History of the Church

History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints #1

by Joseph Smith III, B.H. Roberts (Editor)

This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book.

Genres: Religion, History, Church

511 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1951

About the author

Joseph Smith III (1832-1914) was the son of Joseph Smith Jr., founder of Mormonism. Joseph III was the President of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (RLDS Church).

Reviews

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

It took me a while to read but totally worth it.

[MJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three stars not for quality of content but for format. This would work great as a study companion. It does not lend well to reading as a narrative or history.

[Chris Condie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this volume. Especially the introduction by B.H. Roberts. The persecution of the Saints in Missouri at the end of the volume was gut wrenching and the legal and political aspects of it are likely to be enjoyed by lawyers and political scientists alike.

[Colette · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a little hard to get through, but I’m glad I did. I’ve been meaning to read it since I was a kid and it sat on my parents’ shelf. It was originally called a “documentary history,” so that explains the style— it does include a lot of documents. I have a very good background in church history, but I feel like I better understand the context of so many of the Doctrine and Covenants revelations now. The last several chapters, which dealt with the Missouri mobs, was hard to read. Those people went through some terrible suffering. I don’t recommend this for people who do not already have a good narrative understanding of this period in the Church. This volume does not give an overview of what was going on. You have to fill that in for yourself.

[Anita · Rating 3 out of 5]

History of the church vol 1- covers the revelations on the d&c 1- 102. In fact part of the reason this volume is so long is it quotes these scriptures and a few others. Out in full.  I was dismayed to read the communication between the governor, the president and the church. I felt my frustrations grow as I watched through letter men evading their responsibility through legal loopholes. Time after time the buck was past. At one time I may have said oh come on out loud. I can only imagine how angry and hurt I would have been living during the period of intense persecution instead of just reading from the safety of my living room couch.

[Tosca Wijns-Van Eeden · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very boringly written!!! Also the footnotes and letters are in such a small print and crossing the main text that is becomes unreadable.
Though more truthful than any other church publication, it's a hard read.

[Janelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Things you know yet didn't know. It opens your understanding to the culture of the times and lets you see God's hand beginning to stir a thoroughly coagulated pot. The beginning of greatness always starts small, and there are always so many naysayers.

[Keith · Rating 4 out of 5]

After the initial portion, the first half of the volume is a record of revelations with brief notations between them. Into the latter part of the book, there is more material that is not included in the standard works of the church.

"That it comes to repeat the great caution of Paul: beware lest any man spoil you (the disciples of Christ), through philosophy and vain deceit, after the traditions of men and the rudiments of the world;" (page 274)

"As this paper is devoted to the great concerns of eternal things and the gathering of the Saints, it will leave politics, the gainsaying of the world, and many other matters, for their proper channels, endeavoring by all means to set an example before the world, which, when followed, will lead our fellow men to the gates of glory, where the wicked cease from troubling, and where the weary will find rest." (Page 275)

"This is from the first issue of The Evening and Morning Star, June 1832) Governor Boggs ... we have sufficient evidence that he sustained all the moves of the mob and even directed them." (Page 435) "Lieutenant Governor boggs has been represented as merely a curious and disinterested observer of these events; yet he was evidently the head and front of the mob;" (Page 437)

The early part of this volume has the first 100 or so revelations that are in the The Doctrine and Covenants of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. The latter part is a heart rending account of persecution mostly in Jackson County, Missouri. I was impressed that despite intense persecution, Joseph Smith Jr. stayed focused on the Gospel of Jesus Christ and was not distracted by the persecution, but rather, continued to recieve doctrinal revelations from God.

[Ethan Unklesbay · Rating 4 out of 5]

So I read over 100 sections of the Doctrine and Covenants, because that's what most of this volume of history was.
Sometimes it was a little tedious, but overall, I appreciated having the revelations included in the D&C put into context for me, and there were a lot of stories from the history of the LDS Church that I wasn't familiar with.
I also appreciated the multitude of primary sources that are cited and included, such as letters and petitions to the Governor and President asking for help with the mob violence in Jackson County.

1 down, 6 to go.

[Jesse Whitehead · Rating 5 out of 5]

What can I say about this one? It is what it is.

It is interesting for me to note that Joseph Smith's literacy actually improves noticeably as the book progresses.

Other than that... if your interested in getting a very detailed account of the events that took place in the early days of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints then you should read it. If not then don't.