Shedding Light on the Story of Jesus

Kent P. Jackson, "Shedding Light on the Story of Jesus," in Understanding Joseph Smith's Translation of the Bible (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University; Salt Lake City: Deseret Book), 71‒82.

All the new text in the Joseph Smith Translation is connected in some way to existing biblical passages. This is even true of large insertions like the Visions of Moses, which connects at its end with Genesis 1:1, and the account of Melchizedek, which adds hundreds of words to Genesis 14:24. There are no new texts in the New Testament as long as those examples, but in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John there are several sizable insertions that go beyond the words in traditional Bibles. All of them are connected to and expand on existing words. This chapter and chapter 11 will highlight some of those insertions to see how they add context and interpretation to material already found in the Bible. This chapter will give examples that focus on the words of the four Evangelists and on the words of both disciples and detractors of Christ. The next chapter will deal with the Savior’s own words.

Enhancing the Evangelists’ Narratives

Numerous insertions in the Joseph Smith Translation add to the narrations of the Gospel writers, shedding light on the story of Jesus.

When John the Baptist was preaching and baptizing at the Jordan River, different groups came to him, some to be baptized and some to engage him in debate. The example below begins with an addition to the Baptist’s words that introduces the text that is preserved in the Bible. Then the JST adds words to Matthew’s narration, summarizing John’s teaching, a summary that leads neatly into the introduction of Jesus in the sentence that follows. Again, in this chapter and in the following chapters, the JST words to be emphasized are in bold type.

Matthew 3:12–13

Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.

Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him.

“And it is he of whom I shall bear record, whose fan shall be in his hand. And he will thoroughly purge his floor and gather his wheat into the garner, but—in the fullness of his own time—will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

Thus came John preaching and baptizing in the river of Jordan, bearing record that he who was coming after him had power to baptize with the Holy Ghost and fire. And then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John to be baptized of him.

In the next example, also from the story of John the Baptist, the New Translation adds to Luke’s account an explanation for John’s counsel to a group of tax collectors. At the end it restates most of the original sentence.

Luke 3:13

And he said unto them, Exact no more than that which is appointed you.

And he said unto them, “Exact no more than that which is appointed unto you.” For it is well known unto you, Theophilus, that after the manner of the Jews and according to the custom of their law in receiving money in the treasury, that out of the abundance which was received was appointed unto the poor, every man his portion. And after this manner did the publicans also. Wherefore John said unto them, “Exact no more than that which is appointed you.”

Luke 1:3 and Acts 1:1 identify Luke’s intended reader, a man named Theophilus. The JST insertion above is the only other place in the Bible where he is mentioned.

Another insertion, to the words of the Gospel writer John, also provides an explanation for a Jewish custom:

John 13:10

Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all.

Jesus saith to him, “He that has washed his hands and his head needeth not save to wash his feet but is clean every whit. And ye are clean, but not all.” Now this was the custom of the Jews under their law. Wherefore Jesus did this that the law might be fulfilled.

In the following insertion, Luke explains why Jesus said what he said and adds words spoken by Jesus’s hearers.

Luke 12:9

But he that denieth me before men shall be denied before the angels of God.

“But he who denieth me before men shall be denied before the angels of God.”

Now his disciples knew that he said this because they had spoken evil against him before the people, for they were afraid to confess him before men. And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “He knoweth our hearts and he speaketh to our condemnation, and we shall not be forgiven.”

In a similar way, in the following example the JST adds words to the narrative of Luke that explain the historical setting for a prophecy of Jesus.

Luke 23:31

For if they do these things in a green tree, what shall be done in the dry?

“And if these things are done in the green tree, what shall be done in the dry tree?” This he spake signifying the scattering of Israel and the desolation of the heathen, or in other words, the Gentiles.

Some JST revisions explain the actions of those close to Jesus, as in this example from the Gospel of John:

John 11:16

Then said Thomas, which is called Didymus, unto his fellowdisciples, Let us also go, that we may die with him.

