Renewed Work on the Bible Translation
The Historical Background for Doctrine and Covenants 64
This week in the LDS Come Follow Me curriculum we are studying Doctrine and Covenants 64–66: “The Lord Requireth the Heart and a Willing Mind.” The authors of the LDS manual introduce these sections as follows:
In the miserable heat of August 1831, several elders were traveling back to Kirtland from the land of Zion in Missouri. The travelers were hot and weary, and tensions soon turned into quarrels. It may have seemed like building Zion, a city of love, unity, and peace, was going to take a long time.
Fortunately, building Zion—in Missouri in 1831 or in our hearts, families, and wards today—doesn’t require us to be perfect. Instead, “of you it is required to forgive,” the Lord said (Doctrine and Covenants 64:10). He requires “the heart and a willing mind” (verse 34). And He requires patience and diligence, for Zion is built on the foundation of “small things,” accomplished by those who do not become “weary in well-doing” (verse 33).
I appreciate this introduction because it is good, but also because it represents the commonly received opinions of most Brighamite Latter-day Saints. Recently I posed a question on social media about why we haven’t yet built the Temple in Independence, Missouri and begun to build the New Jerusalem. This question elicited responses that correspond to the attitude of the authors of the LDS manuals. In essence my LDS friends responded with encouragement to build Zion in our hearts, families, and wards, and to be patient until the Lord calls us to do something different. I appreciate my friends responses, but I also consider that such commonly received LDS opinions are indicative of our complacency and of how lightly we have treated the scriptures.
Enoch’s city of Zion took many years to build, but he and his people did it. The Lord quickly established a Zion community that lasted for 200 years, as recorded in Third Nephi and Fourth Nephi in the Book of Mormon. Joseph Smith and his associates laid the foundations for the latter-day Zion about 200 years ago, but since that time, all we like sheep have gone astray. At least those early Saints who traveled in hot and miserable conditions, and who quarreled with each other, were trying to do something to build Zion, a city of love, unity, and peace. Nowadays we hardly give Zion, the New Jerusalem, a second thought.
I agree that building Zion doesn’t require us to be perfect. We are not perfect, and we’re not going to become perfect in this life. I also agree that the building up of Zion requires forgiveness, the heart, and a willing mind. I’m certain that there is already a very strong core of imperfect but good and willing members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who are ready to begin building upon the foundations that Joseph Smith and his colleagues laid in 1831 in Missouri. We have been “building Zion” in our heart, families, and wards for nearly 200 years. Isn’t it about time to begin building the real Zion, as the Lord commanded two centuries ago?
What is the historical background for Doctrine and Covenants 64?
In their Doctrine and Covenants Commentary, Smith and Sjodahl shed light on this topic:
The Prophet Joseph during the first part of September, 1831, made preparations for removing to Hiram, about 30 miles from Kirtland. This place was the home of Father Johnson, who invited the Prophet to come and stay with him while he was engaged upon the revision of the Bible. Joseph accepted the invitation gladly,* and moved there on the 12th of September. The day before, the Revelation contained in this Section was given, in which the Lord (1) rebukes some of the leading men in the Church (3-17); (2) gives special direction concerning Zion (18-25); (3) warns against contracting debts with enemies (26-33); and (4) gives further instructions and promises (34-43). (pp. 388-389)
The Prophet Joseph himself introduced this section in these words:
The early part of September was spent in making preparations to remove to the town of Hiram [Ohio], and renew our work on the translation of the Bible. The brethren who were commanded to go up to Zion were earnestly engaged in getting ready to start in the coming October. On the 11th of September I received the following. (See Roy W. Doxey, Latter-day Prophets and the Doctrine & Covenants, Vol. I, p. 504)
In his book A Joseph Smith Chronology, J. Christopher Conkling shares a few more interesting details about the historical background for D&C 64:
Aug. 31-Sept. 1, 1831
James Gordon Bennett publishes two humorous but anti-Mormon articles in the Morning Courier and New York Enquirer. Bennett had visited among the Saints with a New York politician named Martin Van Buren and had recorded his thoughts of the “Mormonites” in his journal on June 29, August 7, and August 8, 1831. Bennett, who will become one of the most successful publishers in the nineteenth century, eventually publishes hundreds of more favorable articles about the Church and is called by Joseph Smith, ten years after this, “the high minded and honorable Editor of the New York Weekly Herald.” (HC 4:477-78.)
