Moses
Overview
The Book of Moses, contained within the Pearl of Great Price, represents Joseph Smith's 'translation' or inspired revision of the first few chapters of Genesis, produced between June 1830 and February 1831. It fundamentally alters the traditional biblical narrative by introducing distinctively Latter-day Saint theology into the ancient world. The text begins with a prologue (chapter 1) where Moses sees God face-to-face, is tempted by Satan, and learns of the vastness of God's creations, establishing the premise that plain and precious truths were lost from the Bible and are now being restored. The subsequent chapters rewrite the creation, fall, and early patriarchal history. Crucially, the text introduces the concept of a pre-mortal existence and a 'Council in Heaven' where Christ and Satan vied for the role of Redeemer. It radically reinterprets the Fall of Adam and Eve not as a catastrophic tragedy, but as a necessary, positive step in God's plan that allowed humanity to procreate and progress. Furthermore, the Book of Moses retrojects full New Testament theology into the antediluvian world, claiming that Adam, Enoch, and Noah preached faith, repentance, water baptism by immersion, and the gift of the Holy Ghost explicitly in the name of Jesus Christ. It also details the ministry of Enoch, the establishment of the utopian city of Zion which was taken up to heaven, and the origins of 'secret combinations' (oath-bound murderous societies) beginning with Cain. For Latter-day Saints, this text is foundational for understanding the plan of salvation, the nature of God, and the antiquity of the Gospel.
Key Figures
- God the Father: Presented as the creator of countless worlds, who possesses a physical-like presence (Moses can only endure Him when transfigured), weeps over the wickedness of humanity, and orchestrates the plan of salvation.
- The Only Begotten (Jesus Christ): The chosen Redeemer from the pre-mortal council, creator of worlds under the Father's direction, whose name and atoning mission are explicitly known and preached by Adam and the patriarchs.
- Satan (Lucifer): A pre-mortal spirit who rebelled against God, sought to destroy human agency, was cast out, and actively tempts humanity, initiating secret combinations with Cain.
- Moses: The visionary recipient of this revelation, who confronts Satan and is shown the history of the earth, serving as the prophetic archetype for Joseph Smith.
- Adam: The first man, who rejoices in his fall, is taught the fullness of the Gospel, and is baptized in water by the Spirit of the Lord.
- Eve: The first woman, who explicitly celebrates her transgression as the necessary means to obtain posterity, knowledge of good and evil, and eternal life.
- Enoch: A prophet who builds the righteous city of Zion, which is translated (taken to heaven) due to its perfection, and who receives sweeping visions of human history and the Second Coming.
- Cain: The first murderer, who loves Satan more than God, enters into a secret oath to murder for gain, and becomes 'Master Mahan' and 'Perdition'.
- Noah: A prophet ordained to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ, including baptism, to a wicked generation before the global flood.
Doctrines Analyzed
Key theological claims identified in this text:
Pre-mortal Existence and the Council in Heaven
Assertion
Humanity and all living things existed as spirits before being created physically, and Satan rebelled in a pre-mortal council.
Evidence from Text
For I, the Lord God, created all things, of which I have spoken, spiritually, before they were naturally upon the face of the earth. (Moses 3:5) ... Satan... came before me, saying—Behold, here am I, send me, I will be thy son, and I will redeem all mankind... But, behold, my Beloved Son... said unto me—Father, thy will be done (Moses 4:1-2).
Evangelical Comparison
The Book of Moses introduces the doctrine that all things were created spiritually before they were physical, implying a pre-mortal existence for humanity. It also describes a 'Council in Heaven' where God presented a plan, and Satan offered to redeem mankind by destroying their agency and claiming God's honor. Jesus Christ, conversely, submitted to the Father's will. This fundamentally conflicts with Evangelical theology, which maintains that God alone is eternal and uncreated, while angels (including Satan) and humans are created beings. Humans do not pre-exist their physical conception (Zechariah 12:1). Furthermore, portraying Jesus and Satan as participants in a council where they present competing plans undermines the orthodox Christology of Jesus as the eternal, uncreated Second Person of the Trinity, distinct in nature from created angels like Lucifer.
