D&C 111-114 Quotes and Notes

Historical Background to Section 111

After the great spirit that was felt at the dedication of the Kirtland temple in the spring of 1836, missionaries for the church left in every direction to go and preach the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. Bishop Edward Partridge, who had come north to the dedication, returned south to Missouri to lead the Saints there.

In April 1836, Joseph Smith met with members of the printing firm to discuss the finances of the church. Wanting to reclaim their lands in Zion, with a desire to purchase even more land in Missouri, they realized the great difficulty of their situation as they were already several thousand dollars in debt. Much of the wealth of the church was tied up in land, which meant that many of the Saints were cash poor and land rich.

In late June 1836, W.W. Phelps wrote to Joseph to tell him that the Saints were being asked to leave Clay County.^[1]Saints: The Story of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Volume 1, The Standard of Truth 1815-1846, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2018, p. 257-258. The leaders of the church in Missouri agreed to leave Clay County rather than face another violent expulsion.^[2]Historical Introduction to Letter to William W. Phelps and Others, July 25, 1836, in JSP, D5:269; Partridge, Journal, June 29, 1836; “Public Meeting,” LDS Messenger and Advocate, … Continue reading

The news shattered Joseph’s hopes of returning to Jackson County that year, but he could not blame the Saints in Missouri for what happened. “You are better acquainted with circumstances than we are,” he wrote back, “and of course have been directed in wisdom in your moves, relative to leaving the county.”^[3]Sidney Rigdon and Others to William W. Phelps and Others, July 25, 1836, in JSP, D5:268–71.258

With the Saints being asked to move once again, Joseph felt even more pressure to raise funds for the Church. Joseph decided to open a church store near Kirtland and borrowed even more money to purchase goods to sell there.^[4]Minutes, Apr. 2, 1836, in JSP, D5:222–24; Historical Introduction to Revelation, Apr. 23, 1834, in JSP, D4:19–22. The store had some financial gains, but many Saints took advantage of Joseph’s kindness and trust, knowing he would not refuse them credit at the store. Several of them also insisted on trading for what they needed, making it difficult to turn a cash profit on the goods.^[5]Minutes, June 16, 1836, in JSP, D5:247–53; Staker, “Raising Money in Righteousness,” 144–53; Staker, Hearken, O Ye People, 445–46; Brigham Young, in Journal of Discourses, … Continue reading is important background information:

Ebenezer Robinson, an early member of the Church who served for a time as the Prophet’s scribe,^[6]Ebenezer Robinson, “Items of Personal History of the Editor. Including Some Items of Church History Not Generally Known,” The Return 1, no. 7 (1889): 105, … Continue reading reported on a possible solution (to the financial struggles of the Church) that had presented itself. “There came to Kirtland a brother by the name of Burgess who stated that he had knowledge of a large amount of money secreted in the cellar of a certain house in Salem, Massachusetts, which had belonged to a widow (then deceased), and thought he was the only person who had knowledge of it, or of the location of the house.”^[7]Roberts, Comprehensive History, 1:411.

The Prophet Joseph Smith wrote: “On . . . July 25th, in company with Sidney Rigdon, Brother Hyrum Smith, and Oliver Cowdery, I left Kirtland” to travel to New York City. These brethren met with creditors in New York for four days. “From New York we continued our journey to Providence, on board a steamer,” the Prophet further wrote, “from thence to Boston, by steam cars, and arrived in Salem, Massachusetts, early in August, where we hired a house, and occupied the same during the month, teaching the people from house to house, and preaching publicly, as opportunity presented; visiting occasionally, sections of the surrounding country, which are rich in the history of the Pilgrim Fathers of New England, in Indian warfare, religious superstition, bigotry, persecution, and learned ignorance.”^[8]History of the Church, 2:463-64. The day after arriving in Salem the Prophet received the revelation recorded as section 111.

The outcome of the journey is recorded in B. H. Roberts’s Comprehensive History: “Burgess, according to [Ebenezer] Robinson, met the brethren in Salem, but claimed that time had wrought such changes in the town that he could not for a certainty point out the house ‘and soon left.'”^[9]Comprehensive History, 1:411.

A day or two after arriving in Salem, Massachusetts, Sunday, August 6, 1836, Joseph received the revelation recorded as section 111 in our current Doctrine and Covenants. The Lord assured those who had traveled to Salem, “I have much treasure in the city for you, for the benefit of Zion” (D&C 111:2). In addition, he promised that “its wealth pertaining to gold and silver shall be yours” (D&C 111:4). References in the revelation to treasure have only served to place greater emphasis on treasure seeking. For example, several articles and commentaries examining section 111 have addressed the Prophet’s debts and involvement in looking for buried treasure, focusing on the Lord’s seeming play on words as he referred to “treasure,” “gold and silver,” and “debts” (D&C 111:2, 4–5, 10). Dr. Donald Q. Cannon summarized the expedition’s experience: “Apparently they divided their time between preaching, sightseeing, and looking for the treasure.”^[10]Donald Q. Cannon, “Joseph Smith in Salem: D&C 111,” Studies in Scripture, vol. 1, The Doctrine and Covenants, ed. Robert L. Millet and Kent P. Jackson (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, … Continue reading

This section is another illustration of the gold and clay principle. Joseph Smith was a man in every way (clay), working to do the work of the Lord and listen to his Spirit, upon which he relied and received word from time to time (gold). This balance was still in process in 1836, as Joseph must have felt anxiety for the debts incurred in the construction of the Kirtland Temple. It is for this reason I see the invitation of Burgess to come to Massachusetts and to find money to be attractive to the Prophet.

Craig Ostler gives added insight into the significance of this revelation. For example, the Lord tells Joseph, “Tarry in this place, and in the regions round about; And the place where it is my will that you should tarry, for the main, shall be signalized unto you by the peace and power of my Spirit, that shall flow unto you. This place you may obtain by hire. And inquire diligently concerning the more ancient inhabitants and founders of this city; For there are more treasures than one for you in this city. Therefore, be ye as wise as serpents and yet without sin; and I will order all things for your good, as fast as ye are able to receive them. Amen.” (D&C 111.7-11).

