The Pearl of Great Price
A small volume of latter-day scripture that restores plain and precious things lost from the Bible.
The Pearl of Great Price is the slimmest of the four Standard Works, yet it is dense with doctrine that cannot be found, in such clarity, anywhere else. It gathers together revelations and translations given through the Prophet Joseph Smith, and in those few pages it restores truths concerning the premortal life, the creation, the purpose of God, and the very nature of the Restoration itself.
Its name is drawn from the Savior’s parable of a merchant who, finding one pearl of great price, sold all that he had to obtain it — a fitting image for a book small in size but immense in worth.
The Five Components
The Pearl of Great Price is made up of five distinct parts, each with its own origin and purpose.
1. The Book of Moses
The Book of Moses is a revelation given to Joseph Smith as he worked on his inspired translation of the Bible — the opening chapters of Genesis restored to their fuller form. It records the Lord speaking to Moses face to face and unfolds the creation, the fall, and the early patriarchs with detail the Bible no longer preserves.
“The words of God, which he spake unto Moses … And he saw God face to face, and he talked with him, and the glory of God was upon Moses.”
2. The Book of Abraham
The Book of Abraham was translated by Joseph Smith from ancient papyri that came into his hands. It contains the writings of Abraham, recounting his calling, his vision of the heavens, and a remarkable account of the premortal council and the creation.
“The records of the fathers, even the patriarchs, concerning the right of Priesthood … I shall endeavor to write some of these things upon this record, for the benefit of my posterity that shall come after me.”
3. Joseph Smith—Matthew
Joseph Smith—Matthew is an inspired restoration of Matthew chapter 24, in which the Savior speaks of the signs of His Second Coming. It clarifies and expands the Olivet discourse, separating the destruction of Jerusalem from the events of the last days.
“And whoso treasureth up my word, shall not be deceived, for the Son of Man shall come.”
4. Joseph Smith—History
Joseph Smith—History is the Prophet’s own account of the First Vision and the early events of the Restoration — his prayer in the grove, the appearance of the Father and the Son, the visits of the angel Moroni, and the coming forth of the Book of Mormon. It is the foundational narrative of the latter-day work.
“I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other—This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!”
5. The Articles of Faith
The Articles of Faith are thirteen brief statements written by Joseph Smith outlining the core beliefs of the Church. In a few sentences they summarize what Latter-day Saints believe concerning God, the Atonement, ordinances, priesthood authority, revelation, and the gathering of Israel.
“We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.”
The Plain and Precious Things Restored
Nephi foresaw that many “plain and precious things” would be taken away from the Bible, and that the Lord would restore them in the last days.
“These last records … shall make known the plain and precious things which have been taken away from them.”
The Pearl of Great Price is one of those last records. Consider the specific doctrines it restores.
The Premortal Council and Foreordination
Abraham was shown the spirits that existed before the world was, and learned that the noble and great ones were chosen, or foreordained, to their callings before they were born.
“Now the Lord had shown unto me, Abraham, the intelligences that were organized before the world was … and God saw these souls that they were good … and he said: These I will make my rulers.”
There the Father presented His plan, and one stood among them, the Beloved Son, who said, “Here am I, send me” (Abraham 3:27).
The Creation by the Gods Organizing Matter
The Book of Abraham presents the creation not as making something from nothing, but as the Gods organizing existing matter into ordered worlds.
“And then the Lord said: Let us go down. And they went down at the beginning, and they, that is the Gods, organized and formed the heavens and the earth.”
The Purpose of God
In a single verse, the Book of Moses declares the very purpose for which God labors — a truth found nowhere else in scripture with such directness.
“For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.”
Enoch and the City of Zion
The Book of Moses preserves the account of Enoch, who built a city of such righteousness that the Lord took it up into His own presence — a model of Zion as a people of one heart and mind.
“And the Lord called his people Zion, because they were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness; and there was no poor among them.”
The War in Heaven and Satan’s Fall
The Book of Moses reveals the origin of Satan — a son of the morning who sought to destroy the agency of man and to seize God’s glory, and who was cast down for his rebellion.
“That Satan … sought to destroy the agency of man, which I, the Lord God, had given him … wherefore I caused that he should be cast down.”
These doctrines, scattered or absent in the Bible, stand restored in clarity:
Restored Doctrines at a Glance
- Abr 3:22–28 — the premortal council and foreordination
- Abr 4–5 — the creation by the Gods organizing matter
- Moses 1:39 — the work and glory of God
- Moses 7 — Enoch and the city of Zion
- Moses 4:1–4 — the war in heaven and Satan’s fall
It Stands as Canon
The Pearl of Great Price is not a devotional supplement but accepted scripture. It is one of the four Standard Works of the Church, canonized and received as the word of God alongside the Bible, the Book of Mormon, and the Doctrine and Covenants.
Its claim to that standing rests on the same principle the Lord taught: His word comes through His servants the prophets, and is to be received as if from His own mouth.
“Whatsoever they shall speak when moved upon by the Holy Ghost shall be scripture, shall be the will of the Lord … the mind of the Lord, the word of the Lord.”
Small in Size, Immense in Doctrine
The Savior compared the kingdom of heaven to a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, finding one of surpassing worth, gave everything he had to possess it.
“The kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.”
So it is with this book. It is the shortest of the Standard Works, yet within its few pages lie the council in heaven, the organizing of worlds, the purpose of God, the city of Enoch, the fall of Lucifer, the First Vision, and a concise creed of the faith.
Small in size, immense in doctrine, it is rightly named a pearl of great price — a treasure for which the wise will give all they have to obtain.