Section 92
Overview
Section 92 of the 1835 Doctrine and Covenants (known as Section 91 in modern LDS editions) was dictated by Joseph Smith in March 1833. At the time, Smith was engaged in his 'inspired translation' (revision) of the Bible, known today as the Joseph Smith Translation (JST). Upon reaching the Apocrypha, Smith inquired of the Lord whether he should translate it. This text serves as the divine response. The revelation asserts that the Apocrypha contains many true things and is 'mostly translated correct,' but it also contains many falsehoods described as 'interpolations by the hands of men.' Consequently, Smith is commanded that it is 'not needful' to translate it. Instead of providing an objective, corrected text, the revelation shifts the burden of discernment to the individual reader. It establishes a subjective epistemology where the reader must rely on the Spirit to manifest the truth and filter out the errors. Those who are 'enlightened by the Spirit' will obtain benefit, while those who do not receive it by the Spirit cannot be benefited. This text is highly significant in Mormon epistemology because it reinforces the paradigm that textual authority and historical reliability are subordinate to subjective spiritual experience. It places the ultimate test of a text's validity on internal spiritual feelings rather than objective canonical boundaries or historical-grammatical exegesis.
Key Figures
- The Lord: The claimed divine author of the revelation who dictates the status of the Apocrypha.
- Joseph Smith: The implied recipient and translator who is instructed to halt his translation work on the Apocrypha.
- The Spirit: The active agent of discernment who manifests truth to the reader and separates it from human interpolations.
Doctrines Analyzed
Key theological claims identified in this text:
Subjective Discernment of Corrupted Texts
Assertion
The Spirit allows a reader to subjectively discern truth from human interpolations within a corrupted text.
Evidence from Text
Therefore, whoso readeth it let him understand, for the Spirit manifesteth truth; and whoso is enlightened by the Spirit shall obtain benefit therefrom
Evangelical Comparison
In this text, Mormonism establishes an epistemology where the Holy Spirit functions as an internal filter for the reader, actively separating divine truth from human error ('interpolations') on a verse-by-verse or concept-by-concept basis. This implies that texts do not need to be objectively infallible to be spiritually authoritative, provided the reader has the right spiritual enlightenment. The locus of authority shifts from the objective text to the subjective experience of the reader. Evangelical Christianity strongly contrasts with this view. Based on Sola Scriptura, Evangelicals hold that the 66 books of the Bible are objectively the breathed-out Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16-17) and are entirely true and trustworthy. The role of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer is 'illumination'—helping the believer understand and apply the truth of the already-verified, infallible Word (1 Corinthians 2:12-14). The Spirit is not given so that believers can read uninspired or corrupted texts and subjectively guess which sentences are from God and which are from men. The Evangelical canon is closed and objective, protecting believers from the dangers of subjective mysticism.
Textual Interpolation of the Apocrypha
Assertion
The Apocrypha contains many truths but has been corrupted by the unauthorized additions of men.
Evidence from Text
there are many things contained therein that are not true, which are interpolations by the hands of men.
Evangelical Comparison
The text claims that the falsehoods in the Apocrypha are 'interpolations by the hands of men,' implying that there is a core of inspired truth that was later corrupted by human meddling. This aligns with the broader Mormon narrative of the 'Great Apostasy,' which posits that plain and precious truths were removed or altered in biblical texts by corrupt individuals over the centuries. Evangelical Christianity rejects the Apocrypha (the Deuterocanonical books) for entirely different reasons. Evangelicals do not view the Apocrypha as a corrupted version of God's Word; rather, they view it as intertestamental Jewish literature that was never inspired to begin with. It was never accepted into the Hebrew canon (the Tanakh) recognized by Jesus and the Apostles (Luke 24:44), it contains historical and geographical errors, and its authors do not claim prophetic authority. Therefore, the Evangelical rejection is based on objective historical and canonical grounds, not on the premise of later textual corruption of an otherwise inspired text.
Comparative Analysis
Theological Gap (Summary)
While both traditions reject the Apocrypha as canon, they do so for entirely different reasons. Furthermore, the text promotes a subjective, mystical epistemology for discerning truth from error, whereas Evangelicalism relies on the objective, closed canon of Scripture.