In his article, Ostler points out that the instruction by the Lord to “inquire diligently concerning the more ancient inhabitants and founders of this city” may have much more to do with the history of the founding of Salem and the difficulties faced by these early Christian settlers than genealogical record keeping.

Oliver Cowdery reports of his visits to areas around Salem, particularly a museum on August 6, 1836. He writes, “I viewed the hill, immediately to the north-west of the town, on which they used, in olden times when they were very righteous, to hang people for the alleged crime of witchcraft— it still bears the name of ‘witch hill,’ and looks down upon this ancient town like a monument set up to remind after generations of the folly of their fathers.”^[11]Oliver Cowdery, “Prospectus,” Latter Day Saints’ Messenger and Advocate, (October 1836), 388. “No one knows for certain where nineteen people condemned as witches were hanged. But all … Continue reading

Based on his writings, Oliver considered the “ancient inhabitants” of the area to be the Puritan settlers in Salem. Oliver wrote, “This witch business began in 1691, and was so effectually carried on for about two years that the innocent blood of hundreds moistened the earth to gratify the vile ambition of jealous mortals.”^[12]See Ostler, Treasures, Witches, and Ancient Inhabitants, in You Shall Have My Word: Exploring the Text of the Doctrine and Covenants, ed. Scott C. Esplin, Richard O. Cowan, and Rachel Cope, … Continue reading

He wrote further, “I presume your patience is exhausted in reading this horrid affair,” he wrote, “one which spreads, and must, while the account remains upon the page of history, or in the minds of men, a dark gloom over Salem, with all its modern politeness, refinement and religion.”^[13]Ostler, p. 227. See also: Cowdery, “Prospectus,” 391.

Oliver also saw the ruins of a Catholic Convent in the region. Built in an area of ardent Protestantism, the compound included a convent, a school, a chapel, gardens, and other buildings. Most of the students at the private school were from Protestant families. Anti-Catholic sentiment, fired by rumors of nuns held against their will, led to mob-inspired terrorism, ultimately resulting in the August 11, 1834, burning of the entire compound. After the Church leaders walked through the grounds and observed the destruction, Oliver Cowdery wrote his thoughts:^[14]Ostler, p. 228.

It was a religious persecution—a disgraceful, shameful religious persecution— one, or more, religious societies rising up against another. Is this religion? The good people here, being very tenacious of right, as well as the tradition of their ancestors, thought it doing God service to burn a Catholic convent, because the Catholic religion was different from their own. The Author of my existence knows the sorrowing of my heart, on the reflection that our country has come to this, that the weak must be trodden down by the strong, and disorder, confusion and terror, must distract our land and sow the discordant seeds of party strife and party animosity in the hearts of ignorant men, led on by infatuated priests, to overwhelm the continent with blood, and spread destruction and devastation throughout our happy asylum, and expose us to the fire, the sword, the rack and to death! I confess I retired from this scene of mobbery with a heavier heart than from the far-famed Bunker hill, rendered doubly so, by the patriotism, virtue, integrity, connected with the righteousness of the cause in which our fathers died!^[15]Cowdery, “Prospectus,” 393. Oliver took in the principles of religious and personal liberty like fire in his soul. He wrote to his brother and to the Saints regarding the sacred rights of … Continue reading

The Prophet Joseph Smith was also deeply moved by his experience in Salem in the summer of 1836. Concerning his feelings about the destruction of the Catholic convent he wrote the following:

Well did the Savior say concerning such, “by their fruits you shall know them.” And if the wicked mob who destroyed the convent, and the cool, calculating religious lookers on, who inspired their hearts with deeds of infamy, do not arise, and redress the wrong, and restore the injured four-fold, they in turn, will receive of the measure they have meted out till the just indignation of a righteous God is satisfied. When will man cease to war with man, and wrest from him his sacred rights of worshiping his God according as his conscience dictates? Holy Father, hasten the day.^[16]History of the Church, 2:465. The Ursuline Convent riots occurred August 11 and 12, 1834, in Charlestown, Massachusetts, near Boston, in what is now Somerville, Massachusetts. During the riot, a … Continue reading

In this vein it can be seen that the visit to Salem proved to be a warning to these four men. For in just two years, the religious fanaticism and fervor would sweep through the Saints in Missouri, and fanned with militaristic fervor, many Saints would participate in atrocities unforeseen. Violence would certainly ensue on both sides of the conflict in the 1838 Mormon War, but I cannot help but see this visit to Salem as a gentle heavenly warning to Joseph and Hyrum Smith, Oliver Cowdery, and Sidney Rigdon, of the dangers of over-zealous religion mixed with violence and anger.

Ostler writes:

“It is difficult to determine with absolute certainty this journey’s influence on the Prophet Joseph Smith and the other three leaders of the Church. On the other hand, it appears to be clear that they had many opportunities to learn about the need for the Latter-day Saints to welcome into their communities individuals of goodwill from all faiths or even of no membership to any particular faith. The lessons of justice, equality, fairness, tolerance, and inclusion, so important to the fledgling restored Church, were further imprinted upon the minds of its leaders during their time in Salem. It appears highly likely that the Lord sought to insure that these brethren learned the distinction between intolerance for wickedness and tolerance for differing religious beliefs. Later in Nauvoo, the Prophet would write to welcome individuals of all religious persuasions or no religious persuasions to join with the Saints in building up that city… The Salem dream was shattered when its early inhabitants became overzealous in their attempts to establish a New Jerusalem, persecuting innocent people. Evidently, the Lord hoped to warn and educate the early leaders of his Church concerning the tendency of some in religious societies to establish their own righteousness by excessively crusading against real and supposed evils among them. When this occurs, innocent individuals suffer at their hands and religion becomes a stink in the land.^[17]Ostler, p. 229-230.

