Mormon Studies Commons^™

Josiah Quincy's 1844 Visit With Joseph Smith, Jed L. Woodworth

BYU Studies

A prophet's claims have always invited attention. The Prophet Joseph Smith took calls from an array of personalities who would not be satisfied without seeing this curiosity in the flesh. The visitors came from near and far and from every walk and station of life: politicians and priests, paupers and pundits, charlatans and seekers, and almost everything in between. Arriving first in a trickle and then in a stream, they found the Prophet wherever he had gathered the Saints. Some of the travelers left accounts of their visits, and from these sketches later generations came to know Joseph, too.

New Photograph Of The Granite Shaft For The Brigham Young Monument, Richard Neitzel Holzapfel, J. Michael Hunter

BYU Studies

In July 1987, Latter-day Saints from throughout the Intermountain West gathered for a five-day celebration honoring the fiftieth anniversary of the arrival of Brigham Young to the Great Basin. On the first day of the celebration, a large crowd gathered at the intersection of Main and South Temple to dedicate an unfinished monument (fig. 1). A lone statue of Brigham Young stood upon a tall granite shaft taken from Little Cottonwood Canyon in June 1897, just weeks before. A rare photograph recorded the scene after the shaft was loaded onto a wagon for the first leg of it journey to …

Full Issue, Byu Studies

BYU Studies

No abstract provided.

Haiku Poet, Marilyn Nelson

BYU Studies

No abstract provided.

A Descriptive Bibliography Of The Mormon Church: Volume One 1830-1847 Peter Crawley; Studies In Mormon History, 1830-1997: An Indexed Bibliography, With A Topical Guide To Published Social Science Literature On The Mormons James B. Allen, Ronald W. Walker, And David J. Whittaker, Larry W. Draper

BYU Studies

Peter Crawley. A Descriptive Bibliography of the Mormon Church: Volume Once, 1830-1847. Provo, Utah: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 1997. 477 pp. Illustrations, indexes. $55.00.

James B. Allen, Ronald W. Walker, and David J. Whittaker. Studies in Mormon History, 1830-1997: An Indexed Bibliography, with a Topical Guide to Published Social Science Literature on the Mormons [by] Armand L. Mauss and Dynette Ivie Reynolds. Urbana: University of Illinois Press in cooperation with the Joseph Fielding Smith Institute for LDS History, Brigham Young University, 2000. 1,152 pp. $100.00.

Recent Notes About Olives In Antiquity, Wilford M. Hess

BYU Studies

When a group of LDS scholars collaborated in 1994 under the auspices of the Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies to publish a book on the allegory of the olive tree in Jacob 5, few substantial works on olive production in the ancient world existed. Now, two new archaeological books add a wealth of information to our understanding of the importance of the olive in ancient life. Although expensive and technical, these new volumes offer further insights for anyone interested in olive culture as reflected in the scriptures, especially in the Book of Mormon.

Of Heaven And Earth: Reconciling Scientific Thought With Lds Theology David L. Clark, Noel L. Owen

BYU Studies

David L. Clark, ed. Of Heaven and Earth: Reconciling Scientific Thought with LDS Theology. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1998. 234 pp. Introduction, notes, index. $18.95.

Palm Ridge, Norma S. Bowkett

BYU Studies

No abstract provided.

Returning, George Handley

BYU Studies

No abstract provided.

I Saw Another Angel Fly, J. Michael Hunter

Faculty Publications

This photo essay provides an overview of the history of the Angel Moroni statues, beginning with the angel atop the Nauvoo Temple and continuing through to designs used on the Salt Lake Temple, the Washington D.C. Chapel, the Los Angeles California Temple, the Washington D.C. Temple, and other temples built through 2000. Angel Moroni statues have come to symbolize for Latter-day Saints the restoration of the gospel in the latter days. For Mormons, the Moroni statues herald the gospel being preached “to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people” (Rev. 14:6). “I Saw Another Angel Fly” discusses …

"That's How I Imagine He Looks": The Perspective Of A Professor Of Religion, Richard Neitzel Holzapfel

BYU Studies

"Images of Christ in Latter-day Saint Visual Culture" by Noel Carmack offers an outline of the history of the Latter-day Saint use of images depicting Christ, pointing out influences and tensions that Carmack argues directed the choice of these images from 1890 to 1999. My own approach to this historical pattern is a simpler one: the selection of images of Christ by most Latter-day Saints today is influenced more than anything else by the Saints' cultural background, which determines how they think Jesus would look; and the proliferation of these images is largely an economic issue and a result of …

Front Matter, Byu Studies

BYU Studies

No abstract provided.

Four Lds Perspectives On Images Of Christ: Introduction, Doris R. Dant

BYU Studies

As members of a Christ-centered church and consumers of a proliferation of visual images, Latter-day Saints face the enigma of wanting to know their Savior but not having a detailed description of either his mortal or resurrected physical appearance. how should an artist depict Christ? Why do individual members have both strong attachments and aversions to certain images? What conscious principles, if any, stand behind the selection of images for use in official and unofficial LDS publications?

Mormon's Map John L. Sorenson, Martin H. Raish

BYU Studies

John L. Sorenson. Mormon's Map. Provo: FARMS, 2000. ix; 154 pp. Maps, notes, index. $9.95.

