Minutes, 12 February 1834

observed in this church

The Book of Mormon related that when Christ set up his church in the Americas, “they which were baptized in the name of Jesus, were called the church of Christ.” The first name used to denote the church JS organized on 6 April 1830 was “the Church of Christ...

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to the present. It was understood in ancient  days, that if one man could stay in Council

A gathering of church leaders assembled “for consultation, deliberation and advice”; also a body responsible for governance or administration. As early as 9 February 1831, a revelation instructed that “the Elders & Bishop shall Council together & they shall...

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another Could, and if  the president could spend his time, the members could also. But in our  Councils, generally, one would be uneasy, another asleep, one praying  another not; one’s mind on the business of the Council and another think ing on something else &c. Our acts are recorded, and at a future  day they will be laid before us, and if we should fail to judge right  and injure our fellow beings, they may there prehaps condemn us; then  they are of great Consequence: and to me the Consequence appears to  be of force beyond any thing which I am able to express &c. Ask  yourselves, brethrn, how much you have exercised yourselves in prayer  since you heard of this Council; and if you are now prepared to  sit in judgment upon the soul of your brother.— Bro Joseph then  went on to give us a relation of his situation at the time he obtained  the record, the persecution he met with &C. He also told us of his transgressing  at the time he was translateing

To produce a new text through a revelatory, rather than scholarly, process by the “gift and power of God.” In the Book of Mormon, the ancient prophet Mosiah translated records into his own language using “interpreters,” or “two stones which was fastened into...

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the Book of Mormon. He also proph ecied that he should stand and shine like the sun in the firmament  when his enemies and the gainsayers of his testimony should be put  down and Cut off and their names blotted out from among men.  After the Council had rec[e]ived much good instruction from Bro.  Joseph. The Case of Bro. Martin Harris

18 May 1783–10 July 1875. Farmer. Born at Easton, Albany Co., New York. Son of Nathan Harris and Rhoda Lapham. Moved with parents to area of Swift’s Landing (later in Palmyra), Ontario Co., New York, 1793. Married first his first cousin Lucy Harris at Palmyra...

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against whom certain  Charges were preferred by bro. Sidney Rigdon

19 Feb. 1793–14 July 1876. Tanner, farmer, minister. Born at St. Clair, Allegheny Co., Pennsylvania. Son of William Rigdon and Nancy Gallaher. Joined United Baptists, ca. 1818. Preached at Warren, Trumbull Co., Ohio, and vicinity, 1819–1821. Married Phebe...

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. One was that he told Esqr  A[lpheus] C. Russell that Joseph drank too much liquor when he was translating  the Book of Mormon and that he wrestled with many men and  threw them &c. Another charge was, that he exalted himself above  bro. Joseph, in that he said bro. Joseph knew not the contents of the  book of Mormon until it was translated. Bro. Martin

18 May 1783–10 July 1875. Farmer. Born at Easton, Albany Co., New York. Son of Nathan Harris and Rhoda Lapham. Moved with parents to area of Swift’s Landing (later in Palmyra), Ontario Co., New York, 1793. Married first his first cousin Lucy Harris at Palmyra...

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but that he  himself knew all about it before it was translated. Bro. Martin

18 May 1783–10 July 1875. Farmer. Born at Easton, Albany Co., New York. Son of Nathan Harris and Rhoda Lapham. Moved with parents to area of Swift’s Landing (later in Palmyra), Ontario Co., New York, 1793. Married first his first cousin Lucy Harris at Palmyra...

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said  he did not tell Esqr Russell that bro. Joseph drank too much liquor  while translateing the book of Mormon, but this thing took place  before the book of Mormon was translated. He confessed that  his mind was darkend and that he had said many things inad vertently calculateing calculateid to wound the feelings of his bretheren and  promised to do better. The Council forgave him and gave him much [p. 28]