D&C 112

July 23, 1837

The following from Ostler and McConkie^[18]Revelations of the Restoration, p. 898. is helpful:

This revelation was given during some of the darkest days in the history of the Church. As night follows the day, so the light and glory that surrounded the dedication of the Kirtland Temple was supplanted by darkness and evil. In the summer of 1837, members of the Quorum of the Twelve, witnesses to the Book of Mormon, and other key priesthood leaders met in the upper room of the temple to dispose of Joseph Smith as the prophet of the Lord. Their plan was to organize a new Church, with David Whitmer at its head. They had determined to reject the Prophet, the Book of Mormon, and the priesthood, while seeking to unite the Christian world around repentance, baptism, and the Bible.^[19]Revelations of the Restoration, p. 898. See also: George A. Smith, Journal of Discourses, 11:11.

In the midst of this darkness, Joseph Smith said, “God revealed to me that something new must be done for the salvation of His Church.”^[20]History of the Church, 2:489. Heber C. Kimball reported that the Prophet Joseph Smith came to him while he was in the Kirtland Temple and said, “Brother Heber, the Spirit of the Lord has whispered to me: ‘Let my servant Heber go to England and proclaim my Gospel, and open the door of salvation to that nation.'”^[21]Whitney, Life of Heber C. Kimball, 104.

Section 112 was given on the day the gospel was first preached in England. It was directed to Thomas B. Marsh, then the president of the Quorum of the Twelve and the man thus entitled to a revelation on the duties of that quorum. This revelation is of singular importance in identifying the rights and authority of the Twelve in declaring the gospel to the nations of the earth and in specifying their relationship to the First Presidency.

Thomas is warned by the Lord in D&C 31.12-13 to be faithful and not fall into temptation. He does struggle in 1838 during the time period known as “The Mormon War,”^[22]See: Episode 33- The Mormon War. See also: Leland H. Gentry and Todd Compton, Fire and Sword: A History of the Latter-Day Saints in Northern Missouri, 1836-39, Greg Kofford Books, 2010. See … Continue readingand he chooses to leave the church. While I do not believe that the “strippings incident”^[23]See: Gordon B. Hinckley, Small Acts Lead to Great Consequences, April 1984. regarding his wife Elizabeth and Sister Lucinda Harris constitute the entire reasons for his disaffection with the Saints, the story is worthwhile to see how relationships can be poisoned over time. Thomas B. Marsh will swear out an affidavit against the church in 1838, which will contribute to the Extermination Order^[24]See: “The Thomas B. Marsh 1838 Affidavit.” issued by Governor Lilburn Boggs. Thomas will leave the church and be excommunicated on March 17, 1839.

He spent 18 years of his life outside the church. In 1857 Thomas traveled through Iowa and Nebraska. Wandle Mace, a faithful member of the church who helped build the Nauvoo Temple, ^[25]Wandle Mace was born on February 19, 1809, in Johnstown, New York, to John Mace and Dinah Campbell. In his youth, his family moved to New York City and Wandle apprenticed with a blacksmith and later … Continue reading described him as “an old man, a stranger carrying a satchel and wearing a black waterproof coat to shield him from the storm [with a] palsied frame.” He also recorded what Thomas said was his greatest desire: “I want to die in the Church. Oh, if I could see Joseph, and talk with him and acknowledge my faults to him, and get his forgiveness from him and then I would die happy.”^[26]Journal of Wandle Mace, Archives Division, Church Historical Department, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, Utah.

In the summer of 1857 Thomas B. Marsh migrated west, eventually making it to Salt Lake City. He arrived on 4 September 1857 and the next day visited Brigham Young, who later said, “He came into my office and wished to know whether I could be reconciled to him, and whether there could be a reconciliation between himself and the Church of the living God.”^[27]Brigham Young, in Journal of Discourses, 5:206. When asked how his apostasy from the Church began, he reportedly said the following:

I have frequently wanted to know how my apostacy began, and I have come to the conclusion that I must have lost the Spirit of the Lord out of my heart. The next question is, “How and when did you lose the Spirit?” I became jealous of the Prophet, and then I saw double, and overlooked everything that was right, and spent all my time in looking for the evil; and then, when the Devil began to lead me, it was easy for the carnal mind to rise up, which is anger, jealousy, and wrath. I could feel it within me; I felt angry and wrathful; and the Spirit of the Lord being gone…I was blinded, and I thought I saw a beam in brother Joseph’s eye, but it was nothing but a mote, and my own eye was filled with the beam; but I thought I saw a beam in his, and I wanted to get it out; and, as brother Heber says, I got mad, and I wanted everybody else to be mad. I talked with Brother Brigham and Brother Heber, and I wanted them to be mad like myself; and I saw they were not mad, and I got madder still because they were not…Well, this is about the amount of my hypocrisy.^[28]Thomas B. Marsh, JD 5:208.

Thomas B. Marsh was unanimously sustained back into full fellowship with the Saints and baptized on July 16, 1857. He was later reordained to the office of High Priest, and moved to Ogden, Utah where he lived until his death in January 1866.^[29]Thomas B. Marsh, [1 Nov. 1788-Jan. 1866], Find a Grave. He is buried in Ogden Cemetery. When he came back into fellowship, Thomas expressed deep feelings of regret and humility. He said, “I do not … Continue reading

Temptations and much Tribulation – D&C 112.13

Of these difficult times in Kirtland, John Taylor wrote, “There was a very bitter feeling gotten up by a number of men who had apostatized. Parley P. Pratt was one who was affected. He, however, did not go to the length that some did; and Orson Pratt had partaken more or less of that spirit.”^[30]Revelations of the Restoration, p. 901-902; Gospel Kingdom, 189. As a measure of his integrity, Elder Pratt recounted this experience in his autobiography, saying, “About this time, after I had returned from Canada, there were jarrings and discords in the Church at Kirtland, and many fell away and became enemies and apostates. There were also envyings, lyings, strifes, and divisions, which caused much trouble and sorrow. By such spirits I was also accused, misrepresented, and abused. And at one time, I also was overcome by the same spirit in a great measure, and it seemed as if the very powers of darkness which war against the Saints were let loose upon me. But the Lord knew my faith, my zeal, my integrity of purpose, and he gave me the victory.