Revelations In Context: Joseph Smith's Letter From Liberty Jail, March 20, 1839, Dean C. Jessee, John W. Welch

BYU Studies

While Joseph Smith was incarcerated in Liberty Jail from December 1, 1838, to April 6, 1839, he wrote or dictated eight surviving letters. Four were addressed to Emma, his wife, and all of them display the sterling character of the Prophet Joseph under trials of the most extreme conditions imaginable. His letter of March 20, 1839, directed to "the church of Latter-day saints at Quincy Illinois and scattered abroad and to Bishop Partridge in particular," is one of the most revealing and most significant letters ever written by a prophet of God in the dispensation of the fullness of times. …

Forgotten Kingdom: The Mormon Theocracy In The American West, 1847-1896 David L. Bigler, Paul H. Peterson

BYU Studies

David L. Bigler. Forgotten Kingdom: The Mormon Theocracy in the American West, 1847-1896. Logan: Utah State University Press, 1998. 411 pp. Paperback, $21.95. Hardback version available: Spokane, Wash.: Arthur H. Clark, $39.50.

Three Women In Church, Ken Haubrock

BYU Studies

No abstract provided.

That's Not My Jesus: An Artist's Personal Perspective On Images Of Christ, James C. Christensen

BYU Studies

When I was growing up, I was taught that we should not have pictures and statues of Christ on our homes or meetinghouses. Nothing was to come between us and the individual image each of us had of the Lord we worshipped. Now members of the LDS Church are expressing a need for a good image of the Savior that they can reflect upon. For artists, that shift becomes a major challenge as they work to create the desired imaged.

Sagwitch: Shoshone Chieftain, Mormon Elder, 1822-1887 Scott R. Christensen, Larry Echohawk

BYU Studies

Scott R. Christensen. Sagwitch: Shoshone Chieftain, Mormon Elder, 1822-1887. Logan: Utah State University Press, 1999. xviii; 254 pp. Illustrations, maps, index. Hardback, $39.95; paperback, $19.95.

The Rise Of Christianity: How The Obscure, Marginal Jesus Movement Became The Dominant Religious Force In The Western World In A Few Centuries Rodney Stark, John W. Welch, Kathryn Worlton Pulham

BYU Studies

Rodney Stark. The Rise of Christianity: How the Obscure, Marginal Jesus Movement Became the Dominant Religious Force in the Western World in a Few Centuries. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1996; San Francisco: HarperCollins, 1997. xiv; 215 pp. Illustrations, index, bibliography. $14.00.

A Biblical Sonnet: To Rachel, Marilyn Nelson

BYU Studies

No abstract provided.

Brief Notices, Gary P. Gillum, Andrew Hall

BYU Studies

No abstract provided.

The Church Of The Ancient Councils: The Disciplinary Work Of The First Four Ecumenical Councils Peter L'Huillier, Carl W. Griffin

BYU Studies

Peter L'Huillier. The Church of the Ancient Councils: The Disciplinary Work of the First Four Ecumenical Councils. Crestwood, N.Y.: St. Vladimir's Seminary Press, 1996. xii; 340 pp. Index. Paperback, $19.95.

Images Of Christ In Latter-Day Saint Visual Culture, 1900-1999, Noel A. Carmack

BYU Studies

The motivating impact that visual images of Christ have on members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints cannot be overestimated. Such images often induce feelings of faith and devotion in responsive viewers. For example, Church member Lisa Gemperline of Kaysville, Utah, wrote to the Ensign saying:

Passing a local art gallery one day, I paused, struck by the beauty of painting of Jesus Christ on display. My heart was touched as I looked at the face of the Savior, and I wished I had had the painting in my own home. Afterward, I found myself thinking about …

George Q. Cannon: A Biography Davis Bitton, William A. Wilson

BYU Studies

Davis Bitton. George Q. Cannon: A Biography. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1999. xiv; 554 pp. Photos, illustrations, notes, bibliography, index. $34.95.

The World At Its Gravest And Best, Nancy Hanks Baird

BYU Studies

No abstract provided.

"What Think Ye Of Christ?" An Art Historian's Perspective, Richard G. Oman

BYU Studies

In "Images of Christ," Noel Carmack has performed a real service on several fronts. In my response, I would like to suggest some modifications to his comments and, more importantly, discuss some features that I believe a great painting of Christ must have if it is to produce a spiritual change in the lives of its viewers.

Explanation, Marilyn Nelson

BYU Studies

No abstract provided.

The Campaign And The Kingdom: The Activities Of The Electioneers In Joseph Smith's Presidential Campaign, Margaret C. Robertson

BYU Studies

In 1844, Joseph Smith, President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, ran for president of the United States. At the April 1844 LDS general conference, a call was made for volunteers to "electioneer for Joseph to be the next President," as Heber C. Kimball put it. Immediately, 244 elders volunteered. By the time the list of names was recorded in the records of the Church a week later, the number approached 340. Even more elders eventually volunteered or were called to take up the cause. As part of the campaign, the Quorum of the Twelve scheduled public …

Examining Six Key Concepts In Joseph Smith's Understanding Of Genesis 1:1, Kevin L. Barney

BYU Studies

Joseph Smith spent Sunday afternoon, April 7, 1844, in a grove behind the Nauvoo Temple. There he gave a funeral sermon, which lasted for over two hours, dedicated to a loyal friend named King Follett, who had been crushed by a bucket of rocks while repairing a well. Known today as the King Follett Discourse and widely believed to be the Prophet's greatest sermon, this address was Joseph's most cogent and forceful presentation of his Nauvoo doctrine on the nature of God, including the ideas of a plurality of Gods and the potential of a man to become as God. …