A relatively short while ago, I decided I was going to pursue an in-depth study of the progressive doctrinal development within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and to have a better grasp on its history, using the Revelations as an anchor point. There's a lot of doctrinal folklore in the Church, and one of my key purposes was to identify the origins of such teachings, determining the context of who, when, and under what circumstances the ideas orignally arose.
It's certainly a slow process, time wise, but absolutely fascinating, and has proven to be well worth the effort I've put into it. I thought it may be of interest to some of you to know the resources I use for such a study. I know there are many who have an interest in Church History, but don't know where to start, or where to go. I'll divide my sources into categories for convenience, with a focus on the early years of the restoration, through the Kirtland era (which is where I currently am with my studies).
Narrative Histories
The best way to make sense of the small details is to have a general overview of the 'story', from beginning to end. When it comes to studying the life of Joseph Smith and the Church during that period, there is no better overview on the market than Richard Bushman's seminal biography Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling
. From the scholastic history perspective, there is no better way to get to know Joseph.
While Richard Bushman is a believing and very active and faithful member of the Church, he does not avoid the difficult issues in the life of the Prophet, but contextualizes them.
Often, if someone hears someone claiming something unflattering or difficult to understand about the life of Joseph, it is either accepted at full value as The Real Hidden Truth, or discounted as a Hateful Lie. Both are generally unnecessary. In this book you will find such difficulties, but with the documentation and historical context that is often left out of such declarations, and explored in such a way that enriches rather than detracts from one's appreciation of a flawed man who was nevertheless called by God and served faithfully and honorably through intense difficulties in his attempts to magnify his prophetic calling.
For a study of Church History, I can't think of a better book to start out. I read it once straight through as an overview, and I return to it now to read the chapters covering specific years as a review in the context of my study before I begin exploring the details and documents produced in that year.
Once one has the understanding of the overview of the life of Joseph and the Church during his lifetime, there are several aspects and periods that are worthy of a far more detailed exploration than what can be covered in a single biography.
In this category, we have Mark Lyman Staker's Hearken, O Ye People: The Historical Setting of Joseph Smith’s Ohio Revelations
.
After reading this book, which is divided into four thematic 'mini-books', you will never approach the Revelations produced during this period the same way again. In fact, it even highly enhanced the way I now view Joseph's First Vision experience. It's part biography. It's part cultural history.
There are many details that are of necessity passed over without much comment in Rough Stone Rolling. This book grasps hold of them, and exhaustively discusses them. We learn in detail the religious life (and excesses) of the Kirtland residents before the Missionaries arrived on the scene, allowing us to appreciate the language and symbols common in the religious rhetoric and beliefs of the community that worked themselves into the written form of Joseph's revelations – which in turn gives them additional layers of as-if-you-were-there context and meaning.
We get an unbelievably detailed play-by-play of the Hiram, Ohio mobbing of Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon.
You learn how the Law of Consecration was originally established, how it was originally implemented, and what the United Firm (United Order) was, and how it functioned on a day to day basis.
You learn more than you ever wanted to know about the economic climate of Kirtland, and all that led to the disastrous collapse of the Kirtland Anti-Banking Safety Society.
To sum up, it's all the context you would ever really need to delve into the Revelations received during that period, and to be able to view them as did the original saints did. I can't praise this book enough. It's the perfect companion to Rough Stone Rolling.
Original Sources
Next, it's useful to dig into the actual documents produced and/or published during the period in question, going, when possible, to the original sources the historians used. Because I don't have easy access to the Church History Library in Utah, I have to rely on reprints or transcriptions! Here are some I found particularly useful:
The Book of Mormon (1830 First Edition Reprint) - there's nothing quite like reading the text of the Book of Mormon as the original saints read it.
The Book of Mormon: The Earliest Text
- by Royal Skousen) - A bit more of an explanation is needed with this book. This is an amazing attempt, based on a decades-long study of the original manuscript and application of language principles that attempts to recover the original text of the Book of Mormon as it was originally dictated by Joseph Smith. It offers some interesting insights concerning some places where it appears the original scribes misheard Joseph's original words, and presents convincing arguments as to why the presented amended readings may be in fact original. It is also presented in easy-to-read 'sense lines', wherein the text is presented as lines of thought, rather than in giant blocks of text, or even in the paragraphed 'verse' system as in the current editions published by the Church.
The Evening and Morning Star - The first official periodical of the Church, as published in Independence Missouri, and then later in Kirtland, Ohio. Apart from being the very first place many of the revelations were first published, it also contains fascinating doctrinal discourses, and reports of contemporary news events going on elsewhere in the world, along with how these events were interpreted by the early saints. While the link is to an online version of the text, the edition I used was a typescript transcription in book form - which is fantastic for reading. The only problem is the binding is very weak, and the pages keep falling out of the glue. A great product in concept - it just needs better binding.
