The Book of Mormon identified a seer as a “revelator, and a prophet also,” specifying, however, that a seer was “greater than a prophet.” A seer could “know of things which has past, and also of things which is to come.” The work of a seer included translation...
The words of God which he gave <spake> unto Moses at a time when Moses was caught up into an exceeding high Mountain & he saw God face to face & he talked with him & the glory of God was upon Moses therefore Moses could endure his presence & God spake unto Moses saying Behold I I am the Lord God Almighty & endless is my name for I am without beginning of days or end of years & is this not endless & behold thou art my Son Wherefore look & I will shew thee the workmanship of mine hands but not all for my works are without end & also my wo[r]ds for they never cease wherefore no man can behold all my works except he behold <all> my glory & no man can behold all my glory & afterwords remain in the flesh & I have a work for thee Moses my Son & thou art in similitude to my <mine> only begotten & mine only begotten is & shall be for he is full of grace & truth but there is none other God beside me & all things are present with me for I know them all And now behold this one thing I shew unto thee Moses my son for thou art in the world & now I shew it thee And it came to pass that Moses looked & beheld the world upon which he was created & Moses beheld the world & the ends thereof & all the Children of men which was & which was created of the same he greatly marvelled & wondered & the presence of God withdrew from Moses that his glory was not upon Moses & Moses was left unto himself & as he was left unto himself he fell unto the Earth, And it came to pass, that it was for the space of many hours before Moses did again receive his natural strength [lik]e unto man, & he saith unto himself no Now for this once I know that [m]an is nothing, which thing I never had supposed, but now mine eyes, mine own eyes but not mine eyes for mine eyes could not have beheld for I should have withered & died in his presence but his glory was upon me & I beheld his face for I was transfigered before him And now it came to pass that when Moses had said these words, behold, Satan came tempting him saying, Moses, Son of man, worship me, And it came to pass that Moses looked upon Satan & saith, Who art thou for behold, I am a Son of God in the similitude of his only begotten, & where is thy glory that I should worship thee, for, behold, I could not look upon God except his glory should come upon me, & I were transfigered before him but I can look upon thee in the natural man, if not so surely blessed be the name of my God for his Spirit hath not altogether withdrawn from me or else where is thy glory for it is blackness unto me & I can Judge between thee & God for God said unto me Worship God for him only shalt thou serve Get thee hence Satan deceive me not for God said unto me Thou art after the similitude of mine only begotten & he also gave unto me commandment
Generally, a divine mandate that church members were expected to obey; more specifically, a text dictated by JS in the first-person voice of deity that served to communicate knowledge and instruction to JS and his followers. Occasionally, other inspired texts...
when he called unto me out of the burning bush Saying [c]all upon God in the name of mine only begotten & worship me And again Moses saith I will not cease to call upon God I have other things to inquire of him for his glory has been upon me & it is glory unto me wherefore I can judge betwixt him & thee depart hence Satan And now when Mose[s] had said these words Satan cried with a loud [voice &] wrent upon the Ea[r]t[h] [p. [1]]
This revelation represents the first part of what is known as JS’s Bible Revision. In early October 1829, Oliver Cowdery
3 Oct. 1806–3 Mar. 1850. Clerk, teacher, justice of the peace, lawyer, newspaper editor. Born at Wells, Rutland Co., Vermont. Son of William Cowdery and Rebecca Fuller. Raised Congregationalist. Moved to western New York and clerked at a store, ca. 1825–1828...
purchased a copy of the King James Bible that JS used in summer 1830 to revise the scriptural text. By the time JS laid aside the Old Testament and New Testament manuscripts three years later, he had amended more than three thousand Bible verses, adding or altering passages and occasionally even entire chapters in a process he referred to as a translation.
The revelation served as a preface to the Pentateuch, particularly the book of Genesis. Unique to this narrative is an encounter between God and Moses in which Moses begins to comprehend God’s glory and the expanse of his creations.
Cowdery wrote this extract about June 1830, though it is not known where he was at the time. After Cowdery left on a mission, other scribes wrote for JS, adding to the manuscript during fall 1830. In December work ceased until after the move to Kirtland, Ohio, in early 1831.
Visions of Moses, June 1830; handwriting of Oliver Cowdery
3 Oct. 1806–3 Mar. 1850. Clerk, teacher, justice of the peace, lawyer, newspaper editor. Born at Wells, Rutland Co., Vermont. Son of William Cowdery and Rebecca Fuller. Raised Congregationalist. Moved to western New York and clerked at a store, ca. 1825–1828...