“I went to Brother Joseph Smith in tears, and, with a broken heart and contrite spirit, confessed wherein I had erred in spirit, murmured, or done or said amiss. He frankly forgave me, prayed for me, and blessed me. Thus, by experience I learned more fully to discern and to contrast the two spirits, and to resist the one and cleave to the other. And, being tempted in all points, even as others, I learned how to bear with, and excuse, and succor those who are tempted.”^[31]Pratt, Autobiography, 144.

We are told that Orson Hyde had come close to defecting but perchance walked in on the meeting in which Heber C. Kimball was being set apart for his mission to England. Humbled by the spirit that he felt, he acknowledged his faults to the Prophet, sought forgiveness, and asked to accompany Elder Kimball on his mission. The Prophet set him apart to that calling, and he later played a significant role in that mission that proved to be the salvation of the Church.^[32]Talbot, Acts of the Modern Apostles, 37.

Many others did not repent. Luke S. Johnson, Lyman E. Johnson, and John F. Boynton were dropped from the Quorum of the Twelve in the conference held on 3 September 1837, less than a month and a half after this revelation was given.^[33]Revelations of the Restoration, p. 902.

They shall be converted – D&C 112.13

As this refers to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, it thus raises the question: How could men be called to the apostleship and at the same time not be converted? First, it should be noted that having a testimony and being converted are not necessarily the same thing. A testimony comes by the witness of the Spirit and leaves one with the knowledge that something is true. Conversion, on the other hand, is the fruit, or reward, of acting on the witness of the Spirit. Conversion comes only in discipleship, in living the gospel. To be converted is to be born again, to put off the world and walk with the Saints. It comes by putting off the natural man and putting on Christ. Thus true conversion is a process and comes only in the course of time.

The apostle Peter is the classical illustration of a convert. After he accepted Jesus as the Messiah, after he was baptized, after he spent three full years in almost constant companionship with the Son of God, after he was ordained an elder and an apostle, after he went forth on a mission healing the sick and performing other miracles, after he walked on the water amid the tempestuous waves of the Galilean sea, after he bore a fervent witness of the Savior’s divinity, after all this and more, Jesus said to him: “When thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren” (Luke 22:32). It was only then that Peter was reconciled to God and became a new creature by the power of the Holy Ghost. Peter’s conversion was manifest in his valiant actions from the time of the first Pentecost after the death of Christ until he, too, died upon a Roman cross (John 21:18).

Rebel not against my servant Joseph – D&C 112.15

Ostler and McConkie give the following:

The spirit of darkness in Kirtland in 1837 was so pervasive that no quorum of the priesthood could escape it. Nor was this mist of darkness quick to lift. “At the quarterly conference assembled at Far West, April 7, 1838, David W. Patten declared that, as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve, he could confidently recommend Thomas B. Marsh, Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, Orson Hyde, Parley P. Pratt, and Orson Pratt as being men of God. However, in a spirit of discernment rather than of disparagement, he stated that he somewhat doubted William Smith, and that he could not recommend William E. McLellin, Luke S. Johnson, Lyman E. Johnson, or John F. Boynton. As time was to prove, Elder Patten’s discernments were valid.”^[34]Talbot, Acts of the Modern Apostles, 40.

John Taylor, who would be called to fill the place of one of the fallen apostles in December the following year, had occasion to counsel Parley P. Pratt, also an apostle and the missionary who had converted him. Elder Taylor recounted part of that dialogue thus: “I am surprised to hear you speak so, Brother Parley. Before you left Canada you bore a strong testimony to Joseph Smith being a Prophet of God, and to the truth of the work he has inaugurated; and you said you knew these things by revelation, and the gift of the Holy Ghost. You gave me a strict charge to the effect that though you or an angel from heaven was to declare anything else I was not to believe it. Now Brother Parley, it is not man that I am following but the Lord. The principles you taught me led me to Him, and I now have the same testimony that you then rejoiced in. If the work was true six months ago, it is true today: if Joseph was then a prophet, he is now a prophet.”^[35]Roberts, Life of John Taylor, 40.

Brigham Young once said:

“We have been kicked out of the frying pan into the fire, out of the fire into the middle of the floor, and here we are and here we will stay. God has shown me that this is the spot to locate His people, and here is where they will prosper …

As the Saints gather here and get strong enough to possess the land, God will temper the climate and we shall build a city and a temple to the Most High God in this place. We will extend our settlement to the east and west, to the north and south, and we shall build towns and cities by the hundreds, and thousands of Saints will gather in from the nations of the earth. This will become a great highway of nations …

“It is our duty to preach the gospel; gather Israel, pay our tithing and build temples. The worst fear that I have about this people is that they will get rich in this country, forget God and His people, wax fat and kick themselves out of the Church and go to hell. This people will stand mobbing, robbing, poverty and all manner of persecution and be true. But my greatest fear for them is that they cannot stand wealth.”^[36]“This Is The Place,” President Brigham Young, Ensign, July 1977.

