D&C 18-19 Quotes and Notes

D&C 18 is given June 1829 in Fayette, New York.

As promised by John the Baptist, the Melchizedek Priesthood was restored to the earth by the ancient apostles Peter, James, and John. This occurred sometime after the restoration of the Aaronic Priesthood on 15 May 1829, and the first part of June 1829, when this revelation was given. Oliver Cowdery and David Whitmer were with the Prophet when the revelation was received. When the higher priesthood was restored, Joseph and Oliver were given “the keys of the kingdom,” meaning the authority to preside over the Church, and the keys of “the dispensation of the fulness of times” (D&C 27:13; 128:20).^[1]McConkie and Ostler, Revelations of the Restoration, A Commentary on the Doctrine and Covenants and Other Modern Revelations, Deseret Book, 2000, p. 135.

In preparation for the organization of the Church, the Prophet had directed Oliver Cowdery to prepare a foundational document for that purpose. Frustrated in his efforts to do so, Oliver asked the Prophet to inquire of the Lord for direction on that matter. This section came in response to that request.^[2]Ibid.

Describing these events, Joseph Smith said, “We had for some time made this matter a subject of humble prayer, and at length we got together in the chamber of Mr. Whitmer’s house, in order more particularly to seek of the Lord what we now so earnestly desired; and here, to our unspeakable satisfaction, did we realize the truth of the Savior’s promise—’Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you’—for we had not long been engaged in solemn and fervent prayer, when the word of the Lord came unto us in the chamber, commanding us that I should ordain Oliver Cowdery to be an Elder in the Church of Jesus Christ; and that he also should ordain me to the same office; and then to ordain others, as it should be made known unto us from time to time. We were, however, commanded to defer this our ordination until such times as it should be practicable to have our brethren, who had been and who should be baptized, assembled together, when we must have their sanction to our thus proceeding to ordain each other, and have them decide by vote whether they were willing to accept us as spiritual teachers or not; when also we were commanded to bless bread and break it with them, and to take wine, bless it, and drink it with them; afterward proceed to ordain each other according to commandment; then call out such men as the Spirit should dictate, and ordain them; and then attend to the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost, upon all those whom we had previously baptized, doing all things in the name of the Lord.”^[3]History of the Church, 1:60-61.

As a result of the directions put forth in this revelation, the document known as the “Articles and Covenants of the Church” (D&C 20), which led to the organization of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was written.

Instructions on Building Up the Church of Christ

DOCTRINE AND COVENANTS 18:1-9

18.2 The things which you have written are true. These words constitute a testimony by the God of heaven that the Book of Mormon is true. To say that the book is true means that it is a reliable representation of the truths of salvation. No equivalent statement from the God of heaven exists relative to either the Old or New Testaments or any of the books within them. The Lord testifies of the truth of this book also in D&C 17.6 saying, “as your Lord and your God liveth it is true” and again in D&C 6.17 saying to Oliver, “the words or the work which thou hast been writing are true.” Speaking of D&C 17.6 Elder McConkie said, “This is God’s testimony of the Book of Mormon. In it Deity himself has laid his godhood on the line. Either the book is true or God ceases to be God.”^[4]Conference Report, April 1982, 50.

18.3 Rely upon the things which are written. Oliver is instructed to rely upon the truths concerning the building up of the Church of Christ as they are written in the Book of Mormon. The inspired document that resulted is now recorded in Doctrine and Covenants 20. It is apparent that the Lord inspired Oliver’s mind as he searched the Book of Mormon manuscript for information regarding the foundational document of the Church and that the Prophet Joseph Smith received revelation in refining that document.

18.4 Concerning the foundation of my church. Of necessity the Church was to be founded on correct principles, principles distinctive to the restoration, not principles borrowed from some other source. Oliver Cowdery produced a document he called “Articles of the Church of Christ” in preparation for the organization of the Church. Much of this document was either a direct quotation or a close paraphrase from the Book of Mormon manuscript. Like the Nephite church, this new church would have priests and teachers. It would also have disciples, or elders.^[5]Jeffrey G. Cannon, Revelations in Context, “Build Up My Church,” D&C 18, 20, 21, 22. The June 1829 revelation also appointed Cowdery, along with David Whitmer, to select twelve who would serve as the Apostles sent out to spread the new church’s message – see D&C 18.37-38.

18.4-5, 17-19 My gospel, and my rock, Faith, Hope and Charity – Early Temple Allusions in the Doctrine and Covenants

Reference is to the first principles and ordinances of the gospel of Jesus Christ, which are faith, repentance, baptism, and the gift of the Holy Ghost (3 Nephi 11:31-39). The rock upon which the Church is to be built is the revealed testimony that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God (Helaman 5:12; D&C 33:12-13).^[6]McConkie, Ostler, Revelations of the Restoration, p. 137. It is also noteworthy to identify early temple concepts in this short revelation to these two men who are to seek out the Twelve. Note the parallels to much of what we have discussed in earlier podcasts about this topic: you have πίστις – pistis= faith, a word that is associated with trust, all in connection to the ministry of prophets in the Ulam, the outer court, calling the children of God to come to the temple. The image you could think of would be Moses crying out to all of Israel to be gathered in from Egypt, a symbol for the ocean of chaos and the world. In fact, Ulam is a pun on the word Olam, or world or created order.^[7]ʿOlam (עוֹלָם‎), a Hebrew word which means “world” or “eon”, and which is used in the following Jewish phrases: Adon Olam, meaning “Master of the World,” one of the names of God … Continue readingWe spent some time discussing these ideas in an earlier podcast here.

After exercising faith, one reaches the second room, or the Hekal, the big house as it is called. In this room the followers of Christ achieve ἐλπίς – elpis= hope, or attain unto a status whereby they are experiencing the miracles of the gospel in their lives. They are out of the world, covenanting to live a higher order so that they may approach the Lord’s presence through the veil in The First Israelite Temple, a piece of material that the Apostle Paul said could be symbolic of the flesh of Jesus Christ (see Hebrews 10.20). Just in front of this piece of material was the altar of incense, something that John says in Revelation 8.4 represents the prayers of the Saints, that which has the potential to unlock or open the veil.

Finally, as the Saints progressed, they attained ἀγάπη- agape =charity. This is the ability to see as God sees, to feel what he feels, the capacity to enter into a state of union with God, to “obtain the mind of God.” This is the final ascent of the three zones of holiness associated with the temple in the ancient world. All three of these ideas or attributes are discussed right here in this text.

