An Introduction to The Pearl of Great Price

Through the prophet Joseph Smith the Lord has mercifully revealed to us, in this last dispensation, priceless insights into eternal doctrines and into the lives and ministries of prophets of the distant past. Many of these insights appear in the collection of scripture we have come to know as the Pearl of Great Price. This book of scripture is perhaps the least understood and least appreciated of the church's "standard works." Yet in its pages are some of the most sublime and profound doctrinal truths anywhere.

In this precious collection of scripture we are introduced to, and given remarkable insight into the lives and teachings of seven major heads of gospel dispensations: Adam, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus Christ, and Joseph Smith. Each of these was called of God to minister to a generation that had been traveling for a time in darkness. Each stood as a restorer of truth and a legal administrator for the introduction of a new and everlasting covenant. Each has imparted to us invaluable insights into the scope of the eternities and the very purposes of this earth's existence.

Learning to Love the Pearl of Great Price has been written to hopefully enrich the reader's understanding of this marvelous book of scripture. This commentary is written from a bias of belief. Your author knows with all his heart that the Pearl of Great Price contains the word of God as it was revealed through the prophet Joseph Smith.

For a discussion of just how we came to possess this book of scripture, see the supplemental article, The History of the Coming Forth of the Pearl of Great Price.