D&C 112.17 Hold the keys… to unlock the door… where my servant Joseph, and … Sidney, and … Hyrum cannot come

In this verse the First Presidency is announced as consisting of Joseph Smith, Sidney Rigdon, and Hyrum Smith. Perhaps the earliest manuscript of this revelation was recorded by Fredrick G. Williams.^[37]Woodford, Historical Development, 1479. What makes this of special interest is that Elder Williams was the second counselor in the presidency at the time. Various sources may be useful in trying to understand the context of this revelation:

1. From the Kirtland Council Minute Book we learn that on 29 May (about two months before this revelation was received) complaints had been brought before the Kirtland High Council against Fredrick G. Williams, David Whitmer, Parley P. Pratt, Lyman Johnson, and Warren Parrish. Elder Williams disputed the council’s authority according to “the Book of Covenants” to try him because as a member of the First Presidency he was to be tried by a “Bishop’s Court,” meaning a court presided over by the presiding bishop as specified in the revelation on priesthood given 28 March 1835 (D&C 107:82). It was rightly agreed that the council did not have the authority to try him and charges against him were dismissed.^[38]Kirtland Council Minute Book, 181-84.

2. It was apparently in July that Joseph Smith learned that money was missing from the Kirtland Safety Society. He went immediately to Fredrick G. Williams, the appointed magistrate, to obtain a search warrant. In her history the Prophet’s mother, Lucy Mack Smith, says this was “flatly refused” and then records the following dialogue between the Prophet and his counselor: “‘If you will give me a warrant, I can get the money, but if you do not, I will break you of your office.’

“‘Well, break it is then,’ said Williams, ‘and we will strike hands upon it.’

“‘Very well,’ said Joseph, ‘from henceforth I drop you from my quorum, in the name of the Lord,’ and Williams in wrath replied, ‘Amen.’

“Joseph entered a complaint against him, for neglect of duty as an officer of justice, on which account his ministry was taken from him, and given to Oliver Cowdery.”^[39]Smith, History of Joseph Smith, 335-36.

3. Ezra Granger Williams, son of Fredrick G. Williams, claims to have been present on the occasion when his father and Joseph Smith verbally crossed swords and Joseph dropped him as a counselor. As he tells the story, Joseph wanted to borrow money and his father would not authorize it. Shortly thereafter he said the Prophet returned and “on bended knees, crying like a child, humbly asked my father’s forgiveness, admitting that he was wrong and that my father was right. He pleaded with him to still be friends and to continue by his side as usual. My father gladly forgave him, but answered, ‘No, as the people would never have the confidence in him again that they had had before.'”^[40]Williams, “Frederick Granger Williams,” 256.

4. Though the Prophet’s contrition in the above account may be overstated, it certainly was in character for him to freely acknowledge errors if he felt that he had made them. Assuming this to be the case in this instance, it would not have been unusual for Fredrick G. Williams to return to his aid in recording this revelation and at the same time not to be offended or surprised when Hyrum Smith was named as a counselor in the presidency in his stead.

5. At a conference held 3 September 1837, “President Smith . . . presented Sidney Rigdon and Frederick G. Williams as his counselors, and to constitute with himself the three first Presidents of the Church. Voted unanimously in the affirmative, except for Frederick G. Williams, which was not carried unanimously.

“President Smith then introduced Oliver Cowdery, Joseph Smith, Sen., Hyrum Smith, and John Smith for assistant counselors. These last four, together with the first three, are to be considered the heads of the Church. Carried unanimously.”^[41]Smith, History of the Church, 2:509.

6. “At a conference of the Church held 7 November 1837, at Far West, the proposal to sustain President Williams in the presidency again met with opposition, and, after a lengthy debate, Hyrum Smith was nominated to take his place.”^[42]Williams, “Frederick Granger Williams,” 256-57.

7. President Joseph Fielding Smith notes that on 8 July 1838 the Prophet received a revelation for the benefit of Frederick G. Williams and William W. Phelps. Of Elder Williams, President Joseph Fielding Smith observed, “The Prophet loved him dearly and wrote in his record: ‘Brother Frederick G. Williams is one of those men in whom I place the greatest confidence and trust, for I have found him ever full of love and brotherly kindness. He is not a man of many words, but is ever winning, because of his constant mind.’ (D.H.C. 1:444.) He partook of the rebellious spirit in Kirtland and had to be released from his high calling and lost his standing in the Church. He was baptized again, however, August 5, 1838, upon a show of repentance.”^[43]Church History and Modern Revelation, 2:99. This account may be somewhat more nuanced than this. For example, Nancy Cox, great granddaughter of Frederick G. Williams, has worked on the … Continue reading

The revelation the Prophet received for the benefit of Frederick G. Willilams and Willliam W. Phelps reads as follows:

“Verily, thus saith the Lord, in consequence of their transgressions their former standing has been taken away from them, and now, if they will be saved, let them be ordained as Elders in my Church to preach my Gospel and travel abroad from land to land and from place to place, to gather mine elect unto me, saith the Lord, and let this be their labors from henceforth. Amen.”^[44]Smith, History of the Church, 3:46n.

Trials in Kirtland – D&C 112.21-29… Darkness covereth the earth… vengeance cometh… upon my house it shall begin… purify your hearts

In the imagery of a New Testament parable, the gospel net had been cast out and all kinds of fish had been gathered in (Matthew 13:47-50). The failure of the Kirtland Anti-Banking Society would result in a sorting of the good fish from the bad, as it were. This separation did much to cleanse the Church of those who would not have the faith to accept that which would be revealed in Nauvoo and to make the journey West. These verses also apply to a future day when the true Saints will be separated from those who only profess to be Saints.^[45]Revelations of the Restoration, p. 907.

The bank the Saints set up in Ohio opened prior to this revelation, in January 1837. By May of 1837 there was a financial panic throughout Ohio. By May there was a general suspension of payment in specie by all banks in Ohio. Money was scarce during the panic, and many creditors were unable to extend credit or postpone dates when debts were due.

