“Learning at the Feet of the Prophet,” Liahona, Oct. 2023, United States and Canada Section.
Learning at the Feet of the Prophet
Here are some impressions from a deep study at the feet of the Prophet Joseph Smith.
Joseph Smith Jr., by Alvin Gittins
In the summer of 2023, the Joseph Smith Papers Project celebrated a significant milestone when it completed its print edition: 27 volumes of careful transcriptions of journals, histories, revelations, translations, letters, and a host of other records. These records, along with historical context, will help readers better understand Joseph Smith; his life and mission; and the people he knew, loved, and interacted with. In addition to the print publications, the Joseph Smith Papers Project has produced a companion website, josephsmithpapers.org; has hosted an annual scholarly conference; and has created a fascinating podcast series.1
The project provides unprecedented access to the Prophet of the Restoration. It allows for a close, unfiltered examination of the Prophet to help people the world over “know ‘Brother Joseph’ again.”2 It establishes the standard of historical accuracy for this era of the Church’s history and is a catalyst for Church members to learn “more about their past than ever before.”3
Each of the dozens of people who have worked on this project has come to know Joseph Smith in a unique way. Here are some major impressions we gained from a deep study at the feet of the Prophet Joseph Smith.
Joseph’s Character
Joseph Smith was a complex individual driven by purpose and belief. He acted in faith, doing his best to follow the Lord. He faced a great deal of adversity and made incredible sacrifices for his faith. He endured imprisonment, impoverishment, physical and verbal attacks, the deaths of children and other family members, and the death and betrayal of close friends. He never denied his testimony that God and Jesus Christ had spoken to him, and he never stopped preaching the gospel.
And even amid the great difficulties in his life, he maintained his trust and faith in God. “We all must be reconciled to our lots and say the will of the Lord be done,” he wrote to Emma just a couple of months after the death of one of their children.4 As he languished in Liberty Jail in 1839, he explained that his suffering had increased the tenderness of his heart: “I never could have felt as I now do if I had not suffered the wrongs that I have suffered[;] all things shall work together for good to them that love God [see Romans 8:28].”5 Such faith and optimism in trials is inspiring and “reminds us that living the gospel is no inoculation against adversity.”6 Joseph faced nearly insurmountable adversity, and even still he did his best to do God’s will.
He taught all people, including young men and young women, to learn the gospel and stand as witnesses of Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and their faith. He learned, as we all do, “line upon line, precept upon precept” (2 Nephi 28:30). He taught others how to obtain knowledge the same way he had: “It is not wisdom that we should have all knowledge at once presented before us but that we should have a little[;] then we can comprehend it.”7
He was deeply concerned about the well-being of others and praised the good he saw around him. He trusted others and encouraged them to strive to be disciples of Christ. Addressing a “stir in the Church” involving a young woman who had emigrated from England and was living in the home of Heber and Vilate Kimball, Joseph wrote a letter to Vilate. With grace and understanding, the Prophet encouraged Vilate: “I do not desire that you should turn the young woman out of doors; far be it from me to advise any such course. I think it would be well for her to remain with you … because I think that your advice may be a blessing to her, and your counsel and advice such as will tend to her future welfare and happiness.”8 Joseph trusted Vilate; she had chosen faith and continued in her belief that Joseph Smith was a prophet.9 Joseph’s trust in Vilate paid dividends as Vilate’s influence and counsel helped the young woman weather the storm and commit to her faith.
Joseph had human failings. He never pretended otherwise. He acknowledged: “The wrong that I do is thro’ the frailty of human nature like other men. No man lives without fault.”10 And he was willing to admit when he was wrong and to seek forgiveness. On one occasion in 1836, Joseph stated that he was perhaps too harsh in some language he used in a letter to the Twelve Apostles. Meeting with the Apostles, he asked for their forgiveness, stating that he loved them and would “hold [them] up with all my heart in all righteousness before the Lord.”11 Seeking and granting forgiveness were hallmarks of Joseph’s character.
