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Letter to James Arlington Bennet, 13 November 1843

Source Note

JS, Letter,
Nauvoo

Principal gathering place for Saints following expulsion from Missouri. Beginning in 1839, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints purchased lands in earlier settlement of Commerce and planned settlement of Commerce City, as well as surrounding areas....

More Info
, Hancock Co., IL, to
James Arlington Bennet

21 Dec. 1788–25 Dec. 1863. Attorney, newspaper publisher, educator, author. Born in New York. Married first Sophia Smith, 8 May 1811. Served as third and later second lieutenant in First U.S. Artillery, 1 Aug. 1813–14 Oct. 1814. Published American System ...

View Full Bio
,
Arlington House

Long Island residence of James Arlington Bennet, who corresponded with JS, 1842–1843. Bennet purchased a hundred acres of land in New Utrecht, New York, in 1825 and there built the residence known as “Arlington House.” He deeded it to his son, James H. A....

More Info
, [New Utrecht, Kings Co.], NY, 13 Nov. 1843. Featured version copied [ca. 15 Nov. 1843]; handwriting of
William W. Phelps

17 Feb. 1792–7 Mar. 1872. Writer, teacher, printer, newspaper editor, publisher, postmaster, lawyer. Born at Hanover, Morris Co., New Jersey. Son of Enon Phelps and Mehitabel Goldsmith. Moved to Homer, Cortland Co., New York, 1800. Married Sally Waterman,...

View Full Bio
; nine pages; JS Collection, CHL. Includes address and dockets.
Five leaves, the first four measuring 12⅞ × 7¾ inches (33 × 20 cm) and the fifth measuring 12¾ × 7¾ inches (32 × 20 cm). Each leaf was cut from a bifolium or a blank book. The fifth leaf exhibits an uneven edge on the left side of the recto. All five leaves are numbered (the first on both sides and the final four on the recto only), which indicates that leaves were already separated from the bifolium or book by the time of the document’s inscription. The letter was inscribed on the first nine pages with large margins on the left side of each page. The verso of the fifth leaf was left blank. The text on the verso of each leaf is written upside down in relation to the text on the recto, so that the pages are meant to be flipped vertically instead of horizontally when reading. The first four leaves are singed on the right side. The document was later folded in half twice horizontally for filing. Two dockets were later added to the verso of the fifth leaf.
The letter was docketed by
Willard Richards

24 June 1804–11 Mar. 1854. Teacher, lecturer, doctor, clerk, printer, editor, postmaster. Born at Hopkinton, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts. Son of Joseph Richards and Rhoda Howe. Moved to Richmond, Berkshire Co., Massachusetts, 1813; to Chatham, Columbia Co...

View Full Bio
, who served as JS’s scribe from December 1841 until JS’s death in June 1844 and served as church historian from December 1842 until his own death in March 1854.
1

JS, Journal, 13 Dec. 1841 and 21 Dec. 1842; Orson Spencer, “Death of Our Beloved Brother Willard Richards,” Deseret News (Salt Lake City), 16 Mar. 1854, [2].


Comprehensive Works Cited

Deseret News. Salt Lake City. 1850–.

Thomas Bullock

23 Dec. 1816–10 Feb. 1885. Farmer, excise officer, secretary, clerk. Born in Leek, Staffordshire, England. Son of Thomas Bullock and Mary Hall. Married Henrietta Rushton, 25 June 1838. Moved to Ardee, Co. Louth, Ireland, Nov. 1839; to Isle of Anglesey, Aug...

View Full Bio
, who served as JS’s scribe from 1843 to 1844 and as clerk to the church historian and recorder from 1845 to 1865, docketed it a second time.
2

Jessee, “Writing of Joseph Smith’s History,” 456, 458; Woodruff, Journal, 22 Jan. 1865.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Jessee, Dean C. “The Writing of Joseph Smith’s History.” BYU Studies 11 (Summer 1971): 439–473.

