The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has bought the printer's manuscript of the Book of Mormon for a record $35million.

Acquired from the Community of Christ, the sale was announced Wednesday in a joint statement from the two organizations. Donors provided the funding for the purchase, which is highest ever paid for a manuscript.

The printer's manuscript is a handwritten copy of the original manuscript. LDS Church founder Joseph Smith provided it to the printer, EB Grandin, in Palmyra, New York, in 1830, and Grandin used it to set the type for the first edition of the Book of Mormon.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has bought the printer's manuscript (pictured, in enclosed case) of the Book of Mormon for a record $35million

Acquired from the Community of Christ, donors provided the funding for the purchase, which is highest ever paid for a manuscript (Pictured, the first few pages)

Mormons believe the Book of Mormon was translated by church founder Joseph Smith from 'reformed Egyptian' engravings on a set of golden plates unearthed in upstate New York with help from an angel of God named Moroni (Pictured, George Schweich, a grandson of early Church member David Whitmer, stands next to the printer’s manuscript)

Mormons believe the Book of Mormon was translated by Smith from 'reformed Egyptian' engravings on a set of golden plates unearthed in Cumorah Hill in upstate New York with help from an angel of God named Moroni.

'We hold the Book of Mormon to be a sacred text like the Bible,' Steven Snow, LDS Church historian and recorder stated on the LDS website.

'The printer's manuscript is the earliest surviving copy of about 72 percent of the Book of Mormon text, as only about 28 percent of the earlier dictation copy survived decades of storage in a cornerstone in Nauvoo, Illinois.'

TOP FIVE MOST EXPENSIVE MANUSCRIPT SALES 1) Book of Mormon printer's manuscript; 1830 Sold for: $35million Buyer: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in September 2017 2) The Codex Leicester - Leonardo da Vinci; 16th century Sold for: $30.8million Buyer: Bill Gates in November 1994 3) Magna Carta; 13th century Sold for: $21.3 million Buyer: David Rubenstien in December 2007 4) Northumberland Bestiary; 13th century Sold for: $20million Buyer: J Paul Getty Museum in June 2007 5) St Cuthbert Gospel of St John Sold for: $14.3million Buyer: British Library in 2012 Advertisement

The work is seen as a historical record of God's dealings with the ancient inhabitants of the Americas as well as an account of a post-resurrection appearance on the continents by Jesus Christ.

The Community of Christ in Independence, Missouri, has owned the manuscript since 1903 after purchasing it from George Schweich, a grandson of early Church member David Whitmer.

The sale price of $2,300 is the equivalent of around $67,730 today.

The presiding bishopric of the Community of Christ had worked with many potential buyers in the past several months and set the price after evaluating the market for the manuscript with consultants.

Historian John Hajicek, of mormonism.com, told The Salt Lake Tribune that the acquisition of the manuscript is the religious equivalent of the United States purchasing the US Constitution.

'This is a founding document of the LDS Church. It is priceless, Hajicek said.

'I thought the value of the manuscript exceeded $100 million, and the LDS Church got a good value.'

The printer's manuscript is a handwritten copy of the original manuscript (pictured). LDS Church founder Joseph Smith provided it to the printer, EB Grandin, in Palmyra, New York, in 1830, and Grandin used it to set the type for the first edition of the Book of Mormon

The presiding bishopric of the Community of Christ set the price after evaluating the market for the manuscript with consultants. (Pictured, the printer’s manuscript rests on a table in this early 20th-century photograph)

The LDS Church stated that the entire printer's manuscript was published in 2015 as part of the Joseph Smith Papers project (pictured). Digital images will eventually be posted online

Plans are underway to display the manuscript to the public at the LDS Church History Library in Salt Lake City.

The LDS Church stated that the entire printer's manuscript was published in 2015 as part of the Joseph Smith Papers project. Digital images will eventually be posted online.