The Book of the Law of the Lord is a sacred book of scripture used by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Strangite), a sect of the Latter Day Saint movement. It is alleged to be a translation by the Strangite prophet James Strang of the brass Plates of Laban, which were originally acquired by Nephi, a leading figure in the early portion of the Book of Mormon.1 Nephi, chapters 3–5. All references to the Book of Mormon are to the LDS Church edition. Strang claimed to have translated them using the Urim and Thummim, which Mormons believe was used by Joseph Smith to translate the Book of Mormon from ancient gold plates. Strang's followers believe that while the Book of the Law was lost to the Old World during Israel's captivity in foreign lands, a copy was included in the plates that the ancient prophet Nephi took with him to the New World.
The book contains an elaborate constitution for a theocratic kingdom, in which the prophet-leader of the Latter Day Saint church equally rules as king over God's kingdom on earth. The expanded version also contains various other revelations and teachings added by Strang to explain it.
The Book of the Law of the Lord was not viewed as a sacred text by any Mormon denomination other than the Strangite church, until April 6, 2019 when the Church of Jesus Christ in Christian Fellowship voted it in as canon.See .
James J. Strang
James J. Strang was a lawyer and newspaper editor from New York who converted to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in 1844. Shortly after his baptism, Joseph Smith, founder of the Latter Day Saint movement, was murdered by a mob. Strang was one of three individuals who claimed the leadership role after Smith's death, but as a recent convert he did not possess the name recognition among rank-and-file Mormons held by his rivals Brigham Young and Sidney Rigdon. Hence, he faced an uphill battle in his quest to be recognized as the heir to Smith's prophetic mantle.
To advance his cause, Strang asserted that unlike Rigdon and Young, he had hard evidence of his prophetic calling. In September 1845, he announced the discovery of the Voree Record. This was presented as the final testament of Rajah Manchou of Vorito, an ancient inhabitant of the area, engraved on three brass plates that Strang dug up near Voree, Wisconsin. However, Strang's claims to possession of divinely-revealed ancient records, and the ability to correctly translate them, did not end there. In 1851, he proclaimed the publication of the Book of the Law of the Lord, a far more substantial work.
Alleged provenance of the book
Strang explained that the Book of the Law, as it is often called, was "kept in the Ark of the Covenant, and was held too sacred to go into the hands of strangers." However, "when the Septuagint translation was made, the Book of the Law was kept back, and ... lost to the Jewish nation in the time that they were subject to foreign powers." Thus, "the various books in the Pentateuch, containing abstracts of some of the laws, have been read instead of it, until even the existence of the book has come to be a matter of doubt."Book of the Law of the Lord: Being a Translation From the Egyptian of the Law Given to Moses in Sinai. (St. James, 1851), pg. viii. This article uses the expanded edition of 1856: . The 1851 edition is at http://www.strangite.org/Law.htm . While it is not stated directly, this implies that this book is the original Torah.
Strang did not claim that his 1851 edition was the complete Book of the Law mentioned in the Hebrew scriptures, but rather that it contained only selections that were pertinent for running the church and kingdom in the modern era. His 1856 expanded edition contains the same translation as the 1851 edition, but with added essays written by Strang and several modern revelations. . Strangites also identify the Book of the Law with the "Stick of Judah" mentioned in .See "Book of the Law" main page at . While other Latter Day Saint sects generally view the "Stick of Judah" as the Canonical Bible, Strangites assert that it refers primarily to this lost book. LDS Bible Dictionary: "Judah, Stick of,". See also http://bomf.org/witness/witness122.pdf for the traditional RLDS/Community of Christ viewpoint; and for the Church of Christ (Temple Lot) opinion. Most Mormons believe the "Stick of Joseph" referred to in that same passage to refer to the Book of Mormon.
Witnesses
Seven witnesses testified to having seen and handled the plates that Strang claimed to possess. They described them as being eighteen in number, each measuring approximately seven and three-eighths inches wide, by nine inches long. Their brazen surfaces were "occasionally embellished with beautiful pictures," and all appeared to be of "beautiful antique workmanship, bearing a striking resemblance to the ancient oriental languages."Book of the Law, pg. iv.
The witnesses of the plates were: Samuel Graham, Samuel P. Bacon, Warren Post, Phineas Wright, Albert N. Hosmer, Ebenezer Page, and Jehiel Savage. WrightFitzpatrick, Doyle, The King Strang Story: A Vindication of James J. Strang, the Beaver Island Mormon King (National Heritage, 1970), pg. 126. and Post"Strangite Organisaction After James' Martyrdom," http://www.mormonbeliefs.com/Church%20of%20Jesus%20Christ%20of%20Latter%20Day%20Saints%20(Strangite).htm . served as apostles in Strang's church. Post wrote in his journal that the plates weighed approximately six pounds.Diary entry of Warren Post (date not given), http://www.strangite.org/Iowa.htm, slide 17. Although some of these witnesses later left Strang's church, none of them is known to have ever denied their testimony as given in the Book of the Law.Palmer, Grant H., An Insiders View of Mormon Origins (Signature Books, 2002), p. 211.
Allegations of witness denials Opponents from other Latter Day Saint churches have sought to cast doubt on the Strangite witness testimonies by claiming to have heard the witnesses deny their testimonies, though the evidence for these supposed denials was in many cases recorded decades after the fact. Such hearsay testimonies were commonly asserted in attempts to discredit the leaders of rival churches.