Sept. 1831
Joseph prepares to move to Hiram, Ohio (about thirty-five miles south of Kirtland), to continue his work with Sidney on the translation of the Bible. In Hiram he stays at the home of John Johnson, a recent convert. A broadside is published containing Joseph’s translation of Matthew 24. (It differs slightly from the present version found in the Pearl of Great Price.)
Sept. 11, 1831
D&C 64 is received. (pp. 26-27)
In their book Joseph Smith and the Doctrine and Covenants, Milton V. Backman, Jr. and Richard O. Cowan relate a couple of miraculous events that occurred during this same time period:
After returning to Kirtland from their first trip to Jackson County, Missouri, Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon moved their families to Hiram, Ohio, about thirty miles southeast of Kirtland. Joseph’s family was invited to live in the farm home of John Johnson, and Sidney Rigdon moved into a small residence nearby.
The Johnson Family Of Hiram, Ohio
John Johnson’s home in Hiram, Ohio, was the headquarters of the Church for approximately six months, from mid September 1831 to late March 1832. During that time in Hiram, the Prophet Joseph Smith received fifteen revelations that are in the current edition of the Doctrine and Covenants (sections 1, 65, 67-69, 71, 73-74, 76-81, 133). Most of these revelations were received as he and his scribe, Sidney Rigdon, worked on the translation of the Bible. The revelations helped the Church members better understand the doctrines and administration of the restored Church.
Amos Hayden, a restorationist preacher and historian who was not a member of the Church, described an event that related to Joseph’s being invited to move into the Johnson home: “Ezra Booth, of Mantua, a Methodist preacher of much more than ordinary culture, and with strong natural abilities, in company with his wife, Mr. and Mrs. Johnson, and some other citizens of this place [Hiram], visited Smith at his home in Kirtland, in 1831. Mrs. Johnson had been afflicted for some time with a lame arm, and was not at the time of the visit able to lift her hand to her head. The party visited Smith partly out of curiosity, and partly to see for themselves what there might be in the new doctrine. During the interview the conversation turned on the subject of supernatural gifts, such as were conferred in the days of the apostles. Some one said, ‘Here is Mrs. Johnson with a lame arm; has God given any power to man now on the earth to cure her?’
“A few moments later, when the conversation had turned in another direction, Smith rose, and walking across the room, taking Mrs. Johnson by the hand, said in the most solemn and impressive manner: ‘Woman, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I command thee to be whole,’ and immediately left the room. The company were awe-stricken at the infinite presumption of the man, and the calm assurance with which he spoke. The sudden mental and moral shock - I know not how better to explain the well-attested fact - electrified the rheumatic arm - Mrs. Johnson at once lifted it up with ease, and on her return home the next day she was able to do her washing without difficulty or pain” (History of the Church, 215-16n; see also Journal of Discourses, 11:4-5). (p. 63-64)
and,
A Command to Forgive
Just before moving to Hiram, the Prophet had received a revelation in which the Lord emphasized the Saints’ responsibility to forgive (D&C 64:3-12). Joseph Smith had ample opportunity to put the Lord’s counsel into practice before he left Hiram. On the night of 24 March 1832, Joseph and Emma stayed up late to take care of their sick twins. Joseph recounted that he had fallen asleep but “was soon after awakened by her [Emma] screaming murder, when I found myself going out of the door, in the hands of about a dozen men; some of who hands were in my hair, and some had hold of my shirt, drawers and limbs…. I made a desperate struggle, as I was forced out, to extricate myself, but only cleared one leg, with which I made a pass at one man, and he fell on the door steps. I was immediately overpowered again; and they swore by G--, they would kill me if I did not be still, which quieted me. As they passed around the house with me, the fellow that I kicked came to me and thrust his hand, all covered with blood, into my face and with an exulting hoarse laugh, muttered: ‘Ge, gee, G- d- ye, I’l fix ye.’