The Fall as a Necessary Blessing (Fortunate Fall)
Assertion
The transgression of Adam and Eve was a necessary and positive step that allowed them to have children, know good and evil, and obtain eternal life.
Evidence from Text
And Eve, his wife, heard all these things and was glad, saying: Were it not for our transgression we never should have had seed, and never should have known good and evil, and the joy of our redemption, and the eternal life which God giveth unto all the obedient. (Moses 5:11)
Evangelical Comparison
In Moses 5:10-11, Adam and Eve explicitly bless God for their transgression, claiming that without it, they could not have had children or known the joy of redemption. This doctrine, often called the 'Fortunate Fall,' posits that God's command to multiply and His command not to eat the fruit were contradictory, forcing Adam and Eve to choose the 'greater' good of falling to fulfill the plan of salvation. This is a severe departure from Evangelical theology. The Bible presents the Fall as an act of high-handed rebellion against a holy God, resulting in spiritual death, a cursed creation, and the inherent sinfulness of all humanity (Romans 5:12). God did not need man to sin to accomplish His purposes, and sin is never portrayed in Scripture as a necessary mechanism for obtaining eternal life or God's blessings.
Retrojective Christianity
Assertion
Adam, Enoch, and Noah knew the name of Jesus Christ and practiced New Testament ordinances like water baptism and receiving the Holy Ghost.
Evidence from Text
If thou wilt turn unto me... and be baptized, even in water, in the name of mine Only Begotten Son... which is Jesus Christ... ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost (Moses 6:52).
Evangelical Comparison
The Book of Moses retrojects the fullness of New Testament Christianity back to the very beginning of human history. It claims that Adam was baptized by immersion in water in the name of Jesus Christ, received the Holy Ghost, and that Enoch and Noah preached this exact same gospel. This contradicts the Evangelical understanding of progressive revelation, wherein God reveals His redemptive plan gradually over time, culminating in the incarnation of Christ (Hebrews 1:1-2). The Old Testament saints were justified by faith in God's promises (Genesis 15:6, Romans 4), but they did not possess the specific historical knowledge of Jesus of Nazareth, nor did they practice Christian baptism, which was instituted by Christ during His earthly ministry (Matthew 28:19). This Mormon doctrine attempts to unify all dispensations under a single ritualistic framework, ignoring the historical unfolding of redemptive history.
Secret Combinations
Assertion
Satan administers secret oaths to wicked men, beginning with Cain, to murder and get gain, forming hidden societies.
Evidence from Text
Satan said unto Cain: Swear unto me by thy throat... that I may murder and get gain. Wherefore Cain was called Master Mahan, and he gloried in his wickedness. (Moses 5:29-31)
Evangelical Comparison
The text introduces 'secret combinations'—clandestine, oath-bound societies initiated by Satan to facilitate murder, power, and wealth. Cain is depicted as entering into a pact with Satan, becoming 'Master Mahan,' and murdering Abel specifically for his flocks. This narrative expands significantly on the biblical account of Cain and Abel, shifting the motive from pure jealousy over a rejected sacrifice to a calculated, satanically inspired conspiracy for material gain. While Evangelical Christianity affirms the reality of spiritual warfare and demonic influence (Ephesians 6:12), the highly specific framework of 'secret combinations' reflects 19th-century American anxieties about Freemasonry and secret societies, which Joseph Smith wove into his scriptural translations.
The Passibility of God (God Weeps)
Assertion
God experiences profound emotional sorrow and weeps over the wickedness and impending destruction of humanity.
Evidence from Text
And it came to pass that the God of heaven looked upon the residue of the people, and he wept... How is it that thou canst weep, seeing thou art holy, and from all eternity to all eternity? (Moses 7:28-29)
Evangelical Comparison
In a striking passage, Enoch observes God weeping over the wickedness of humanity and the impending flood. When Enoch questions how an eternal God can weep, God explains His sorrow over human cruelty and rejection of His love. While Evangelicalism acknowledges biblical anthropopathisms (descriptions of God having human emotions, like grieving in Genesis 6:6), classical Christian theism often holds to divine impassibility—the idea that God is not subject to emotional fluctuations or suffering caused by His creatures. In Mormon theology, however, God's weeping is taken literally as evidence of His nature as an exalted man who experiences genuine emotional pain and sorrow. This highlights a fundamental difference in Theology Proper: the Evangelical God is transcendent and immutable, whereas the Mormon God is highly anthropomorphic and emotionally vulnerable to human actions.