The rock is found in D&C 18.4-5, and verse 17. These verses describe how the church should be built upon “my rock” (verse 5) and the association with “all things written concerning the foundation of my church, my gospel, and my rock” (verse 4). All of these could be associated with a matrix of ideas that are directly related to the Holy of Holies in the ancient Israelite temple.^[8]On Mt. Moriah, the present-day Temple Mount in Jerusalem the exposed bedrock under the Dome of the Rock is known as “the Foundation Stone” in Hebrew Even ha-Shetiyah. Although the Jewish … Continue reading Indeed, John Lundquist writes, “Just as the navel is found at the center of a human being, so the land of Israel is found at the center of the world. Jerusalem is at the center of the land of Israel, and the Temple is at the center of Jerusalem, the Holy of Holies is at the center of the Temple, the Ark is at the center of the Holy of Holies, and the Foundation Stone is in front of the Ark, which spot is the foundation of the world.”^[9]John Lundquist, The Common Temple Ideology of the Ancient Near East, as found in Madsen, Temple in Antiquity: Ancient Records and Modern Perspectives, Bookcraft, 1984. Lundquist is quoting a … Continue reading

The rock is another way to speak of the foundation of the Holy of Holies in the ancient Israelite temple. These ideas are associated with 1 Nephi 21.13 which says, “Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; for the feet of those who are in the east shall be established; and break forth into singing, O mountains; for they shall be smitten no more; for the Lord hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted.” This scripture is different on the Brass Plates than in our current edition of Isaiah as contained in the King James Version, which has the phrase “for the feet of those who are in the east shall be established” omitted from the text (see Isaiah 49.13). I assert that this phrase was removed from Isaiah after the exile when the Jews returned and rebuilt their temple, due to the fact that they were not allowed to have kings after the exile. As one scholar noted, “It is apparent that since the post-exilic Jews could no longer implement that promise, the phrase in Isaiah became an awkward reminder of the blessings of the past. That awkwardness was removed when the phrase was simply edited out of the passage. In contrast, modern revelation uses the phrase in the context of eternal priesthood and kingship: Who hath appointed Michael your prince, and established his feet, and set him upon high, and given unto him the keys of salvation under the counsel and direction of the Holy One, who is without beginning of days or end of life (D&C 78:16).”^[10]LeGrand Baker and Stephen Ricks, Who Shall Ascend to the Hill of the Lord?: The Psalms in Israel’s Temple Worship in the Old Testament and in the Book of Mormon, Eborn Books, 2011, p. 414.

This rock or stone is associated with kingship, God’s throne, and the Holy of Holies, all of which are tied very closely together in antiquity. One author wrote:

If participants are really moving deeper into the temple, shouldn’t they end at the throne? But in fact, there is a large stone on the temple mount, which is believed to have been inside the Debir. Moreover, this stone is believed to have acted as the platform in Solomon’s temple upon which the Ark rested (the Ark being God’s throne), making it a stand-in or a double for the Ark and throne itself. The rock of Matthew 7 is no ordinary boulder; it can only be the eben shetiyah, the “Foundation Stone” or “Pierced Stone,” and its location here at this end of the Sermon on the Mount ordinance, while at first glance surprising, is ultimately perfect.^[11]The Dome of the Rock is an ocatagonal martyria, a Byzantine style of polygonal shrine designed to commemorate an event or sacred place. Its dome is 20 meters in diameter, and rises above the … Continue reading

Its placement here should also tell us to look closely at 1 Nephi 1:6, which records a vision apparently distinct from Lehi’s vision of the throne a few verses later. The pillar of fire reminds us of the fiery throne in Daniel 7 and 1 Enoch 14, and we now know that the ‘rock’ was a temple symbol, a stone in the Holy of Holies upon which rested the throne of God.^[12]Butler, Plain and Precious, p. 106. See 1 Enoch 14.15-25 where it reads, “And I beheld a vision, And lo! there was a second house, greater than the former, and the entire portal … Continue reading These temple images found in this early section of the Doctrine and Covenants attest to the fact that Joseph Smith is restoring something ancient: the religion of a select group of believers in Christ from long ago. Remnants of what they believed have made it through the several editorial processes of scribes and authorities who (sometimes) sought to water down many of these truths. But enough of these ideas exist in the Bible today to point us in the right direction. To me, The Book of Mormon is an excellent lens with which to study the Bible, and the revelations of the Restoration, in concert with the ordinances of the temple in our dispensation, unlock more of these ideas.

18.8 And his name is Joseph

Thousands of years ago, Joseph of Egypt had prophesied that the choice seer of the last days destined to restore the gospel and gather Israel would bear his name (JST Genesis 50:33; 2 Nephi 3:15). The etymology of the name Joseph is usually given as “the Lord addeth,” “may [God] add,” or “increaser.” Though appropriate, such renderings have veiled a richer meaning associated with the name. In Genesis 30:23 at the birth of her son Joseph, Rachel proclaims, “God hath taken away my reproach.” It has been suggested that Joseph is derived from the Hebrew word for reproach, Asaph, which carries the meaning of “he who gathers,” or “he who causes to return.” Thus the great prophet of the Restoration was given the name that most appropriately describes his divine calling.^[13]Revelations of the Restoration, p. 137.

18.9 As unto Paul mine apostle, for you are called even with that same calling

An apostle, as understood today, is an office of the priesthood within the Church of Jesus Christ. There was no Quorum of the Twelve at the time of this revelation. Indeed, there was not even an elder since none had been or would be ordained to offices in the priesthood until the members of the soon-to-be-organized Church could vote on or sustain such action. This reference to Oliver and David as apostles could only mean that they were special witnesses of events associated with the Restoration but not to an office in the priesthood. Emphasizing this distinction, the Lord referred to Joseph, as well as Oliver, as “an apostle of Jesus Christ” and as “an elder of the church” (D&C 20:2, 3; 21:1). Both Oliver Cowdery and David Whitmer were called as special witnesses. This witness was given them when the voice of God declared to them that the Book of Mormon was translated by his power as they gazed upon the plates and the Lord’s messenger (D&C 17). However, neither of these men ever served as members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. In like manner, to a group of faithful high priests, the Lord said, “And as I said unto mine apostles, even so I say unto you, for you are mine apostles, even God’s high priests; ye are they whom my Father hath given me; ye are my friends” (D&C 84:63).^[14]Ibid., p. 137.

The Worth of Souls Is Great in the Sight of God

DOCTRINE AND COVENANTS 18.10-16

18.10 The worth of souls is great

There is no means of measurement that can adequately place a value on a human soul. As created by God they are immortal; as redeemed by the blood of Christ they can become as God is. That which is eternal denies measurement.

Save life itself, nothing in all eternity is of greater worth than the atonement of Christ. Thus it follows that the greatest work in which anyone could be involved is that labor that brings souls to Christ, that they might receive in full measure the blessings that come only because of his sacrifice and only to those who are obedient to the laws and ordinances of his gospel.^[15]Ibid., p. 137.

18.12 On conditions of repentance 

There is nothing in all the eternities—both the love and grace of Christ included—to which conditions are not attached. Even the concept of grace in Greece before the Christian movement associated χάρις – charis or grace with reciprocity, something that Augustine was unaware.^[16]Brent Schmidt writes, Augustine wrote about charis (grace) according to the best of his human ability. It is doubtful he understood the ancient Greek nuances of charis. However, he was influential … Continue reading Augustine, not having mastered the Greek language, came to view grace not as something reciprocal, rather as fruit from God that sprung up from God’s choosing an individual for salvation.^[17]Brent Schmidt, Relational Faith, unpublished manuscript. Schmidt explains: Augustine was the principal opponent of the Pelagians. But unlike his Pelagian rivals, he was not versed in … Continue reading That which is without conditions is without existence. So it is that we understand that Christ came to save us from our sins not in them (Helaman 5:11). Through his atonement, Christ brings “salvation to all those who shall believe on his name; this being the intent of this last sacrifice, to bring about the bowels of mercy, which overpowereth justice, and bringeth about means unto men that they may have faith unto repentance. And thus mercy can satisfy the demands of justice, and encircles them in the arms of safety, while he that exercises no faith unto repentance is exposed to the whole law of the demands of justice; therefore only unto him that has faith unto repentance is brought about the great and eternal plan of redemption” (Alma 34:15-16). Repentance is the condition on which the receipt of all blessings is predicated (D&C 138:19). All of the blessings of the gospel are based upon a reciprocal relationship with God that we cultivate as we walk along the straight and narrow path back to him as typified in Lehi’s vision of the Tree of Life (see 1 Nephi 8-11).

