5. “This Is the Spirit of Revelation”
This lesson helps us understand personal revelation from the example of Oliver Cowdery.
Oliver Cowdery’s Life
“Oliver Cowdery’s Vermont Years and the Origins of Mormonism,” Larry E. Morris, BYU Studies, Vol. 39, no. 1
A revelation in 1829 states that Oliver Cowdery had a gift of working with the rod. Divining rods were used to obtain healings and answers to spiritual questions as well as to search for water or minerals. This article challenges theories that the Cowdery family and Smith family were involved with certain people (Justus Winchell, Nathaniel Wood, Ethan Smith) in Vermont.
“The Conversion of Oliver Cowdery,” Larry E. Morris, Days Never to Be Forgotten: Oliver Cowdery
The faithfulness of Joseph Sr. and Lucy Smith had a profound effect on Oliver Cowdery, prompting him to pray and decide for himself what he thought about the story of the gold Bible. The powerful confirmation that resulted convinced him that the Restoration was genuine and that he should be a part of it.
“Oliver Cowdery as Book of Mormon Scribe,” Royal Skousen, Days Never to Be Forgotten: Oliver Cowdery
In this chapter I discuss Oliver Cowdery’s role in the early transmission of the English-language text of the Book of Mormon. There are three aspects to his work, with him acting as (1) the main scribe for Joseph Smith in taking down Joseph’s dictation of the text, (2) the main copyist for producing the copytext for the 1830 printer, and (3) an assistant in various tasks involved in the printing of the 1830 edition of the Book of Mormon.
Folk magic in early Mormonism
“Seer Stones, Salamanders, and Early Mormon ‘Folk Magic’ in the Light of Folklore Studies and Bible Scholarship,” Eric A. Eliason, BYU Studies, Vol. 55, no. 1
Recognizing that ritual practices change over time helps us make sense of early Mormon practices (specifically seer stones) and American frontier folk magic in general.
“Seeking Divine Interaction: Joseph Smith’s Varying Searches for the Supernatural,” Kerry Muhlestein, No Weapon Shall Prosper: New Light on Sensitive Issues
Joseph’s methods of interacting with the divine may seem strange to us, but this is largely because we are more cultural inheritors of the Protestant movement to remove God from daily life than we are of the folk religion of Joseph’s day. Should we expect God to refuse interaction with a youth because he was seeking God in ways not familiar to us?
Spiritual experiments
“Watermelons, Alma 32, and the Experimental Method,” Joseph T. Hepworth, BYU Studies, Vol. 23, no. 4
The author asks if spiritual principles can be tested experimentally, casting light on Oliver Cowdery’s failed effort to translate.
- Isaiah 13–14; 24–30; 35 – “A Marvellous Work and a Wonder”
- Isaiah 1–12 – “God Is My Salvation”
- Proverbs 1–4; 15–16; 22; 31; Ecclesiastes 1–3; 11–12 – “The Fear of the Lord Is the Beginning of Wisdom”
- Psalms 102–103; 110; 116–119; 127–128; 135–139; 146–150 – “Let Every Thing That Hath Breath Praise the Lord
- Psalms 49–51; 61–66; 69–72; 77–78; 85–86 – “I Will Declare What He Hath Done for My Soul”
- Psalms 1–2; 8; 19–33; 40; 46 – “The Lord Is My Shepherd”
- Job 1–3; 12–14; 19; 21–24; 38–40; 42 – “Yet I Will Trust in Him”
- Esther – “Thou Art Come … for Such a Time as This”
- Ezra 1; 3-7; Nehemiah 2; 4-6; 8 – “I Am Doing a Great Work”
- 2 Kings 17–25 – “He Trusted in the Lord God of Israel”
- 2 Kings 2–7 – “There Is a Prophet in Israel”
- 1 Kings 17–19 – “If the Lord Be God, Follow Him”
- 2 Samuel 5–7; 11–12; 1 Kings 3; 8; 11 – “Thy Kingdom Shall Be Established for Ever”
- 1 Samuel 8–10; 13; 15–18 – “The Battle Is the Lord’s”
- Ruth; 1 Samuel 1–3 – “My Heart Rejoiceth in the Lord”
- Judges 2–4; 6–8; 13–16 – “The Lord Raised Up a Deliverer”
- Joshua 1–8; 23–24 – “Be Strong and of a Good Courage”
- Deuteronomy 6–8; 15; 18; 29–30; 34 – “Beware Lest Thou Forget the Lord”
- Numbers 11–14; 20–24 – “Rebel Not Ye against the Lord, Neither Fear”
- Exodus 35–40; Leviticus 1; 16; 19 – “Holiness to the Lord”
- Exodus 24; 31-34 – “My Presence Shall Go with Thee”
- Exodus 18-20 – “All That the Lord Hath Spoken We Will Do”
- Easter – “He Will Swallow Up Death in Victory”
- Exodus 14-17 – “Stand Still, and See the Salvation of the Lord”
- Exodus 7-13 – “Remember This Day, in Which Ye Came Out from Egypt”
- Exodus 1-6 – “I Have Remembered My Covenant”
- Genesis 42-50 – “God Meant It unto Good”
- Genesis 37-41 – “The Lord Was with Joseph”
- Genesis 28-33 – “Surely the Lord Is in This Place”
- Genesis 24-27 – “The Covenant Is Renewed”
- Genesis 18-23 – “Is Any Thing Too Hard for the Lord?”
- Genesis 12-17; Abraham 1-2 – “To Be a Greater Follower of Righteousness”
- Genesis 6-11; Moses 8 – “Noah Found Grace in the Eyes of the Lord”
- Moses 7 – “The Lord Called His People Zion”
- Genesis 5; Moses 6 – “Teach These Things Freely unto Your Children”
- Genesis 3-4; Moses 4-5 – “The Fall of Adam and Eve”
- Genesis 1-2; Moses 2-3; Abraham 4-5 – “In the Beginning God Created the Heaven and the Earth”
- Moses 1; Abraham 3 – “This Is My Work and My Glory”