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

The document was listed in an inventory that was produced by the Church Historian’s Office (later Church Historical Department) circa 1904.
3

“Letters to and from the Prophet,” ca. 1904, [3], Historian’s Office, Catalogs and Inventories, 1846–1904, CHL.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Historian’s Office. Catalogs and Inventories, 1846–1904. CHL. CR 100 130.

By 1973 the document had been included in the JS Collection at the Church Historical Department (now CHL).
4

See the full bibliographic entry for JS Collection, 1827–1844, in the CHL catalog.


The document’s early dockets, its listing in a circa 1904 inventory, and its later inclusion in the JS Collection indicate continuous institutional custody.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    JS, Journal, 13 Dec. 1841 and 21 Dec. 1842; Orson Spencer, “Death of Our Beloved Brother Willard Richards,” Deseret News (Salt Lake City), 16 Mar. 1854, [2].

    Deseret News. Salt Lake City. 1850–.

  2. [2]

    Jessee, “Writing of Joseph Smith’s History,” 456, 458; Woodruff, Journal, 22 Jan. 1865.

    Jessee, Dean C. “The Writing of Joseph Smith’s History.” BYU Studies 11 (Summer 1971): 439–473.

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

  3. [3]

    “Letters to and from the Prophet,” ca. 1904, [3], Historian’s Office, Catalogs and Inventories, 1846–1904, CHL.

    Historian’s Office. Catalogs and Inventories, 1846–1904. CHL. CR 100 130.

  4. [4]

    See the full bibliographic entry for JS Collection, 1827–1844, in the CHL catalog.

Historical Introduction

On 13 November 1843, JS wrote a letter from
Nauvoo

Principal gathering place for Saints following expulsion from Missouri. Beginning in 1839, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints purchased lands in earlier settlement of Commerce and planned settlement of Commerce City, as well as surrounding areas....

More Info
, Illinois, to
James Arlington Bennet

21 Dec. 1788–25 Dec. 1863. Attorney, newspaper publisher, educator, author. Born in New York. Married first Sophia Smith, 8 May 1811. Served as third and later second lieutenant in First U.S. Artillery, 1 Aug. 1813–14 Oct. 1814. Published American System ...

View Full Bio
in
New Utrecht

Post township on west end of Long Island. Separated from Staten Island by the Narrows. Located about ten miles south of New York City. Population in 1840 about 1,300. Population in 1854 about 2,100. Residence of James Arlington Bennet, who corresponded with...

More Info
, New York, responding to a letter that Bennet wrote three weeks earlier. Bennet had informed JS that he was
baptized

An ordinance in which an individual is immersed in water for the remission of sins. The Book of Mormon explained that those with necessary authority were to baptize individuals who had repented of their sins. Baptized individuals also received the gift of...

View Glossary
by
apostle

Members of a governing body in the church, with special administrative and proselytizing responsibilities. A June 1829 revelation commanded Oliver Cowdery and David Whitmer to call twelve disciples, similar to the twelve apostles in the New Testament and ...

View Glossary
Brigham Young

1 June 1801–29 Aug. 1877. Carpenter, painter, glazier, colonizer. Born at Whitingham, Windham Co., Vermont. Son of John Young and Abigail (Nabby) Howe. Brought up in Methodist household; later joined Methodist church. Moved to Sherburne, Chenango Co., New...

View Full Bio
but stated that “nothing of this kind would in the least attach me to your person or cause.” Despite this, Bennet pronounced JS the “most extraordinary man of the present Age” and advised him that he, Bennet, was “capable of being a most undeviating fr[i]end without being governed by the smallest religious influence” due to his mind’s “so mathematical & philosophical a cast.” Toward the end of the letter, Bennet suggested that he expected JS’s support if Bennet ran for governor of
Illinois

Became part of Northwest Territory of U.S., 1787. Admitted as state, 1818. Population in 1840 about 480,000. Population in 1845 about 660,000. Plentiful, inexpensive land attracted settlers from northern and southern states. Following expulsion from Missouri...

More Info
in the future.
1

Letter from James Arlington Bennet, 24 Oct. 1843, underlining in original.


