The Papers
Browse the PapersDocumentsJournalsAdministrative RecordsRevelations and TranslationsHistoriesLegal RecordsFinancial RecordsOther Contemporary Papers
Reference
PeoplePlacesEventsGlossaryLegal GlossaryFinancial GlossaryCalendar of DocumentsWorks CitedFeatured TopicsLesson PlansRelated Publications
Media
VideosPhotographsIllustrationsChartsMapsPodcasts
News
Current NewsArchiveNewsletterSubscribeJSP Conferences
About
About the ProjectJoseph Smith and His PapersFAQAwardsEndorsementsReviewsEditorial MethodNote on TranscriptionsNote on Images of People and PlacesReferencing the ProjectCiting This WebsiteProject TeamContact Us
Published Volumes
  1. Home > 
  2. The Papers > 

Discourse, 8 April 1843, as Reported by William Clayton

Source Note

JS, Discourse, [, Hancock Co., IL, 8 Apr. 1843]. Featured version inscribed [8 Apr. 1843]; handwriting of ; three pages; JS Collection, CHL. Includes notation, docket, redaction, and archival marking.
Bifolium measuring 12¼ × 7¾ inches (31 × 20 cm) and ruled with thirty-six horizontal gray lines. At the top of the recto of the first leaf, wrote one line of text that is apparently unrelated to JS’s discourse. Clayton inscribed the discourse in graphite. On the verso of the second leaf, he added mathematical notations that appear unconnected with the discourse. The document was folded twice for filing. A corner of the bifolium was torn off and reattached with cellophane tape.
A title, “Josephs Sermen”, was inscribed at the top of the recto of the first leaf by , 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. A docket was added by , who served as JS’s scribe from 1843 to 1844 and as clerk to the church historian and recorder from 1845 to 1865. At a later date, likely in the twentieth century, an archivist added the date of the discourse in the upper right corner of the recto of the first leaf. By 1973 the document had been included in the JS Collection at the Church Historical Department (now CHL). The title, docket, archival marking, and inclusion by 1973 in the JS Collection indicate continuous institutional custody.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    Clayton wrote, “Tenor charms the ear—Bass the heart,” as well as “Marcellus Page.” Willard Richards, whose parallel account of the meeting is also featured here, did not include text corresponding to these notes, nor did he make any notes relating to music at this conference session.

  2. [2]

    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–.

  3. [3]

    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.

  4. [4]