The Church and the Saints Bear the Name of Christ

Doctrine and Covenants 18.17-25

18.18 Holy Ghost, which manifesteth all things which are expedient

Christ promised the Nephites that they would receive whatever they asked of the Father “which is right” (3 Nephi 18:20). In like manner, we have the promise that the Comforter will teach us “all things that are expedient” (D&C 75:10), and we have been cautioned that if we ask for that which “is not expedient” that it will turn unto our “condemnation” (D&C 88:65).^[18]McConkie & Ostler, Revelations of the Restoration, p. 139.

18.20 Contend against no church, save it be the church of the devil

Elder Joseph Fielding Smith explained, “When we are commanded to ‘contend against no church save it be the church of the devil,’ we must understand that this is instruction to us to contend against all evil, that which is opposed to righteousness and truth. James declares, that ‘every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning,’ and the scriptures also teach, ‘for there is nothing which is good save it comes from the Lord; and that which is evil cometh from the devil.’ (Omni 25.) All who go forth to teach should do so in wisdom and not contend with the churches or engage in profitless debates, but teach in the spirit of kindness and try to persuade people to receive the truth.”^[19]Joseph Fielding Smith, Church History and Modern Revelation, 1:83.

One definition of contend is “to assert or to maintain in argument.” The word contend as used here has reference to our making earnest efforts to teaching and persuading as opposed to quarrelling. In the Book of Mormon, contention invariably carries this latter meaning of struggling or fighting, equating it with Webster’s definition, “violent effort or struggle to obtain, resist or compete.” What is it that causes contention to always be used in this negative manner? The Lord incorporates into contention an added ingredient when he indicates that the devil “stirreth up the hearts of men to contend with anger, one with another” (3 Nephi 11:29). Contention, then, as used in the Book of Mormon, is not just a matter of asserting or defending a position, but of doing so with anger as the added element. The Saints may honestly and forthrightly differ in opinion on ideas, insights, or approaches while still remaining calm; but it is when hostile feelings are added that disagreement turns into contention. Thus, while it is possible to disagree without anger, contention, as used in the Book of Mormon, means disagreeing in anger.^[20]Byron R. Merrill, There was No Contention, as cited in The Book of Mormon: Fourth Nephi Through Moroni, From Zion to Destruction, Charles Tate and Monte Nyman editors, Religious Studies … Continue reading

18.24 For in that name shall they be called at the last day

If it is Christ’s church, it must of necessity bear his name. Teaching this principle to the Nephites, Christ said, “And whoso taketh upon him my name, and endureth to the end, the same shall be saved at the last day. Therefore, whatsoever ye shall do, ye shall do it in my name; therefore ye shall call the church in my name; and ye shall call upon the Father in my name that he will bless the church for my sake. And how be it my church save it be called in my name? For if a church be called in Moses’ name then it be Moses’ church; or if it be called in the name of a man then it be the church of a man; but if it be called in my name then it is my church, if it so be that they are built upon my gospel. Verily I say unto you, that ye are built upon my gospel; therefore ye shall call whatsoever things ye do call, in my name; therefore if ye call upon the Father, for the church, if it be in my name the Father will hear you; And if it so be that the church is built upon my gospel then will the Father show forth his own works in it” (3 Nephi 27:6-10).^[21]Revelations of the Restoration, p. 139-140.

This understanding of “The Name” is also associated with the First Israelite Temple.

Receiving the name of the God enabled one to be associated with the power of that God.^[22]Indeed, as one scholar concluded, “One of the first references in the Old Testament to ritual renaming comes in Isaiah 56:5. In this passage, the Lord speaks of foreigners and eunuchs—people who … Continue reading Indeed, names were thought to be a central part of existence.^[23]Ibid. Douglas writes, See, for example, the beginning of the Babylonian creation myth Enuma Elish, which describes the world before creation thus: When skies above were not yet named Nor … Continue reading

When a man received his name, he was considered complete, since he was deemed to be “constituted of body and soul and name.”^[24]Hans Bietenhard, “Onoma,” in Gerhard F. Kittel, ed., Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, tr. Geoffrey W. Bromiley, 10 vols. (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1967), 5:243. As found in … Continue reading By mentioning the importance of the name in this section (see D&C 18.21, 23, 25, 27-28), Jesus is tying the Restoration into the ancient Israelite temple.  Anciently kings received new names at the time of their enthronement. The king of Egypt assumed at the time of his accession a titulary that consisted of five “great names.”^[25]Gardiner, Egyptian Grammar, 71; cf. Alan H. Gardiner, Egypt of the Pharaohs, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1961, 51; Henri Frankfort, Kingship and the Gods (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1978), … Continue reading Typically the king of Egypt would have his name enclosed in a cartouche, a device by which Egyptian pharaohs enclosed their titles in writing them down.^[26]What is a Cartouche? A cartouche is an ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic name plate. It’s shaped like an oval with a horizontal bar at the base of the oval and a king’s name written inside of the … Continue reading Similarly, Sumerian, Hittite, and Iranian kings were all given new names at the time of their coronation or accession.^[27]Frankfort, Kingship and the Gods, p. 246-284. He writes, “In Egypt, where the king was born to the purple, the throne name, together with the rest of the titulary, could be made known throughout … Continue reading

In the Book of Mormon, all kings were to be called “Nephi,” giving honor both to the original Nephi as well as to the new king (Jacob 1:11). One of the best known public examples of a name change in the modern Western world is that which occurs at the time the Roman Catholic pontiff takes office. The pope not only receives a new name but also, as part of the enthronement ceremony, dons the new robes of his office and calling.^[28]Porter and Ricks, Names in Antiquity. See also: Edwin O. James, Christian Myth and Ritual. London: Murray, 1937, 90; Lord Raglan, Death and Rebirth. London: Watts, 1945, 62. The receipt of a throne name is, of course, a regular feature of modern as well as ancient and medieval, royal accession rites.^[29]Ibid Porter and Ricks. See also: Arthur M. Hocart, “Initiation,” Folk-Lore 35 (1924): 312. The receipt of a new name by the monarch at the time of enthronement is a nearly … Continue reading

These specific verses in section 18 all deal with the idea of taking Jesus’ name (v. 21-24, 27-28) and “knowing” the name (v. 25). This matrix of ideas of taking and knowing the name are also utilized by Jesus in his Intercessory prayer where he says:

I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word.

Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee.

For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me.

I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.

And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them.

And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be bone, as we are.