JS received
Bennet

21 Dec. 1788–25 Dec. 1863. Attorney, newspaper publisher, educator, author. Born in New York. Married first Sophia Smith, 8 May 1811. Served as third and later second lieutenant in First U.S. Artillery, 1 Aug. 1813–14 Oct. 1814. Published American System ...

View Full Bio
’s letter by 9 November, when he “gave instruction to have it answerd,” apparently assigning the task to scribe
William W. Phelps

17 Feb. 1792–7 Mar. 1872. Writer, teacher, printer, newspaper editor, publisher, postmaster, lawyer. Born at Hanover, Morris Co., New Jersey. Son of Enon Phelps and Mehitabel Goldsmith. Moved to Homer, Cortland Co., New York, 1800. Married Sally Waterman,...

View Full Bio
. This “instruction” possibly included an outline or language dictated by JS. According to JS’s 13 November journal entry, Phelps called on him at the
Mansion House

Large, two-story, Greek Revival frame structure located on northeast corner of Water and Main streets. Built to meet JS’s immediate need for larger home that could also serve as hotel to accommodate his numerous guests. JS relocated family from old house ...

More Info
that morning and “read a letter which I [JS] had dictated to Gen. Jam Ariligtn Bennet whi[c]h pleasd me much.”
2

JS, Journal, 9 and 13 Nov. 1843. In a December letter to Bennet, Willard Richards stated that “the Generals reply was dictated.” (Willard Richards, Nauvoo, IL, to James Arlington Bennet, Arlington House, Long Island, NY, 15 Dec. 1843, copy, Willard Richards, Journals and Papers, CHL.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Richards, Willard. Journals and Papers, 1821–1854. CHL.

Phelps apparently read the letter again at JS’s office later that morning, after which JS “made some correcti[o]ns.”
3

JS, Journal, 13 Nov. 1843.


Two or three days later, a fair copy and a retained copy of the letter incorporating JS’s changes and additions to the text were prepared.
Willard Richards

24 June 1804–11 Mar. 1854. Teacher, lecturer, doctor, clerk, printer, editor, postmaster. Born at Hopkinton, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts. Son of Joseph Richards and Rhoda Howe. Moved to Richmond, Berkshire Co., Massachusetts, 1813; to Chatham, Columbia Co...

View Full Bio
added a postscript to the retained copy. The fair copy was then mailed to Bennet.
4

Willard Richards, Nauvoo, IL, to James Arlington Bennet, Arlington House, Long Island, NY, 15 Dec. 1843, copy, Willard Richards, Journals and Papers, CHL; see also James Arlington Bennet, Arlington House, Long Island, NY, to Willard Richards, [Nauvoo, IL], 1 Feb. 1844, Willard Richards, Journals and Papers, CHL.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Richards, Willard. Journals and Papers, 1821–1854. CHL.

The fair copy is apparently not extant. The featured version is the retained copy.
In the featured letter, JS quoted liberally from
Bennet

21 Dec. 1788–25 Dec. 1863. Attorney, newspaper publisher, educator, author. Born in New York. Married first Sophia Smith, 8 May 1811. Served as third and later second lieutenant in First U.S. Artillery, 1 Aug. 1813–14 Oct. 1814. Published American System ...

View Full Bio
’s earlier communication and, while referencing the Bible, history, and foreign languages,
5

JS and his associates, including Phelps, had demonstrated an enduring interest in ancient languages for well over a decade. About a week after this letter was mailed, JS and Phelps collaborated on a pamphlet addressed to Vermont’s Green Mountain Boys that also included a variety of phrases in foreign languages with corresponding translations. (“Part 1: 2 October–1 December 1835”; “Book of Abraham and Related Manuscripts”; General Joseph Smith’s Appeal to the Green Mountain Boys, ca. 21 Nov.–3 Dec. 1843.)


reproved Bennet for making light of sacred things, critiqued many of his assumptions regarding religion, and explained the significance of revelation and JS’s prophetic mission. JS also declined to pledge support for Bennet’s potential bid for political office in
Illinois

Became part of Northwest Territory of U.S., 1787. Admitted as state, 1818. Population in 1840 about 480,000. Population in 1845 about 660,000. Plentiful, inexpensive land attracted settlers from northern and southern states. Following expulsion from Missouri...