It was in July 1837 that Joseph Smith resigned from the bank and Warren Parrish and Frederick G. Williams took over management of the bank.^[46]Paul Sampson and Larry Wimmer, The Kirtland Safety Society: The Stock Ledger Book and the Bank Failure, BYU Studies Quarterly, Vol. 12, Issue 4, Article 7, 1972, p. 432. According to many who were there at the time, Warren Parrish is to be blamed for much of the fraud that took place at the time, contributing to the failure of the bank.^[47]Benjamin Johnson and George A. Smith accused Parrish of irregularities and Benjamin Winchester wrote that Parrish may have printed up $25,000 or more in notes at a critical time when the bank should … Continue reading

As the Kirtland Safety Society overextended itself, it was finally forced to close its doors in November 1837. The two hundred individuals who invested in the bank lost nearly everything they had invested. Joseph Smith’s losses from the failure of the company were greater than anyone else’s. While seeking to achieve success with the bank and, at the same time, to purchase land in Kirtland and goods for his store, he accumulated debts amounting to approximately one hundred thousand dollars. Although he had assets in land and goods that were of greater value in some respects than his debts, he was unable to immediately transform these assets into a form that could be used to pay his creditors. The Prophet endured seventeen lawsuits during 1837 in Geauga County for debts involving claims of more than thirty thousand dollars. Unfortunately, few people correctly understood the causes of their economic difficulties. Many Saints spoke against the Prophet and accused him of being responsible for all of their problems.^[48]Max Parkin has put together an incredible body of historical sources that illustrate the complexities of this banking institution and the results caused by the financial collapse in 1837 in his paper … Continue reading

Grand Speculation in Ohio in 1836-37

A growing spirit of speculation in Kirtland also added to the Church’s economic problems. With the availability of supposed money, which they borrowed from the bank, many people went into debt to purchase land for resale at a substantial profit. Warren Cowdery observed in the Messenger and Advocate that not a few members were “guilty of wild speculation and visionary dreams of wealth and worldly grandeur, as if gold and silver were their gods, and houses, farms and merchandize their only bliss or their passport to it.”^[49]Messenger and Advocate, June 1837, p. 509. In the fall of 1836, Heber C. Kimball returned from a mission and was amazed at the results of such speculation. He wrote, “When we left Kirtland a city lot was worth about $150; but on our return, to our astonishment, the same lot was said to be worth from $500 to $1000, according to location; and some men, who, when I left, could hardly get food to eat, I found on my return to be men of supposed great wealth; in fact everything in the place seemed to be moving in great prosperity, and all seemed determined to become rich.”^[50]In Orson F. Whitney, Life of Heber C. Kimball, 3d ed. (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1967), p. 99; see also Ronald K. Esplin, “The Emergence of Brigham Young and the Twelve to Mormon Leadership, … Continue reading

D&C 112, read in the context of what was going on in Ohio at the time, explain several things:

1. Darkness was coming to the Saints, and it was coming soon. I would say that it was already present and active in July 1837. (see D&C 112.23-28).
2. The danger was to begin “upon my house,” (D&C 112.25) meaning quite literally the temple. It is interesting that the Lord should use this phraseology. This is where men who wanted to take over Joseph’s position met one day as they plotted how to remove him. In August 1837, a month after this revelation, and when Joseph Smith and most of the Quorum of the Twelve were out of town, Warren Parrish and John Boynton, led a group of armed men into the temple to take it over. Later, in the fall of 37, Parrish, Boynton, Luke Johnson, and 30 other citizens of the area organized themselves into a group, calling themselves “The Old Standard,” or the Church of Christ.^[51]The group sought to overthrow the Church, take over the temple, and still teach most of the Church’s doctrines, while rejecting the Book of Mormon and discrediting Joseph Smith and the … Continue reading This division among the Saints would lead to the faithful having to leave Kirtland permanently.
3. Those converted would be healed. Many of the brethren who had spiritual experiences and worked to communicate with the Lord their issues with Joseph were able to pull through the trials of 1837-1838. Even among those that fought against Joseph had some light and worked to live within the light remaining. For example, Luke Johnson, an opponent against Joseph by January of 1838, warned Joseph Smith of a plot against his life.^[52]That night Joseph and Sidney Rigdon fled westward on horseback. Their enemies followed them for two hundred miles, even stopping at the same inn for the night. The rooms were adjoining and the … Continue reading
4. The keys have been given “last of all” to the apostles (D&C 112.32). As foreseen by the prophet Daniel, the restored gospel and the reestablished Church would never again be lost or left to “other people” (Daniel 2:44). These verses assured the Saints that those who sought to overthrow the Church in Kirtland would not be successful.

D&C 113 Questions about Isaiah 11 – March 1838

Historical Background

In the story of the Restoration, the most trying of circumstances consistently brought forth the richest treasures of heaven. As the spirit of apostasy continued to grow in Kirtland, it became necessary for the Prophet to flee for his own safety. Of January 1838 Joseph Smith recorded, “A new year dawned upon the Church in Kirtland in all the bitterness of the spirit of apostate mobocracy; which continued to rage and grow hotter and hotter, until Elder Rigdon and myself were obliged to flee from its deadly influence, as did the Apostles and Prophets of old, and as Jesus said, ‘when they persecute you in one city, flee to another.’ On the evening of the 12th of January, about ten o’clock, we left Kirtland, on horseback, to escape mob violence, which was about to burst upon us under the color of legal process to cover the hellish designs of our enemies, and to save themselves from the just judgment of the law. . . .

“The weather was extremely cold, we were obliged to secrete ourselves in our wagons, sometimes, to elude the grasp of our pursuers, who continued their pursuit of us more than two hundred miles from Kirtland, armed with pistols and guns, seeking our lives. They frequently crossed our track, twice they were in the houses where we stopped, once we tarried all night in the same house with them, with only a partition between us and them; and heard their oaths and imprecations, and threats concerning us, if they could catch us; and late in the evening they came in to our room and examined us, but decided we were not the men. At other times we passed them in the streets, and gazed upon them, and they on us, but they knew us not. One Lyons was one of our pursuers.”^[53]History of the Church, 3:1-3.