Comparative Analysis
Theological Gap (Summary)
The Book of Moses fundamentally alters the biblical narrative by introducing pre-mortal existence, portraying the Fall as a positive necessity, and retrojecting New Testament ordinances (like baptism) into the Old Testament era.
Theological Gap (Explained)
The theological gap between the Book of Moses and Evangelical Christianity is vast, primarily concerning Anthropology, Hamartiology (the study of sin), and Soteriology. First, the Book of Moses teaches that human spirits existed before birth and participated in a heavenly council, whereas Evangelicalism teaches that humans are created at conception. Second, the text radically redefines the Fall of Man. In Evangelical theology, the Fall was a catastrophic rebellion that plunged humanity into spiritual death and depravity (Romans 5:12). In the Book of Moses, Adam and Eve rejoice over their transgression, viewing it as a necessary mechanism to obtain physical bodies, posterity, and eternal life. This 'Fortunate Fall' doctrine makes sin a necessary component of God's plan for human progression, which violates the biblical view of God's absolute holiness and the destructive nature of sin. Furthermore, the Book of Moses violates the Evangelical understanding of progressive revelation by retrojecting New Testament theology into the antediluvian world. It claims that Adam, Enoch, and Noah preached the name of Jesus Christ, practiced water baptism by immersion, and received the Holy Ghost. This flattens redemptive history, ignoring the biblical progression from the shadows and types of the Old Covenant to the fulfillment in the New Covenant (Hebrews 8-10). By insisting that these ordinances were required from the beginning, the text imposes a works-based, ritualistic soteriology onto the patriarchs, contradicting the Evangelical doctrine of Sola Fide (Justification by Faith Alone), which asserts that Abraham and the patriarchs were justified by faith in God's promises, not by participating in Christian sacraments.
For All Ages
Imagine you have a favorite storybook about how the world began. Christians believe the Bible is that true storybook, and it tells us that the first people, Adam and Eve, made a terrible mistake by disobeying God, which brought sadness and death into the world. But God promised to send a rescuer, Jesus, much later. The Book of Moses changes the story. It says that Adam and Eve's mistake was actually a *good* thing because it was the only way they could have a family. It also says that Adam and Eve knew all about Jesus and were even baptized in water, just like people are today. Christians don't believe this because the Bible teaches that the first sin was truly bad, and that God revealed the specific details about Jesus and baptism slowly over thousands of years, not right at the very beginning.
Friction Points
Sola Scriptura
The text claims to be a restoration of lost biblical material, adding entire chapters of new theology to Genesis without any manuscript evidence.
Hamartiology / Original Sin
The text portrays the Fall as a necessary blessing and a positive step in God's plan, rather than a tragic rebellion.
Progressive Revelation
The text retrojects New Testament ordinances (baptism) and the specific name of Jesus Christ into the antediluvian era.
Theology Proper / Christology
The text implies a pre-mortal existence where Jesus and Satan were peers presenting competing plans in a heavenly council.
Semantic Warnings
Terms that have different meanings between traditions:
"The Fall"
In This Text
A necessary, positive transgression that allowed Adam and Eve to have children and progress toward eternal life.
In Evangelicalism
A tragic rebellion against God that brought sin, death, and condemnation to all humanity.
"Gospel"
In This Text
A set of laws and ordinances, including faith, repentance, water baptism, and the Holy Ghost, taught since the days of Adam.
In Evangelicalism
The good news of Jesus Christ's finished work on the cross, His death, and resurrection, which justifies the believer by faith alone.
"Salvation / Eternal Life"
In This Text
Often distinguished in LDS theology; salvation can mean general resurrection, while eternal life means exaltation (becoming like God) through obedience to ordinances.
In Evangelicalism
Deliverance from the penalty of sin and the gift of eternal communion with God, granted freely by grace through faith.
Soteriology (Salvation)
Salvation Defined: Enjoying the words of eternal life in this world, and eternal life in the world to come, even immortal glory, dwelling in the presence of God.