Then said Thomas, which is called Didymus, unto his fellow disciples, “Let us also go that we may die with him.” For they feared lest the Jews should take Jesus and put him to death, for as yet they did not understand the power of God.

One of the most remarkable insertions of text into the words of a Gospel writer is the addition at Mark 14:32. As the Garden of Gethsemane scene begins, the Joseph Smith Translation adds an entirely new event that is found nowhere else in scripture.

Mark 14:32

And they came to a place which was named Gethsemane:

and he saith to his disciples, Sit ye here, while I shall pray.

And they came to a place which was named Gethsemane, which was a garden. And the disciples began to be sore amazed and to be very heavy and to complain in their hearts, wondering if this be the Messiah. And Jesus, knowing their hearts, he said to his disciples, “Sit you here, while I shall pray.”

Short additions to the words of the Evangelists sometimes make a significant difference in how one reads the text. In the example that follows, the JST of Mark adds a note about the motive of Judas Iscariot in betraying Jesus. The emphasis is not on money but on Judas’s apostasy.

Mark 14:10

And Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went unto the chief priests, to betray him unto them.

Nevertheless Judas Iscariot, even one of the twelve, went unto the chief priests to betray Jesus unto them, for he turned away from him and was offended because of his words.

Another short addition brings a welcome closure to the familiar story of the woman taken in adultery:

John 8:11

She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.

She said, “No man, Lord.” And Jesus said unto her, “Neither do I condemn thee. Go, and sin no more.” And the woman glorified God from that hour and believed on his name.

The change at John 8:11 raises some interesting questions about the New Translation. The story of the woman taken in adultery is not found in the earliest and best manuscripts of the Gospel of John. Early manuscripts that do include it place it in different locations, sometimes even in the Gospel of Luke. This suggests that though the story is authentic, it circulated separately for a while and may not have been written by John.[1] The Joseph Smith Translation usually seems to pay little attention to such matters of textual history, either in the New Testament or in the Old Testament. The revisions usually respond to the text as it is in its current form. There are, however, places where the Prophet rearranged text. He moved the above passage in Mark 14 concerning the motive of Judas Iscariot from after verse 9 to after verse 28. There are also other examples of verses being moved.[2]

Other additions to the words of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John provide transitions from one event in the narrative to another, as in the following examples.

Matthew 23:37

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem

Then Jesus began to weep over Jerusalem, saying, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem”

Mark 3:30

Because they said, He hath an unclean spirit.

And this he said unto them because they said, “He hath an unclean spirit.”

Mark 3:31

There came then his brethren and his mother

While he was yet with them and while he was yet speaking, there came then some of his brethren and his mother

Luke 13:10

And he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath

And after this, as he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath

Luke 14:25

And there went great multitudes with him

And when he had finished these sayings he departed thence, and there went great multitudes with him

John 1:30

This is he of whom I said,

And John bare record of him unto the people, saying, “This is he of whom I said,”

John 4:9

Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him,

Wherefore, he being alone, the woman of Samaria said unto him,

These transitions that Joseph Smith added, of which there are many, clearly make the text flow more freely. More importantly, they also make the text more precise and more complete. One may be tempted to view revisions like these merely as literary refinements, but there are so many of them that it is clear that they are part and parcel of Joseph Smith’s Bible revision. Perhaps above all else, they show that the New Translation was not intended to be an academic novelty or a collection of quotations, it was intended to be read.

Expanding the Words of Disciples and Opponents

The Joseph Smith Translation, in several places, adds words spoken by individuals in the narrative, both friends and foes of Jesus. In some cases the insertions expand on existing quotations, as in the following example from John the Baptist. The JST in this passage adds words both at the beginning and at the end of the quotation. The insertion at the end explains the metaphor and gives a reason for Jesus’s preeminence over John.

John 1:27

He it is,

who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe’s latchet I am not worthy to unloose.