While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled…

And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them. (John 17.1-12, 26)

In this text, it could be suggested that Jesus is referring to his close associates as having received a name which would enable them to partake of the power of the Savior in the next life to live again. These ideas could certainly be connected to early Christian beliefs about the resurrection. In early Christianity, following the apostasy, temple initiation eventually merged with the baptismal initiation, which included both washing and anointing with oil, along with donning of white clothing and sometimes the reception of a new name.^[30]John A. Tvedtnes, Early Christian and Jewish Rituals Related to Temple Practices. See also: William J. Hamblin, “Aspects of an Early Christian Initiation Ritual,” in John M. Lundquist and … Continue reading According to Philo of Alexandria (25 BCE- 50 CE), the name “is like a shadow which accompanies the body.”^[31]Philo, De Decalogo 82. Similarly, Origen (184-253 CE) viewed the name as the designation of the individual’s essence.^[32]Origen, Contra Celsum I, 24, in PG 11:701-3; cf. also Contra Celsum V, 45 in PG 11:1249-53. The phenomenon and religious significance of naming, as well as the practices of renaming and of giving secret or hidden names, are richly attested in the extant sources among the peoples of the ancient Near East, particularly in Israel and Egypt; but they are also found in chronologically and geographically contiguous societies in the ancient world.^[33]Bruce Porter and Stephen Ricks, Names in Antiquity: Old, New, and Hidden. As found in By Study and also by Fatih, Volume 1.

This idea of receiving the name of God was associated with what scholars call today “sacral kingship.”^[34]The king may be the recipient of a direct revelation of the will of a god. Thus, in Egypt the pharaoh received a divine oracle through dreams in the temple (a practice known as incubation). In … Continue reading The Egyptians viewed the name of a being as its avatar. Preservation of the name was essential for continued existence, and knowledge of the name gave the knower a measure of control over its owner.^[35]James P. Allen, The Ancient Egyptian Pyramid Texts, Society of Biblical Literature, 2005, p. 437. The idea that the name was used as a key to permit the initiate to enter into the true fold of God is also attested in the Egyptian sources. Entrance in the “Hall of the Two Truths” in order to see the face of “every God” was dependent on a knowledge of names and formulas. This is clearly evident from the 125th chapter of the Book of the Dead in which, after the deceased approaches the Hall of the Two Truths, he is told, “Let him come.” Thereafter he is asked, “Who art thou?” The deceased replies with his name and then answers other questions the gatekeepers ask. Upon answering the questions correctly, the guards say, “Come, enter this gate of the Broad Hall of the Two Truths — thou knowest us.” The initiate is then stopped by the jambs of the gate, and afterwards the beams, the rails, and the floor. All make the same demand, “We will not let thee enter past us . . . unless thou tellest our name.”^[36]Porter and Ricks, Names in Antiquity.Oftentimes in the ancient world, the receiving of a new name represented something of great personal significance to the individual, reflecting that person’s perception of the relationship with the god he/she worships, or of the religious heritage with which he/she wishes to identify.^[37]G.H.R. Horsley, Name Change as an Indication of Religious Conversion in Antiquity, Numen, June 1987, Vol. 34, p. 13.

The Mission of the Twelve

DOCTRINE AND COVENANTS 18.26-33

18.26 Called to declare my gospel, both unto Gentile and unto Jew

Later the Quorum of the Twelve would be given “the keys, to open the door by the proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and first unto the Gentiles and then unto the Jews” (D&C 107:35).

18.29 Baptize in my name

In all dispensations the Lord has commanded his disciples to baptize in his name. Beginning with Adam, the Lord said, “If thou wilt turn unto me, and hearken unto my voice, and believe, and repent of all thy transgressions, and be baptized, even in water, in the name of mine Only Begotten Son, who is full of grace and truth, which is Jesus Christ, the only name which shall be given under heaven, whereby salvation shall come unto the children of men, ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, asking all things in his name, and whatsoever ye shall ask, it shall be given you” (Moses 6:52). This instruction takes on added meaning when it is remembered that it was quoted by Enoch to his people, that it was preserved by Moses, and given anew to us through the Prophet Joseph Smith. From Adam to Enoch and from Enoch to Moses and from Moses to Joseph Smith, who restored the text to us, the principle has been the same.

To baptize in the Lord’s name, or to perform any ordinance in his name, is to do that work by his authority or priesthood. After Peter and John healed a lame man, the Pharisees, in an attempt to ascertain the source of the miracle, questioned Peter, “By what power, or by what name, have ye done this?” (Acts 4:7). Peter declared, “By the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth . . . doth this man stand here before you whole. . . . Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:10, 12). Thus, the name of Jesus Christ is equated with the priesthood authority to perform ordinances for the salvation of men (Abraham 1:18).^[38]McConkie and Ostler, Revelations of the Restoration, p. 140-141.

18.31 My Grace is Sufficient

The Twelve are able to fulfill their calling as they rely on the Savior. Under the direction of the Twelve, the gospel has gone forth and the Church of Christ has been built up, attended by the divine help of the Lord Jesus Christ among “every nation, kindred, tongue, and people, working mighty miracles, signs, and wonders, among the children of men according to their faith” (2 Nephi 26:13). Iron curtains have crumbled, despots and tyrants have fled their seats of government, and in it all the hand of the Lord has not been shortened. As Nephi testified, the Lord will “prepare a way for them that they [the Twelve] may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them” (1 Nephi 3:7).^[39]Ibid., Revelations, p. 141

Reading the Scriptures by the Spirit

Doctrine and Covenants 18.34-36

18.35 It is my voice which speaketh… unto you

To hear the quiet whisperings of the Spirit is to hear the voice of the Lord. Reading the words of scripture in company with the Spirit is also to hear that voice (D&C 18:35; 84:60). It can also be our privilege to hear the audible voice of the Lord (D&C 130:14-15; Helaman 5:29-33; 3 Nephi 11:3-7). There are many ways the the Holy Ghost is manifest in our lives, from general impressions to the heart as well as specific impression to the mind.^[40]See the lists of how the Holy Ghost speaks to our hearts and minds – D&C 6-9 Quotes and Notes.

18.36 You can testify that you have heard my voice, and know my words

This revelation was given in June 1829; the Twelve were not called until February 1835. Nevertheless, the Twelve are told that if they will read this revelation (and for that matter any revelation) under the direction or influence of the Holy Ghost, they will be able to testify that they have heard the voice of the Lord. The principle applies to all who read the word of the Lord under the direction of the Spirit. To read under the direction of the Spirit is to hear that voice. This principle is repeated in Doctrine and Covenants 84, in which the Lord says, “Verily, verily, I say unto you who now hear my words, which are my voice, blessed are ye inasmuch as you receive these things” (v. 60; emphasis added).^[41]McConkie and Ostler, RR, p. 141.

Searching Out the Twelve

DOCTRINE AND COVENANTS 18:37-47

18.37 You shall search out the Twelve. Oliver Cowdery and David Whitmer were given the charge to “search out” or find those worthy and capable of holding the office of an apostle. As one of the Three Witnesses, Martin Harris would share in this responsibility. Following the experiences of Zions Camp, the time for choosing arrived. In Kirtland on 14 February 1835, Joseph paid tribute to those who had marched with Zion’s Camp and then proposed that the time had come to ordain twelve men to the office of an apostle. “President Joseph Smith, Jun., said that the first business of the meeting was, for the Three Witnesses of the Book of Mormon, to pray, each one, and then proceed to choose twelve men from the Church, as Apostles, to go to all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people.

