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Discourse, 7 April 1844, as Reported by Thomas Bullock

Source Note

JS, Discourse, [, Hancock Co., IL, 7 Apr. 1844]. Featured version inscribed [ca. 7 Apr. 1844] in Thomas Bullock, Minutes, 6–9 Apr. 1844, pp. 14–22; handwriting of ; Historian’s Office, General Church Minutes, CHL. For more complete source information, see the source note for Minutes and Discourses, 6–8 Apr. 1844, as Reported by Thomas Bullock.

Historical Introduction

On 7 April 1844, JS preached a funeral sermon in , Illinois, for member . An early member of the church, Follett had lived through the persecutions and served as a constable in , Illinois. On 27 February 1844, Follett was “stoning up a well” some fifteen feet underground when a rope lowering a tub of rocks snapped and Follett was struck by the falling objects. Although the crushing blow did not kill him instantly, Follett died from his injuries eleven days later, on 9 March, having “suffered much.” Follett’s family and friends requested that JS give Follett’s funeral sermon. JS had originally intended to deliver the sermon on 5 April but postponed it because of poor health. On 6 April, the first day of the church’s April , JS noted that his lungs were weak and consequently delayed addressing the Latter-day Saints at length until the following day.
The meetings on 7 April were held in a east of the partially constructed . Contemporary estimates of the number in attendance varied between ten thousand and twenty thousand. , JS’s counselor in the , observed that the turnout on 7 April exceeded the previous day’s attendance, and believed that it “was the largest congregation ever seen in .” Likewise, the Nauvoo Neighbor reported that “we do not remember that we ever saw so large an audience before, any where in the western country” and noted that “many spectators were present from , , , , and other towns of less noteriety.” After a morning session, the conference adjourned until two o’clock in the afternoon. JS’s sermon, which he delivered in the afternoon session, began at 3:15 and concluded at 5:30.
JS’s sermon was meant to console ’s family, but it was not a eulogy. Instead, JS addressed the subject of death broadly. Although he occasionally addressed Follett’s family and friends directly, he generalized his remarks to all in the audience who had lost family and friends. JS sought to comfort the survivors by teaching about the nature of God—specifically, that God had the form of a man and that God had once been a man and had incrementally advanced to godhood. JS also stated that men and women must similarly learn to become gods. He argued that God had organized the world from existing eternal elements rather than creating it ex nihilo. Likewise, JS declared that “intelligences”—or “the intelligent part” of the “mind of man”—are self-existent and have no beginning or end. Furthermore, God gave these intelligences laws to help them progress to become like him. JS then emphasized the great responsibility of the living to help save the dead and declared that all can be saved except those who commit the “unpardonable sin” of “blasphemy against the Holy Ghost.”
JS preached this sermon amid mounting tension between him and his enemies in , who alleged that JS was a fallen prophet. Two weeks before delivering his 7 April discourse, JS publicly accused , , , , and of plotting to kill him and his family members. Around the same time, William Law, JS’s disaffected former counselor in the , told JS’s brother that he “was ready for an investigation before the Conference, and that there [he] would bring their abominations to light”—apparently referring to the practice of plural marriage. Hyrum reportedly replied that “there would not be an investigation before [the] Conference, that they wanted peace.” At some point, Law apparently “sent Joseph and some of the Twelve, special word that he desired an investigation before the Church in General Conference, on the 6th of Ap’l.”
At the opening of the conference, however, JS explained that he would not discuss the difficulties in the church. Instead, he would instruct the Saints in “principles of eternal truth.” In addition, JS affirmed that “he was not a fallen prophet” and was “never in any nearer relationship to God than at the present time, & would show before the Conferen[ce] closed that God was with him.” During his 7 April discourse, JS referenced the threats against his life at several points, defended his calling as a true prophet, and warned his audience about the dire consequences of denying the Holy Ghost. JS closed his sermon by emphasizing that others did not understand him, that he loved all people, and that he would only be truly known on Judgment Day.
For church member , the 7 April discourse was convincing evidence of JS’s prophetic calling. Fielding affirmed that “Josephs Discourse on the Origin of Man, the Nature of God and the Resurrection was the most interesting Matter of this time and any one that could not see in him the Spirit of Inspiration of God must be dark, they might have known that he was not a fallen Prophet even if they thought he was fallen.” Fielding was not the only one to positively appraise JS’s 7 April discourse. called JS’s sermon “important edefying & interesting.” In a similar vein, , an resident who sympathized with the Latter-day Saints, observed that “Joseph Smith here and on this occasion in tones of truth and taste, elegantly portrayed the designs of heaven and carried the mind through time, declaring his good will, his love and sympathies for the world in its present educated character.” In contrast, remarked that “some of the most blasphemous doctrines have been taught by J. Smith & others” during the conference, referring, among other things, to teachings in JS’s 7 April discourse, such as the notion of a plurality of gods and the belief that God “wrought out his salvation in the flesh with fear and trembling, the same as we do.”
Six individuals—, , , , Samuel W. Richards, and —wrote accounts of JS’s 7 April discourse. Bullock, Clayton, and Willard Richards all recorded their accounts as JS spoke. Bullock specifically attended the conference as a reporter. Clayton, who was JS’s “private clerk,” and Willard Richards, who was JS’s “private se[c]retary & historian,” often acted as scribes for JS and may have been assigned to record the proceedings as well. Bullock took the most comprehensive notes of the three, and his minutes contain many abbreviations. Clayton’s account ends abruptly and fails to record the last part of JS’s discourse. Richards’s account is shorter and less detailed than Bullock’s and Clayton’s and is at times cryptic.
Although they were apparently not assigned to take notes at the April conference, , Samuel W. Richards, and wrote accounts of JS’s 7 April discourse in their respective personal records, probably derived from rough notes they took while JS spoke. Woodruff, for instance, recalled in 1877 that he recorded JS’s 7 April sermon “on the crown of his hat, standing in the congregation.” Certain factors suggest that the account in Woodruff’s journal was a fair copy or refined version of the notes he had taken during JS’s discourse. Particularly telling are the preface that he wrote before his account and the quality of his handwriting. Samuel W. Richards, who attended the April conference, copied a few unpolished notes from JS’s discourse into a notebook sometime after April 1845. Laub copied an incomplete account of the sermon into his journal sometime after 1 January 1845. While Laub’s account captures only part of JS’s discourse, the portion it does record is fairly detailed and contains unique phrases.
A polished account of JS’s 7 April discourse, which was an amalgamation of ’s and ’s notes, appeared in the 15 August 1844 issue of the Times and Seasons. Each of the seven accounts of JS’s discourse is featured here. All transliterations of Hebrew words in this document will provide two spellings: first, the spelling used by , JS’s Hebrew instructor in , Ohio, and second, a modern spelling of the word.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    Obituary for King Follett, Nauvoo Neighbor, 20 Mar. 1844, [2]; JS History, vol. C-1, 929, 942–943; JS, Journal, 17 Dec. 1843.

