Max H. Parkin

This volume covers an interesting period of Joseph Smith’s life that includes the finishing and dedication of the Kirtland Temple and the associated visions, work on the Book of Abraham, the Kirtland Safety Society, and persecution and apostasy. Some of the documents included are from Joseph Smith’s journals, and so have already been published in Journals, Volume 1:1832-1839. Others are from Minute Book 1, archival collections, periodicals, other peoples’ diaries, legal records, etc. There are no journals available covering April 1836 to January 1838, so some of the best contemporary sources were chosen to try to fill things in.

The book starts with the usual material for this series, including a timeline of Joseph Smith’s life, maps, an explanation of the Joseph Smith Papers Project, a volume introduction, and an explanation of the editorial method. The book is then divided into seven parts, based on time periods. There is an appendix with blessings to Don Carlos Smith, Oliver Cowdery, Frederick G. Williams, and Sidney Rigdon. And then there is the usual reference material with source notes, a chronology, geographical directory and maps, pedigree chart, biographical directory, organizational charts, essay on sources, works cited, a cross-reference with the Doctrine and Covenants, index, etc. At the very back is a note about resources available on the Joseph Smith Papers website that relate to the series as well as this particular book.

Most of the first and second chapters of the Book of Abraham are included as “Book of Abraham Manuscript, circa Early June - circa November 1835-A [Abraham 1:4-2:6].” There is a historical introduction that explains how the papyri were obtained and what is known about the translation, as well as the publication in Times and Seasons. A footnote points out that “Though a notice printed in the 1 February 1843 issue of the Times and Seasons suggested that JS would publish ‘further extracts’ from the Book of Abraham, there is no documentary evidence that other extracts were produced. All extant manuscripts generated by JS and his associates during their study of the Egyptian papyri, dated circa 1835 to circa 1842, are available at the Joseph Smith Papers website, josephsmithpapers.org.” (page 77)

This is followed up by “Egyptian Alphabet, circa Early July - circa November 1835-A.” This is explained as “the only extant document among the larger collection of Egyptian-related materials that contains JS’s handwriting; portions of the text are also in the handwriting of Cowdery and Parrish. Five pages in length, the manuscript contains various characters, some of which are followed by their pronunciation and interpretation…. That the characters in the Egyptian alphabet presented here were copied from more than one source suggests that what is termed as ‘Egyptian alphabet’ may have been part of a comprehensive project that synthesized characters from various source texts” (page 82.) It is unknown how the document was produced, but the interpretations do not match modern translations. It “may have been an effort by JS and his associates to decode characters that they assumed stood for larger concepts.” (page 83)

There are many documents related to the Kirtland Temple, including minutes of the dedication with all the words to the hymns sung and the dedicatory prayer. There is a diagram of the temple and a photo of the interior. “The spiritual outpouring that occurred in Kirtland, Ohio, when the House of the Lord was dedicated on 27 March 1836 continued in the days following that special event. Three days after the dedication, participants reported, the promised endowment of power occurred at a solemn assembly. This event marked the culmination of a series of instruction from JS and other church leaders, the organizing of the church’s priesthood structure, and the administration of rituals. JS’s journal records that another significant event took place on the afternoon of 3 April: JS and Oliver Cowdery experienced a vision of Jesus Christ and visitations from Moses, Elias, and Elijah…. FInally, 6 April 1836, the sixth anniversary of the church’s organization, was ‘set apart as a day of prayer to end the feast of the Passover and in honor of the jubilee of the church.’ That day men ordained to the priesthood met to observe and participate in sacred ordinances. According to Heber C. Kimball, as the meeting continued, ‘the spirit of prophecy was poured out upon the Assembly,’ and this ‘marvellous spirit’ continued for several days.” (page 213)

Part 5 contains documents associated with the Kirtland Safety Society. The volume introduction and the section introduction give the history of the institution in the broader context of the financial troubles of the time, which were both the motivation for its creation and the cause of its downfall. The documents include the Constitution of the Kirtland Safety Society Bank, Articles of Agreement for the Kirtland Safety Society Anti-Banking Company, pictures of the notes that were produced, and associated agreements and correspondence. “Extant sources offer little credible documentation of monetary losses caused by the Kirtland Safety Society’s closure, but it is clear that only a few individuals invested sizable funds in the institution. Joseph Smith invested the most money, several thousand dollars, and no one lost more in the collapse of the Safety Society than he did. The devaluation of society notes and the unwillingness of other banks to accept the notes as payment contributed to the financial hardships in Kirtland, but most individuals there were more adversely affected by the broader Panic of 1837, which caused the price of goods to increase and land values to decrease drastically.” (page xxxii)