More Info
.
Bennet

21 Dec. 1788–25 Dec. 1863. Attorney, newspaper publisher, educator, author. Born in New York. Married first Sophia Smith, 8 May 1811. Served as third and later second lieutenant in First U.S. Artillery, 1 Aug. 1813–14 Oct. 1814. Published American System ...

View Full Bio
received the letter by 7 December 1843, when the New-York Commercial Advertiser published it.
6

“Letter from Joe Smith,” New-York Commercial Advertiser (New York City), 7 Dec. 1843, [2]. When the newspaper printed JS’s 13 November 1843 response, the editor informed readers that the printers were instructed to “‘follow copy’ in every particular—to make no change, even of a letter or a comma.” The editor’s preface to the letter mocked, “The prophet’s missive is a strange specimen of mingled shrewdness, ignorance, impudence and folly—the latter quality being chiefly manifested in the fact that the letter has been written. It is not cunning of Joe to lay himself out on paper; for surely a man of his divine pretensions should be able to spell and to write grammatically.”


Comprehensive Works Cited

New-York Commercial Advertiser. New York City. 1831–1889.

The Nauvoo Neighbor published the letter the day before.
7

“For the Neighbor,” Nauvoo Neighbor, 6 Dec. 1843, [3].


Several other newspapers, including the Times and Seasons, New York Herald, New-York Spectator, and Niles’ National Register republished the letter.
8

“For the Times and Seasons,” Times and Seasons, 1 Nov. 1843, 4:371–375; “Singular Mormon Movements,” New York Herald (New York City), 10 Jan. 1844, [1]; “Letter from Joe Smith,” New-York Spectator (New York City), 9 Dec. 1843, [1]; “The Mormons,” Niles’ National Register (Baltimore), 3 Feb. 1844, 355–356. The Times and Seasons published its November 1843 issue around late December 1843.


Comprehensive Works Cited

New-York Spectator. New York City. 1804–1867.

Niles’ National Register. Washington DC, 1837–1839; Baltimore, 1839–1848; Philadelphia, 1848–1849.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    Letter from James Arlington Bennet, 24 Oct. 1843, underlining in original.

  2. [2]

    JS, Journal, 9 and 13 Nov. 1843. In a December letter to Bennet, Willard Richards stated that “the Generals reply was dictated.” (Willard Richards, Nauvoo, IL, to James Arlington Bennet, Arlington House, Long Island, NY, 15 Dec. 1843, copy, Willard Richards, Journals and Papers, CHL.)

    Richards, Willard. Journals and Papers, 1821–1854. CHL.

  3. [3]

    JS, Journal, 13 Nov. 1843.

  4. [4]

    Willard Richards, Nauvoo, IL, to James Arlington Bennet, Arlington House, Long Island, NY, 15 Dec. 1843, copy, Willard Richards, Journals and Papers, CHL; see also James Arlington Bennet, Arlington House, Long Island, NY, to Willard Richards, [Nauvoo, IL], 1 Feb. 1844, Willard Richards, Journals and Papers, CHL.

    Richards, Willard. Journals and Papers, 1821–1854. CHL.

  5. [5]

    JS and his associates, including Phelps, had demonstrated an enduring interest in ancient languages for well over a decade. About a week after this letter was mailed, JS and Phelps collaborated on a pamphlet addressed to Vermont’s Green Mountain Boys that also included a variety of phrases in foreign languages with corresponding translations. (“Part 1: 2 October–1 December 1835”; “Book of Abraham and Related Manuscripts”; General Joseph Smith’s Appeal to the Green Mountain Boys, ca. 21 Nov.–3 Dec. 1843.)

  6. [6]

    “Letter from Joe Smith,” New-York Commercial Advertiser (New York City), 7 Dec. 1843, [2]. When the newspaper printed JS’s 13 November 1843 response, the editor informed readers that the printers were instructed to “‘follow copy’ in every particular—to make no change, even of a letter or a comma.” The editor’s preface to the letter mocked, “The prophet’s missive is a strange specimen of mingled shrewdness, ignorance, impudence and folly—the latter quality being chiefly manifested in the fact that the letter has been written. It is not cunning of Joe to lay himself out on paper; for surely a man of his divine pretensions should be able to spell and to write grammatically.”