    Nauvoo Neighbor. Nauvoo, IL. 1843–1845.

  2. [2]

    Nauvoo Masonic Lodge Minute Book, 10 Mar. 1844; Obituary for King Follett, Nauvoo Neighbor, 20 Mar. 1844, [2]. Follett was buried on 10 March “in due Masonic form.” (See also Historian’s Office, Journal, 10 Mar. 1844.)

    Nauvoo Masonic Lodge Minute Book. / “Record of Na[u]voo Lodge Under Dispensation,” 1842–1846. CHL. MS 3436.

    Nauvoo Neighbor. Nauvoo, IL. 1843–1845.

    Historian’s Office. Journal, 1844–1997. CHL. CR 100 1.

  3. [3]

    Woodruff, Journal, 5 Apr. 1844; Notice, Nauvoo Neighbor, 20 Mar. 1844, [2].

    Woodruff, Wilford. Journals, 1833–1898. Wilford Woodruff, Journals and Papers, 1828–1898. CHL. MS 1352.

    Nauvoo Neighbor. Nauvoo, IL. 1843–1845.

  4. [4]

    Discourse, 6 Apr. 1844.

  5. [5]

    Samuel Richards noted that “the Grove a little East of the Temple was selected for the meeting ground” for the conference. He also reported that “seats were made,” as were other “necessary arrangements for the congregation.” (Richards, Reminiscences and Journal, 6 Apr. 1844; see also JS, Journal, 6 Apr. 1844.)

    Richards, Samuel W. Reminiscences and Journal, ca. 1843–1845. Samuel W. Richards, Papers, 1839–1909. CHL. MS 1841.

  6. [6]

    Richards, Journal, 7 Apr. 1844; Historian’s Office, General Church Minutes, 6–9 Apr. 1844, 12; Woodruff, Journal, 7 Apr. 1844.

