges that which The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints accepts as scripture — the authoritative word of God.2 In studying this sacred text, I explore multiple features of its literary craftsmanship, ranging from the most specific, e.g., diction, syntax, and figures of speech, to the most general, e.g., tone, rhetoric, and structural logic.
The present approach is greatly indebted to scholarly studies of the literary crafts manship of biblical texts from the mid-twentieth century to the present.