    New-York Commercial Advertiser. New York City. 1831–1889.

  7. [7]

    “For the Neighbor,” Nauvoo Neighbor, 6 Dec. 1843, [3].

  8. [8]

    “For the Times and Seasons,” Times and Seasons, 1 Nov. 1843, 4:371–375; “Singular Mormon Movements,” New York Herald (New York City), 10 Jan. 1844, [1]; “Letter from Joe Smith,” New-York Spectator (New York City), 9 Dec. 1843, [1]; “The Mormons,” Niles’ National Register (Baltimore), 3 Feb. 1844, 355–356. The Times and Seasons published its November 1843 issue around late December 1843.

    New-York Spectator. New York City. 1804–1867.

    Niles’ National Register. Washington DC, 1837–1839; Baltimore, 1839–1848; Philadelphia, 1848–1849.

Asterisk (*) denotes a "featured" version, which includes an introduction and annotation. *Letter to James Arlington Bennet, 13 November 1843 Letter to James Arlington Bennet, 13 November 1843, as Published in Nauvoo Neighbor Letter to James Arlington Bennet, 13 November 1843, as Published in Times and Seasons Letter to James Arlington Bennet, 13 November 1843, as Published in New York Herald History, 1838–1856, volume E-1 [1 July 1843–30 April 1844] “History of Joseph Smith”

Page [4b]

the wicked and principled, as a matter of course, would sieze the opportunity, to flintify the heart of the nation against <​me​> for dabbling at a sly game in politics;
72

In December 1841, JS publicly endorsed Adam W. Snyder and John Moore, the Illinois Democratic Party’s candidates for governor and lieutenant governor, and encouraged church members to vote for candidates who supported the Latter-day Saints. In 1843, Hyrum Smith’s endorsement of state congressional candidate Joseph P. Hoge, as well as JS’s support of Hyrum’s declaration, swayed church members to vote for the Democrats. Both endorsements exacerbated ongoing fears regarding the Latter-day Saints’ political power in Hancock County, Illinois, and led to increased tensions between church members and neighboring communities. (See Historical Introduction to Letter to Friends in Illinois, 20 Dec. 1841; Historical Introduction to Discourse, 6 Aug. 1843; and Ford, History of Illinois, 318–319.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Ford, Thomas. A History of Illinois, from Its Commencement as a State in 1818 to 1847. Containing a Full Account of the Black Hawk War, the Rise, Progress, and Fall of Mormonism, the Alton and Lovejoy Riots, and Other Important and Interesting Events. Chicago: S. C. Griggs; New York: Ivison and Phinney, 1854.

verily, I say, when I leave <​the​> dignity and honor of heaven, to gratify the ambition and vanity of man or men, may my power cease, like the Strenth of Samsan, when he was shorn of his locks while asleep in the lap of Delilah.
73

See Judges 16:15–20.


Truly said the Savior, Cast not your your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet and turn again and rend you.
74

See Matthew 7:6.


Shall I, who have witnessed the visions of eternity; and beheld the glories of the mansions of bliss; and the regions and misery of the damned;
75

In February 1832, JS and Sidney Rigdon experienced a vision in which they were shown three levels of postmortal glory inherited by the righteous as well as the “eternal sufferings” endured by those found guilty of “denying of the truth and the defying of [God’s] power.” (Vision, 16 Feb. 1832 [D&C 76].)


shall I turn <​to be​> a Judas?
76

Judas Iscariot, one of Jesus’s twelve apostles, betrayed him for thirty pieces of silver. (See Matthew 26:14–15, 47–50.)


Shall I, who have heard the voice of God, and communed with angels; and spake as moved by the Holy Ghost for the renewal of the
everlasting covenant

Generally referred to the “fulness of the gospel”—the sum total of the church’s message, geared toward establishing God’s covenant people on the earth; also used to describe individual elements of the gospel, including marriage. According to JS, the everlasting...