“The Three Witnesses, viz., Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer, and Martin Harris, united in prayer.

“These three witnesses were then blessed by the laying on of the hands of the [First] Presidency.

“The Witnesses then, according to a former commandment [the present revelation], proceeded to make choice of the Twelve. Their names are as follows:

“1. Lyman E. Johnson
“2. Brigham Young
“3. Heber C. Kimball
“4. Orson Hyde
“5. David W. Patten
“6. Luke S. Johnson
“7. William E. M’Lellin
“8. John F. Boynton
“9. Orson Pratt
“10. William Smith
“11. Thomas B. Marsh
“12. Parley P. Pratt”

These men were ordained in the quorum according to age, from oldest to youngest.^[42]Smith, History of the Church, 2:186-87.

D&C 19 was given March 1830 in Manchester, New York

This revelation came in response to Martin Harris’s inquiry to the Prophet regarding his standing before the Lord. Troubled in spirit by his transgression, concerned about his farm of over 300 acres, which he had mortgaged to finance the printing of the Book of Mormon, and feeling the gravity of his responsibility associated with the extraordinary vision shown to him and the other special witnesses of the Book of Mormon, Martin was desirous to receive both confirmation and direction from the Lord.

From the account of Joseph Knight, we can see into the situation that surrounded these events in March 1830 and how Martin must have worried about his property and the reception of the Book of Mormon:

“In the Spring of 1830 I went with my Team and took Joseph out to Manchester to his Father. When we was on our way he told me that there must be a Church formed But did not tell when. Now when we got near to his fathers we saw a man some Eighty Rods Before us run acros the street with a Bundle in his hand. ‘There,’ says Joseph, ‘there is Martin going a Cros the road with some thing in his hand.’ Says I, ‘how Could you know him so far? Says he, ‘I Believe it is him,’ and when we Came up it was Martin with a Bunch of morman Books. He Came to us and after Compliments he says, ‘The Books will not sell for no Body wants them.’ Joseph says, ‘I think they will sell well.’ Says he, ‘I want a Commandment.’ ‘Why,’ says Joseph, ‘fullfill what you have got.’ ‘But,’ says he, ‘I must have a Commandment.’ Joseph put him off. But he insisted three or four times he must have a Commandment.

“We went home to his fathers and Martin with us. Martin stayed at his Fathers and slept in a Bed on the flor with me. Martin awoke me in the nite and asked me if I felt any thing on the Bed. I told him no. Says I, ‘Did you?’ ‘Yes, I felt some thing as Big as a grat Dog Sprang upon my Brest.’ Says I, ‘Was you not mistekened.’ ‘No,’ says he. ‘It was so.’ I Sprang up and felt, But I Could see nor feal nothing. In the morning he got up and said he must have a Commandment to Joseph and went home. And along in the after part of the Day Joseph and Oliver Received a Commandmant which is in Book of Covenants Page 174 [D&C 19]”^[43]Dean C. Jessee, “Joseph Knight’s Recollection of Early Mormon History,” BYU Studies 17 (Autumn 1976): 36-37; spelling and punctuation as in original. See also: Michael Marquardt, Manchester as … Continue reading

A principle seems to be at work here. It seems that one way to read section 19 is that if the Lord has already spoken, it is wise to listen to the first answer (see also D&C 3-5).

In this revelation readers are introduced to things associated with the Savior’s suffering in connection with his Atonement that are not explicitly described in the rest of the canonized texts that we currently have.

This appears to be the only time the Savior ever describes what He went through in the Garden of Gethsemane (see D&C 19.18).

Understanding Hell – D&C 19.6-12

These few verses begin to unlock a mystery regarding the next life that prophets, poets, and theologians have been discussing for thousands of years. Questions like: Do we live after this life? Are the wicked and the righteous in one place that is “morally neutral” or are they separated? If they are separated, how permeable is the barrier between life and death? Where is the balance between justice and mercy? How exactly are the wicked punished in the next life, if at all? If God’s will is absolute, why will some seem to suffer for eternity? Can prayers or dedicatory rites help the dead? Where did the idea of purgatory come from?^[44]For an in depth analysis of purgatory, see: Jacques Le Goff, The Birth of Purgatory, 1990, Scholars Press. I write a short article on this subject with a brief historical sketch of this teaching … Continue reading

The Prophet Joseph Smith declared that the Saints should study the purpose of life and death, in fact should study it “more than any other” subject—“study it day and night.” He observed that “if we have any claim on our Heavenly Father for anything, it is for knowledge on this important subject.”^[45]Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 324; emphasis added.

Ancient Understandings of the Underworld

This text also seems to unpack some of the conventional ways Christians have interpreted the concept of heaven and hell. The concept of Hell, Hades, Sheol, Tartarus, Gehenna, etc. has been around for thousands of years. The notion of an afterlife and how things work on the “other side” is something that has not remained static, rather, it has changed over time and across cultures. Even in The Tanakh, or Old Testament as Christians call it, the idea has been expressed in different ways, depending on the questions and situations prophets, poets, and scribes worked to express the word of the Lord.

It is vital to know how to read history, especially in light of what has been given to us in texts connected directly to the Restoration. D&C 19 is one of these fundamental texts. It brings many ideas to light that were not usually embraced in Joseph Smith’s day, although a somewhat nuanced form of these ideas were discussed as early as the time of Plato.^[46]Plato spoke of a temporary abode for the souls that had learned what was necessary for them to learn in his report of Socrates’ dialogue with his friends on the day of his death. Bernstein writes: … Continue reading From our redacted and heavily edited Old Testament, we have a shadow of what was most likely on the Plates of Brass. In truth, the best lens with which to study the Old Testament is the writings left to us from the Plates of Brass, Small Plates, and Mormon’s work.^[47]As one author has concluded regarding the importance of the Book of Mormon in understanding the Bible, “The Stick of Joseph in the Hand of Ephraim (The Book of Mormon) is a sacred, … Continue reading After the Deuteronomistic editors were finished with the text, many of the teachings regarding the afterlife were most likely lost, deleted or otherwise left in obscurity. What is left is a text that speaks of Divine Punishment of individuals being applied in this life. Some have claimed that the Old Testament makes the claim that there is no life after death, something other scholars say is not true.^[48]Bernstein, The Formation of Hell, p. 136-138. He writes: It is frequently maintained that there is no belief in life after death in Judaism, but that statement is not universally true. It is … Continue reading The Old Testament, from what has survived several editing events, shows a world of the dead that appears “morally neutral,” in other words, a place where good and bad departed souls co-exist.^[49]Bernstein, The Formation of Hell, p. 139. We see this in the narrative of 1 Samuel 28.19 where wicked Saul is told that he will die and join Samuel in Sheol. Bernstein writes, “When Samuel … Continue reading This view generally coincides with the Babylonian view of the underworld, and for this reason I see why the Book of Mormon takes a different approach to the underworld than the Tanakh. The Book of Mormon has the benefit of not being tainted by Babylonian influences. It is a text that avoids the ideas of Babylon because the prophets that wrote this record left before the captivity. This is one reason the explanations of the underworld are so different than the Old Testament. Another reason would be the Egyptian influence on the text, something that can be found if we look closely, something I may write about in the future. So while the Old Testament is seriously lacking in teaching what later prophets would write concerning the Spirit World, there are left over clues that we can work through as we study.