    Richards, Willard. Journals, 1836–1853. Willard Richards, Papers, 1821–1854. CHL. MS 1490, boxes 1–2.

  7. [7]

    Historian’s Office, General Church Minutes, 6–9 Apr. 1844, 8; JS, Journal, 7 Apr. 1844.

  8. [8]

    “Conference,” Nauvoo Neighbor, 10 Apr. 1844, [2].

    Nauvoo Neighbor. Nauvoo, IL. 1843–1845.

  9. [9]

    JS, Journal, 7 Apr. 1844. Wilford Woodruff gave the start time as three o’clock in the afternoon. Thomas Bullock agreed with Richards’s ending time of 5:30. (Woodruff, Journal, 7 Apr. 1844; Historian’s Office, General Church Minutes, 6–9 Apr. 1844, 22.)

  10. [10]

    Matthew 12:31–32; see also Mark 3:29; and Luke 12:10.

  11. [11]

    Discourse, 24 Mar. 1844–A; JS, Journal, 24 Mar. 1844; Historian’s Office, Journal, 24 Mar. 1844.

  12. [12]

    William Law reported, “I told him [Hyrum Smith] then to cease their abominations, for they were from Hell & that I knew it. he said they were not doing anything in the plurality of wife business now, and that he had published a piece against it; when I came to examine the piece referred to I found that it amounted to this, that no one should preach or practice such things unless by revelation (of course through Hyrum or Joseph).” (Law, Record of Doings, 29 Mar. 1844, in Cook, William Law, 48, underlining in original.)

    Cook, Lyndon W. William Law: Biographical Essay, Nauvoo Diary, Correspondence, Interview. Orem, UT: Grandin Book, 1994.

  13. [13]

    “Preamble,” Nauvoo Expositor, 7 June 1844, [2].

    Nauvoo Expositor. Nauvoo, IL. 1844.

  14. [14]

    Discourse, 6 Apr. 1844.

  15. [15]

    Fielding, Journal, 6 Apr. 1844, 28–29.

    Fielding, Joseph. Journals, 1837–1859. CHL. MS 1567.

  16. [16]

    Woodruff, Journal, 7 Apr. 1844; William Goforth [Sissimus, pseud.], Nauvoo, IL, 10 Apr. 1844, Letter to the Editor, Nauvoo Neighbor, 1 May 1844, [2]. Some attendees wrote glowing reports on the conference. Thomas Bullock observed that “the speakers have all had the Spirit of the Lord upon them. spoke powerful. and told of great things.” He considered the conference “the greatest, best and most glorious five days that ever were consecutively” and concluded that “all rejoiced” with “much good done.” Others shared Bullock’s sentiment. Ellen Douglas wrote to her family in England that “the teaching which we heard made our hearts rejoice. I for one feel to rejoice and to praise my God that he ever sent the Elders of Israel to England and that he ever gave me a heart to believe them.” Likewise, Sally Randall wrote to her friends: “I wish you could have the teachings that we have here at the conference.” (Historian’s Office, Journal, 9 Apr. 1844; Ellen Douglas to family in England, 14 Apr. 1844, Ellen B. Parker Letters, 1842–1851, Martha G. Boyle Family Papers, 1842–1972, CHL; Sally Randall, Nauvoo, IL, to “Dear Friends,” 21 Apr. 1844, CHL.)

    Nauvoo Neighbor. Nauvoo, IL. 1843–1845.

    Historian’s Office. Journal, 1844–1997. CHL. CR 100 1.

    Boyle, Martha G. Family Papers, 1842–1972. Microfilm. CHL.

    Randall, Sally. Letters, 1843–1852. Typescript. CHL.

  17. [17]

    Law, Record of Doings, 1 June 1844, in Cook, William Law, 49. The Nauvoo Expositor also criticized the idea of a plurality of gods. (“Preamble,” Nauvoo Expositor, 7 June 1844, [2]; see also “Resolutions,” Nauvoo Expositor, 7 June 1844, [2].)

    Cook, Lyndon W. William Law: Biographical Essay, Nauvoo Diary, Correspondence, Interview. Orem, UT: Grandin Book, 1994.

    Nauvoo Expositor. Nauvoo, IL. 1844.

