My Servant David W. Patten
Historical Background and Reflections on Doctrine and Covenants Section 114
In his book A Joseph Smith Chronology, J. Christopher Conkling continues his timeline that leads up to this revelation:
March 14, 1838
Joseph and Emma, who is pregnant, arrive in Far West to the open arms of their eager friends. They move into the home of George W. Harris. Every few days more Saints arrive.
March 29, 1838
Joseph writes a letter to the Kirtland Saints saying that because of the many lawsuits in the past seven years he could not leave Kirtland in a good situation, “but if there are any wrongs, they shall all be noticed, so far as the Lord gives me the power to do so.” (HC 3:9-12)
Spring 1838
The town of Far West begins to develop, with 1,500 Saints, 150 houses, 6 stores, and 1 schoolhouse, which is also used for a church. Later, other Saints will arrive from Kirtland and the population will swell and spill over out of Caldwell into Ray, Davies, and Carroll counties. Sidney Rigdon builds the biggest house, with double logs; it includes an endowment room. Of the 5,000 people living in Caldwell, 4,900 are Mormons.
April 4, 1838
Sidney Rigdon and his group reach Far West after suffering many afflictions along the way.
April 6-7, 1838
General conference is held at Far West, where they celebrate the anniversary of the organization of the Church. New appointments are made. Thomas B. Marsh is made stake president of Far West with Brigham Young and David Patten as his counselors. John Whitmer is asked to return the copies of the Church historical record that he had made, but he seems reluctant to do so.
April 11, 1838
Oliver Cowdery is accused in a Church court:
For bringing lawsuits against the brethren
For trying to destroy the character of Joseph Smith by accusing him of adultery
For not attending meetings.
For denying the faith by refusing to be governed by the revelations in temporal affairs.
For selling lands in Jackson County.
For sending an insulting letter to the high council.
For leaving his holy calling and working for filthy lucre.
For being connected in suspect businesses.
For leaving the work of God for the work of the world.
April 12, 1838
All charges except four, five, and six are sustained, and Oliver Cowdery is excommunicated from the Church.
April 13, 1838
Five charges are brought against David Whitmer. He withdraws fellowship from the Church before they can cut him off. Elders Luke S. Johnson and Lyman E. Johnson are also cut off.
April 17, 1838
Joseph receives D&C 114. The same date he also receives a revelation for Brigham Young. (pp. 109-110)
The tumult continued during this difficult time in the Prophet’s life and in the history of the Church. Oliver Cowdery was one of Joseph’s closest friends who had witnessed many miracles. Why did he accuse Joseph Smith of adultery? Why did he fight against the Church that he had done so much to help establish? The Whitmers were also good friends of the Prophet Joseph Smith and crucial to the foundations of the Restoration. Why was John Whitmer reluctant to return the copies of the Church historical record that he had made? This is a good reminder to continue my study of Whitmer’s historical record, or The Book of John Whitmer.
In his book The Revelations of the Prophet Joseph Smith, Lyndon W. Cook sheds light on the historical background for D&C 114:
Date. 17 April 1838.
Place. Far West, Caldwell County, Missouri.
Historical Note. Joseph Smith received two revelations on 17 April 1838 - one for Brigham Young and one for David W. Patten. Section 114, the revelation for Elder Patten, directs him to arrange his affairs in preparation for traveling with others of the Twelve to Great Britain.
Publication Note. Section 114 was first published in the Deseret News (19 March 1853) and was included as section 114 in the 1876 edition of the Doctrine and Covenants. (p. 226)
Cook’s book also contains a biographical note on David Wyman Patten.