On 14 March the Prophet arrived at Far West, Missouri, where he was welcomed by the Saints. On that day or shortly thereafter, he received the following revelation. The particular circumstances that called it forth are not known. We do know, however, that Isaiah 11 was of particular interest to Joseph Smith because it was one of the chief passages quoted to him by Moroni when Moroni initially came to instruct him (Joseph Smith-History 1:40).

D&C 113.1 The stem, stump, the mighty tree that was cut down – Isaiah 11.1-2

 וְיָצָא חֹטֶר מִגֵּזַע יִשָׁי And there shall come forth a choter/rod from the stem (migazah) of Jesse (yishay)

The last two verses of Isaiah 10 speak of the Lord, in the clothes of one clearing mighty trees (an image used here to represent people), trimming the trees in the forest, as he “lops the boughs with terror, the high ones of stature shall be hewn down” (Isaiah 10.33). These trees represent the conceit of those opposing the remnant of Israel (Isaiah 10.20), and, of course, their nations.

In this manner the dead wood and overgrowth is removed to prepare the way for a new shoot or “stem” to grow out of the stump of Jesse. Through this imagery we are invited to look at the stump of a once great tree to see a new branch spring forth. In other words, after the great dynasty or the Tree of David is cut down a new branch of the royal family will spring forth. Another way to read this image is to see the tree cut down as the Mighty One whose right it is, holding the scepter, yet cut down. In other words, the tree could also represent the Savior. We know this because the Lord tells Joseph that the stem, גֶּזַע the geza, is Jesus Christ (D&C 113.1-2).

The intent of this imagery is, in an oblique manner, to describe Jesus Christ as a descendant of the Tree of Jesse, the father of David, and that from that “stem” will come a “rod” who will be the great prophet of the Restoration. From this cut down tree (Christ), comes another to keep the tree going, a rod, or חֹטֶר choter, the beginnings of another tree.

What is the rod? It is a servant in the hands of Christ – D&C 113.3-4

This revelation must have been a source of great consolation to Joseph Smith particularly in the time and circumstances that called it forth. Both the “rod” and the “root” in the Isaiah prophecy refer to the Prophet. We would assume both innate modesty and the sacred implications of this prophecy precluded any more direct expression from Joseph than that which the revelation contains.^[54]Revelations of the Restoration, p. 911. The authors continue: By revelation the Saints had already been told that Joseph Smith had claim to the priesthood through the lineage of his fathers (D&C … Continue reading

Elizabeth Smart’s Experience

Bryce shared in the podcast the power of the newly formed shoot from the stump of a tree and how it sent hope to a girl in a very dark place years ago:

“I sat on the bucket and cried all morning long. At one point, I remember looking at a tiny branch of a mountain oak. Sometime before, the man had taken an ax to clear the camp-ground, cutting back a couple of small trees and branches. A stump had been left jutting out of the bare ground and the man had used it to tie down one of the corners of the tent. A small sapling had started to grow out of the side of the stump. A few leaves. A single branch, smaller than my pinky finger. I stared at the sapling as it struggled to find a place to grow. Over the summer, I would stare at that tiny tree for hours, admiring its determination. Its mother tree had been cut away, leaving it as the only spot of green surrounded by bare dirt and plastic tarps and tents. Its bed was hot and dry and dusty. Yet it kept on fighting to survive. I resolved once again: Whatever it takes to survive!”^[55]My story, “A Nice Girl,” p. 71.

D&C 114 – Revelation to David W. Patten, April 11, 1838

This revelation was given to David W. Patten, one of the original members of the Quorum of the Twelve. For some time prior to this he and Thomas B. Marsh were the steadying influence of the Church in Missouri, where the three men who had been called to preside there—David Whitmer, William W. Phelps, and John Whitmer—had become disaffected with the Church.

David W. Patten was a brother in law to Warren Parrish, and it must have saddened him to see his brother fight against the Prophet Joseph Smith. One historian relates that David sought Joseph out, telling him that he wished to die for the cause of the Restoration:

It is believed that David made known to the Prophet that he wished to die a martyr’s death. The Prophet responded, “When a man of your faith asks the Lord for anything, he generally gets it.”^[56]As quoted in Lycurgus A. Wilson, Life of David W. Patten: The First Apostolic Martyr. Salt Lake City: Deseret News, 1904, p. 53. See: Susan Easton Black, Who’s Who in the Doctrine and … Continue reading

To these problems was added the persecution of the Saints by mobs. In October of 1838, a mob of some forty men took three of the brethren prisoners, threatening that they would kill them and return the next morning to burn the rest of the Saints out. Joseph Smith appointed David Patten to lead a group of volunteers against this mob, hoping to rout them without bloodshed and free the prisoners. The prisoners were freed but not without bloodshed. Among others, Elder Patten was shot in the stomach and died that night in what today is called “The Battle of Crooked River.”^[57]Patten died on October 25, 1838. David was 38 years old when he died.

David’s dying words were, “I feel that I have kept the faith, I have finished my course, henceforth there is laid up for me a crown, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me.” To his wife Phoebe Ann Patten,^[58]Phoebe Ann Babcock Patten Bentley (1807-1841) married David W. Patten in 1828. After her husband joined the Church of Christ (Latter Day Saints) in 1832, Ann was converted and baptized in the same … Continue reading he said, “Whatever you do else, O do not deny the faith.” He prayed, “Father, I ask Thee in the name of Jesus Christ, that thou wouldst release my spirit, and receive it unto Thyself.” He then said, “Brethren, you have held me by your faith, but do give me up, and let me go, I beseech you.” David Patten died at 10:00 p.m. on 25 October 1838 at the age of thirty-eight.^[59]Black, Who’s Who, p. 219.

