| November 1, 1831 brethren
decide to print the Book of Commandments is made. Not all are comfortable
with the wording, however. By revelation Joseph receives the testimony of
the witnesses to the Book of Commandments, but it is never published. Sidney
and perhaps others expressed concern with the wording. Joseph receives a
revelation inviting his critics to do better. None are able (or willing?)
to forge a revelation. On November 8, Joseph agrees to work on the wording,
and finally, in April 1832 Oliver Cowdery and John Whitmer are assigned
the job of preparing the revelations for publication. |
| |
|
| November
1, 1831 conference |
|
On November 1, 1831
ten elders—Joseph Smith, Sidney Rigdon, Oliver
Cowdery, David
and John Whitmer, Peter
Whitmer Jr., William
E. McLellin,
Orson Hyde, Luke
S. Johnson, and Lyman E. Johnson—meet
in Hiram to discuss printing the revelations. |
|
Minutes
of Novembe. 1–2, 1831 |
| Vote
to print 10,000 |
|
They vote to print 10,000
copies of the Book of Commandments. |
|
|
| Preface
revelation |
|
Between sessions,
Joseph receives the Preface to the book (D&C 1) "by inspiration." |
|
The
revelation establishes the authority of the revelations and warns those who
reject his messengers shall be "cut off from among the people." |
| "A
number" bear witness |
|
In the afternoon
session Joseph invites the brethren to bear witness of the commandments.
"A number of the brethren" do. This wording may indicate that
time ran out before the rest of the brethren could bear their testimonies,
but it is my belief that some brethren were not ready to sign on. |
| Revealed
testimony of the witnesses |
|
At the end of the session,
Joseph receives a "Revelation relative to the same." The minutes
do not describe the contents of the revelation. |
|
|
Brethren
testify
Joseph grateful |
|
November 2 Oliver reads
the new revelation to the brethren. "The brethren then arose in turn
and bore witness to the truth of the Book of Commandments, after which br
Joseph Smith Jr. arose and expressed his feelings and gratitude concerning
the Commandment and Preface received yesterday." |
|
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| Revelation
is the testimony of the witnesses |
|
B. H. Roberts contends
that the revelation is the unpublished testimony of the witnesses to the
Book of Commandments, that the brethren unanimously agreed to bear witness
to the world, and probably did so. |
|
Revelation
of November 1, 1831 |
Another
view: November 1, 2 inconclusive
November 8 Sidney raises language issues |
|
I
do not believe that a close reading of the minutes of November 1, 2 warrants
such a conclusion. Instead, another conference is held on November 8, in
which Sidney comments on "the errors or mistakes which are in commandments
and revelations, made either by the {scribe} translation in consequence
of the slow way of the scribe at the time of receiving or by the scribes
themselves." |
|
¶
Minutes of November 8, 1831 |
| D&C
revealed November 8 |
|
This is the first recorded
expression of dissatisfaction with the wording of at least some of the
revelations and provides a context for D&C
67, which
is not mentioned in the minutes (nor is William McLellin's purported attempt
to write a revelation). |
|
|
Brethren
afraid
Want to improve wording
Challenge |
|
According the D&C
67, at least some of the brethren were too afraid to receive the testimony
(blessing) that was offered them. Now they are to select the weakest revelation
and "appoint him that is the most wise among you" to manufacture
a revelation. Or if anyone else wants to try, go ahead. If you can't create
a better revelation, you can't say you don't know that the revelations are
true, for you know they are. |
|
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| Fear,
not impudence |
|
The only fault imputed
to the reluctant brethren is fear. |
|
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| Prophet's
1842 version |
|
The only other known
account of the incident was written in 1842 in the Manuscript History of the Church: |
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Papers
1:265–267, 1:268n1, 367n2. |
| |
|
… a Special
Conference was appointed for the first of November, at which I received
the following. Revelation |
|
MH A-1, 157 // Papers
1:367.