  18. [18]

    In his account of the April conference, William Goforth observed that four clerks were recording the “masterly sermons” preached. (William Goforth [Sissimus, pseud.], Nauvoo, IL, 10 Apr. 1844, Letter to the Editor, Nauvoo Neighbor, 1 May 1844, [2].)

    Nauvoo Neighbor. Nauvoo, IL. 1843–1845.

  19. [19]

    Historian’s Office, Journal, 6–9 Apr. 1844.

  20. [20]

    Clayton, History of the Nauvoo Temple, 31.

    Clayton, William. History of the Nauvoo Temple, ca. 1845. CHL. MS 3365.

  21. [21]

    JS, Journal, 21 Dec. 1842.

  22. [22]

    Bleak, Annals of the Southern Utah Mission, 10 June 1877; Woodruff, Journal, 7 Apr. 1844.

    Bleak, James Godson. Annals of the Southern Utah Mission, ca. 1903–1906. CHL.

  23. [23]

    Richards, Reminiscences and Journal, 6 Apr. 1844; see also Richards, Notebook, [66].

    Richards, Samuel W. Reminiscences and Journal, ca. 1843–1845. Samuel W. Richards, Papers, 1839–1909. CHL. MS 1841.

    Richards, Samuel W. Notebook, ca. 1844–1845. Samuel W. Richards, Papers, 1839–1909. CHL.

  24. [24]

    Laub, Reminiscences and Journal, 1 Jan. 1845, 1.

    Laub, George. Reminiscences and Journal, 1845–1857. CHL. MS 9628.

  25. [25]

    Apparently, by 10 April there were plans to publish the discourses from the conference. (William Goforth [Sissimus, pseud.], Nauvoo, IL, 10 Apr. 1844, Letter to the Editor, Nauvoo Neighbor, 1 May 1844, [2]; see also Historian’s Office, Journal, 10, 23–26, and 28 Apr. 1844; and the docket for the 6 April 1844 minutes in Historian’s Office, General Church Minutes, 6–9 Apr. 1844.)

    Nauvoo Neighbor. Nauvoo, IL. 1843–1845.

    Historian’s Office. Journal, 1844–1997. CHL. CR 100 1.

    Historian’s Office. General Church Minutes, 1839–1877. CHL

  26. [26]

    JS, Journal, 26 Jan. and 29 Mar. 1836; Seixas, Manual Hebrew Grammar, 55.

    Seixas, Joshua. Manual Hebrew Grammar for the Use of Beginners. 2nd ed., enl. and impr. Andover, MA: Gould and Newman, 1834.

Asterisk (*) denotes a "featured" version, which includes an introduction and annotation. *Discourse, 7 April 1844, as Reported by Thomas Bullock *Discourse, 7 April 1844, as Reported by William Clayton *Discourse, 7 April 1844, as Reported by Willard Richards Journal, December 1842–June 1844; Book 4, 1 March–22 June 1844 *Discourse, 7 April 1844, as Reported by Wilford Woodruff *Discourse, 7 April 1844, as Reported by George Laub *Discourse, 7 April 1844, as Reported by Samuel W. Richards *Discourse, 7 April 1844, as Published in Times and Seasons History, 1838–1856, volume E-1 [1 July 1843–30 April 1844] “History of Joseph Smith”

Page 17

they shall be heirs of God & j[oin]t. h[ei]rs of J. C. to inherit the same powers exalt[atio]n. until you asc[en]d. the throne of Etl. power same as those who are gone bef[ore] what J. did I do the things I saw my Far. do before worlds came roll[e]d nto existence I saw my Far. work out his K[ingdom] with fear & trembling & I must do the same when I shall give my K to the Far. so that he obt[ai]ns K roll[in]g. upon K. so that J treads in his tracks as he had gone before it is plain beyond comprehens[io]n. & you thus learn the first prin[ciples] of th[e] Gospel when you climb a ladder you must begin at the bottom run[g] until you learn the last prin[ciple] of the Gospel for it is a great thing to learn Sal[vatio]n. beyond the grave & it is not all to be com[prehended] in this world I sup[pose] I am not all[owe]d. to go into investign. but what is cont[aine]d. in the Bible & I think there is so many wise men who wod. put me to death for treason I shall turn commentator to day— I shall go to the first Hebrew word in the Bible the 1st. sen[tence]: In the beginning— Berosheet— In by thro[ugh] & every thing else Roshed the head when the Inspd. man wrote it he did not put the 1st. pt. to it a man a Jew with[ou]t. any authy. tho[ugh]t. it too bad to begin to talk about the head of any man— “The Head one of the Gods brought forth the Gods” is the true mean[in]g. of the word— if you do not believe it you do not believe the learned man of God— no man can tell you more than I do thus the H[ead] God bro[ugh]t. forth the Gods in the Head council— I want to bring it to English Oh ye lawyers ye doctors I want to let you know that the H G. [Holy Ghost] knows something as well as you do— the Head God called togr. the Gods & set in Grand Council &c when I say a lawyer I mean a lawyer of the Scrip[ture] I have done so hither to let the lawyers flutter & let every body laugh at them— some learned D[octo]r. mi[gh]t. take a not[io]n. to say thus & so— & are not to be alt[ere]d. & I am going to shew you an error I have an old book in the Latin Greek Hebrew & German & I have been read[in]g. the Germ[an]: I find it to be the most corect that I have found & it corespends the nearest to the rev[elatio]ns. that I have given the last 14 y[ea]rs it tells about Iachaboa means Jacob— in the English James— & you may talk about James thro all Eternity in the 21 v[erse] of 4th. Mat[thew]: where it gives the test. that it is to Jacob— & how can we escape the d[amnatio]n. of hell witht. God reveal to us. one <​Latin​> says that Iachobus. means Jacob— Hebrew says means Jacob— Greek says Jachem <​Jacob​> German says Jacob thank God I have got this book & I thank him more for the I have all the 4 Test[aments] come here ye learned men & read if you can [p. 17]
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Discourse, 7 April 1844, as Reported by Thomas Bullock
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Footnotes

  1. [26]

    See Romans 8:17.

  2. [27]

    See Revelation 21:7; Vision, 16 Feb. 1832 [D&C 76:59]; Revelation, 1 Mar. 1832 [D&C 78:22]; and Revelation, 22–23 Sept. 1832 [D&C 84:38].

  3. [28]

    See John 5:19.

  4. [29]

    See Philippians 2:12; and Book of Mormon, 1840 ed., 522 [Mormon 9:27].

  5. [30]

    See 1 Corinthians 15:24; and Vision, 16 Feb. 1832 [D&C 76:107].

  6. [31]

    Genesis 1:1. JS’s commentary on the Hebrew in Genesis 1:1 seems to have been influenced by a combination of insights he gleaned from his Hebrew studies with Joshua Seixas in early 1836, Hebrew resources he acquired during his studies, and his own thinking on the possibilities of various Hebrew words and phrases. (See Grey, “Joseph Smith’s Study of Hebrew in Kirtland,” 264, 272; JS, Journal, 20 Nov. 1835; 26 Jan. 1836; 29 Mar. 1836; and JS, Discourse, 16 June 1844, JS Collection, CHL; see also August Hahn, Biblia Hebraica [New York: Carl Tauchnitz, 1834]; Moses Stuart, Grammar of the Hebrew Language [Andover, MA: Flagg and Gould, 1831]; Josiah W. Gibbs, Manual Hebrew and English Lexicon [New Haven, CT: Hezekiah Howe, 1832]; Joshua Seixas, Manual Hebrew Grammar for the Use of Beginners [Andover, MA: Gould and Newman, 1834]; and Supplement to J. Seixas’ Manual Hebrew Grammar [New York: West and Trow, 1836].)

    Grey, Matthew J. “‘The Word of the Lord in the Original’: Joseph Smith’s Study of Hebrew in Kirtland.” In Approaching Antiquity: Joseph Smith and the Ancient World, edited by Lincoln H. Blumell, Matthew J. Grey, and Andrew H. Hedges, 249–302. Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University; Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2015.

    Hahn, August. Biblia Hebraica ad optimas editiones inprimis Everardi van der Hooght ex recensione Aug Hahnii expressa. New York: Carl Tauchnitz, 1834.

    Stuart, Moses. Grammar of the Hebrew Language. 4th ed. Andover, MA: Flagg and Gould, 1831.

    Gibbs, Josiah W. A Manual Hebrew and English Lexicon Including Biblical Chaldee. Designed Particularly for Beginners. 2nd ed. New Haven, CT: Hezekiah Howe, 1832.

    Seixas, Joshua. Manual Hebrew Grammar for the Use of Beginners. 2nd ed., enl. and impr. Andover, MA: Gould and Newman, 1834.

  7. [32]

    Berasheeth or Bereshit is a construct clause traditionally translated in Genesis 1:1 as “in the beginning.” In his interpretation of this clause, JS removed its first letter (baith/bet, a preposition that can mean “in” or “by”) and its final two letters (-eet/-it), which Seixas identified as a grammatical “termination,” leaving the remaining core of the word, resh or rosh, which means “head.” (Seixas, Manual Hebrew Grammar, 12, 15, 21.)

    Seixas, Joshua. Manual Hebrew Grammar for the Use of Beginners. 2nd ed., enl. and impr. Andover, MA: Gould and Newman, 1834.

  8. [33]

    The full logic of this statement is best reflected in the Times and Seasons account, which renders this passage as “Berosheit. I want to analyze the word; baith, in, by, through, in, and every thing else. Rosh, the head. Sheit, gramatical termination. When the inspired man wrote it, he did not put the baith there. A man, a Jew without any authority, thought it too bad to begin to talk about the head. It read first, ‘The head one of the Gods brought forth the Gods,’ that is the true meaning of the words. Baurau, signifies to bring forth.” In this reconstructed passage, JS explained the way in which he reinterpreted the first word of Genesis 1:1 (Berasheeth/Bereshit) as “the head,” meaning one of the Gods; retranslated the verb of this sentence (baurau/bara) from the traditional “to create” to the less conventional “to bring forth”; and shifted the plural noun Elōheem/Elohim (“Gods”) from acting as the sentence’s subject to serving as its direct object. Thus, JS reworked the first portion of Genesis 1:1 (traditionally, “in the beginning God created”) to read “the head brought forth the Gods” in an attempt to demonstrate how the Hebrew version of this passage could be viewed as supporting his teachings on the nature of God and creation. For other examples of how JS or his associates interpreted Genesis 1:1, see JS, Discourse, 16 June 1844, JS Collection, CHL; and “The Living God,” Times and Seasons, 15 Feb. 1845, 6:808–809.

    Times and Seasons. Commerce/Nauvoo, IL. Nov. 1839–Feb. 1846.

  9. [34]

    TEXT: Possibly “K”.

  10. [35]

    See Book of Abraham Excerpt and Facsimile 2, 15 Mar. 1842 [Abraham 3:22–28; 4:26; 5:2].

  11. [36]

    The Times and Seasons account renders this passage as “Some learned doctor might take a notion to say, the scriptures say thus and so, and are not to be altered” (italics added).

  12. [37]

    Although Thomas Bullock’s account does not name the title of this book, the accounts of others confirm that it was a polyglot Bible. William Clayton called it “an old Book (N. T.) in the Hebrew. Latin German & Greek.” Wilford Woodruff recorded a dream in which he saw JS with “his old Hebrew and Jerman Bible.” William Goforth also mentioned this Bible in a letter published in the Nauvoo Neighbor, calling it “the oldest book in existence of Latin, Greek, and Hebrew, whose leaves seen in a character of decay and as having been the figure whereon the spirit of God was first displayed.” JS’s polyglot Bible may have been a volume titled Novum Testamentum Harmonicum, which contained the text of the New Testament printed in parallel columns of Hebrew, Greek, Latin, and German, making it possible to compare the same passage in all four languages. (Woodruff, Journal, 19 Aug. 1844; William Goforth [Sissimus, pseud.], Nauvoo, IL, 10 Apr. 1844, Letter to the Editor, Nauvoo Neighbor, 1 May 1844, [2]; Novum Testamentum, Harmonicum . . . , edited by Elias Hutter [Nuremberg, Germany, 1602].)

    Woodruff, Wilford. Journals, 1833–1898. Wilford Woodruff, Journals and Papers, 1828–1898. CHL. MS 1352.

    Nauvoo Neighbor. Nauvoo, IL. 1843–1845.

    Novum Testamentum, Harmonicum, Ebraice, Graece, Latine, & Germanice, edited by Elias Hutter. Nuremberg, Germany, 1602.

  13. [38]

    JS studied German with the assistance of Orson Hyde and Alexander Neibaur. On 22 March 1844, he was reading in German, apparently on his own. (JS, Journal, 22 Dec. 1842; JS, Journal, 18 and 22 Mar. 1844.)

  14. [39]

    TEXT: Possibly “test[imony].” The Times and Seasons account renders this passage as “In the 21st verse of the 4th chapter of Mathew, it gives the word Jacob instead of James.”

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