The records and documents of the founder of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will soon be published in a multiple volume set available to the general public.

The Joseph Smith Papers Project is the most extensive historical research project the church has ever undertaken.

"[It is] an attempt to gather all the known documents generated by or from Joseph Smith Jr.," said David Whittaker, a curator in the L. Tom Perry Special Collections, who is one of the many professionals working on the project. "It'll be the mother-load...for anybody who wants to study Joseph Smith."

Whittaker, who is a coeditor of the first volume, said the documents are divided into six different series. The series are: journals, sermons, revelations, letters, Joseph's personal history and additional records, such as meeting minutes and legal papers.

The project will total 30 volumes. Every year, beginning this year, two volumes will be published until the project is complete. The project will take roughly 50 years to complete. A volume will cost consumers around $40. Eventually, all material will be placed online.

"The primary audience is the members of the Church," Whittaker said. "These will serve the Church for years to come."

Whittaker said he thinks that this project is important for all members and especially students. Students, he said, should be able to discuss Joseph Smith spiritually and historically.

"I think it will strengthen and deepen their testimonies of the prophet, the founder," he said.

However, the project will benefit more than just members. With the church growing, more and more non-members are becoming interested in the history of the church, Whittaker said. He also said he thinks the project will show critics of the church the truth about Joseph Smith.

"One of the challenges is to work through a lot of papers to distinguish what is his and what others wrote in his behalf," Whittaker said.

Several problems exist for the 10 volumes of Joseph Smith's journals. In a review of a recent Joseph Smith biography, Whittaker said there are a total of 1,587 pages of journals. However, only 31 are in Joseph's handwriting. Scholars estimate that Joseph dictated 250 of the pages to scribes. Four men wrote the remaining 1,306 pages, as Joseph appointed them. Thus, the majority of the journals are one-step removed from Joseph and his thoughts.

Another major dilemma for historians is that 12 years exist between the first entry in the journals and the last entry, yet entries for only 25 percent of those days exist.

Joseph's sermons and discourses also pose a gap for historians composing the project. Scholars estimate that the prophet gave approximately 450 public sermons and discourses. However, research reveals that only one tenth of Joseph's sermons and discourses were recorded, and most of these come from the last three years of his life.

The letters to and from Joseph are a valuable series. Joseph wrote 308 letters and 380 letters were written to him. Gathering these letters was a huge project, Whittaker said.

"None of these letters, I think, are insignificant. Each one gives a little window into his life," Whittaker said.

Although record keeping is standard doctrine and practice in the church today, the prophet Joseph didn't start out keeping records.

"There's nothing in Joseph's background that really lent him to be a record keeper," Whittaker said.

It wasn't until the church was organized in 1830 that Joseph received that command, now in the Doctrine and Covenants, that "there should be a record kept." From then, Joseph worked more to keep records. He, with the help of several clerks, began his own personal history in 1938 and it was finished 12 years after the prophet's death.

"I'm not sure Joseph would have kept records unless he was commanded to," Whittaker said. "I think he was obedient to that."

Elder Marlin K. Jensen, the church historian and recorder, is the leading official over the project. Also involved in the process are dozens of directors, editors, archivists, and researchers.

Ron Esplin, the managing editor for the papers project, said that the project will be a great tools for members.

"It is way past time to have a firm grasp of our records," Esplin said. "We'll never outgrow our interest in understanding our beginnings."

Esplin also said BYU has several ties to the project.

Along with the institute that helped begin the project, several BYU professors and historians are lending their knowledge and expertise. Esplin also said that BYU has a special student research team specifically working on the project.



Copyright Brigham Young University 13 Mar 2008