W. W. Phelps handwriting ends with following, and Willard Richards' begins with Revelation. Richards began writing for the Prophet in December 1842. |
| |
|
[D&C 1] |
| Conversation
on language |
|
After this revelation
was received, some conversation was had concerning Revelations and language,
and I received the following, |
|
| Revelation |
|
Revelation given
November, 1831. |
|
|
|
|
[D&C
67] |
|
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| McLellin:
more learning than sense |
|
After the above
was received, Wm. E. McLellin, <as> the wisest man in his own estimation,
having more learning than sense, endeavored to write a commandment like
unto one of the least of the Lord's, but failed: |
|
|
| Awful
responsibility |
|
it was an awful
responsibility to write in the name of the Lord. |
|
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Failure
renews faith Joseph
Elders bear witness |
|
The elders, and
all present that witnessed this vain attempt of a man to imitate the language
of Jesus Christ, renewed their faith in the fulness of the gospel and
in the truth of the commandments and revelations which the Lord had given
to the church through my instrumentality; and the Elders signified a willingness
to bear testimony of their truth to all the world. |
|
|
| Revelation |
|
Accordingly I received
the following. |
|
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| Testimony
of the witnesses |
|
The testimony of
the witnesses to the book of the Lord's commandments … |
|
|
| Revelation
for elders |
|
As the following
Elders were desirous to know the mind of the Lord concerning themselves,
I enquired and received:—[D&C 68]. |
|
following
Elders: Orson Hyde, Luke and Lyman Johnson, and William E. McLellin |
| |
|
Sequence
of events |
| |
|
Conference minutes |
Joseph's 1842 recollection |
|
|
| November
1 |
|
Brethren vote to publish
10,000 copies. |
|
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|
| |
|
Preface received by
inspiration. |
Preface revealed to
Joseph. |
|
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| |
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There is a discussion
about language and revelation. |
|
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| |
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|
Joseph receives D&C
67, which challenges the brethren to write a better revelation. |
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| |
|
|
William E. McLellin
fails in attempt to manufacture a revelation, encouraging others. |
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| |
|
Joseph invites the brethren
to bear witness of the revelations and a number do. |
The brethren agree to
bear witness of the Book of Commandments. |
|
|
| |
|
Joseph receives a revelation
"relative to the same" (testimony of the witnesses). |
Joseph receives the
testimony of the witnesses by revelation. |
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| November
2 |
|
Oliver reads the revelation
to the brethren. |
|
|
|
| |
|
The brethren rise in
turn and bear witness. |
|
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|
| |
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Joseph expresses gratitude
for the Commandment and Preface. |
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| November
8 |
|
Sidney expresses concern
for "the errors or mistakes which are in commandments and revelations." |
|
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|
| |
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Conference: Joseph will
correct the errors. |
|
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|
| |
|
Joseph receives
D&C 68. |
Joseph receives D&C
68. |
|
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| Reliability
of accounts |
|
The minutes omit D&C
67 and the McLellin incident altogether, and Joseph telescopes three days
of discussion into a single session. Most problemmatic, the two accounts
tell the story in roughly reverse order: |
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|
| |
|
Because the minutes
are contemporaneous and Joseph's recollection is, by 1842, eleven years
old, I consider the former more reliable. But if we accept the sequence
outlined by the minutes, where would the unmentioned D&C 67/McLellin
incident have occurred? |
|
|
| |
|
Probably when Sidney
raises the language issue on November 8. And it seems plausible that at
that point school teachers Oliver Cowdery and William E. McLellin and perhaps
others concurred with Sidney's concerns, setting the scene for any of them
to write a better revelation (D&C 67). |
|
|
| |
|
William E. McLellin |
|
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| William's
self-esteem |
|
How plausible is the
Prophet's 1842 description of William E. McLellin as "the wisest man,
in his own estimation, having more learning than sense." Is it likely
that William, in early November 1831, thought he was wiser than Joseph? |
|
|
| Admires
humility |
|
According to his
journal, McLellin arrived in Independence on Thursday, August 18, and
spent the night at the home of Joshua Lewis in Kaw township. The next
day he reported "Love, Peace, Harmony and Humility abounding in them."