Who was David W. Patten? (see also here, here, here, here, and here)
(1799–1838)
David W. Patten was born in Vermont. He married Phoebe Ann Babcock in 1828. He was baptized into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by his brother John Patten on June 15, 1832, and ordained an elder two days later. He was ordained a high priest by Hyrum Smith about two months later. In December 1833, he helped deliver dispatches from Joseph Smith to Church leaders in Clay County, Missouri. In February 1835, Patten was ordained a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Between 1832 and 1835, Patten served missions to Michigan Territory, the eastern United States (twice), the southern United States, and Tennessee. Patten moved to Far West, Missouri, in 1836. He was a member of the presidency pro tempore of the Church in Far West in 1838. Active in Latter-day Saint attempts to defend Caldwell County, Missouri, he was mortally wounded during the skirmish at Crooked River, near Ray County, Missouri, in October 1838. He died near Far West (see Doctrine and Covenants 124:19, 130).
References in the Doctrine and Covenants
Doctrine and Covenants 114, 124
Additional Information
Biographical facts and sources, The Joseph Smith Papers
Saints, vol. 1, The Standard of Truth
Revelations In Context
It is reported that Patten also claimed to have seen and conversed with Cain.
In their book Joseph Smith and the Doctrine and Covenants, Milton V. Backman, Jr. and Richard O. Cowan describe the historical background for this section as follows:
Seven revelations in our Doctrine and Covenants were recorded by the Prophet at Far West, Missouri, in 1838. Three were received in March or April (sections 113-15), and four more (117-20) were given in July. Most of the Saints living in Clay and surrounding counties had moved to the less populated sections in the northern part of Missouri because of increasing mob threats. The legislature responded to the large migration into northern Ray County by creating two new counties - Caldwell and Davies. Far West, in newly created Caldwell County, became the principal gathering place by 1837, and from there Bishop Edward Partridge continued to direct the financial affairs of the Church. The Prophet left Ohio and located in Far West early in 1838. Another gathering place in Davies County was named Adam-ondi-Ahman in a revelation received in May 1838 (D&C 116). (p. 111)
In his book Doctrine and Covenants: Our Modern Scripture, Richard O. Cowan adds the following to our understanding of this section:
David W. Patten, who had stood as the second apostle in seniority, was unable to accompany the quorum on its overseas mission in 1839 as directed in this revelation because he had been killed in the battle of Crooked River on October 25, 1838. Church historians often refer to him as the first martyr of this dispensation.
“Bishopric” (Verse 2). Here this term is used in a broader sense and means “office” or “calling.” (Note a similar usage in Acts 1:20 and Psalm 109:8.) (p. 180)
The authors of the online resource Joseph Smith’s Revelations: A Doctrine and Covenants Study Companion from the Joseph Smith Papers add more details to the historical background for this section:
Source Note
Revelation, [Far West, Caldwell Co., MO], 11 Apr. 1838. Featured version copied [ca. mid- or late Apr. 1838] in JS, Journal, Mar.–Sept. 1838, p. 32; handwriting of George W. Robinson. Includes use marks. For more information, see the source note for JS, Journal, Mar.–Sept. 1838, on the Joseph Smith Papers website.
Historical Introduction
On 11 April 1838, JS dictated a revelation for David W. Patten, directing him to settle his business affairs and prepare for a mission. At the time, Patten and fellow apostle Brigham Young were serving as assistants to Thomas B. Marsh in the pro tempore presidency over the church in Missouri.1 This appointment was apparently temporary because, as members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Marsh, Patten, and Young were eventually expected to travel, proselytize, and supervise the church conferences and branches outside of Zion and its stakes—that is, outside of the main church congregation in Missouri and any other places designated for gathering.2 The previous summer, Patten had asked the Zion high council in Far West, Missouri, to relieve him of his debts and allow him to travel and preach.3 Though the high council resolved to grant Patten’s request, instead of embarking on a mission Patten soon departed for Kirtland with Marsh in an effort to reunite the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Shortly after they arrived in Kirtland, JS dictated a revelation for Marsh, the president of the quorum, directing him and the other apostles to purify themselves “and then go ye into all the world and preach my gospel unto every creature who have not received it.”4 At the same time, apostles Heber C. Kimball and Orson Hyde were beginning a mission in England. The missionaries wrote to their fellow Latter-day Saints in the United States with news of the hundreds of people in England who had joined the church.5
The 11 April 1838 revelation to Patten, probably dictated in Far West,6 stated that Patten would be sent on a mission the following spring and implied that he would go with the other apostles. Another revelation, received about three months later, specified that in 1839 the twelve apostles would “depart to go over the great waters and there promulge my gospel,” suggesting they would serve a mission in Europe to follow up on the success of Kimball and Hyde’s mission in England.7 Patten, however, was killed in October 1838 in the conflict between the Latter-day Saints and other Missourians.
