Minutes, 18 March 1833
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Source Note
Minutes, , Geauga Co., OH, 18 Mar. 1833. Featured version copied [between 4 June and ca. 6 June 1833] in Minute Book 1, pp. 16–17; handwriting of ; CHL. For more complete source information, see the source note for Minute Book 1.
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Historical Introduction
At an 18 March 1833 meeting of the in , Ohio, JS and as . An 8 March revelation declared to JS that Rigdon and Williams were “accounted as equal with thee in holding the keys of this Last Kingdom” but did not expressly JS to ordain Rigdon and Williams as presidents of the high priesthood. At this meeting, Rigdon requested that he and Williams be ordained and JS then performed the ordinations.Two other events at this meeting are especially noteworthy. First, although this meeting was held on a Monday, bread and wine were distributed as the of the Lord’s Supper. This practice was generally reserved for Sunday worship services but apparently occurred fairly regularly at meetings of the School of the Prophets. At the end of a previous of high priests, held on 23 January 1833, for example, “they partook of the Lords supper which was blessed by the president in the name of the Lord[.] all eat and drank and were filled.” A year later, in April 1834, the sacrament was again administered at a conference of and , also held on a Monday. According to , a high priest who participated in the foundational meetings of the School of the Prophets, the sacrament was regularly administered at school meetings and JS determined both the manner and the frequency of its administration.An event much more profound than the administration of the sacrament is also recorded in the minutes; they relay an account of “a heavenly vision of the saviour and concourses of angels” that was witnessed by the participants in the meeting. This event is likely the same one described fifty years later to the school of the prophets in Salt Lake City:At one of these meetings after the organization of the school, on the 23d of January, 1833, when we were all togather, Joseph having givan instructions, and while engaged in silent prayer, kneeling, with our hands uplifted each one praying in silence, no one whispered above his breath, a personage walked through the room from east to west, and Joseph asked if we saw him. I saw him and suppose the others did, and Joseph answered that is Jesus, the Son of God, our elder brother. Afterwards Joseph told us to resume our former position in prayer; which we did. Another person came through; He was surrounded as with a flame of fire. He () experianced a sensation that it might destroy the tabernacle as it was of consuming fire of great brightness. The Prophet Joseph said this was the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. I saw Him.While other entries in the minute book outline other shared spiritual experiences, such as speaking in tongues, only this entry relates a collective vision of Jesus Christ.
Footnotes
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1
Revelation, 8 Mar. 1833 [D&C 90:6].
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3
Minute Book 1, 21 Apr. 1834.
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4
Coltrin’s later account suggests that this 18 March conference was one such meeting of the School of the Prophets. Coltrin explained that “the Sacrament was also administered at times when Joseph appointed, after the ancient order; that is, warm bread to break easy was provided, and broken into pieces as large as my fist, and each person had a glass of wine and sat and ate the bread and drank the wine; and Joseph said that was the way that Jesus and his deciples partook of the bread and wine; and this was the order of the church anciently, and until the church went into darkness. Every time we were called togather to attend to any business, we came togather in the morning about sunrise, fasting and partook of the Sacrament each time.” On another occasion Coltrin again reminisced about the meetings of the School of the Prophets and spoke specifically of the administration of the sacrament: “The brethren always went fasting; they went in the morning, remained until about four oclock in the afternoon, when each had a glass of wine and a piece of bread, after the ancient pattern.” (School of the Prophets Salt Lake City Minutes, 3 and 11 Oct. 1883.)
School of the Prophets Salt Lake City Minutes, Apr.–Dec. 1883. CHL.
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5
School of the Prophets Salt Lake City Minutes, 3 Oct. 1883.
School of the Prophets Salt Lake City Minutes, Apr.–Dec. 1883. CHL.
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