View Glossary
, and for the
gathering

As directed by early revelations, church members “gathered” in communities. A revelation dated September 1830, for instance, instructed elders “to bring to pass the gathering of mine elect” who would “be gathered in unto one place, upon the face of this land...

View Glossary
of Israel in the last days; Shall I worm myself into a political hypocrite? Shall I, who hold the
keys

Authority or knowledge of God given to humankind. In the earliest records, the term keys primarily referred to JS’s authority to unlock the “mysteries of the kingdom.” Early revelations declared that both JS and Oliver Cowdery held the keys to bring forth...

View Glossary
of the last kingdom, in which is the
dispensation

A gift of divine knowledge, power, and authority from God to humankind; often associated with a prophet and his time period. A revelation published in 1835 identified JS and Oliver Cowdery as the recipients of keys to administer a final dispensation of the...

View Glossary
of the fulness of all things spoken by the mouths of all the <​holy​> prophets since the world began; under the authority <​
sealing

To confirm or solemnize. In the early 1830s, revelations often adopted biblical usage of the term seal; for example, “sealed up the testimony” referred to proselytizing and testifying of the gospel as a warning of the approaching end time. JS explained in...

View Glossary
power​> of the
Melchizedek priesthood

The authority and power held by certain officers in the church. The Book of Mormon referred to the high priesthood as God’s “holy order, which was after the order of his Son,” and indicated that Melchizedek, a biblical figure, was a high priest “after this...

View Glossary
; shall I stoop from the sublime authority of Almighty God, to be handled as a monkey’s cat’s paw,—
77

A cat’s paw is a “person used as a tool by another to accomplish a purpose.” The term derives from Jean de La Fontaine’s fable “The Monkey and the Cat.” (“Cat’s paw,” in Oxford English Dictionary, 2:189; Shapiro, Complete Fables of Jean de La Fontaine, 254–255.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Oxford English Dictionary. Compact ed. 2 vols. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1971.

Shapiro, Norman R., trans. The Complete Fables of Jean de La Fontaine. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2007.

and pettify myself into a clown to act the farce of political demagoguery? No, no <​verily​>; no! The whole earth shall bear me witness that I <​like the towering Rock, in the midst of the ocean, which has withstood the mighty surges of the warring waves, for centuries,
78

This might refer to the Rock of Gibraltar, a steep promontory located on the western edge of the Mediterranean Sea that formed one of two “Pillars of Herakles” in Greek mythology. (Hard, Routledge Handbook of Greek Mythology, 265.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Hard, Robin. The Routledge Handbook of Greek Mythology: Based on H. J. Rose’s Handbookof Greek Mythology. New York: Routledge, 2004.

am impregnable,​>
79

TEXT: Insertion written vertically in left margin.


<​and​> am a faithful friend to virtue, and a fearless <​foe​> to vice; no odds whether the former was sold as a pearl in Asia, or hid as a gem in
America

North American constitutional republic. Constitution ratified, 17 Sept. 1787. Population in 1805 about 6,000,000; in 1830 about 13,000,000; and in 1844 about 20,000,000. Louisiana Purchase, 1803, doubled size of U.S. Consisted of seventeen states at time ...

More Info
; and the latter dazzles in palaces or glimmers among the tombs.
I combat the errors of ages; and <​I​> meet the violence of mobs; and <​I​> cope with illegal proceedings from executive authority; I and cut the Gordian knot of powers;
80

In Greek mythology, the Gordian knot was an intricate knot fashioned by King Gordius (Midas’s father) to tie his wagon to a yoke. An oracle later declared that any man who could defeat the series of knots should by right rule Asia. After conquering Gordium in 333 BC, Alexander the Great allegedly solved the puzzle of the knot by simply cutting through it with a sword. The term Gordian knot came to symbolize a difficult or unsolvable problem. (Roller, “Midas and the Gordian Knot,” 256–261; “Gordian knot,” in Oxford English Dictionary, 4:302.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Roller, Lynn E. “Midas and the Gordian Knot.” Classical Antiquity 3, no. 2 (Oct. 1984): 256–271.