Some scholars contend that there is evidence of the remnants of what was a concept of the afterlife in the Old Testament. They propose, as I believe, that this was once a text that was more plain. James Kugel gives evidence that the Tanakh was read (and still can be!) with a perspective that not only is there an afterlife, but that justice would prevail. And while many commentators have stated that these ideas only developed after the Second Temple period, these concepts came from somewhere. And Kugel even points to a reading of Ezekiel that points us in the direction of the Nephite prophets and record keepers when he says, “His (Ezekiel’s) vision of the valley of dry bones may have been, as we have seen, essentially concerned with the “resurrection” of the northern tribes and their eventual reunion with Judah. But for later readers, it acquired a quite different meaning. It was now a favorite example of the Hebrew Bible’s doctrine of the resurrection of the dead…”^[50]He continues: The mother of seven sons [said]: “[Your father] read to you about Abel slain by Cain, and Isaac who was offered as a burnt offering, and about Joseph in prison . . . He reminded you … Continue reading Kugel plainly makes the point that there was recontextualization happening as early Christians read these texts, but I would also argue that these ideas were swirling around in the ancient world in Egypt and in the land of Canaan centuries before Nephi left Jerusalem.^[51]Tryggve N.D. Mettinger, The Riddle of the Resurrection, “Dying and Rising Gods” in the Ancient Near East, Coniectanea Biblica, Old Testament Series 50, Almqvist & Wiksell International, … Continue reading And the Nephites had these ideas of life after death and resurrection, all of which helped their culture to see that events in this life took on new meaning in light of the existence of an afterlife. I would contend that the Nephite record contained on the Plates of Brass shows that there were many religious ideas being fought over in the 7^th century BCE. The reforms of Josiah demonstrate that this is the case.^[52]Mike Day, How did Josiah change the religion of the Jewish nation? Aug. 9, 2018. Since Lehi was the political loser of these fights (though the true representative of Jehovah [Yahweh], rather than “the elders of the Jews,” see: 1 Nephi 4.22, 27), what we have in the Book of Mormon is teaching and doctrine about Jehovah and the afterlife that was edited out of the Old Testament.

This is essentially what Bernstein asserts, that there were multiple religious traditions of the afterlife and Hell swirling around among the scribes and editors that contextualized what we today call “The Old Testament.” He writes:

Ezekiel 32 and Isaiah 14.10–15 agree that there is more than one fate in death. The wicked suffer ignominy in the deepest recesses of the underworld. Shame in death is the beginning of hell. If this passage of Isaiah is properly dated to the period of anticipation before Cyrus defeated Babylon in 539, or shortly thereafter, it is probably the Hebrew Bible’s second earliest expression of belief in segregation after death, for it would precede the story of Job or Psalms 73 and 49. This apparent reverse in chronology indicates a vitally important point: the different approaches to death and punishment after death which occur in the Hebrew Bible do not develop toward some perfect or more sophisticated position. No linear model applies here. It is not the case that the religious writings of each century refine earlier, “primitive” ones. Rather, the different positions expressed simultaneously reflect various sensibilities within the religious community. They suggest a competition within the biblical tradition for the loyalty of reciters, scribes, and editors.^[53]Alan Bernstein, The Formation of Hell: Death and Retribution in the Ancient and Early Christian Worlds, Cornell University Press, 1993, p. 167. Later he writes (p. 175), “I want to reiterate … Continue reading Clearly there were religious differences the existed over time as these communities worked to interpret and define what it meant to follow God, what that meant in this life and the next, and how mankind existed after this life.

Enoch – Apocalyptic Texts

Another group of visions or texts came into being before and during the time of the rise of Christianity. These were the apocalyptic visions of the visionary men of the Second Temple Period. Among this corpus of literature existed the visions of Enoch. Much of what is contained in this literature has echoes that we see throughout the Book of Mormon. In the 22^nd chapter of The Book of Enoch, this visionary is taken on a tour of the underworld. He is shown that in this realm there exist divisions between the wicked and the righteous, something we see in the Book of Mormon text (see: Alma 40.12-14).

The Rise of Christianity – Hell Reinterpreted

Origen

These ideas continued to be discussed into the Christian period. Christianity saw the ideas of Origen in contradistinction to the teachings of Augustine. Before Augustine, Origen worked to incorporate his ideas of hell into his philosophical training in Neoplatonism. Much of this philosophy dealt with the concept of understanding the this world as a cycle comprising essentially two basic motions: emanation and return.  The source of everything and the goal of return is the One, which religious readers consider analogous or identical to God. This One, the supreme being, has a knowledge of itself which is distinguishable from the One, and so, decadence and plurality begin with the One’s knowledge of itself. This knowledge consists of the Ideas, which seem to circulate under the One. From this source there emanate, in creative but regressive cascades, other levels of existing beings that form the world. No level of being exists as fully as the One, and each successive lower level exists less excellently than the one above it.^[54]Ibid., p. 306.

Beneath the Ideas is the World Soul, an agent that allows the Ideas to become reality. Through the World Soul the ideas function as the forms of all things. In combination with these forms, matter emanates from the World Soul to produce corporeal and sensible things, that is, things perceptible through the senses. Yet matter alone, apart from the idea-forms that give it shape, approaches nothingness. All these inferior beings conceive a longing for reunion with their source, and all intelligent beings (including humans) strive, through the intellect, to regain the One. Origen will view Jesus’ intercessory prayer in John 17 through this lens. Jesus’ prayer is essentially that all mankind needs to return to the Father in Heaven. Origen’s conception of hell and punishment could be wrapped up into the Greek concept of apokatastasis, which means “restoration.” He believed that all would eventually be restored to God. Return, therefore, is possible and, indeed, almost necessary, since every existing being bears the stamp of its origin and, through the use of mind, longs to return to its pristine state.^[55]Ibid. There is an excellent account of Neoplatonism in Eduard Zeller, Outlines of the History of Greek Philosophy, 13th ed., rev. by Wilhelm Nestle (1931), and trans. L.R.Palmer (Cleveland: … Continue reading

Origen believed that the suffering in hell would be of a finite duration. Origen viewed the spiritual progress that came from decline and increased punishment as eventually leading to a greater perfection and to restoration. Think of the lessons you have learned as you made mistakes, suffered, and repented. Even wrong choices can lead to spiritual progress!