“They then seized me by the throat and held on till I lost my breath. After I came to, as they passed along with me, about thirty rods from the house, I saw Elder Rigdon stretched out on the ground, whither they had dragged him by the heels. I supposed he was dead. I began to plead with them, saying, ‘You will have mercy and spare my life, I hope.’ To which they replied, ‘G- d- ye, call on yer God for help, we’ll show no mercy;’ and the people began to show themselves in every direction; one coming from the orchard had a plank; and I expected they would kill me, and carry me off on the plank. They then turned to the right, and went on about thirty rods further; about sixty rods from the house, and thirty from where I saw Elder Rigdon, into the meadow, where they stopped, and one said, ‘Simonds, Simonds,’ (meaning, I supposed, Simonds Ryder [who had apostatized when the Prophet had misspelled his name in D&C 52:37].) ‘pull up his drawers, pull up his drawers, he will take cold.’ Another replied: ‘Ain’t ye going to kill ‘im? ain’t ye going to kill ‘im?’ when a group of mobbers collected a little way off, and said: ‘Simonds, Simonds, come here;’ and ‘Simonds’ charged those who had hold of me to keep me from touching the ground (as they had done all the time), lest I should get a spring upon them. They held a council, and as I could occasionally overhear a word, I supposed it was to know whether or not it was best to kill me. They returned after a while, when I learned that they had concluded not to kill me, but to beat and scratch me well, tear off my shirt and drawers, and leave me naked. One cried, ‘Simonds, Simonds, where’s the tar bucket?’ ‘I don’t know,’ answered one, ‘where ‘tis, Eli’s left it.’ They ran back and fetched the bucket of tar, when one exclaimed, with an oath, ‘Let us tar up his mouth,’ and they tried to force the tar-paddle into my mouth; I twisted my head around, so that they could not; and they cried out, ‘G- d- ye, hold up yer head and let us giv ye some tar.’ They then tried to force a vial into my mouth, and broke it in my teeth. All my clothes were torn off me except my shirt collar; and one man fell on me and scratched my body his nails like a mad cat, and then muttered out: G- d- ye, that’s the way the Holy Ghost falls on folks!’
“They then left me, and I attempted to rise, but fell again; I pulled the tar away from my lips, so that I could breathe more freely, and after a while I began to recover, and raised myself up, whereupon I saw two lights. I made my way towards one of them, and found it was Father Johnson’s. When I came to the door I was naked, and the tar made me look as if I were covered with blood, and when my wife saw me she thought I was all crushed to pieces, and fainted. During the affray abroad, the sisters of the neighborhood had collected at my room. I called for a blanket, they threw me one and shut the door; I wrapped it around me and went in….
“My friends spent the night in scraping and removing the tar, and washing and cleansing my body; so that by morning I was ready to be clothed again. This being the Sabbath morning, the people assembled for meeting at the usual hour of worship, and among them came also the mobbers; viz.: Simonds Ryder, a Campbellite preacher and leader of the mob; one McClentic, who had his hands in my hair; one Streeter, son of a Campbellite minister; and Felatiah Allen, Esq., who gave the mob a barrel of whiskey to raise their spirits. Besides these nemaed, there were many others in the mob. With my flesh all scarified and defaced, I preached to the congregation as usual, and in the afternoon of the same day baptized three individuals.
“The next morning I went to see Elder Rigdon, and found him crazy, and his head highly inflamed, for they had dragged him by his heels, and those, too, so hight from the ground that he could not raise his head from the rough, frozen surface, which lacerated it exceedingly …. and he continued delirious some days ….
