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"He Beheld The Prince Of Darkness": Joseph Smith And Diabolism In Early Mormonism 1815-1831, Steven R. Hepworth
"He Beheld The Prince Of Darkness": Joseph Smith And Diabolism In Early Mormonism 1815-1831, Steven R. Hepworth
All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023
Joseph Smith published his first known recorded history in the preface to the 1830 edition of the Book of Mormon. In it, he recounted the loss of the earliest portions of the book’s manuscript due to theft in a scheme the future prophet believed was concocted by the devil. Smith claimed to receive a revelation that instructed him on how to overcome the diabolic plot meant to discredit and destroy the Book of Mormon. This was not Smith’s first or last recorded encounter with the devil. He believed the devil was real and that he was engaged in a cosmic …