The belief that the JST represents a revision is not a novelty; note the following from 1905:
The Inspired Revision
The work which the Prophet accomplished in revising the
Scriptures, is often called a translation; but it was not really a translation,
inasmuch as he made no pretensions to an acquaintance with Hebrew and Greek
sufficiently to enable him to make a translation. All he did was to revise,
under inspiration of the Lord, the various books of the English Bible. In what
manner this revisions was accomplished does not appear. It was begun in 1830, soon
after the completion of the Book of Mormon. (John Henry Evans, One Hundred Years
of Mormonism [Salt Lake City: The Deseret News, 1905], 154)
It should be noted that the
book was endorsed by the First Presidency:
ENDORSEMENT.
Salt Lake City, October 27, 1905.
President Joseph F. Smith and Counselors,
President’s Office, City.
Bear Brethren:-We, your brethren, appointed as a special committee
to examine the work written by Elder John Henry Evans of the Latter-day Saints
University, entitled “One Hundred Years of Mormonism,” respectfully report that
we have carefully read and considered the whole of said work and find the facts
therein to be true and correct as far as your knowledge extends.
In style, the writing is plain, direct and simple,
without any marked effort at literary embellishment, and well adapted, in our opinion,
for a text book in Church History that can advantageously be used in our Sunday
Schools and other Church institutions of learning. We believe that it will
materially help our youth in their study of the great latter-day work by making
clear a number of points that former histories written for the young people of
the Church, have left somewhat ambiguous.
Most respectfully we remain,
Your brethren,
Francis M. Lyman,
George Reynolds,
Joseph F. Smith, Jr. (Ibid., ii)
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