LDS Church apologist Daniel C. Peterson claims, without citing a source, that Samuel Graham admitted to helping Strang fabricate the plates.Daniel C. Peterson, "Defending the Faith: The story behind James Strang and his sect," Deseret News, 9 June 2011.
In addition, Chauncy Loomis, in an 1888 letter to Joseph Smith III, claimed Samuel Bacon discovered "fragments of those plates which Strang made the Book of the Law from" hidden in the ceiling of Strang's house, supposedly prompting Bacon to immediately abandon the Strangite church and move away from Beaver Island.Letter from Chauncy Loomis to Joseph Smith III, "Experience on Beaver Island with James J. Strang," Saints' Herald, 10 November 1888, 718-719. This information was released in The Saints' Herald, where it stated, "Bro. Samuel Bacon says that in repairing Strang's house he found hid behind the ceiling the fragments of those plates which Strang made the book of the Law from. He turned infidel and left the island." However, there are no contemporary documents such as diaries or letters to support this claim, nor any corroborating witnesses. Loomis did not tell anyone for over 30 years, casting further doubt on the story. Additionally, when Strang died, the Mormons' enemies from nearby Mackinac forced the Saints to leave Beaver Island and moved into their houses, and no one ever reported finding plate fragments during subsequent renovations.
In 1855, a Strangite Council removed Samuel Bacon from his office in the church. "Warren Post, who presented the resolution, later wrote that Bacon had 'denied the work being done was of the inspiration of God,' and had called it 'human intervention.'" This account came from a believing Strangite.
Strang claimed to have returned the brass plates to the angel after completing the translation in 1851, much like his predecessor did with the gold plates. No plates or plate fragments from them have ever been found.
Editions of 1851 and 1856 The Book of the Law of the Lord was published in two separate editions during Strang's lifetime. The first edition of 1851 contained only eighty pages and consisted of material translated directly from the Plates of Laban, with five exceptions: three revelations given to Strang, and two sections written "by inspiration of God."Book of the Law, 1851 edition, http://www.strangite.org/Law.htm . See under Table of Contents.
In contrast, the edition of 1856 comprised 320 pages. It included all of the text in the 1851 edition, plus ten new chapters and a series of notes added by Strang to explain the text.Book of the Law, pg. iii. The 1851 chapter on "Baptism for the Dead" was materially altered for the 1856 edition. The 1856 edition is the one generally used by Strangites today. It was never bound with a title page or preface; subsequent reprints have used the title page, testimony and preface from the 1851 edition.Book of the Law, pg. iii. In fact, the 1856 edition was not bound at all until after Strang's death, as he was assassinated before this was completed. Its uncut sheets had to be rescued from an anti-Mormon mob by Strang's disciples.See illustration at http://www.strangite.org/Law.htm .
Both editions of the Book of the Law are dated according to the year of Strang's reign, he having been crowned "king" of his church on Beaver Island in 1850. Hence the 1851 edition is annotated "A. R. I," while the 1856 edition carries the date "A. R. VI."
Monarchy and priesthood The most distinctive element of the Book of the Law is its overtly monarchical tone. Also of interest are the singular subdivisions Strang makes within the Melchizedek priesthood, which his book refers to as "The Priesthood of an endless life," and the Aaronic priesthood, referred to as "the Priesthood of life."Book of the Law, pg. 214.
In the Melchizedek priesthood, Strang enumerates two "orders," that of "apostles," and that of "priests."
"Apostles" are subdivided into four "degrees:" The Prophet/President of the Strangite church is openly referred to throughout the book as a "King," rather than as a "President" (as under Joseph Smith).Book of the Law, pp. 168–80, 214–19. His Counselors are designated as "Viceroys." The viceroys are also referred to as "kings," though this does not indicate a share in the unique royal dignity accorded to the President/King.Book of the Law, pp. 181–82; 219–20. See especially the notes on p. 182. Strang's Twelve Apostles are named as "Princes in his Kingdom forever."Book of the Law, pp. 191–92. Capitalization as in original. The leader of Strang's Apostles is designated as "Prince and Grand Master of the Seventies."Book of the Law, p. 195. A quorum of "Evangelists" is established, to be Apostles to a single "nation, kindred, tongue or people"—unlike the Twelve, who were sent to all nations. Seven Evangelists formed a quorum, and Strang noted that such a body had never been organized "in this dispensation."Book of the Law, p. 224. This priesthood office was unique to the Strangite organization, and does not correspond in any way to the office of evangelist or patriarch found in some other Latter Day Saint churches. "Priests" are subdivided into two "degrees:" High Priests were to include "all inferiour Kings, Patriarchs, or heads of tribes, and Nobles, or heads of clans."Book of the Law, p. 224. Furthermore, Strang continued, "They who hold it are called Sons of God."Book of the Law, p. 193. From this group, said the Book of the Law, the king was to select "counsellors, judges and rulers." The "degree" of Elders included both the offices of Seventy and Elder as generally constituted in Joseph Smith's church.Book of the Law, pp. 224–25, 194–97.
In the Aaronic priesthood, Strang enumerates three "orders:"Book of the Law, p. 225.