Revelation, 7 December 1830 [D&C 35]

Source Note
Revelation, [
Fayette Township
Located in northern part of county between Seneca and Cayuga lakes. Area settled, by 1790. Officially organized as Washington Township, 14 Mar. 1800. Name changed to Fayette, 6 Apr. 1808. Population in 1830 about 3,200. Population in 1840 about 3,700. Significant...
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, Seneca Co., NY], to
Sidney Rigdon
19 Feb. 1793–14 July 1876. Tanner, farmer, minister. Born at St. Clair, Allegheny Co., Pennsylvania. Son of William Rigdon and Nancy Gallaher. Joined United Baptists, ca. 1818. Preached at Warren, Trumbull Co., Ohio, and vicinity, 1819–1821. Married Phebe...
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, 7 Dec. 1830. Featured version, titled “38th Commandment AD 1830. Dec.m. 7th,” copied [ca. Mar. 1831] in Revelation Book 1, pp. 46–48; handwriting of
John Whitmer
27 Aug. 1802–11 July 1878. Farmer, stock raiser, newspaper editor. Born in Pennsylvania. Son of Peter Whitmer Sr. and Mary Musselman. Member of German Reformed Church, Fayette, Seneca Co., New York. Baptized by Oliver Cowdery, June 1829, most likely in Seneca...
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; CHL. Includes redactions. For more complete source information, see the source note for Revelation Book 1.

A portion of another early copy of this revelation in the handwriting of
David Whitmer
7 Jan. 1805–25 Jan. 1888. Farmer, livery keeper. Born near Harrisburg, Dauphin Co., Pennsylvania. Son of Peter Whitmer Sr. and Mary Musselman. Raised Presbyterian. Moved to Ontario Co., New York, shortly after birth. Attended German Reformed Church. Arranged...
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survived through the
Symonds Rider
20 Nov. 1792–1 Aug. 1870. Farmer, teacher, minister. Born in Hartford, Windsor Co., Vermont. Son of Joshua Ryder and Marilla Loomis. Moved to Hiram, Portage Co., Ohio, 6 Jan. 1814. Married Mahitable Loomis, 12 Nov. 1818, in Portage Co. Served as captain in...
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family, coming into the Church Historian’s Office in the 1960s.
1
Revelation, 7 Dec. 1830, in Revelations Collection, CHL [D&C 35:13–18]. The opposite side of this revelation fragment contains a few verses of Revelation, 9 Dec. 1830 [D&C 36].
Comprehensive Works Cited
Revelations Collection, 1831–ca. 1844, 1847, 1861, ca. 1876. CHL. MS 4583.
Symonds Rider supplied the text to the editor of the Ohio Star (Ravenna), which published it in the 5 January 1832 issue. Rider claimed that he received his version from David Whitmer.
2
“Mormonism,” Ohio Star (Ravenna), 5 Jan. 1832, [3]; Symonds Rider, Letter to the Editor, Ohio Star (Ravenna), 29 Dec. 1831, [3].
Comprehensive Works Cited
Ohio Star. Ravenna. 1830–1854.
The text featured here, the Star version, and the existing portion of the Whitmer version from the Rider family are all similar, with no significant variants.

Footnotes
1. 1
  Revelation, 7 Dec. 1830, in Revelations Collection, CHL [D&C 35:13–18]. The opposite side of this revelation fragment contains a few verses of Revelation, 9 Dec. 1830 [D&C 36].
  
  Revelations Collection, 1831–ca. 1844, 1847, 1861, ca. 1876. CHL. MS 4583.
2. 2
  “Mormonism,” Ohio Star (Ravenna), 5 Jan. 1832, [3]; Symonds Rider, Letter to the Editor, Ohio Star (Ravenna), 29 Dec. 1831, [3].
  
