Today's Favorite Verse: Doctrine & Covenants 91:1-2
"Verily, thus saith the Lord unto you concerning the Apocrypha - There are many things contained therein that are true, and it is mostly translated correctly;
There are many things contained therein that are not true, which are interpolations by the hands of men."
The Prophet Joseph Smith was in the middle of translating the Old Testament when he inquired of the Lord on instruction regarding the Apocrypha. He was told it was not needful to translate it for the reason mentioned in these verses.
What really struck me was the word "interpolations". I didn't know what that word meant so I looked it up. This is what I found on Wikipedia under "Interpolation (manuscripts)"
"An interpolation, in relation to literature and especially ancient manuscripts, is an entry or passage in a text that was not written by the original author. As there are often several generations of copies between an extant copy of an ancient text and the original, each handwritten by different scribes, there is a natural tendency for extraneous material to be inserted into such documents over time. Interpolations originally may be inserted as an authentic explanatory note (for example, [sic]), but may also be included for fraudulent purposes."
I realized as I read that I had no prior knowledge of what "Interpolation" meant, and I've been to college. Joseph Smith on the other hand had such little formal education. If these verses were not given in revelation how would he have come up with this explanation? It just testified all the more to me that Joseph Smith truly was an inspired prophet of God.
The chapter goes on to say that one can benefit from reading the Apocrypha if they are enlighten by the Spirit. If you receive not the Spirit then there is no benefit. I wonder what I would find by reading it?
Day 510
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