Pearl of Great Price
Student Manual
Religion 327
Prepared by the
Church Educational System
Published by
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Salt Lake City, Utah
© 2000 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc.
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
English approval: 4/00
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
The Pearl of Great Price is a book of scripture, and the Lord will bless you as you carefully read and ponder the sacred words found in this book. This student manual provides quotations and commentary to support and enhance your study of the Pearl of Great Price.
Elder Milton R. Hunter, who was a member of the Seventy, said that the Pearl of Great Price is “a pearl indeed.” He then explained the uniqueness of its sacred writings:
“They are compacted in approximately sixty pages, but every page is dynamic and powerful. It is a wonderful book.
“The Pearl of Great Price . . . contains revelations on certain subjects superior to any other scriptures or writings on those subjects found in the world; for example, Abraham’s vision of pre-mortal life in which he learned of the eternal nature of things; of the grand council in heaven; and of the plan of salvation as presented there constitutes one of the greatest of God’s revelations to his holy prophets. And the knowledge obtained by Moses in his vision of Lucifer and the part he played at the grand council, added to Abraham’s vision, gives us the most complete understanding found in any literature regarding man’s pre-mortal life and God’s purposes for the good of man.
“The Pearl of Great Price also helps to clarify some of the difficult passages in the other scriptures” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1955, 67).
Elder Mark E. Petersen, who was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, testified that the Pearl of Great Price “contains some of the greatest revelations of God to man” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1952, 107).
If you seek the influence of the Holy Ghost as you study this choice book of scripture, you will gain greater understanding and appreciation for the Lord’s work with His children—from the premortal life, the great dispensations of the Old Testament, the teachings of the Savior, and into this, the dispensation of the fulness of times. As your knowledge and testimony increase, so will your love for the Lord and your commitment to His great latter-day work.
THE PEARL OF GREAT PRICE
Title Page. Why Is It Called the “Pearl of Great Price”?
“A merchant man, seeking goodly pearls . . . , when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it” (Matthew 13:45–46).
In 1851 there were over 32,000 members of the Church in England. Elder Franklin D. Richards, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles who was presiding over the mission and the Church there, published a compilation of several revelations and texts of scripture by the Prophet Joseph Smith and called this collection the Pearl of Great Price. He said it would be “a source of much instruction and edification to many thousands of the Saints, who will by an acquaintance with its precious contents, be more abundantly qualified to set forth and defend the principles of our Holy Faith before all men” (Millennial Star, 15 July 1851, 217).
On 10 October 1880, by action of the First Presidency and the general conference, the Pearl of Great Price became a standard work of the Church. “Several revisions have been made in the contents as the needs of the Church have required. In 1878 portions of the Book of Moses not contained in the first edition were added. In 1902 certain parts of the Pearl of Great Price that duplicated material also published in the Doctrine and Covenants were omitted. . . . [In 1976] two items of revelation were added. In 1979 these two items were removed from the Pearl of Great Price and placed in the Doctrine and Covenants, where they now appear as sections 137 and 138” (Pearl of Great Price, introductory note). Its present contents include selections from the Book of Moses, the Book of Abraham (with three facsimiles), Joseph Smith—Matthew, Joseph Smith—History, and the Articles of Faith.