“During the mobbing one of the twins contracted a severe cold, continued to grow worse until Friday, and then died” (History of the Church 1:261-65). (pp. 64-66)
These great stories demonstrate the power and resilience of the character of Joseph Smith, a true prophet of God.
In his chapter “Ezra Booth and Isaac Morley,” in Revelations in Context, Matthew McBride also briefly describes the historical background for D&C 64:
Isaac Morley’s Test
While Ezra Booth’s experiences in traveling to Missouri turned him away from the Church, Isaac Morley’s ultimately drew him closer. During the trip, Morley evidently shared, at least to a degree, in Ezra Booth’s cynicism. A revelation received on September 11 (Doctrine and Covenants 64) chastised both Booth and Morley: “They condemned for evil that thing in which there was no evil.” Any second thoughts Morley may have had about his mission were short-lived. Unlike Ezra Booth, Isaac Morley had ceased his criticisms and changed his outlook. The revelation continued in the Lord’s own voice: “I have forgiven my Servent Isaac.”24
But the Lord had additional sacrifices in mind for Isaac Morley. He was asked to relinquish his large landholdings in Kirtland and return to Missouri with his family. In a revelation given shortly after Joseph Smith’s return to Kirtland (Doctrine and Covenants 63), the Lord instructed Morley’s brother-in-law Titus Billings to “dispose of” Morley’s farm.25 In the revelation given on September 11, the Lord explained that he commanded the farm be sold, “that my servant Isaac may not be tempted above that which he is able to bear.”26
Isaac and Lucy Morley willingly made the sacrifice. In October 1831, Titus Billings sold much of Morley’s farm. Morley took his family back to Independence, as he was commanded, and set to work once again to establish a foundation for the temple city. Having persevered through his doubts, he went on to serve as a bishop and a patriarch. He passed away in Utah in 1865.27 (p. 135)
In his book The Revelations of the Prophet Joseph Smith, Lyndon W. Cook describes the historical background for D&C 64 as follows:
Date. 11 September 1831.
Place. Kirtland, Geauga County, Ohio.
Historical Note. During the early part of September 1831, Joseph Smith made preparations to move to Hiram, Ohio, where he intended to continue the work of the inspired translation of the Bible without interruption. For about one year, during an important period of the Bible translation, the Prophet and his family would reside just outside of the town of Hiram, in the two-story home of John and Elsa Johnson, who had been converted to the Church in early 1831. This revelation was received the day before the Prophet departed for Hiram, Ohio.
As was noted in the Historical Note for section 1, the printing of the Book of Commandments was not completed. A mob destroyed the Church printing press on 20 July 1833, just as the project neared completion. Prior to the destruction of the press, the printer had set type for all of the section 64 as we now have it, save the last seven verses - which would have followed on the next page. Consequently, salvaged copies of this first compilation of revelations (roughly sections 1-64) did not contain a complete text of section 64. They were included, however, in the 1835 edition printed in Kirtland.
Verse 20 instructed Isaac Morley to sell his farm, which he did on 12 October 1831. Frederick G. Williams was directed not to sell his 144-acre farm.
Publication note. Section 64, except for the last seven verses, was first published as chapter 65 in the Book of Commandments in 1833. (pp. 103-104)
Cook’s book also contains a brief biographical sketch of Frederick Granger Williams.
This is Bruce R. McConkie’s section heading for D&C 64:
Revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet to the elders of the Church, at Kirtland, Ohio, September 11, 1831. The Prophet was preparing to move to Hiram, Ohio, to renew his work on the translation of the Bible, which had been laid aside while he had been in Missouri. A company of brethren who had been commanded to journey to Zion (Missouri) was earnestly engaged in making preparations to leave in October. At this busy time, the revelation was received.
In the next post we’ll study and comment upon the revelation itself.