Oxford English Dictionary. Compact ed. 2 vols. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1971.

and I solve mathematical problems of Universities; with truth,
81

TEXT: Triple underlined.


diamond truth, and God is my “right hand man.” [p. [4b]]
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Document Information

Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
Letter to James Arlington Bennet, 13 November 1843
ID #
1202
Total Pages
10
Print Volume Location
JSP, D13:258–270
Handwriting on This Page
  • William W. Phelps

Footnotes

  1. [72]

    In December 1841, JS publicly endorsed Adam W. Snyder and John Moore, the Illinois Democratic Party’s candidates for governor and lieutenant governor, and encouraged church members to vote for candidates who supported the Latter-day Saints. In 1843, Hyrum Smith’s endorsement of state congressional candidate Joseph P. Hoge, as well as JS’s support of Hyrum’s declaration, swayed church members to vote for the Democrats. Both endorsements exacerbated ongoing fears regarding the Latter-day Saints’ political power in Hancock County, Illinois, and led to increased tensions between church members and neighboring communities. (See Historical Introduction to Letter to Friends in Illinois, 20 Dec. 1841; Historical Introduction to Discourse, 6 Aug. 1843; and Ford, History of Illinois, 318–319.)

    Ford, Thomas. A History of Illinois, from Its Commencement as a State in 1818 to 1847. Containing a Full Account of the Black Hawk War, the Rise, Progress, and Fall of Mormonism, the Alton and Lovejoy Riots, and Other Important and Interesting Events. Chicago: S. C. Griggs; New York: Ivison and Phinney, 1854.

  2. [73]

    See Judges 16:15–20.

  3. [74]

    See Matthew 7:6.

  4. [75]

    In February 1832, JS and Sidney Rigdon experienced a vision in which they were shown three levels of postmortal glory inherited by the righteous as well as the “eternal sufferings” endured by those found guilty of “denying of the truth and the defying of [God’s] power.” (Vision, 16 Feb. 1832 [D&C 76].)

  5. [76]

    Judas Iscariot, one of Jesus’s twelve apostles, betrayed him for thirty pieces of silver. (See Matthew 26:14–15, 47–50.)

  6. [77]

    A cat’s paw is a “person used as a tool by another to accomplish a purpose.” The term derives from Jean de La Fontaine’s fable “The Monkey and the Cat.” (“Cat’s paw,” in Oxford English Dictionary, 2:189; Shapiro, Complete Fables of Jean de La Fontaine, 254–255.)

    Oxford English Dictionary. Compact ed. 2 vols. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1971.

    Shapiro, Norman R., trans. The Complete Fables of Jean de La Fontaine. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2007.

  7. [78]

    This might refer to the Rock of Gibraltar, a steep promontory located on the western edge of the Mediterranean Sea that formed one of two “Pillars of Herakles” in Greek mythology. (Hard, Routledge Handbook of Greek Mythology, 265.)

    Hard, Robin. The Routledge Handbook of Greek Mythology: Based on H. J. Rose’s Handbookof Greek Mythology. New York: Routledge, 2004.

  8. [79]

    TEXT: Insertion written vertically in left margin.

  9. [80]

    In Greek mythology, the Gordian knot was an intricate knot fashioned by King Gordius (Midas’s father) to tie his wagon to a yoke. An oracle later declared that any man who could defeat the series of knots should by right rule Asia. After conquering Gordium in 333 BC, Alexander the Great allegedly solved the puzzle of the knot by simply cutting through it with a sword. The term Gordian knot came to symbolize a difficult or unsolvable problem. (Roller, “Midas and the Gordian Knot,” 256–261; “Gordian knot,” in Oxford English Dictionary, 4:302.)

    Roller, Lynn E. “Midas and the Gordian Knot.” Classical Antiquity 3, no. 2 (Oct. 1984): 256–271.

    Oxford English Dictionary. Compact ed. 2 vols. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1971.

  10. [81]

    TEXT: Triple underlined.

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