Theological Gap (Explained)
The theological gap here centers on epistemology and the doctrine of Scripture. Section 92 asserts that a text containing both divine truth and human error can be safely navigated if the reader relies on the Spirit to 'manifest truth.' This creates a highly subjective framework where the ultimate arbiter of truth is the individual's internal spiritual experience. If a reader feels 'enlightened,' they accept a passage as true; if not, they may dismiss it as an 'interpolation.' This paradigm is applied broadly in Mormonism, affecting how they view the Bible itself (Article of Faith 8: 'We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly'). Evangelical Christianity operates on the principle of Sola Scriptura, which posits that the 66 books of the Bible are the sole, infallible rule of faith and practice. The Evangelical doctrine of inspiration (verbal plenary inspiration) holds that God superintended the human authors so that the original autographs were without error. Therefore, the believer's foundation is objective. The Holy Spirit's role is illumination—helping the believer understand the objectively true text—not revelation or subjective sifting of a corrupted text. By making truth dependent on subjective feelings ('the Spirit manifesteth truth'), this text undermines the objective certainty of God's Word and leaves the believer vulnerable to self-deception and shifting doctrines.
For All Ages
Imagine you have a book that has some true stories and some fairy tales mixed together. This Mormon scripture says that if you pray, God's Spirit will give you a special feeling to help you guess which sentences are true and which are fake, so you can still learn from the book. Evangelical Christians believe something very different. We believe God gave us the Bible, which is like a book that is 100% true with no fairy tales mixed in. We don't have to rely on our feelings to guess what is true and what is false. We trust the Bible completely, and we use the Bible to test everything else. We don't read books with mistakes in them and try to use our feelings to find the hidden truth.
Friction Points
Sola Scriptura
Subordinates the objective truth of texts to the subjective feelings of the reader, and introduces new revelation to dictate textual criticism.
Theology Proper (Nature of the Holy Spirit)
Reduces the Holy Spirit's role to a subjective filter for corrupted texts, rather than the author of an infallible, preserved canon.
Semantic Warnings
Terms that have different meanings between traditions:
"The Spirit manifesteth truth"
In This Text
A subjective, internal feeling or revelation that allows a person to identify which specific parts of a corrupted text are true and which are false.
In Evangelicalism
The Holy Spirit illuminating the minds of believers to understand, accept, and apply the objectively true, already-revealed Word of God (1 Corinthians 2:10-13).
Soteriology (Salvation)
Salvation Defined: This specific text does not define eternal salvation, but focuses on obtaining spiritual 'benefit' and enlightenment.
How Attained: Spiritual benefit is attained by reading and being 'enlightened by the Spirit.'
Basis of Assurance: Confidence comes from the subjective feeling of receiving truth by the Spirit.
Comparison to Sola Fide: While not directly addressing justification, the text's reliance on human effort to discern truth subjectively contrasts with the rest found in Sola Fide, where the believer trusts entirely in the objective, finished work of Christ (Romans 5:1).
Mandates & Requirements
Explicit Commands
- Do not translate the Apocrypha.
- Whoso readeth it let him understand.
Implicit Obligations
- Rely on the Spirit to discern truth from error when reading texts.
- Seek spiritual enlightenment to obtain benefit from reading.
Evangelism Toolkit
Practical tools for engagement and dialogue:
Discovery Questions
Open-ended questions to promote reflection:
- If the Apocrypha has interpolations by the hands of men, how do we know when we are reading a truth versus an interpolation?
- Have you ever felt the Spirit manifest something to be true, but later found out it was factually or historically incorrect? How do you navigate that?
- If we have to rely on our own spiritual discernment to filter out the errors in a text, doesn't that make our own feelings the ultimate authority rather than God's Word?
Redemptive Analogies
Bridges from this text to the Gospel:
The desire for pure, uncorrupted truth.
Just as this text expresses a concern about human corruption of truth, the Gospel offers us the pure, uncorrupted Word of God. We don't have to sift through errors; God has sovereignly preserved His Word so we can know Him with certainty.
Spiritual Weight
Burdens this text places on adherents:
The believer is placed under the constant burden of having to subjectively discern truth from error. Because the text claims that human interpolations exist alongside divine truth, the believer can never have absolute, objective certainty about what they are reading. They must constantly monitor their internal feelings to validate their beliefs, leading to spiritual anxiety and doubt.
The text states that 'whoso receiveth not by the Spirit, cannot be benefitted.' This places the blame for a lack of spiritual growth squarely on the believer's inability to muster the correct spiritual feelings or discernment. If they are confused by a text, it is because they failed to be 'enlightened.'