Historical Background
Scripture becomes scripture because people in authority declare it to be so. Religious leaders for millennia have tried to define what scripture is. There are texts which have become part of the collection defined as scripture. These texts are part of the “canon.” The word canon means “ruler” like a straight-edge device used for making lines that are perfectly straight. Well-intending persons have tried to select texts that are consistent with the doctrine taught by apostles, prophets, and the Savior Himself. When they come across texts that appear questionable in their authorship or origin, they are generally rejected. The Apocrypha is a collection of texts that are rejected by some faiths and accepted by others. For example, the Jewish faith has books that fall under this definition, as do Christians. Currently, there are fifteen additional texts that appear in the Bible used by the Catholic Church that do not appear in other Christian Bibles.
As Joseph Smith was working on his inspired revision of the King James Bible, he wondered about these writings and went to the Lord.
D&C 91:1-6 The Apocrypha
What questions does the Lord answer about the Apocrypha? What must a person do to be enlightened by the writings that are called the Apocrypha? Cross-reference: Moroni 10:4-5.
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