For more than 150 years the story of Mormon origins has been rewritten to a point where only fragments remain of the original. This book restores much of the human drama and detail. Moving from village to village, the Joseph Smith, Sr., family lived in constant poverty. When in 1825 Joseph, Sr., a cooper, defaulted on the family’s final mortgage payment, he and his nineteen-year-old son, Joseph Jr., traveled 100 miles south to Pennsylvania to join a band of money diggers on a desperate hunt for buried Spanish treasure.
Following this ill-fated quest, father and son returned near-penniless to New York to face eviction. They resettled in a small Manchester cabin where young Joseph later saw angels–not unlike his father and other contemporaries–and eventually found hieroglyph-inscribed sheets of gold, which his former money-digging associates repeatedly tried to steal.
During this turbulent time Joseph Smith was brought to court three times for crystal gazing, eloped with a former landlord’s daughter, watched as his mother and siblings were excommunicated from the Presbyterian church, published his translation of the hieroglyphs, founded the Church of Christ, saw a potential convert forcibly abducted by her minister, and eventually sought refuge in Ohio where he changed the name of his church and its place of origin.

Inventing Mormonism: Tradition and the Historical Record

Marquardt, H. Michael

Walters, Wesley P.

Biographies & Memoirs

Signature Books

Religion & Spirituality

Christian Books & Bibles

There was frustration in Oliver Cowdery's 4 February 1835 letter to Bishop Newel K. Whitney. Oliver Cowdery was trying to acquire "the original copy of ... The Law of the Church" and had so far been unable to locate a reliable source. He even confessed publicly to being "not a little surprised" in preparing the revelations of Joseph Smith for publication "to find the previous print[ing in the church newspaper] so different from the original." The problem, as historian Richard P. Howard has noted, was that Cowdery was using "a different original" from what he had seen four years earlier. Indeed, agrees author H. Michael Marquardt, it is apparent that the 1835 version of Smith's revelations was a "revised, expanded text that contained material anachronistic to the original 1831 setting." More specifically, many documents were "added to, excised, and in some cases assigned different historical settings. ... Among other emendations, the changes softened language, reinterpreted economic matters, added offices existing at the time of revision, and inserted references to priesthood restoration." Where events had "not unfolded as proposed," prophecies were reevaluated and, where necessary, revised. What does it matter? Many of the changes are significant, whether one sees them as historical curiosities, background to the intent of now ambiguous passages, or as insight into God's "line upon line" dealings with mortal men and women. The latter may be the most important, as the "evolution of the canon" implies something about the nature of revelation itself. The obvious casualty for anyone undertaking a careful study of church documents is the assumption of infallibility versus a fluid, dynamic model of revelation, what Marquardt calls the "richness of the living text as it is transformed over time." This new understanding reveals "important, fundamental vistas" for understanding doctrine, policy, and history. In some ways Marquardt's seminal study reminds one of the work of biblical scholars sifted through ancient parchments. The object in this case is the earliest extant manuscripts of Joseph Smith's revelations. Marquardt compares these to the canonized versions of the documents as included in the 1835 Doctrine and Covenants; adding annotation and commentary for convenience. The source documents include: A Book of Commandments (manuscript, Law and Covenants books B and C, and printed sheets from 1833), the Book of the Law of the Lord manuscript, the William Clayton Journal, Zebedee Coltrin Journal, The Evening and the Morning Star, Joseph Smith Letterbook 1, Kirtland Revelations Book manuscript, Manuscript Letter to John E. Page, Manuscript History books A-1 and C-1, Manuscript Revelations Collection, William E. McLellin Collection, Scriptory Book of Joseph Smith manuscript, Joseph Smith Journal, Frederick G. Williams Papers, Newel K. Whitney Collection, and many others.

The Joseph Smith Revelations: Text and Commentary

Smith,Joseph

New Age & Spirituality

This work, a companion to "Early Patriarchal Blessings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints", contains over 800 blessings performed between the years 1835-1995 by the presiding patriarchs of the LDS Church and others. Although patriarchal blessings are considered sacred to their recipients, they can also offer historians as well as theologians a view into the doctrinal beliefs and eternal goals shared by the church at specific times and places. Because the blessings span a century and a half, changes in trends are noticeable. (From publisher's description)

Later Patriarchal Blessings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

History

Smith-Pettit Foundation

Before the LDS Church was organized, Joseph Smith received a revelation telling him that twelve men would be called as latter-day apostles. Their assignment would be to warn men and women that the end was near. Although the determination of who would fill these positions was delayed for five years, when it finally happened, God reiterated that these men were to “prune the vineyard for the last time” because the Second Coming was nigh. In fact, “fifty six years would wind up the scene,” they were told. Of the twelve men selected, nine would eventually be pruned from the vineyard themselves, to varying degrees. Seven were excommunicated, one of whom was reinstated to his position in the Twelve. Of the other six, the subjects of this book, none returned to the apostleship and four never came back to the Church at all. Those who left faded into obscurity except for when they are occasionally still mentioned in sermons as cautionary tales. But two of them made their marks in other areas of society, John Boynton becoming a successful dentist, a popular lecturer, geologist, and inventor with dozens of important patents to his name, while Lyman Johnson became a prominent attorney and business owner. Even though Luke Johnson, Thomas B. Marsh, William McLellin, and William Smith became religious wanderers and tried unsuccessfully to adjust to life outside of the Church, their experiences were interesting and comprise valuable case studies in belief and disaffection.