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

Historical Introduction

On 8 April 1843 in , Illinois, during a special of the held from 6 to 9 April, JS preached a discourse on the meaning of the beasts from John’s vision in the New Testament book of Revelation. As an apocalyptic text, the book of Revelation used symbols such as beasts to depict the cosmic struggle between God and the devil as it unfolded in heaven, earth, and hell. Lacking an explicit explanation of the symbolism of the beasts in John’s vision, many Christians turned to the vision of Daniel in the Old Testament, which likewise used beasts as symbols, since an angel explicitly explained to Daniel that the beasts represented corrupt kingdoms on the earth. Applying this key, Christian interpreters concluded that the beasts, especially those mentioned in Revelation 13, similarly represented corrupt earthly kingdoms under the dominion of the devil. These interpreters subsequently developed many theories to identify the symbolic beasts with specific historical kingdoms, powerful institutions, or influential people.
Although JS reportedly had a strong personal interest in the book of Revelation as a youth, he evidently did not address the interpretation of the beasts publicly during the early years of the church. In an explanatory document written in March 1832, he answered questions regarding the book of Revelation, including a query about “the four beasts spoken of by John” in Revelation 4. Instead of adopting the traditional interpretation that the beasts represented corrupt kingdoms, JS responded that they were actually “four individual beasts which were shewn to John to represent the glory of the classes of beings in their destined order or sphere of creation in the enjoyment of their eternal felicity.” However, this document was not published during JS’s lifetime. In 1839, the explicitly instructed missionaries to avoid speculating about the meaning of the beasts and other mysteries and instead to focus their public preaching on “the first principles of the gospel.”
By early 1843, however, debates about millennial prophecies in the book of Revelation were unavoidable, primarily due to the excitement surrounding the teachings of Baptist preacher , who had predicted that Christ would return to the earth in 1843 or 1844. The beasts of Revelation became a point of local controversy in March 1843 when the tried Latter-day Saint missionary for teaching false doctrine. According to JS’s summary of Brown’s ideas, Brown adapted the traditional understanding that the beasts represented kingdoms and applied it to the fourth and fifth chapters of Revelation, which describe four heavenly beasts worshipping before the throne of God. Rather than interpreting these beasts as corrupt earthly kingdoms, Brown claimed that they represented the “kingdoms of God on the earth” as constituted during the times of biblical figures such as Adam, Enoch, Abraham, and Jesus. After Brown “acknowledged” the false doctrine charge, the trial moved to unrelated allegations.
The issue of the beasts was again raised on 2 April 1843, when JS visited church members in , Illinois. Reading from the fifth chapter of Revelation, he reaffirmed his 1832 statement that the beasts mentioned were actual creatures, adding that they possibly came from another planet. He concluded, referring to ’s teachings, that “God never made use of the figure of a beast to represent the kingdom of heaven.” JS also engaged in spirited debate with unnamed “young ” whom he hoped “would let such things alone.” Later that day, “several came in & expressd fear that [he] had come in contact with the old scripture,” evidently challenging his position that the vision of Daniel should not be used to interpret John’s vision in Revelation. JS again defended his position when speaking later that evening.
JS revisited the subject of the beasts on 8 April 1843, the third day of the church’s special conference in , noting the recent “division of sentiment amongst the E[lde]rs” over the meaning of the beasts and expressing his desire to settle the debate. He then proceeded to refute ’s position and to articulate his own view of the matter. It was a windy morning, and JS was concerned that he would not be able to speak above the wind for an extended period of time. He stopped preaching at 11:25 a.m., when his “lungs faild” and “the wind blew briskly.”
was appointed clerk of the conference and recorded JS’s discourse. The unevenness of Clayton’s notes suggests that he was writing as he heard JS speak. Another of JS’s scribes, , likewise took uneven notes, which he later copied into JS’s journal, likely with minimal polishing, as was his typical practice. Church member also made an account, the polished nature of which suggests that he reconstructed JS’s words after the fact from notes or from memory or both. All three versions are featured here. Annotation that appears in Clayton’s version of the discourse is not repeated in corresponding locations in the other featured versions.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    Reflecting the prevailing methodology for interpreting biblical prophecy, nineteenth-century Bible scholar James Clarke explained that “what is meant by the term Beast in any one prophetic vision, the same species of thing must be represented by the same term whenever it is used in a similar way in any other part of the Sacred Oracles.” Clarke’s explanation was quoted approvingly by prominent Methodist Adam Clarke in his influential nineteenth-century Bible commentary, which JS was known to consult. (Clarke, Dissertation on the Dragon, 82, italics in original; Clarke, New Testament, 2:1035; see also Wayment and Wilson-Lemmon, “Recovered Resource,” 262–284.)

    Clarke, James E. Dissertation on the Dragon, Beast, and False-Prophet, of the Apocalypse; in Which the Number 666 Is Satisfactorily Explained. And Also a Full Illustration of Daniel’s Vision of the Ram and He-Goat. London: Printed for the author, 1814.

    Clarke, Adam. The New Testament of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. The Text Carefully Printed from the Most Correct Copies of the Present Authorised Version, Including the Marginal Readings and Parallel Texts. . . . Vol. 1. New York: J. Emory and B. Waugh, 1831.

    Wayment, Thomas A., and Haley Wilson-Lemmon. “A Recovered Resource: The Use of Adam Clarke’s Bible Commentary in Joseph Smith’s Bible Translation.” In Producing Ancient Scripture: Joseph Smith’s Translation Projects in the Development of Mormon Christianity, edited by Michael Hubbard MacKay, Mark Ashurst-McGee, and Brian M. Hauglid, 262–284. Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press, 2020.

  2. [2]

    Pomeroy Tucker, a contemporary of JS who lived in the town where JS grew up, wrote that JS “frequently perused the Bible, becoming quite familiar with portions thereof. . . . The Prophecies and Revelations were his special forte.” (Tucker, Origin, Rise, and Progress of Mormonism, 17.)