As JS dictated the 11 April revelation, it may have been inscribed by Patten, who was presumably present, or by George W. Robinson, the First Presidency’s scribe. Robinson transcribed the original into JS’s “Scriptory Book,” probably in mid- or late April.8
This is Smith’s and Sjodahl’s introduction to D&C 114:
David W. Patten is instructed to settle up his affairs and be prepared to take a mission. He was born in the State of New York, about the year 1800, and was baptized June 15th, 1832, by his brother, John Patten. He performed several missions and gradual rose to prominence. On February 15th, 1835, he was ordained an Apostle. He was absolutely fearless. His testimony was powerful and through him God performed many mighty works. In 1838, the mobbings in Missouri commenced anew, and Patten was foremost in the defense of the Saints. He died as the result of a wound received on the 25th of October, 1838, in a conflict with a lawless rabble at a place called Crooked River. His mission was on the other side of the veil. (p. 739)
This is Monte S. Nyman’s introduction to this section:
Historical Setting: “April 17 [1838] - I received [Doctrine and Covenants 114]: Revelation Given at Far West” (HC, 3:23)
David Patten’s mission was to England the next spring (v. 1), which was also the subject of Doctrine and Covenants 118 below. The more important item of this revelation is “others shall be planted in their stead and receive their bishopric” (v. 2). The Lord is apparently quoting Psalm 109:9 in this revelation, which was also quoted in Acts 1:20 when a replacement for Judas Iscariot was chosen. Nevertheless, most of the Christ world believe that their church is still based on the original Twelve Apostles of Jerusalem, and Judas’ replacement was the only exception. However, the New Testament records the appointment of several Apostles after Matthias was chosen to replace Judas. James, the brother of the Lord (Galatians 1:20); Paul (Romans 1:1; 1 Corinthians 1:1); and Barnabas (1 Corinthians 9:5-6) are examples. David Patten was killed in the battle of Crooked River in October of 1838, and another was appointed in his office (see D&C 118; below). The Book of Mormon adds a second witness to the replacement of disciples, or apostles, as they pass on: “… even an hundred years had passed away, and the disciples of Jesus, whom he had chosen, had all gone to the paradis eof God, save it were the three who should tarry; and there were other disciples ordained in their stead; and also many of that generation had passed away” (4 Nephi 1:14) (pp. 430-431)
This is Bruce R. McConkie’s section heading to this section:
Revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet, at Far West, Missouri, April 11, 1838.
With this historical background information in mind, let’s examine and appreciate the revelation itself:
Verily thus saith the Lord: It is wisdom in my servant David W. Patten, that he settle up all his business as soon as he possibly can, and make a disposition of his merchandise, that he may perform a mission unto me next spring, in company with others, even twelve including himself, to testify of my name and bear glad tidings unto all the world.
For verily thus saith the Lord, that inasmuch as there are those among you who deny my name, others shall be planted in their stead and receive their bishopric. Amen. (D&C 114:1-2)
One might wonder why the Lord would call Patten on a mission the next spring if He knew that Patten would be killed in battle before he could embark on said mission. The Lord knew that Patten would soon be killed, and perhaps His commandment for Patten to settle up all his business as soon as he possibly could was to prepare Patten and his family for something that only the Lord could foresee, without troubling him or his family about the tragedy before it occurred. This is just a conjecture. Furthermore, as alluded to in the notes on the historical background for this section, Patten continued his mission on the other side of the veil.
This was a time of much dissension and apostasy in the Church. The Lord put measures in place to replace those who denied His name. He would plant others in their stead to receive their bishopric. Thus Church positions held by those who are not faithful will be given to others.