  Ohio Star. Ravenna. 1830–1854.
Historical Introduction
The conversion of
Sidney Rigdon
19 Feb. 1793–14 July 1876. Tanner, farmer, minister. Born at St. Clair, Allegheny Co., Pennsylvania. Son of William Rigdon and Nancy Gallaher. Joined United Baptists, ca. 1818. Preached at Warren, Trumbull Co., Ohio, and vicinity, 1819–1821. Married Phebe...
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and others in northeastern
Ohio
French explored and claimed area, 1669. British took possession following French and Indian War, 1763. Ceded to U.S., 1783. First permanent white settlement established, 1788. Northeastern portion maintained as part of Connecticut, 1786, and called Connecticut...
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in fall 1830 transformed the new
Church of Christ
The Book of Mormon related that when Christ set up his church in the Americas, “they which were baptized in the name of Jesus, were called the church of Christ.” The first name used to denote the church JS organized on 6 April 1830 was “the Church of Christ...
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geographically and demographically. Within a few weeks after missionaries arrived in Ohio, more than one hundred individuals were
baptized
An ordinance in which an individual is immersed in water for the remission of sins. The Book of Mormon explained that those with necessary authority were to baptize individuals who had repented of their sins. Baptized individuals also received the gift of...
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,
1
Pratt, Autobiography, 50; Anderson, “Impact of the First Preaching in Ohio,” 478.
Comprehensive Works Cited
Pratt, Parley P. The Autobiography of Parley Parker Pratt, One of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Embracing His Life, Ministry and Travels, with Extracts, in Prose and Verse, from His Miscellaneous Writings. Edited by Parley P. Pratt Jr. New York: Russell Brothers, 1874.
Anderson, Richard Lloyd. “Impact of the First Preaching in Ohio.” BYU Studies 11 (Summer 1971): 474–496.
and by the end of December church members in
New York
Located in northeast region of U.S. Area settled by Dutch traders, 1620s; later governed by Britain, 1664–1776. Admitted to U.S. as state, 1788. Population in 1810 about 1,000,000; in 1820 about 1,400,000; in 1830 about 1,900,000; and in 1840 about 2,400,...
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were commanded to move to Ohio.
2
See Revelation, 30 Dec. 1830 [D&C 37:2–3]; and Revelation, 2 Jan. 1831 [D&C 38:32].

Kirtland
Located ten miles south of Lake Erie. Settled by 1811. Organized by 1818. Latter-day Saint missionaries visited township, early Nov. 1830; many residents joined Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Population in 1830 about 55 Latter-day Saints and...
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, where the first baptisms in Ohio took place, became an important gathering place for church members for the next seven years. The visit of Sidney Rigdon and
Edward Partridge
27 Aug. 1793–27 May 1840. Hatter. Born at Pittsfield, Berkshire Co., Massachusetts. Son of William Partridge and Jemima Bidwell. Moved to Painesville, Geauga Co., Ohio. Married Lydia Clisbee, 22 Aug. 1819, at Painesville. Initially a Universal Restorationist...
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to
New York
Located in northeast region of U.S. Area settled by Dutch traders, 1620s; later governed by Britain, 1664–1776. Admitted to U.S. as state, 1788. Population in 1810 about 1,000,000; in 1820 about 1,400,000; in 1830 about 1,900,000; and in 1840 about 2,400,...
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only a few weeks after Rigdon’s baptism helped bring about this transition.
3
See [Matthew S. Clapp], “Mormonism,” Painesville (OH) Telegraph, 15 Feb. 1831, [1] –[2]; Knight, Reminiscences, 8; and Walter Scott, “Mormon Bible.—No. V,” Evangelist, 1 June 1841, 132–136.
Comprehensive Works Cited
Painesville Telegraph. Painesville, OH. 1822–1986.
Knight, Joseph, Sr. Reminiscences, no date. CHL. MS 3470.
Evangelist. Carthage, OH. 1832–1844.
According to
John Whitmer
27 Aug. 1802–11 July 1878. Farmer, stock raiser, newspaper editor. Born in Pennsylvania. Son of Peter Whitmer Sr. and Mary Musselman. Member of German Reformed Church, Fayette, Seneca Co., New York. Baptized by Oliver Cowdery, June 1829, most likely in Seneca...
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’s history, Rigdon made the trip because he had “much anxiety to see Joseph Smith Jr. the Seer whom the Lord had raised up in these last days.”
4
Whitmer, History, 1.
Rigdon and Partridge arrived in early December 1830, and shortly thereafter JS dictated a revelation for each of them. This revelation, for Rigdon, praised his previous ministerial labors and positioned him as JS’s scribe for JS’s inspired
translation
To produce a text from one written in another language; in JS’s usage, most often through divine means. JS considered the ability to translate to be a gift of the spirit, like the gift of interpreting tongues. He recounted that he translated “reformed Egyptian...
View Glossary
of the Bible. Rigdon remained in New York with JS for the next two months until they both moved to Ohio.

Footnotes
1. 1
  Pratt, Autobiography, 50; Anderson, “Impact of the First Preaching in Ohio,” 478.
  
  Pratt, Parley P. The Autobiography of Parley Parker Pratt, One of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Embracing His Life, Ministry and Travels, with Extracts, in Prose and Verse, from His Miscellaneous Writings. Edited by Parley P. Pratt Jr. New York: Russell Brothers, 1874.
  Anderson, Richard Lloyd. “Impact of the First Preaching in Ohio.” BYU Studies 11 (Summer 1971): 474–496.
2. 2
  See Revelation, 30 Dec. 1830 [D&C 37:2–3]; and Revelation, 2 Jan. 1831 [D&C 38:32].
3. 3
  See [Matthew S. Clapp], “Mormonism,” Painesville (OH) Telegraph, 15 Feb. 1831, [1] –[2]; Knight, Reminiscences, 8; and Walter Scott, “Mormon Bible.—No. V,” Evangelist, 1 June 1841, 132–136.
  