As with the other volumes from the Joseph Smith Papers Project, there is much of interest between the covers of this book. Many hours can be spent perusing its contents by anyone interested in the Kirtland period of church history or in the life of Joseph Smith in general. I found that my reading of the material about the Kirtland Temple enhanced my experience covering the same topic in Sunday School today.
… (lisätietoja)

This is the fourth in a projected twelve volumes in the Documents series of the Joseph Smith Papers. The Documents series is the core of the JSP project, containing documents that Joseph Smith was personally involved in producing in chronological order. The documents in the book are also available online, but the annotations and introductions - which are very valuable in understanding the documents - are not put online until 18 months after each volume is published.

The main events covered in this volume are Zion’s Camp; the publication of the first edition of the Doctrine and Covenants; financial difficulties (particularly those related to publishing and the building of the Kirtland Temple); the formation and operation of the Kirtland high council; the call of Joseph Smith, Sr., to patriarch, and the calling of 12 apostles; and the beginning of the writing of the early history of the church.

The main body of the book consists of documents directly involving Joseph Smith, and then there are a series of appendices with documents for which Joseph Smith’s involvement is questionable. Such documents include the first Lecture on Faith, “Letter to the Saints Scattered Abroad”, “Statement on Marriage”, “Declaration on Government and Law”, and patriarchal blessings given to Joseph Smith Sr. and Lucy Mack Smith, Hyrum Smith, Samuel Smith, and William Smith.

The Lectures on Faith are thought to be primarily written by Sidney Rigdon, although Joseph may have been involved in presenting them. The Statement on Marriage was included because Joseph had put together the Doctrine and Covenants and they were included, although it was thought that it may have been done by Oliver Cowdery without his consent. (This is important because the statement forbids plural marriage and, as explained in a footnote, Joseph may have learned of the doctrine in 1831 and begun sharing it in 1832. He also married Fanny Alger about the time this was published.)

The patriarchal blessings to Joseph’s parents and brothers were given by him, but were expanded by Oliver Cowdery when they were recorded. It is not clear whether he had authorization to do so, and he even charged Hyrum, Samuel, and William for it (as recorder, he routinely charged based on word count), but he felt the expansions were “correct and according to the mind of the Lord.” (page 486)

One interesting item in the main part of the book is a patriarchal blessing given to Joseph and Emma. At this time, the blessings of a husband and wife were considered one blessing, which is why Emma’s is included. The blessings were given just after Joseph, Sr. was called to be the patriarch. He called his family together and gave each of them and their spouses blessings. The footnotes here provide details and context about things that are mentioned in the blessings, such as this about Emma: “A July 1830 revelation called Emma an ‘Elect Lady’ and explained to her that she would ‘be ordained under his [JS’s] hand to expound Scriptures & exhort the Church.’ Emma was eventually named president of the Female Relief Society of Nauvoo, an ecclesiastical organization of Latter-day Saint women formed in March 1842. During the organizational meeting of the Relief Society, JS stated that Emma had been ordained ‘at the time, the Revelation was given, to expound the scriptures to all.’ JS also commented on the meaning of ‘Elect Lady,’ explaining that ‘Elect meant to be Elected to a certain work &c, & that the revelation was then fulfilled by Sister Emma’s Election to the Presidency of the Society.’” (pages 207-208)

Another item that is included that some may find of interest is in a letter to Emma dated June 4, 1834. Joseph says regarding Zion’s Camp, “The whole of our journey, in the midst of so large a company of social honest men and sincere men, wandering over the plains of the Nephites, recounting [p. 57] occasionaly the history of the Book of Mormon, roving over the mounds of that once beloved people of the Lord, picking up their skulls & their bones, as a proof of its divine authenticity.” A footnote explains: “On 3 June, the Camp of Israel passed through the vicinity of what is now Valley City, Illinois, where several members of the camp climbed a large mound. At the top, they uncovered the skeletal remains of an individual JS reportedly identified as Zelph, a ‘white Lamanite.’ Archaeologists have since identified the mound as Naples-Russell Mound #8 and have classified it as a Hopewell burial mound of the Middle Woodland period of the North American pre-Columbian era (roughly 50 BC to AD 250). (Godfrey, ‘The Zelph Story,’ 31, 34; Farnsworth, ‘Lamanitish Arrows,’ 25-48.) (page 57)

At 668 pages, this volume is the largest in the Documents series to date. For anyone interested in the events of this time period in church history, this book is a must have.… (lisätietoja)