    Tucker, Pomeroy. Origin, Rise, and Progress of Mormonism: Biography of Its Founders and History of Its Church. New York: D. Appleton, 1867.

  3. [3]

    Answers to Questions, between ca. 4 and ca. 20 Mar. 1832 [D&C 77:2–4]. JS also reviewed the book of Revelation in his revision of the King James Bible in the early 1830s. He made no changes relevant to the beasts in chapters 4–6, although he did insert “in the likeness of the kingdoms of the earth” into John’s description of the beast in chapter 13. (New Testament Revision 2, pp. 150–151, 153 [second numbering] [Joseph Smith Translation, Revelation 4:6; 6:1; 13:1].)

  4. [4]

    “Proposed Sixth Gathering of the Book of Commandments.”

  5. [5]

    The Twelve warned the elders to “leave the further mysteries of the kingdom, till God shall tell you to preach them, which is not now.— The horns of the beast, the toes of the image, the frogs and the beast mentioned by John, are not going to save this generation.” (“To the Elders of the Church,” Times and Seasons, Nov. 1839, 1:13–14.)

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

  6. [6]

    See Historical Introduction to Instruction, 2 Apr. 1843 [D&C 130]; Minutes and Discourses, 6–7 Apr. 1843; and Underwood, Millenarian World of Early Mormonism, chap. 7.

    Underwood, Grant. The Millenarian World of Early Mormonism. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1993.

  7. [7]

    Nauvoo Stake High Council Minutes, 19 Mar. 1843. Pelatiah Brown had joined the church by the mid-1830s and served missions in the late 1830s and early 1840s. (Elder’s License for Pelatiah Brown, 1 June 1836, in Kirtland Elders’ Certificates, 128; Haight, Journal, [4], [6]; Nauvoo Ninth Ward High Priests Quorum, Minutes, 21 Jan. 1845, [15]; “Conference Minutes,” Times and Seasons, 1 Oct. 1842, 3:941.)

    Nauvoo Stake High Council Minutes, ca. 1839–ca. 1843. Fair copy. In Oliver Cowdery, Diary, Jan.–Mar. 1836. CHL.

    Haight, Isaac Chauncey. Journal, 1852–1862. Photocopy. CHL. MS 1384.

    Nauvoo Ninth Ward. High Priests Minutes, Nov. 1844–Feb. 1845. CHL. LR 3501 21.

  8. [8]

    Brown was also charged with criticizing Daniel Shearer, which Brown denied. After deliberation, this charge was “not sustained” by the council. (Nauvoo Stake High Council Minutes, 19 Mar. 1843.)

    Nauvoo Stake High Council Minutes, ca. 1839–ca. 1843. Fair copy. In Oliver Cowdery, Diary, Jan.–Mar. 1836. CHL.

  9. [9]

    Instruction, 2 Apr. 1843 [D&C 130].

  10. [10]

    JS, Journal, 8 Apr. 1843.

  11. [11]

    See Historical Introduction to Minutes and Discourses, 6–7 Apr. 1843.

  12. [12]

    See Historical Introduction to Discourse, 4 July 1843.

  13. [13]

    The recollective nature of Franklin D. Richards’s account of the discourse is further confirmed by the fact that he inscribed his accounts of JS’s comments at the April 1843 conference in reverse chronological order, beginning with the 8 April discourse, following it with JS’s 7 April response to Orson Pratt, and concluding with JS’s second discourse given on 6 April 1843. (See Richards, “Scriptural Items,” [15]–[17].)

    Richards, Franklin D. Scriptural Items, ca. 1841–1844. CHL. MS 4409.