  Painesville Telegraph. Painesville, OH. 1822–1986.
  Knight, Joseph, Sr. Reminiscences, no date. CHL. MS 3470.
  Evangelist. Carthage, OH. 1832–1844.
4. 4
  Whitmer, History, 1.

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38th AD 1830. Dec.m. 7th

A Commandment to Joseph & . s call to writing for Joseph &c

Saying Listen to the voice of the Lord your God even Alpha & Omega the begining & the end whose course is one eternal round the same to day as yesterday & for ever I am Jesus Christ the son of God who was crusified for the sins of the World even as will believe on my name that they may become the sons of God even one in me as I am in the Father as the Father is one in me that we may be one Behold Verily Verily I say unto my Servent I have looked upon thee & thy works

I have heard thy prayers & prepared thee for a greater work thou art blessed for thou shalt do great things Behold thou wast sent forth even as John to prepare the way before me & Elijah which should come & thou knew it not

thou didst by water unto Repentance but they received not the Holy Ghost but now I give unto you a commandment that thou shalt Baptize by water & give <& they shall receive> the Holy Ghost by <the> laying on of hands even as the Apostles of old & it shall come to pass that there shall be a great work in the land even among the for their folly their abominations shall be made manifest in the eyes of all People for I am God & mine arm is <not> shortened & I will shew miricles signs & wonders unto all those who believe [p. 46]

38th AD 1830. Dec.m. 7th

A Commandment to Joseph & . s call to writing for Joseph &c

thou didst by water unto Repentance but they received not the Holy Ghost but now I give unto you a commandment that thou shalt Baptize by water & & they shall receive the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands even as the Apostles of old & it shall come to pass that there shall be a great work in the land even among the for their folly their abominations shall be made manifest in the eyes of all People for I am God & mine arm is not shortened & I will shew miricles signs & wonders unto all those who believe [p. 46]

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Document Information
Editorial Title
Revelation, 7 December 1830 [D&C 35]
ID #
6494
Total Pages
3
Print Volume Location
JSP, D1:219–223
Handwriting on This Page
- John Whitmer
Footnotes
1. 1
  John Whitmer likely created this heading when he copied the text into Revelation Book 1.
2. 2
  The version published in the Ohio Star in January 1832 has “an.” (“Mormonism,” Ohio Star [Ravenna], 5 Jan. 1832, [3].)
  
  Ohio Star. Ravenna. 1830–1854.
3. 3
  See John 1:12; 17:21.
4. 4
  During Rigdon’s nearly decade-long ministry in association with Alexander Campbell, he gained a reputation as a powerful preacher. One early follower recalled, “His action was graceful, his language copious, fluent in utterance, with articulation clear and musical.” (Hayden, Early History of the Disciples in the Western Reserve, 192; see also Richardson, Memoirs of Alexander Campbell, 47; and Chase, “Sidney Rigdon—Early Mormon,” 24–32.)
  
  Hayden, Amos Sutton. Early History of the Disciples in the Western Reserve, Ohio; with Biographical Sketches of the Principal Agents in Their Religious Movement. Cincinnati: Chase and Hall, 1875.
  Richardson, Robert. Memoirs of Alexander Campbell, Embracing a View of the Origin, Progress and Principles of the Religious Reformation Which He Advocated. Vol. 2. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott, 1870.
  Chase, Daryl. “Sidney Rigdon—Early Mormon.” Master’s thesis, University of Chicago, 1931.
5. 5
  An early follower of Alexander Campbell wrote that prior to the arrival of Mormon missionaries, Rigdon “was travailing with expectancy of some great event soon to be revealed to the surprise and astonishment of mankind” and “preparing others for the voice of some mysterious event soon to come.” Painesville, Ohio, Telegraph editor Eber D. Howe wrote in 1834 that Rigdon had so thoroughly “prepared the minds in a great measure, of nearly a hundred of those who had attended his ministration to be in readiness to embrace the first mysterious ism that should be presented” that surreptitiously he must have been “the original ‘author and proprietor’ of the whole Mormon conspiracy.” (Hayden, Early History of the Disciples in the Western Reserve, 209; Howe, Mormonism Unvailed, 290, italics in original.)
  
  Hayden, Amos Sutton. Early History of the Disciples in the Western Reserve, Ohio; with Biographical Sketches of the Principal Agents in Their Religious Movement. Cincinnati: Chase and Hall, 1875.
  Howe, Eber D. Mormonism Unvailed: Or, A Faithful Account of That Singular Imposition and Delusion, from Its Rise to the Present Time. With Sketches of the Characters of Its Propagators, and a Full Detail of the Manner in Which the Famous Golden Bible Was Brought before the World. To Which Are Added, Inquiries into the Probability That the Historical Part of the Said Bible Was Written by One Solomon Spalding, More Than Twenty Years Ago, and by Him Intended to Have Been Published as a Romance. Painesville, OH: By the author, 1834.
6. 6
  See Acts 8:18–19.

Revelation, 7 December 1830 [D&C 35]

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