Thus, in Origen’s mind it would seem that there will be a time when all debts will have been paid. In Origen’s theological system, no debt can be infinite, because that would imply that God’s healing powers could not redeem it. Since no debt is infinite, any debt can be paid, and once it has been paid, no further punishment is deserved unless the soul begins to neglect God again, in which case a new cycle is initiated.^[56]Ibid., p. 310 The return of the soul back to God was something he tied into his reading of Paul and the gospels. In Origen’s view, mankind would eventually come back into God’s presence and conform to the image of God. As conformity approaches, death, the last enemy, will be destroyed, not so much by its elimination as by its conformity to the source of all goodness. It will then lose its hostile character, its “bite.” Nor will this happen quickly, but “over the course of immense and infinite ages,” for the changes will be realized at different times in different people through the “many and innumerable degrees of those advancing” until even the last enemy, death, shall have been reconciled.^[57]Ibid., p. 313

Augustine

Augustine took the opposite position. As Bernstein demonstrates: It is hard to imagine a more severe contrast than that between Origen’s view of punishment after death and Augustine’s. Origen’s view of time is cyclical, like Plato’s. Augustine’s is teleological, like Matthew’s or John’s in Revelation. The consequences are astounding. Augustine agrees with Origen that the rational creature is free to choose between a higher and lower good, to cultivate or neglect God. That is how he describes the fall of Satan in the City of God. Yet, building on a linear view of history, at the human level, Augustine imposes a deadline for each one’s choice, after which the consequences are irreversible. The sinner must repent before death. All fates are pronounced in the Last Judgment. From then on there will be no change.^[58]Ibid., p. 316.

Augustine wrote, “To say in one and the same sense that ‘Eternal life will be without end, but eternal punishment will end’ is entirely absurd. (21.2.3.48-50).^[59]Ibid.,p. 320. Augustine did present the idea of a four-part division overlaid onto a three-part division in the next world,^[60] Ibid, p. 324. The dead are divided into three groups as far as benefiting from suffrages is concerned. There are those whose situation does not change because they were so good; there are those … Continue reading but this was only temporary. After the Last Judgement there were in Augustine’s view only two groups: those with Christ in eternal happiness and the wicked who would exist in eternal misery.

Over time Augustine made concessions around the idea that the living could somehow benefit their dead ancestors, allowing “suffrages” for them. As Bernstein asserts, “Augustine has set down two rules concerning suffrages. The first is that suffrages benefit not all the dead but only those who qualify. The second is that one may qualify for suffrages only in life. “It is here that one obtains all the merit by which one may be relieved or burdened after death” (29.110.13–15). So vital is this rule that Augustine warns…“Let no one hope that after he dies, he will be able to obtain from the Lord what he neglected to merit here” (29.110.15–16). These two rules came to guide the church in regulating the devotion of the living for the dead. As time went on they were taken to endorse the practice of dedicating certain good works in memory of the deceased. Thus believers endowed charitable practices and funded houses where the clergy would pray or lead prayers for the souls of the dead. It was on this basis that the concept of indulgences arose.”^[61]Ibid.,p. 325-326.

The Restoration

From the teaching of the prophet Alma, the righteous spirits rest from earthly care and sorrow. Nevertheless, they are occupied in doing the work of the Lord. President Joseph F. Smith saw in a vision that immediately after Jesus Christ was crucified, He visited the righteous in the spirit world. He appointed messengers, gave them power and authority, and commissioned them to “carry the light of the gospel to them that were in darkness, even to all the spirits of men” (D&C 138:30). In this way, the texts and prophetic teachings of the Restoration carry the idea that a separation does exist in the next life and that the righteous are working for the salvation of their fellow man, something that Origen would find comforting and fitting with his view of a God working to save the whole human family.

Elder James E. Talmage read this passage and explained it this way:

During this hundred years many other great truths not known before, have been declared to the people, and one of the greatest is that to hell there is an exit as well as an entrance. Hell is no place to which a vindictive judge sends prisoners to suffer and to be punished principally for his glory; but it is a place prepared for the teaching, the disciplining of those who failed to learn here upon the earth what they should have learned. True, we read of everlasting punishment, unending suffering, eternal damnation. That is a direful expression; but in his mercy the Lord has made plain what those words mean. “Eternal punishment,” he says, is God’s punishment, for he is eternal; and that condition or state or possibility will ever exist for the sinner who deserves and really needs such condemnation; but this does not mean that the individual sufferer or sinner is to be eternally and everlastingly made to endure and suffer. No man will be kept in hell longer than is necessary to bring him to a fitness for something better. When he reaches that stage the prison doors will open and there will be rejoicing among the hosts who welcome him into a better state. The Lord has not abated in the least what he has said in earlier dispensations concerning the operation of his law and his gospel, but he has made clear unto us his goodness and mercy through it all, for it is his glory and his work to bring about the immortality and eternal life of man.^[62]Elder James E. Talmage, Conference Report, April 1930, 97.

In future podcasts we will continue this discussion of the afterlife, what the revelations of the Restoration tell us regarding this next sphere of existence, as well as look into prophetic statements and historical reminiscences from our faithful predecessors to help paint a better picture of how an understanding of the Spirit World can be applied in our lives to enrich our souls. Joseph Smith had many questions about this subject and was given continual light as he asked the Lord for more understanding.

The Suffering of Christ – D&C 19.13-20

This suffering caused a God to tremble, caused a God to cry and wish that it would end.

John Taylor wrote:

The suffering of the Son of God was not simply the suffering of personal death; for in assuming the position that He did in making an atonement for the sins of the world He bore the weight, the responsibility, and the burden of the sins of all men, which, to us, is incomprehensible… Groaning beneath this concentrated load, this intense, incomprehensible pressure, this terrible exaction of Divine justice, from which feeble humanity shrank, and through the agony thus experienced sweating great drops of blood, He was led to exclaim, “Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me.” He had wrestled with the superincumbent load in the wilderness, He had struggled against the powers of darkness that had been let loose upon him there; placed below all things, His mind surcharged with agony and pain, lonely and apparently helpless and forsaken, in his agony the blood oozed from His pores… And again, not only did His agony affect the mind and body of Jesus, causing Him to sweat great drops of blood, but by reason of some principle, to us unfathomable, His suffering affected universal nature…Thus, such was the torturing pressure of this intense, this indescribable agony, that it burst forth abroad beyond the confines of His body, convulsed all nature and spread throughout all space.^[63]John Taylor, Mediation and Atonement. Salt Lake City: Deseret News, 1882, 152. 

In the Least Degree

This is the only revelation in which the Savior has unveiled that his suffering for sin included the withdrawal of the Spirit. This fact is intimated in the Savior’s soul-wrenching cry from Golgotha, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46). With reference to that moment on the cross, Elder James E. Talmage wrote: “What mind of man can fathom the significance of that awful cry? It seems, that in addition to the fearful suffering incident to crucifixion, the agony of Gethsemane had recurred, intensified beyond human power to endure. In that bitterest hour the dying Christ was alone, alone in most terrible reality. That the supreme sacrifice of the Son might be consummated in all its fulness, the Father seems to have withdrawn the support of His immediate Presence, leaving to the Savior of men the glory of complete victory over the forces of sin and death.”^[64]James E. Talmage, Jesus the Christ, 661. Brigham Young provided increased understanding regarding the withdrawal of the Spirit from the Savior as part of the atoning sacrifice: “The Father … Continue reading

Do not Covet Your Property & Pay the Printer – D&C 19.25-26, 32-35

On 25 August 1829, more than six months previous to this revelation, Martin Harris mortgaged 151 acres^[65]Martin Harris, The Great Benefactor. To help repay the mortgage on Martin’s farm, Joseph Smith gave him the right to sell copies of the book (see: Joseph Smith, “ Agreement with Martin … Continue reading of his farm to pay for the printing of five thousand copies of the Book of Mormon. E. B. Grandin, who was also the publisher of the book, held the contract for three thousand dollars.^[66]One historian helps modern readers realize the cost of Martin’s sacrifice: It is likely that this was the first time that the sheer magnitude of the cost was fully comprehended by Martin Harris … Continue reading

Martin agreed to deed a sufficient amount of his farm to pay the debt if the money could not be raised within eighteen months by the sale of the Book of Mormon to interested parties. Clearly Martin was very concerned about the strong possibility that he would lose his farm. His anxiety proved to prophetic because the citizens near Palmyra voted to boycott purchasing the Book of Mormon. To pay the debt, Martin sold 151 acres of the family farm, which included the frame home he had built earlier in his married life. His wife, Lucy, had made preparations to provide for herself and the children, if she ever deemed it necessary to end the marriage. “When the property was about to be sold, [she] left him, taking their children, and never again returned to live with Martin Harris.”^[67]Tuckett and Wilson, Martin Harris Story, 51.