Lost Apostles: Forgotten Members of Mormonism's Original Quorum of the Twelve

Shepard, Mr. William

Americas

The Rise of Mormonism: 1816-1844

Here is an open, honest, and refreshing history of the foundational years of the Latter-day Saint restoration movement including Joseph Smith's fourteen-year ministry. Read from the records of the day.

Rise of Mormonism, 1816-1844

Xulon Pr

Author Reveals Secret History of Mormonism as  200th Anniversary of Founder’s Birthday Nears  LONGWOOD, FL— You may have heard that Joseph Smith was the prophet of Mormonism. What you may not know are some of the shocking things he did. For example: Smith secretly married female converts, including other men's wives. With the upcoming 200th anniversary celebration of Smith’s birth (December 23), undoubtedly there will be a growing curiosity concerning his teachings, beliefs, and personal legacy. A new book from Xulon Press sheds light on the history of the Latter-day Saints religion (Mormonism) in a way few titles have ever done, including an overview of the movement’s evolution, conflicts, and sacrifices made by church members.   Much inaccurate information is printed about the Mormons, so here is an open, honest, and refreshing history of the foundational years of the Latter-day Saints restoration movement. In The Rise of Mormonism: 1816-1844 (August, $29.99, 1-59781-470-9, $43.99, 1-59781-471-7) author H. Michael Marquardt paints an accurate portrayal of the early years of Mormonism, based upon historical records. Using an objective, balanced, and respectful approach, Marquardt takes into account the spiritual aspects of the movement from the early story of finding gold plates to the tragic death of its founder. Marquardt studied on location where the events took place and uses primary sources to cover a twenty-five-year period, including early stories regarding how Joseph Smith claimed he discovered the Book of Mormon.   Although not a dedicated biography on Joseph Smith, the book does deal with the "Treasure Hunter" who thought angels talked to him. Did Joseph Smith believe in one God or many gods? Readers will discover what Smith’s final thoughts were on this. What about the extra scriptures? Marquardt deals with this too.   H. Michael Marquardt has written, published, and assisted others in writing on Mormon topics for more than thirty years. He is an independent historian and a longtime research consultant of the Latter-day Saints. He is also the author of The Joseph Smith Revelations: Text and Commentary (Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 1999). He has traveled to historical sites where the events took place and studied at repositories that preserve documents, journals, letters, and newspapers.   Xulon Press is the world’s largest Christian publisher, with more than 2,500 titles published to date.  Retailers may order The Rise of Mormonism: 1816-1844  through Ingram Book Company and/or Spring Arbor Book Distributors.  # # #

The Four Gospels According to Joseph Smith

Joseph Smith, the Prophet of Mormonism, had a keen interest in studying the four gospels in his youth. Soon after the Book of Mormon was published, Smith commenced his next major project - revising the Bible. His English revision was based upon the standard text of the day the King James Version (KJV). Through inspiration Smith considered that he could recover wording that had been lost through neglect. Joseph Smith used the KJV text and made a new version that could be used by the church he organized. This book includes the words he added and revised. The text is made available for those who have an interest in how Joseph Smith produced his own version of the four gospels. H. MICHAEL MARQUARDT is an independent historian and a longtime research consultant of the Latter-day Saints (Mormons). He has been publishing on Mormonism for more than thirty years. He is the author of The Rise of Mormonism: 1816-1844 and The Joseph Smith Revelations: Text and Commentary.

Xulon Press

The Rise of Mormonism: 1816-1844 is a unique book that examines the early beginnings of this religious movement. This revised second edition clarifies and includes additional sources to this study. Here is an open, honest, and refreshing history of the foundational years of the Latter-day restoration movement. You may have heard that Joseph Smith (1805-1844) was the prophet of Mormonism. But do you know the story behind the gold plates? This book examines the background, evolution, conflicts, and sacrifices made by church members. Primary sources are used that cover the unique teachings of Smith, including the scriptures he produced. The newly released Book of Commandments and Revelations manuscript is consulted. The theology of the founding prophet evolves away from the early teachings in the Book of Mormon. Joseph Smith made changes to his revelations and also to his early story. This book includes four chapters on plural marriage. If you want to know the history and basis for every church whose teachings go back to the Book of Mormon this is the book. Read from the records of the day. H. MICHAEL MARQUARDT is an independent historian and a longtime research consultant of the Latter-day Saints (Mormons). He has been publishing on Mormonism for more than thirty years. His essays and reviews have appeared in Journal of Pastoral Practice, Restoration, Sunstone, Journal of Latter Day Saint History, John Whitmer Historical Association Journal, Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought, Journal of Mormon History, and Mormon Historical Studies. He is the co-author of Inventing Mormonism: Tradition and the Historical Record (Signature Books, 1994), compiler of Early Patriarchal Blessings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Smith-Pettit Foundation, 2007) and author of The Four Gospels According to Joseph Smith (Xulon Press, 2007) and Joseph Smith's 1828-1843 Revelations (Xulon Press, 2013).

The Rise of Mormonism: 1816-1844: Second Edition, Revised and Enlarged

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Marquardt, H. Michael. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Marquardt, H. Michael

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Marquardt, H. Michael. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Inventing Mormonism: Tradition and the Historical Record

Inventing Mormonism: Tradition and the Historical Record

The Joseph Smith Revelations: Text and Commentary

Later Patriarchal Blessings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

Lost Apostles: Forgotten Members of Mormonism's Original Quorum of the Twelve

Rise of Mormonism, 1816-1844

The Rise of Mormonism: 1816-1844

The Four Gospels According to Joseph Smith

The Four Gospels According to Joseph Smith

The Rise of Mormonism: 1816-1844: Second Edition, Revised and Enlarged