Mormonism's founder, Joseph Smith, claimed to have translated ancient scriptures. He dictated an American Bible from metal plates reportedly buried by ancient Jews in a nearby hill, and produced an Egyptian "Book of Abraham" derived from funerary papyri he extracted from a collection of mummies he bought from a traveling showman. In addition, he rewrote sections of the King James Version as a "New Translation" of the Bible. Smith and his followers used the term translation to describe the genesis of these English scriptures, which remain canonical for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Whether one believes him or not, the discussion has focused on whether Smith's English texts represent literal translations of extant source documents. On closer inspection, though, Smith's translations are far more metaphysical than linguistic. In Joseph Smith's Translation, Samuel Morris Brown argues that these translations express the mystical power of language and scripture to interconnect people across barriers of space and time, especially in the developing Mormon temple liturgy. He shows that Smith was devoted to an ancient metaphysics--especially the principle of correspondence, the concept of "as above, so below"--that provided an infrastructure for bridging the human and the divine as well as for his textual interpretive projects. Joseph Smith's projects of metaphysical translation place Mormonism at the productive edge of the transitions associated with shifts toward "secular modernity." This transition into modern worldviews intensified, complexly, in nineteenth-century America. The evolving legacies of Reformation and Enlightenment were the sea in which early Mormons swam, says Brown. Smith's translations and the theology that supported them illuminate the power and vulnerability of the Mormon critique of American culture in transition. This complex critique continues to resonate and illuminate to the present day.

Joseph Smith, Prophet and the founder of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, continues to be the subject of adulation by many, but he is the object of derision by some Mormon critics. C. Paul Smith, an experienced trial attorney and strong defender of Joseph Smith, highlights six historical and doctrinal issues pertaining to the prophet that remain the subject of debate: plural marriage; the succession of leadership following his death; the stories of three splinter churches that broke off from the church founded by Joseph Smith; the Book of Abraham; blacks and the priesthood; and six alleged false prophecies made by Joseph Smith. The chapters on plural marriage give a concise history of key events of its introduction as a part of the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The chapter on the Book of Abraham scrutinizes and exposes the fatal flaws in the arguments made by some Egyptologists that Joseph Smith’s translation of the Book of Abraham is a fabrication. The chapter on blacks and the priesthood analyzes race relations in the 20th century, and it reviews some lesser known statements by Joseph Smith. The chapter on three LDS splinter churches provides important historical insights about three organizations that broke away from the Church in 1844, 1852-60 and 1863. With debate still swirling around Joseph Smith, it is more important than ever to understand the truth about him in order to appreciate the quality of who he was and the great importance of his work.

Nothing is more powerful and eloquent than the words of a prophet of God. Gain a clearer picture of the Prophet Joseph in this fascinating collection of over 400 profound statements covering 91 timeless topics. They will inspire and teach you the doctrines of eternal life and open your eyes to supernal truths.

This volume includes hundreds of quotations that have been carefully gleaned from the familiar Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, an earlier textual compilation conducted by Church historian and later prophet Joseph Fielding Smith.

Founder of the largest indigenous Christian church in American history, Joseph Smith published the 584-page Book of Mormon when he was twenty-three and went on to organize a church, found cities, and attract thousands of followers before his violent death at age thirty-eight. Richard Bushman, an esteemed cultural historian and a practicing Mormon, moves beyond the popular stereotype of Smith as a colorful fraud to explore his personality, his relationships with others, and how he received revelations. An arresting narrative of the birth of the Mormon Church, Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling also brilliantly evaluates the prophet’s bold contributions to Christian theology and his cultural place in the modern world.

Joseph Smith's 'History of Joseph Smith, the Prophet and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' is a comprehensive account of the founding of the Mormon Church in the early 19th century. Written in a straightforward and informative style, the book provides deep insights into the religious and social context in which Smith operated, shedding light on the origins and development of one of America's most unique and influential religious movements. This work is not only a historical record but also a testament to Smith's spiritual experiences and his role as a charismatic leader. The narrative is rich in detail, drawing on personal accounts and historical documents to paint a vivid picture of the early days of the Mormon Church. Joseph Smith, as the founder of the Latter-day Saint movement, was uniquely positioned to write this account. His firsthand experiences and intimate knowledge of the events he describes give the book an authenticity and depth that resonate with readers. Smith's visionary leadership and unwavering faith are evident throughout the text, making it a valuable resource for anyone interested in American religious history or the Mormon faith. I highly recommend 'History of Joseph Smith, the Prophet and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' to scholars, historians, and anyone seeking a profound understanding of the origins of the Mormon Church and the life of its founder. This book is a must-read for those interested in the intersection of religion, culture, and history in early America.

Americans of Joseph Smith’s day, steeped in the stories and prophecies of the King James Bible, certainly knew about plural marriage; but it was a curiosity relegated to the misty past of patriarchs Abraham and Jacob, who never gave reasons for their polygamy. It was long abandoned, Christians understood, by the time Jesus set forth the dominating law of the New Testament. But how did Joseph Smith understand it? Where did it fit in the “restitution of all things” (Acts 3:21) predicted in the New Testament? What part did it play in the global ideology declared by this modern prophet who produced new scripture, new revelation, and new theology? During Joseph Smith’s lifetime, polygamy was taught and practiced in intense secrecy, with the result that he never fully explained its doctrinal underpinnings or systematized its practice. As a result, reconstructing Joseph Smith’s theology of plurality is a task that has seldom been undertaken. Most theological examinations have either focused on its development during Brigham Young’s Utah period, with its need to resist increasing federal legislative and judicial pressures, or the efforts of twentieth-century and contemporary “fundamentalists” who continue to marry a plurality of wives. Volume 3 of this three-volume work builds on the carefully reconstructed history of the development of Mormon polygamy during Joseph Smith’s lifetime, then assembles the doctrinal principles from his recorded addresses, the diary entries of those closely associated with him, and his broader teachings on the related topics of obedience to God’s will, marriage and family relations, and the mechanics of eternal progression, salvation, and exaltation. The revelation he dictated in July 1843 that authorized the practice of eternal and plural marriage receives unprecedented examination and careful interpretation that illuminate this significant document and its underlying doctrines. Attempts to explain the history of Joseph Smith’s polygamy without comprehending the theological principles undergirding its practice will always be incomplete and skewed. This volume, which takes those principles and evidences with the utmost seriousness, has produced the most important explanation of “why” this ancient practice reemerged among the Latter-day Saints on the shores of the Mississippi in the early 1840s.

History of Joseph Smith, the Prophet and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a semi-official history of the early Latter Day Saint movement during the lifetime of founder Joseph Smith. It is largely composed of Smith's writings and interpretations and editorial comments by Smith's secretaries, scribes, and after Smith's death, historians of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The history was written between 1839 and 1856. It was later published in its entirety with extensive annotations and edits by B. H. Roberts as History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The first six volumes of this work cover the "History of Joseph Smith" from his birth in 1805 to his death in 1844. Volume seven covers the material from immediately after Smith's death in June 1844 until the church's first general conference in Salt Lake City. Volume 1: 1805 – December 1833 Volume 2: January 1834 – December 1837 Volume 3: January 1838 – July 1839 Volume 4: July 1839 – May 1842 Volume 5: May 1842 – August 1843 Volume 6: September 1843 – June 1844 Volume 7: June 1844 – October 1848