View source for Question: How was the wording of the "rod of nature" revelation that became Doctrine and Covenants 8:6–8 altered over time?

{{FairMormon}}
<onlyinclude>
==Question: How was the wording of the "rod of nature" revelation that became Doctrine and Covenants 8:6–8 altered over time?==
===The revelation was edited by several individuals, including Sidney Rigdon===

The original wording of the revelation along with revisions performed by Oliver Cowdery, William W. Phelps, Sidney Rigdon, Joseph Smith, John Whitmer, and another unidentified editor is recorded in the REVELATION BOOK 1 (April 1829-B [D&C 8]). The original revelation reads as follows:
<blockquote>
...remember this is thy gift now this is not all for thou hast another gift which is the gift of '''working with the sprout''' Behold it hath told you things Behold there is no other power save God that can cause this '''thing of Nature to work in your hands'''. <ref>Revelation, April 1829–B [D&C 8], in Robin Scott Jensen, Robert J. Woodford, and Stephen C. Harper, eds., Manuscript Revelation Books, vol. 1 of the Revelations and Translations series of The Joseph Smith Papers, ed. Dean C. Jessee, Ronald K. Esplin, and Richard Lyman Bushman (Salt Lake City: Church Historian’s Press, 2009), 17. {{ea}}</ref>
</blockquote>

Sidney Rigdon edited the passage to read like this:
<blockquote>
...remember this is your gift now this is not all for you have another gift which is the gift of '''working with the rod''' Behold it has told you things Behold there is no other power save God that can cause this '''rod to work in your hands'''. {{ea}}
</blockquote>

In the Book of Commandments (the predecessor to the Doctrine and Covenants), the revelation underwent an additional [[Doctrine_and_Covenants_textual_changes|revision]] by a publication committee of the First Presidency (Joseph Smith, Oliver Cowdery, and Frederick G. Williams). The Book of Commandments stated: 
<blockquote>
Chapter 7:3—Now this is not all, for you have another gift, which is the gift of '''working with the rod''': behold it has told you things: behold there is no other power save God, that can cause this '''rod of nature, to work in your hands''', for it is the work of God. {{ea}}
</blockquote>

In the 1835 Doctrine and Covenants, this was revised to read:
<blockquote>
D&C 8:6–8—Now this is not all thy gift; for you have another gift, which is the '''gift of Aaron'''; behold, it has told you many things; Behold, there is no other power, save the power of God, that can cause this '''gift of Aaron to be with you'''. Therefore, doubt not, for it is the gift of God; and you shall hold it in your hands, and do marvelous works; and no power shall be able to take it away out of your hands, for it is the work of God. (1921 edition, 8:6–8.) {{ea}}
</blockquote>

Thus, "working with the sprout" and the "thing of Nature" were changed to "the gift of working with the rod," which was again later revised to "the gift of Aaron."  It has been assumed on the basis of this that Oliver Cowdery was a "rodsman," or someone who used a divining rod to search for treasure, water, or other things hidden.

Evidence used to support this assertion is the fact that in 1801, a religious sect led by the Wood family enjoyed a brief popularity, and they sought for treasure with divining rods. <ref>{{EarlyMormonDocs| vol=1|start=599|end=621 }}</ref>  The Wood group was reportedly taught this skill by a counterfeiter/forger named either Winchell or Wingate.  Winchell/Wingate had been a guest at the home of Oliver's father, William.  Attempts have been made to tie William Cowdery to the Wood group, but there is no evidence that he had any connection with them aside from knowing Winchell/Wingate.  As Richard L. Anderson observed:

<blockquote>
An 1828 newspaper history of the Wood episode refers to neither the mysterious counterfeiter nor Cowdery.  The main group of Middletown survivors of the 1800 period--"more than thirty men and women"--were interviewed up to 1860, and they said nothing of a counterfeiter or of Cowdery.  The 1867 recollections of a minister who visited the group in the final weeks of their movement include mention of the counterfeiter but not Cowdery--when a disciple was asked where the criminal stayed, he answered: "He keeps himself secreted in the woods."  Frisbie's own claims about the Cowdery connection to the Wood group are both unclear and unsupported.  This is the patchwork of folklore, not tightly woven history. <ref>{{MatureJS}}</ref>
</blockquote>

It is therefore not clear whether Oliver used a rod for treasure seeking. The critical association of Oliver's possible use of a rod with the activities of local "rodsmen" seeking treasure is used to imply that Oliver was also a treasure seeker.
</onlyinclude>
{{endnotes sources}}
<!-- PLEASE DO NOT REMOVE ANYTHING BELOW THIS LINE -->
[[Category:Becoming Gods]]
[[Category:Early Mormonism and the Magic World View]]
[[Category:Letter to a CES Director]]
[[Category:One Nation Under Gods]]

[[es:Pregunta: ¿Cómo fue la redacción de la revelación "vara de la naturaleza", que se convirtió en Doctrina y Coveants 8: 6-8 alterarse con el tiempo?]]
[[pt:Pergunta: Como foi o teor da revelação (Doutrina e Convênios 8:6–8) alterada ao longo do tempo?]]