Remembering Martin for his Good Decisions

Martin Harris is not unlike most of us. He had moments of doubt as well as faith. He was the man whom the Lord had chosen to make the incredible sacrifice required to publish the first edition of the Book of Mormon, a feat that was way beyond Joseph Smith’s ability. Martin certainly made some decisions that are discussed in the Doctrine and Covenants that cast him in a negative light. Yet I believe that the Lord will look upon Martin’s sacrifice and faith, rather than focus on the decisions that Martin made when he was at his lowest points in life.

Elder Oaks, a descendant of Martin Harris, presented a message about Martin that is so vital today as we live in a culture that wants to denigrate those of the past, focusing on their mistakes rather than their virtues. Elder Oaks states:

I will review some of the high points of Martin Harris’s life following the devastating episode of the stolen and lost manuscript.

About nine months after Martin’s rebuke, the Prophet Joseph received a revelation declaring that there would be three witnesses to the plates and if Martin would humble himself he would be privileged to see them (see D&C 5:11, 15, 24). A few months later, Martin Harris was selected as one of the Three Witnesses and had the experience and bore the testimony described earlier.

One of Martin Harris’s greatest contributions to the Church, for which he should be honored for all time, was his financing the publication of the Book of Mormon. In August 1829 he mortgaged his home and farm to Egbert B. Grandin to secure payment on the printer’s contract. Seven months later, the 5,000 copies of the first printing of the Book of Mormon were completed. Later, when the mortgage note fell due, the home and a portion of the farm were sold for $3,000. In this way, Martin Harris was obedient to the Lord’s revelation (see D&C 19).^[68]Joseph Smith did sign a note that allowed Martin Harris “equal privilege” of selling copies of the Book of Mormon. This note is dated January 16, 1830. From historical sources, we know … Continue reading

Other records and revelations show Martin Harris’s significant involvement in the activities of the restored Church and his standing with God. He was present at the organization of the Church on April 6, 1830, and was baptized that same day. A year later he was called to journey to Missouri with Joseph Smith, Sidney Rigdon, and Edward Partridge (see D&C 52:24). In Missouri that year—1831—he was commanded to “be an example unto the church, in laying his moneys before the bishop of the church” (D&C 58:35), thus becoming the first man the Lord called by name to consecrate his property in Zion. Two months later he was named with Joseph Smith, Oliver Cowdery, Sidney Rigdon, and others to be “stewards over the revelations and commandments” (D&C 70:3; see also D&C 70:1), a direction to publish and circulate what later became the Doctrine and Covenants.

In 1832 Martin Harris’s older brother, Emer, who is my great-great-grandfather, was called on a mission from Ohio (see D&C 75:30). Emer spent a year preaching the gospel near his former home in northeastern Pennsylvania. During most of this time Emer’s companion was his brother Martin, whose zeal in preaching even caused him to be jailed for a few days. The Harris brothers baptized about 100 persons. Among those baptized was a family named Oaks, which included my great-great-grandfather. Thus, my middle name and my last name come from the grandfathers who met in that missionary encounter in Susquehanna County in 1832–33.

Back in Kirtland, Ohio, after his mission, in February 1834 Martin Harris was chosen by revelation to serve on the first high council in the Church (see D&C 102:3). Less than three months later, he left Kirtland with the men of Zion’s Camp, marching 900 miles to Missouri to relieve the oppressed Saints there.

One of the most important events of the Restoration was the calling of a Quorum of Twelve Apostles in February 1835. The Three Witnesses, including Martin Harris, were appointed to “search out the Twelve” (D&C 18:37), to select them and, under authority granted by the Prophet and his counselors, to ordain them [these ordinations were then confirmed under the hands of the First Presidency] (see B. H. Roberts, Comprehensive History, 1:372–75).

From a position of great influence and authority, all three witnesses fell, each in his own way. During 1837 there were intense financial and spiritual conflicts in Kirtland, Ohio. Martin Harris later said that he “lost confidence in Joseph Smith” and “his mind became darkened” (quoted in Anderson, Investigating the Book of Mormon Witnesses, 110). He was released from the high council in September 1837 and three months later was excommunicated.

Martin’s wife, Lucy, who had been involved in the loss of the manuscript pages, died in Palmyra in 1836. Within a year thereafter, Martin and his family located in Kirtland, and Martin married Caroline Young, a niece of Brigham Young.

When most of the Saints moved on—to Missouri, to Nauvoo, and to the West—Martin Harris remained in Kirtland. There he was rebaptized by a visiting missionary in 1842. In 1856 Caroline and their four children took the long journey to Utah, but Martin, then 73 years of age, remained on his property in Kirtland. In 1860 he told a census taker that he was a “Mormon preacher,” evidence of his continuing loyalty to the restored gospel. Later he would tell a visitor, “I never did leave the Church; the Church left me” (quoted in William H. Homer Jr., “‘Publish It Upon the Mountains’: The Story of Martin Harris,” Improvement Era, July 1955, 505), meaning of course that Brigham Young led the Church west and the aging Martin remained in Kirtland.

During part of his remaining years in Kirtland, Martin Harris acted as a self-appointed guide-caretaker of the deserted Kirtland Temple, which he loved. Visitors reported his alienation from the leaders of the Church in Utah but also his fervent reaffirmation of his published testimony of the Book of Mormon.

Finally, in 1870, Martin’s desire to be reunited with his family in Utah resulted in a warm invitation from Brigham Young, a ticket for his passage, and an official escort from one of the Presidents of Seventy. A Utah interviewer of the 87-year-old man described him as “remarkably vigorous for one of his years, … his memory being very good” (Deseret News, 31 Aug. 1870). He was rebaptized, a common practice at that time, and spoke twice to audiences in this Tabernacle. We have no official report of what he said, but we can be sure of his central message since over 35 persons left similar personal accounts of what he told them during this period. One reported Martin saying, “It is not a mere belief, but is a matter of knowledge. I saw the plates and the inscriptions thereon. I saw the angel, and he showed them unto me” (quoted in Anderson, Investigating the Book of Mormon Witnesses, 116).

Martin Harris died in Clarkston, Utah, in 1875, at age 92. His life is commemorated in the memorable pageant, Martin Harris: The Man Who Knew, produced each summer in Clarkston, Utah.^[69]Elder Dallin H. Oaks, The Witnesses, Ensign, May 1999.