The Book of the Law of the Lord

The Book of the Law of the Lord (affiliate link) s a scripture of the Strangite branch of the Latter Day Saint movement. It is closely associated with James J. Strang, who emerged as one of several rival claimants to leadership after the death of Joseph Smith in 1844.

After Smith’s murder in Carthage Jail, the Latter Day Saint movement fractured into competing succession groups. While many followed Brigham Young westward, others supported alternative leaders, including Sidney Rigdon, William Smith, Alpheus Cutler, and James Strang. Strang quickly attracted attention because he claimed Joseph Smith had appointed him as successor through a formal letter written shortly before Smith’s death. He also claimed to have received angelic ordination, presenting himself as the legitimate prophetic heir to the church.

Strang gathered followers first at Voree, Wisconsin, where he claimed to discover and translate a set of metal plates known as the Voree Plates. Later, his movement relocated to Beaver Island in Lake Michigan, where the Strangites established a religious settlement that at one point became politically and economically influential in the region. Strang was eventually crowned king in 1850 in a formal coronation ceremony, an event that drew both fascination and hostility from outsiders and former allies.

Within this setting, Strang produced new revelations and additional scriptural works. The Book of the Law of the Lord was first published in 1851. A much larger expanded edition appeared in 1856, the same year Strang was assassinated by former followers on Beaver Island.

Strang taught that the book was translated from ancient metal plates connected to the “Book of the Law” referenced in the Old Testament as being given to Moses. Strangite tradition identified these records with the plates of Laban mentioned in the Book of Mormon narrative. This connection linked Strang’s claims directly to earlier Mormon ideas about hidden records, sacred translations, and continuing revelation.

Like earlier Mormon scripture traditions, the Book of the Law of the Lord included formal witness statements. Several men testified that they had seen and handled the plates from which Strang claimed to translate. Their statements described the plates as an ancient engraved record resembling eastern writing systems. These witness testimonies intentionally mirrored the witness statements published with the Book of Mormon, reinforcing Strang’s claim to prophetic continuity within the broader Restoration movement.

The contents of the Book of the Law of the Lord differ substantially from the Book of Mormon in style and purpose. Rather than presenting a long historical narrative, the text functions more as a legal and religious code. It contains commandments, priesthood instructions, rules for church government, teachings on sacrifice, marriage, tithing, inheritance, observance of the Sabbath, and the structure of a religious kingdom. The book also presents Strangite versions of the Ten Commandments and includes instructions connected to Strang’s offices as prophet, priest, and king.

The shorter 1851 edition introduced the core text, while the 1856 edition greatly expanded the material with additional chapters, commentary, and organizational structure. Most Strangites historically used the expanded 1856 edition as the primary form of the scripture.

Today, the Book of the Law of the Lord remains one of the most distinctive scriptures produced within the wider Latter Day Saint movement. It reflects the intense succession crisis that followed Joseph Smith’s death and shows how different Mormon factions continued producing new revelations, scriptures, priesthood systems, and claims of divine authority during the movement’s early fragmentation.

Used by: Strangites, officially known as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.