Seeking and Receiving Revelation
Because Joseph Smith consistently sought God’s help with “faith, nothing wavering” (James 1:6), his life was full of revelatory experiences. He was charged with bringing forth the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ and other scriptures that set forth the fulness of the Savior’s gospel.
Joseph taught that men and women can receive revelation for their own lives. With persuasion and reason, the Prophet argued for continuing revelation in a profound letter he wrote to his unbelieving uncle Silas in 1833: “Have I not an equal privilege with the ancient Saints? And will not the Lord hear my prayers and listen to my cries as soon as he ever did to theirs, if I come to him in the manner they did?”12 Joseph made it clear that God continues to speak to His children and provides them with guidance as He did for people in biblical times.
The Prophet remained committed to the power of revelation to the end of his life. In a May 1844 discourse, just a few weeks before he was martyred, he declared, “I never told you I was perfect—but there is no error in the revelations which I have taught.”13 Joseph’s life and words were a constant testimony that God lives and that His words to His children do not cease. Because of Joseph Smith’s experiences and teachings, we can better understand our own ability to access personal revelation.
Brother Joseph, by David Lindsley; Building the Kirtland Temple, by Walter Rane
Building Temples
On June 1, 1833, the Lord told Joseph Smith and the Saints that they had been unresponsive to His previous call to build the house of the Lord (see Doctrine and Covenants 95:3, 8). From that time forward, Joseph became even more focused on temples.
As construction on the Kirtland Temple neared completion, Joseph emphasized spiritual preparation. He encouraged Church members to unify themselves, to repent, and to live by the principles of equality and humility. He implored the Twelve Apostles to unite their hearts with his, “that we may be one in feeling and sentiment and that our faith may be strong so that Satan cannot overthrow us nor have any power over us.” The Prophet further testified, “All who are prepared and are sufficiently pure to abide the presence of the Savior will see him” in the temple.14
The dedication of the Kirtland Temple in 1836 was the result of years of devoted effort and sacrifice by Joseph Smith and the Saints. It was a glorious event for those women and men who gathered for the ceremony. This temple was a place that truly opened a door for eternal work that would greatly increase in the years and centuries that followed.15
When the Saints moved to Nauvoo, Illinois, the Lord again directed Joseph to build a temple so that new saving ordinances could be performed for the Saints.16 Joseph did everything in his power to faithfully build the Lord’s house in Nauvoo and to teach people the principles of salvation and exaltation.
Joseph Smith Preaching, by Sam Lawlor
History and Faith
The Joseph Smith Papers collection is a wonderful resource for scholars and Saints to learn more about the Prophet Joseph and the early Saints. Among the thousands of documents are accounts of what transpired in the Sacred Grove; Joseph’s efforts to translate scriptures and keep a sacred historical record; his desire to build the city of Zion in Missouri and how the Saints’ expulsion from the state affected him; his feelings about his family, especially his wife Emma; and his earnest attempts to keep the Saints safe in Illinois, which ultimately contributed to his death.
But for all the study and learning we have done at the feet of the Prophet Joseph Smith, we still don’t know everything about him or his era. Historical sources, even the roughly ten thousand compiled by the Joseph Smith Papers Project, don’t have every answer to every question. The limited, incomplete nature of historical sources requires us to exercise a measure of faith. As Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said, “Faith never demands an answer to every question.”17 Understanding our history is like studying a fine but aged tapestry; if we choose to, we can see the beautiful scenes despite some missing threads.18
Although we don’t have all the answers to every question about Joseph Smith, the Joseph Smith Papers help to illuminate his role in the Lord’s work. The closer you get to Joseph and what occurred in his life, the more you see his faith and dedication to Jesus Christ and to restoring His gospel on the earth. He was not perfect and never claimed to be. But the Lord did “a marvelous work and a wonder” (2 Nephi 27:26) through him.
By taking the time to engage with the Joseph Smith Papers, you will come to see that Joseph and the people of the past have much to teach us not only about faith but also about empathy, compassion, and respect. Understanding this history can help deepen charity both for the people of the past and for our neighbors in the present.