Asterisk (*) denotes a "featured" version, which includes an introduction and annotation. *Discourse, 8 April 1843, as Reported by William Clayton *Discourse, 8 April 1843, as Reported by Willard Richards Journal, December 1842–June 1844; Book 2, 10 March 1843–14 July 1843 *Discourse, 8 April 1843, as Reported by Franklin D. Richards History, 1838–1856, volume D-1 [1 August 1842–1 July 1843] “History of Joseph Smith”

Page [2]

When God made use of the figure of a beast to the prophets he did it to rep. that portion, who had degenerated— the k’s of the [[world]]. Daniel says when he saw bear— angel interpreted— had no allusion to the k. of God— all the figure of beast rep. the k of the [[world]] beastly & abominable charcters— they were murderous corrupt carniverous in their dispositions. Make mention of the prophets to qualify any declaration I am about to make— that the young may not choke me like hornets— dif between the prophets & the Rev of John— none of the things John saw had any allusion the days of Adam, Enock Ab[raham] or Jesus— only as represented to John & clearly set forth— John saw that which was shortly to come to pass futurity read Rev c 1 v 1— declaration— those things that John saw in h[eaven] had no allusion to any thing that had been on the earth because John saw what was to shortly come to pass— John saw beasts that had to do with things on the earth— but not in past ages The beast had to devour the inhabitants, The Rev. do not give us to understand any thing past in relation of the k of God— what John saw was in heaven— prophets on the earth— going to take exceptions to the translation— distinction pro[phets] do not declare the[y] saw beast but that they saw the image or figure of a beast. they did not see an actual bear or lion— should have been rendered image instead of beast in every instance— John saw the actual beast in heaven, to shew that that being did exist there. when p saw they were images types to represent & they received an interpretation. I set it forth by this broad dec— where God ever gives a vision of an image &c he always holds himself responsible to give a Rev. or interpretation. otherwise we are not responsible— dont be afraid of being damned for not knowing this where God has not given a Rev. read Rev 5— 11— particularly verse 13, John saw curious looking beasts in heaven— saw every creature that was in heaven &c— all the beast foul fish in heaven— actually their giving glory to God. I suppose John saw beings there that had been saved from 10000 times 10000 earths like this— strange beasts— might be seen them in heaven.— John learned that God glorified himself by saving all that his hands made— a man who would tell you that this could not be would tell you that the Revelation [p. [2]]
View entire transcript

|

Cite this page

Source Note

Document Transcript

Page [2]

Document Information

Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
Discourse, 8 April 1843, as Reported by William Clayton
ID #
2004
Total Pages
4
Print Volume Location
JSP, D12:185–190
Handwriting on This Page
  • William Clayton

Footnotes

  1. [8]

    TEXT: Expanded from the Taylor shorthand symbol for world, represented as a small circle.

  2. [9]

    See Daniel 7:15–17.

  3. [10]

    TEXT: Expanded from the Taylor shorthand symbol for world.

  4. [11]

    JS here referred not to the heavenly beasts mentioned in Revelation chapters 4 and 5 but to the beasts in Daniel’s vision that were prophesied to “devour much flesh” and “the whole earth.” (See Daniel 7:5, 7, 19, 23.)

  5. [12]

    JS was here suggesting that the King James Version translators’ selection of the English word beast was incongruent with the underlying Hebrew word. According to Willard Richards’s account of this discourse, JS stated that “in Hebrew, it is a Latitude & Longitude compar[e]d with English version.” JS may have come to this conclusion based on his reading of Daniel 7:4–6. In Richards’s account, JS indicated that Daniel did not say he saw an actual lion, bear, or leopard but instead that “he saw an image like unto a bear:— in every place.”

  6. [13]

    On 2 April 1843, JS addressed Revelation 5:6, “shewing from that. the a[c]tual existenc[e] of beasts in heaven probable those were beasts which had lived on another planet. than our’s.” (Instruction, 2 Apr. 1843 [D&C 130].)

  7. [14]

    JS here adapted Revelation 5:11, which states that “the number of them [beasts] was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands.” Revelation 5:13 describes “every creature” in heaven, earth, and sea, “saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.” In 1830, JS dictated a revelation relating Moses’s vision of “many lands & each land was called Earth,” in which God explains, “worlds without number have I created.” (Visions of Moses, June 1830 [Moses 1:29, 33].)

  8. [15]

    In JS’s revision of the Old Testament, Moses quotes Deity as stating that “this is my work and my glory to bring to pass the immortality & eternal life of man.” (Old Testament Revision 2, p. 3 [Moses 1:39].)

© 2024 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.Terms of UseUpdated 2021-04-13Privacy NoticeUpdated 2021-04-06