The Pearl of Great Price refers to a parable told by Jesus in explaining the value of the Kingdom of Heaven. The parable is recounted in Matthew 13:45-46. Other uses of this title refer to this parable.

See also: The Hymn of the Pearl

Parable of Jesus

The Pearl of Great Price refers to the parable told by Jesus, and is recounted in the Gospel of Matthew 13:45-46. In explaining the value of the Kingdom of Heaven, he relates the story of a trader who discovered an extremely valuable pearl. He then sold all that he had to raise money to purchase the pearl; with the final result that he was wealthier than before. The implied analogy was that the Kingdom of Heaven was of such worth that his disciples should gladly be willing to give up their wealth and comfort to obtain it.

Latter Day Saint Scripture

The Pearl of Great Price (PGP) is a collection of scriptures of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church; see also Mormonism). The PGP includes: the Book of Abraham, a book dealing with Abraham's journeys in Egypt, containing many distinctive Mormon doctrines such as exaltation; the Book of Moses, which comes from the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible; Joseph Smith-Matthew , a translation of a portion of the Gospel of Matthew by Smith; the Joseph Smith-History, a first-person narrative of Joseph Smith, Jr.'s life before the founding of the church; and the Articles of Faith, a brief summary of the major doctrines of the Mormon faith written by Joseph Smith for a newspaper.

Considerable controversy surrounds the surviving papyri claimed as the source for the translation of the Book of Abraham.

External links

• Introduction found at LDS.org the official website of the LDS Church
• Text of The Pearl of Great Price on the LDS Church's website

Poem

Pearl, a 14th century Middle English alliterative poem written by the Pearl Poet, makes allusion to the parable in describing the narrator's dead daughter, Pearl.

It begins:

Perle, pleasaunte to prynces paye

To clanly clos in golde so clere,

Oute of oryent, I hardyly saye,

Ne proued I neuer her precios pere.