The Joseph Smith Papers: Revelations and Translations: Manuscript Revelation Books
(A Book of Commandments and Revelations; Kirtland Revelation Book) - pretty much the Holy Grail of original sources - containing the earliest manuscript copies of many of the revelations that exist - and not only do we get full color high-quality photographs of every single page, but also a verbatim typescript transcription, with each scribe's handwriting identified by color. These are the manuscript books used to prepare the Book of Commandments and Book of Doctrine and Covenants for publication, and contain intriguing variations in the text. As these versions were studied, I gained a far greater understanding and appreciation for the process by which Scripture was viewed, received, recorded, and revised in the early Church. It also influenced how I view the personal inspiration and revelation I receive, and its relationship to the way I understand and record it.
A Book of Commandments of the Church of Christ (1833) - The book that was destroyed at the press before it was able to be completely published and circulated.
The Book of Doctrine and Covenants of the Church of the Latter-day Saints (1835) - The first widely distributed publication in book form of the revelations, containing the (most likely Sidney Rigdon-produced) Lectures on Faith ("The Doctrine"), and revisions and additions to the Book of Commandments ("The Covenants").
Also, a fantastic website reference for those unable to pick up the actual books is Saints Without Halos, which presents parallel versions of the revelations and other historical texts for easy comparison and reference.
The Complete Joseph Smith Translation of the Old Testament
The Complete Joseph Smith Translation of the New Testament - These new transcription editions use the original manuscripts o the JST as their source, and not only contain every revision and addition made by Joseph, but also contain references to the variants and changes made throughout the years in the manuscripts. The best way by far to study the text of Joseph's 'New Translation' of the scriptures. (see here for some additional thoughts of mine on interpreting the JST)
The Joseph Smith Papers: Journals, Vol. 1: 1832-1839
- The first set of complete journals kept by Joseph and his scribes, much of which was used as the source for his later 1838 History. Some fascinating details and personal insights into the daily life of Joseph, and also the source of several texts that later became canonized scripture.
History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - Just recently out of print, the 7-volume edition edited by B.H. Roberts in the early part of the 20th Century is the only real edition that had been on the market of the History prepared under the direction of Joseph Smith. This will eventually be replaced by the forthcoming volumes in the Joseph Smith Papers: History series, as well. But as it stands, it has been a standard reference, and the closest many have come to the original documents, teachings, and sermons related to Joseph Smith and the rise of the Church. While it has its occasional flaws in accuracy, it is still an important work, and is of keen benefit to the student of early Mormon History.
Scholastic Journals / Papers
In addition, there are several articles that have been presented throughout the years in Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought, a quarterly scholastic Mormon Studies Journal, which are also useful in exploring context and extracting additional meaning from the historical record. While the journal can be hit and miss, the hits (in my opinion) generally far outweigh the misses, and its importance to Mormon Studies cannot be disregarded. A $25 electronic subscription gives full access to their full archives (including current issues) in pdf format. Here are some particularly useful and interesting articles that have specific relevance to events that occurred and material that was produced in the New York to Kirtland Era, with links to those what are archived on the university server for reading:
The Word of Wisdom in Early Nineteenth-Century Perspective, by Lester E. Bush, Jr.
The Joseph Smith Translation and Ancient Texts of the Bible, by Kevin L. Barney
The Book of Mormon as a Modern Expansion of an Ancient Source, by Blake Ostler
Speaking in Tongues in the Restoration Churches, by Lee Copeland
Martin Harris: The Kirtland Years 1831-1870, by H. Michael Marquardt
Sidney Rigdon's 1820 Ministry: Preparing the Way for Mormonism in Ohio, by Richard McClellan (Winter 2003)
The Encounter of the Young Joseph Smith with Presbyterianism, by John Matzko (Fall 2007)
Additional Thoughts
The Church has a fascinating history. I have come to develop a passion for the study of it, and have come away with many applicable principles as well, as I explore the struggles, mistakes, and triumphs of the early saints. Beginning my study with a firm testimony of the divine calling of the Prophet Joseph Smith, I am able to see the development and rise of the Church as a record of men and women who, even in their weaknesses, strive towards Zion. While their culture and doctrinal understanding may not be the same as we have it today, I see in this study brothers and sisters that share the same essential struggles we all do, and put forth their best efforts into exploring and trying to understand the revealed will of the Lord in the context of their own personal lives and experiences.
There is still much to learn.
I also am interested in any other suggestions you may have as to material specifically covering the New York – Kirtland period. Nauvoo is a beast of its own, and I’m not quite there yet.