At family prayer he became convinced that the elders had the power of
discernment. "It affected me so that my weakness was manifest." |
|
home
of Joshua Lewis: site of the first conference in Zion. Minutes
of Aug. 4, 1831 |
| Talks
with Hyrum, attends prayer meeting |
|
He went into the woods
with Hyram they talked about Mormonism for four hours, and in the evening
he attended a church prayer meeting. |
|
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| |
|
On Saturday William
rose early, |
|
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| Acknowledges
Book of Mormon, people of the Lord |
|
and betook myself
to earnest prayr to God to direct me into truth; and from all the light
that I could gain by examinations searches and researches I was bound
as an honest man to acknowledge the truth and Validity of the book of
Mormon and also that I had found the people of the Lord—The Living
Church of {Jesus} Christ. |
|
|
| Requests
baptism, pure principles, Spirit of God |
|
consequently as
soon as we took [34] breakfast I told Elder H. Smith that I wanted him
to baptize me because I wanted to live among a people who were based upon
pure principles and actuated by the Spirit of the Living God. |
|
|
| Joy
over prophe'ts revelation for him |
|
Two days before the
conference began McLellin expressed "great joy" over the revelation
the prophet had given him two days earlier (D&C
66). |
|
McLellin
was converted in mid-July in Indiana and arrived in Independence on August
18.
great joy: McLellin journals, 46.
|
| Mission
with Samuel |
|
Two weeks after the
conference he set off on a mission with Samuel
H. Smith. |
|
|
| Anachronistic
hostility |
|
The strong language
in the Prophet's record is most likely due to the fact that McLellin left
the church in 1836 rather than any serious controversy in 1831. |
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|
| |
|
David Whitmer |
|
|
| David's
objections |
|
Many years later, David
Whitmer, who was not present at the November 1, 1831 meeting, recalled
his objection to publishing the Book of Commandments: |
|
Excerpts
from Address to believers, Chapter 7. |
| David
and others confront Joseph and Sidney |
|
In the spring of
1832 [sic], in Hiram, Ohio, Brothers Joseph and Sydney, and others, concluded
that the revelations should be printed in a book. A few of the brethren—including
myself—objected to it seriously. |
|
|
| Revelations
not for publication |
|
We told them that
if the revelations were published, the world would get the books, and
it would not do; that it was not the will of the Lord that the revelations
should be published. |
|
|
| Joseph
and Sidney wouldn't listen |
|
But Brothers Joseph
and Sydney would not listen to us, and said they were going to send them
to Independence to be published. |
|
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| Joseph's
threat |
|
I objected to it
and withstood Brothers Joseph and Sydney to the face. Brother Joseph said
as follows: "Any man who objects to having these revelations published,
shall have his part taken out of the Tree of Life and out of the Holy
City." |
|
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| David's
prophecy |
|
The Spirit of God
came upon me and I prophesied to them in the name of the Lord: "That
if they sent those revelations to Independence to be published in a book,
the people would come upon them and tear down the printing press, and
the church would be driven out of Jackson county." Brothers Joseph
and Sydney laughed at me. |
|
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|
November [3–8],
1831 Revelation |
|
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| Orson,
the Johnsons, and William McLellin called on missions |
|
Another revelation is
given in early November [3–8], calls Orson
Hyde, Luke and Lyman
Johnson, and William E. McLellin on missions: "Go ye into all the world; preach the gospel to every
creature; acting in the authority which I have given you …" The
context suggests they are "faithful elders." |
|
¶
D&C 68 |
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Conclusion |
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| |
|
There is no evidence
of antagonism at the November 1, 1831 conference until after Willard Richards
began writing for the Prophet in December 1842. |
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Willard Richards (h) |
| |
|
Kirtland 1830–1831
Ohio Minutes
|