“He it is of whom I bear record. He is that prophet, even Elias, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe’s latchet I am not worthy to unloose, or whose place I am not able to fill. For he shall baptize not only with water but with fire and with the Holy Ghost.”

Another expanded quotation from John the Baptist continues the subject matter and the tone of his words as preserved in the Bible.

Matthew 3:7

But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism he said unto them, “O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Why is it that ye receive not the preaching of him whom God hath sent? If ye receive not this in your hearts, ye receive not me. And if ye receive not me, ye receive not him of whom I am sent to bear record, and for your sins ye have no cloak.”

Some insertions precede existing quotations and introduce them by providing context and explanations for them. The effect is a clearer reading of the story. The following two examples add statements from Jesus’s critics that help readers understand what Jesus said afterwards.

Matthew 9:16

No man putteth a piece of new cloth unto an old garment, for that which is put in to fill it up taketh from the garment, and the rent is made worse.

Then said the Pharisees unto him, “Why will ye not receive us with our baptism, seeing we keep the whole law?” But Jesus said unto them, “Ye keep not the law. If ye had kept the law ye would have received me, for I am he that gave the law. I receive not you with your baptism because it profiteth you nothing. For when that which is new is come, the old is ready to be put away. For no man putteth a piece of new cloth on an old garment, for that which is put in to fill it up taketh from the garment, and the rent is made worse.”

Matthew 12:43

When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none.

Then came some of the scribes and said unto him, “Master, it is written that every sin shall be forgiven. But ye say, ‘Whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven.’” And they asked him, saying, “How can these things be?” And he said unto them, “When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places seeking rest and findeth none.”

The following passage from the New Translation adds dialogue both from Jesus’s opponents and from his disciples, and it also adds to Jesus’s words. The topic is introduced in Matthew 7:7 of the JST, where Jesus tells his disciples to tell their listeners, “Ask of God.” The first few lines of the insertion show the immediate message of Jesus’s words in the passage—that God gives knowledge to those who seek it and ask it of him.

Matthew 7:9

Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?

And then said his disciples unto him, “They will say unto us, ‘We ourselves are righteous and need not that any man should teach us. God, we know, heard Moses and some of the prophets, but us he will not hear.’ And they will say, ‘We have the law for our salvation, and that is sufficient for us.’”

Then Jesus answered and said unto his disciples, “Thus shall ye say unto them: What man among you having a son and he shall be standing out and shall say, ‘Father, open thy house that I may come in and sup with thee’—will he not say, ‘Come in, my son, for mine is thine and thine is mine’? Or what man is there among you who if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?”

The revision above identifies the preserved text not as Jesus’s instruction to a multitude but as his instruction to his disciples about what they were to teach to others.

A final example, an unusual one, provides a rebuttal by the Pharisees to Jesus’s words against them. The New Translation inserts words that the Pharisees spoke in an attempt to justify their behavior. They invoke their source of authority—the Old Testament—and they denounce Jesus’s own claim to authority over them.

Luke 16:15

And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.

And he said unto them, “Ye are they who justify yourselves before men, but God knoweth your hearts. For that which is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God.” And they said unto him, “We have the law and the prophets, but as for this man, we will not receive him to be our ruler, for he maketh himself to be a judge over us.”

We see in passages like these that the Prophet’s Bible revision not only adds important new insights but also makes existing words more understandable by placing them in context. Further, revisions like these make the biblical text easier to read. All this is part of the genius of Joseph Smith’s translation of the Bible.

Notes

[1] See Lincoln H. Blumell, “A Text-Critical Comparison of the King James New Testament with Certain Modern Translations,” Studies in the Bible and Antiquity 3 (2011): 107–13.

[2] See John 1:28; 6:49; Colossians 2:21; 1 Timothy 5:23; Hebrews 7:21.

�鶹��ý

Understanding Joseph Smith's Translation of the Bible

Kent P. Jackson

Shedding Light on the Story of Jesus

Contact the �鶹��ý

Helpful Links

Connect with Us