
The details of Moses' experience in chapter 1 place it squarely in the tradition of ancient " heavenly ascent" literature (e.g., the pseudepigraphal Apocalypse of Abraham) and its relationship to temple theology, rites, and ordinances.

The Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (RLDS Church, now the Community of Christ) began publishing portions of the Book of Moses in its canonical Doctrine and Covenants (D&C) in 1864. Publication by the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints The Pearl of Great Price, including the Book of Moses, was officially canonized by the LDS Church in 1880. Richards published everything he had at the time, and what is now the Book of Moses was later added by Orson Pratt in the 1878 edition of the Pearl of Great Price. For this reason the Book of Moses ended abruptly in the middle of the story of Noah. Richards, who published the first edition of the Pearl of Great Price in 1851, only had access to the early versions of the JST found in church newspapers along with another incomplete handwritten part of JST Genesis, not the original manuscripts.
SEVEN BOOKS OF MOSES PDF SERIES
The eight chapters of the Book of Moses were included as a separate book within the Pearl of Great Price through a series of events subsequent to Smith's death. The Book of Moses is considered part of the scriptural canon of the LDS Church. In June 1830, Smith began a new Bible translation that was intended to restore "many important points touching the salvation of men, had been taken from the Bible, or lost before it was compiled." The chapters that now make up the Book of Moses were first published in the church newspapers Evening and Morning Star and Times and Seasons in the 1830s and 1840s.

See also: Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible
