Letter to Church Leaders in Jackson County, Missouri, 6 August 1833
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Source Note
, , and JS, Letter, , Geauga Co., OH, to and others, , Jackson Co., MO, 6 Aug. 1833; sent copy; handwriting of ; signatures of , , and JS; four pages; JS Collection, CHL. Includes address, postal markings, and docket.Bifolium measuring 11⅛ × 9 inches (28 × 23 cm). The document was trifolded twice in letter style, addressed, and sealed with a red adhesive wafer. The letter was later refolded for filing. A docket in the handwriting of reads: “Letter from S. R. | F. G. W. & J. S— | Aug. 1833”. At some point, probably in the twentieth century, “sec 97”, “sec 94”, and “sec 98” were written with a felt-tip pen in purple ink; the first number precedes the first revelation in the letter, the second precedes the second revelation, and the third precedes the third revelation. The numbers correspond to the section numbers of these revelations in Latter-day Saint editions of the Doctrine and Covenants published in 1876 and thereafter. The document has mold staining and has undergone conservation.This letter, along with other papers belonging to , was in the Partridge family’s possession until at least the mid-1880s, sometime after which it came into the possession of the Church Historian’s Office.
Footnotes
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1
See Whitney, “Aaronic Priesthood,” 5–6; Partridge, Genealogical Record, 1; and the full bibliographic entry for the Edward Partridge Papers in the CHL catalog.
Whitney, Orson F. “The Aaronic Priesthood.” Contributor, Apr. 1885, 241–250.
Partridge, Edward, Jr. Genealogical Record. 1878. CHL. MS 1271.
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1
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Historical Introduction
Just before the outbreak of violent confrontations between members of the and other residents in late July 1833, church leaders sent two letters to , Ohio—one from the in Jackson County and one from . The content of those letters, including what they asked of JS and Kirtland leaders, is largely unknown, but they prompted the to write this lengthy epistle, which contains the texts of three revelations along with other brief comments and instructions. JS dictated two of the revelations on 2 August and the third on 6 August 1833. The three revelations were copied into and constitute most of this original letter. Because other contemporaneous versions of each of these three revelations are transcribed earlier in this volume as individual documents with accompanying historical annotation, only the lines in this letter that are not part of a revelation are annotated.In their letter, members of the school of the prophets in apparently requested that the presidency seek divine revelation regarding their school. The presidency complied and then included in this letter a copy of the resulting revelation, which states, “I the Lord am well pleased that there should be a school in .” Likely one or both of the other two revelations inscribed herein responded to issues raised in ’s letter. Cowdery was involved with the church’s printing operation in Missouri as an assistant to editor at this time, and in his letter he may have asked the presidency about their plans for the . One of the revelations copied in this letter called for the construction of two additional church buildings in : an administrative “house” for the presidency and a “house” for printing. Cowdery may also have reported on the growing opposition that church members in faced and asked for advice on how to respond to the conflict. The final revelation copied herein provided guidance on how to respond to aggression from enemies and reminded church members to “proclaim peace” and obey the “law of the Land,” though it also described conditions in which violence was justifiable.The presidency of the high priesthood offered little commentary on these revelations. They did, however, emphasize the obligation of church members in to carry out the same construction program in that the members were required to undertake, including erecting an administrative building for church leadership and a print shop. The presidency also announced their intention to simultaneously issue an edition of the , which would have included JS’s recently completed revision of the Bible, in both Ohio and Missouri. The presidency of the high priesthood sent this letter to on 7 August. At this time, the presidency was not aware that violence had already broken out in Jackson County or that church leaders in Missouri, including , had already acceded to demands to vacate the county by the beginning of 1834. The implementation of construction and printing plans was postponed indefinitely because of the difficulties leaders and members of the Church of Christ encountered in summer 1833. By the time Partridge received this letter, around the beginning of September, only the third revelation therein was immediately applicable to the Saints in Missouri.
Footnotes
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2
Significant textual variations between the text presented in this 6 August 1833 letter and the revelations copied in Revelation Book 2 are noted in the annotation for Revelation, 2 Aug. 1833–A [D&C 97]; Revelation, 2 Aug. 1833–B [D&C 94]; and Revelation, 6 Aug. 1833 [D&C 98].
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3
See also Revelation, 2 Aug. 1833–A [D&C 97:3]. The revelation also indicated that Parley P. Pratt should continue to preside over the school and that the Missouri congregation should construct an edifice for ministerial instruction and “for the salvation of Zion.”
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4
See also Letter to Church Leaders in Jackson Co., MO, 2 July 1833; and Historical Introduction to Classification of Scriptures, not before 17 July 1833.
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5
Cowdery arrived in Kirtland two days after this letter was sent. Church leaders and their families were instructed to vacate the county with half of the church population by 1 January 1834, and other church members were to leave by 1 April 1834. (Letter to Church Leaders in Jackson Co., MO, 10 Aug. 1833; Letter from John Whitmer, 29 July 1833; see also Memorandum of Agreement, 23 July 1833, CHL.)
Memorandum of Agreement, 23 July 1833. CHL.
that it be not defiled, my glory shall rest upon it, yea and my presence shall be there, for I will come into it and all the pure in heart that shall come into it shall see God; but if it be defiled I will not come into it, and my glory shall not be there, for I will not come into an unholy temple. And now behold if do these things she shall prosper and spread herself and become very glorious very great and very terable, and the nations of the earth shall honor her, and shall say surely Zion is the City of our God, and surely Zion cannot fall neither be removed, out of her place, for God is there, and the hand of the Lord is there and he hath sworn by the power of his might, to be her salvation and her high tower: therefore verily thus saith the Lord let Zion rejoice (for this is Zion the pure in heart.) Therefore let Zion rejoice while all the wicked shall mourn, for behold and lo! vengence cometh speedily upon the ungodly as the whirlwind and who shall escape, it, the Lords scourge shall pass over, by night, and by day, and the report thereof shall vex all people, yet it shall not be staid untill the Lord come; for the indignation of the lord is kindled against their abominations, and all their wicked works, nevertheless Zion shall escape if she observe to do all things whatsoever I have her, but if she observe not whatsoever I have commanded her, I will visit her according to all her works, with sore affliction, with pestilince, with plague with, sword, with vengence, with devouring fire, nevertheless let it be read this once in their ears that I the Lord have accepted of their offering and if she sin no more none of these things shall come upon her, but I will bless her with blessings and multiply a multiplicity of blessings upon her and upon her generations forever and ever saith the Lord your God Amen.
And again verily I say unto you my friends, a I give unto you that ye shall commence a work of laying out and preparing a begining and foundation of the City of the of here in the land of ; begining at my , and behold it must be done according to the pattern which I have given unto you, and let the first lot on the south be unto me for the building of an house for the , in obtaining revelations and for the work of the ministry of the presidency in all things pertaining to the and kingdom; verily I say unto you it shall that it shall be built fifty five by sixty five in the width thereof and in the length thereof in the inner court, and there shall be a lower court and a higher court according to the pattern, which shall be given unto you hereafter; and it shall be dedicated unto the Lord from the foundation thereof according to the order of the according to the pattern which shall be given unto you hereafter and it shall be wholy dedicated unto the Lord, for the work of the presidency; and ye shall not suffer any unclean thing to come into it, and my glory shall be there, and my presence shall be there, but if there shall come into it any unclean thing my glory shall not be there and my presence shall not come into it.
And again verily I say unto you the second lot on the south shall be dedicated unto me for the work of the printing of the translation of my schriptures, and all things whatsoever I shall command you; and it shall be fifty five by sixty five in the width thereof, and in the length thereof in the inner court, and there shall be a lower and higher court, and this house shall be wholy dedicated unto the Lord from the foundation thereof for the work of the printing in all things whatsoever I shall command you, to be holy and undefiled according to the [p. [2]]
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