Of this fearless servant of the Lord, Joseph Smith said, “Brother David Patten was a very worthy man, beloved by all good men who knew him. He was one of the Twelve Apostles, and died as he had lived, a man of God, and strong in the faith of a glorious resurrection, in a world where mobs will have no power or place. One of his last expressions to his wife was—’Whatever you do else, O! do not deny the faith.'”^[60]History of the Church, 3:171. Immediately after David’s death all of the men in Far West were compelled to surrender their weapons and several members of a mob were looting houses in Far West, … Continue reading

David did not fulfill his mission with the Twelve the next year in 1839, as he was in the Spirit World. There were some Saints in Nauvoo in the 1840’s that believed that Elder Patten continued his ministry among the English peoples in the Spirit World. This can be traced to a visionary experience of a convert in England, an Ann Booth, who had been taught by William Clayton. Ann, the wife of Robert Booth of Manchester,^[61]Ann Eastwood Booth (1794-1874) and Robert Booth (1785-1846) were married in Manchester, England in 1817. They immigrated to the United States in 1840 with William Clayton’s company. Not much … Continue reading apparently had not heard of David Patten before her visionary experience which occurred on March 12, 1840. She related this experience to close associates who then related the experience to Brigham Young.

The following are excerpts from her vision:

“on ariveing at the dore [door] of the upermost Prision I behe[l]d one of the 12 apostles of the Lamb who had be[e]n martered in America, standing at the dore of the Prison holding a key in his hand with which he opned unlocked the dore and went in and I fol[low]ed him….

the Apostle then commecd to preached the Baptism of repentence for the remision of sins, and the gift of the Holy G[h]ost by the la[y]ing of hands when the hundreds of prisners gave a shout with aloud voice, saying Glory be to God for ever and ever….

the Apostle then called to John Wesley by name who came fawrd [forward] quickley and both went down into t[he] water and the Apostle Baptized him and coming up out of the water he lade [laid] his hands upon him for the gift of the Holy G[h]ost, at the same time ordainedng him to the Preasthood of Aaron;

the Apostle then retired to the place ware he first sto[o]d. and John Wesley then proseded to Baptize a man by the [name] of Kilbham and next John Madison and Wm Scott, and John Tongue who ware [were] Methodest Pr[e]achers with whome I had be[e]n a quanted personly…. and after this he Baptized all the Prisoners amounting to menny [many] hundreds, after they ware all Baptized, the Apostle Lade his hands on them all and confermed [confirmed] them”^[62]Brigham Young, letter, Manchester and Lancashire [England] to Mary A. Young, Commerce, Illinois, May 26—27,1840, MS 15616, Box 1, Folder 7, crossed out words omitted, LDS Church History … Continue reading

Ann further indicated that she had not heard of the death of David Patten before her vision. A few months later, on July 2,1840, Wilford Woodruff wrote in his journal that he “spent the day at 149 Oldham road in writing. I was informed of a remarkable vision of Sister Ann Booth which I have written on the following page.”^[63]Kenney, Wilford Woodruff’s Journal, July 2, 1840, 1:475. Woodruff wrote in his journal “A Remarkable Vision” of Ann Booth, There are some slight differences between the copy of Brigham Young and that of Woodruff. When Mary Ann Young received a copy of Ann Booth’s vision, she shared it in the summer of 1840 with friends in Nauvoo. The visionary experience inspired many, including the apostles who read it.^[64]Stephenson and Marquardt, p. 136.

Others shall be planted in their stead and receive their bishopbric – D&C 114.2

Others planted

An examination of the names of the original Quorum of the Twelve that were chosen in 1835 will show that half left the Church.^[65]Thomas B. Marsh, Orson Hyde, William E. McLellin, Luke S. Johnson, John F. Boynton, and Lyman E. Johnson all left or were leaving the Church by 1838. Thomas B. Marsh, Orson Hyde, and Luke Johnson … Continue reading Some left for a short time and later came back, while others were never to return. Wilford Woodruff, speaking of this apostasy, said the following:

I passed through that scene [great apostasy in Kirtland], as did some others who are now with us. . . . Even Apostles took occasion to rise up and endeavored to dictate and direct the Prophet of God. Those who testified to the Book of Mormon were led away through not keeping the commandments of God and thinking that they themselves were great men. Some of them were learned men; some of them considered themselves very smart men, and they were so smart that they wanted to dictate and direct the Prophet of God. The consequence of all this was that they turned aside from the commandments of God. Some of them had been true and faithful in their labors in the ministry. I have heard Oliver Cowdery testify of the Book of Mormon by the power of God, when it seemed as if the very earth trembled under his feet. He was filled with the Holy Ghost and the power of God while he was faithful, and so were many of these men. But Oliver Cowdery yielded to the temptation of the evil one, and we may say he apostatized. So did Martin Harris, and several others connected with them. They left the Church, they turned against Joseph and they said he was a fallen prophet, and they themselves wanted to direct the Church. Several of these men called upon me in that time of apostasy and asked me to join them against the Prophet; the Prophet was fallen, they said. Now, I had seen enough myself of the Prophet of God and I had read enough of the revelations of God through him, to know that he was a Prophet of God, and not a fallen Prophet. I saw that these men were yielding to the devil, and I told them so. Said I: “You will all go to hell unless you repent. Joseph has been raised up by the power of God and to the Church and kingdom of God here on the earth.”^[66]Leon R. Hartshorn, Joseph Smith: Prophet of the Restoration, Deseret Book, 1970, 93.

Receive their bishopbric

The Greek word for bishopric is ἐπισκοπή episkope, which is a noun combing the words epi “on, upon,” and skopeo, “to look intently” or “examine.” This office or title became prominent in the second century in Early Christianity. See the article I wrote on this subject, “Bishops in Early Christianity.”

This word episcope may have not originally been used in reference to the religious office we see today and in the sense of this section in the Doctrine and Covenants may be properly used to describe any of a variety of duties. Peter referred to the place of Judas among the Twelve Apostles as a “bishoprick” ἐπισκοπὴν (Acts 1:20). Here it is used in reference to Judas having been an apostle, or one who was sent forth.

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