Cowdery, taken from Messenger and Advocate. Here, Cowdery records some of his thoughts about being involved in the translation process of The Book of Mormon. Religious significance Since its canonization, Joseph Smith–History has become "a foundational piece of literature for the [LDS] Church." It inspired a tradition of record keeping in Mormon culture and the church itself. Besides the Book of Mormon, Joseph Smith–History is a "major literary tool of conversion . . . that has thoroughly benefitted missionary efforts worldwide." Today, Preach My Gospel, the training manual for Mormon missionaries, encourages its readers to be prepared to quote Smith's description of the First Vision verbatim as it appears in Joseph Smith–History. Select verses from the passage are also used by missionaries to teach others about the need for the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the need for a prophet. Other doctrines found in Joseph Smith–History include baptism, the priesthood, prayer, the appearances of angels, and the Godhead. The account of the First Vision—in which Smith sees both God the Father and Jesus Christ simultaneously—challenges the doctrine of the trinity. Additionally, the part describing Moroni's appearance to the young Joseph Smith alludes to a prophecy contained in Isaiah 29. The events described in Joseph Smith–History also refute the belief that God no longer communicates with beings on earth. Milton R. Hunter, a member of the LDS Church's Council of the Seventy, wrote that "in many respects it [the Pearl of Great Price] holds an unique position and in all respects it supplements and sustains the other standard works of the Church of Jesus Christ." See also Joseph Smith–Matthew Notes References Church Educational System (2000). Pearl of Great Price Student Manual: Religion 327 (Salt Lake City, Utah: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) "Joseph Smith–History". External links Joseph Smith–History - complete text used by the LDS Church; includes footnotes added by church in 1981 Joseph Smith– at Wikisource - text only; no footnotes Manuscript History of the Church, volume A-1 from which Joseph Smith–History was excerpted. Pearl of Great Price Joseph Smith History and Articles of Faith, date of production not identified, L. Tom Perry Special Collections, Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University Pearl of Great Price (Mormonism) 1838 works Works by Joseph Smith Works originally published in Times and Seasons 1838 in Christianity Harold B. Lee Library-related Americana articles