How Attained: Through faith, repentance, baptism in water, receiving the Holy Ghost, and being cleansed by the blood of the Only Begotten (obedience to the 'plan of salvation').
Basis of Assurance: Receiving the Holy Ghost, walking with God, and maintaining obedience to the commandments and ordinances.
Comparison to Sola Fide: The Book of Moses explicitly denies Sola Fide by making water baptism and obedience to laws an absolute requirement for salvation from the very beginning of human history (Moses 6:52, 57). Justification is not by faith alone, but by participation in the prescribed ordinances.
Mandates & Requirements
Explicit Commands
- Look, and I will show thee the workmanship of mine hands (1:4)
- Worship God, for him only shalt thou serve (1:15)
- Get thee hence, Satan; deceive me not (1:16)
- Call upon God in the name of mine Only Begotten, and worship me (1:17)
- Write the things which I shall speak (1:40, 2:1)
- Show them not unto any except them that believe (1:42, 4:32)
- Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it (2:28)
- Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat, But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it (3:16-17)
- Worship the Lord their God, and should offer the firstlings of their flocks (5:5)
- Do all that thou doest in the name of the Son (5:8)
- Repent and call upon God in the name of the Son forevermore (5:8)
- Believe in the Son, and repent of their sins (5:15)
- Prophesy unto this people, and say unto them—Repent (6:27)
- Choose ye this day, to serve the Lord God who made you (6:33)
- Anoint thine eyes with clay, and wash them (6:35)
- Turn unto me, and hearken unto my voice, and believe, and repent of all thy transgressions, and be baptized, even in water, in the name of mine Only Begotten Son (6:52)
- Teach it unto your children, that all men, everywhere, must repent (6:57)
- Teach these things freely unto your children (6:58)
- Ye must be born again into the kingdom of heaven, of water, and of the Spirit, and be cleansed by blood (6:59)
- Turn ye, and get ye upon the mount Simeon (7:2)
- Baptize in the name of the Father, and of the Son... and of the Holy Ghost (7:11)
- Declare his Gospel unto the children of men (8:19)
Implicit Obligations
- Keep a book of remembrance and genealogy
- Walk with God in righteousness
- Reject the temptations and secret oaths of Satan
- Strive to create a Zion society of one heart and one mind
- Care for the poor so there are 'no poor among them'
Ritual Requirements
- Animal sacrifice as a similitude of the Only Begotten
- Baptism by immersion in water in the name of Jesus Christ
- Reception of the Holy Ghost
- Being cleansed by the blood of the Only Begotten
Evangelism Toolkit
Practical tools for engagement and dialogue:
Discovery Questions
Open-ended questions to promote reflection:
- If Adam and Eve were taught about Jesus and were baptized in water, why do you think there is no mention of this anywhere in the Old Testament manuscripts?
- In Moses 5:11, Eve rejoices over her transgression. How does this fit with God's severe warning in Genesis that eating the fruit would bring death and a curse?
- If the Fall was a necessary step for God's plan, does that mean God gave Adam and Eve conflicting commandments (to multiply, but not to eat the fruit)?
- How do you reconcile the idea of a 'Council in Heaven' where Satan and Jesus presented plans, with the biblical teaching that Jesus is the eternal Creator and Satan is merely a created being?
Redemptive Analogies
Bridges from this text to the Gospel:
Animal Sacrifice as a Similitude
This is a beautiful bridge. Evangelicals completely agree that Old Testament animal sacrifices pointed forward to the ultimate, once-for-all sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God.
God's Sorrow over Sin
While Evangelicals may differ on divine passibility, we agree that God is deeply grieved by human sin and desires that none should perish, which is why He sent Christ.
Spiritual Weight
Burdens this text places on adherents:
By teaching that salvation requires strict obedience to laws and ordinances (like baptism) from the very beginning, the text places a heavy burden of performance on the believer. There is no rest in the finished work of Christ; rather, one must continually 'walk with God' perfectly, as Enoch's city did, to be accepted.
Believers must trust a 19th-century man's unverified additions to the Bible over thousands of years of manuscript evidence. This creates a fragile foundation for faith, requiring constant subjective spiritual reinforcement to ignore objective historical realities.