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Letter from William W. Phelps, with Appended Letter from Orson Hyde and John E. Page, 29 June 1840

Source Note

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,...

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, Letter,
Dayton

City in western Ohio on east side of Great Miami River, immediately below mouth of Mad River. Located approximately fifty-two miles northeast of Cincinnati and sixty-seven miles southwest of Columbus. First settled, 1796. Established as Montgomery Co. seat...

More Info
, Montgomery Co., OH, to JS, [
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], 29 June 1840, with appended letter from
Orson Hyde

8 Jan. 1805–28 Nov. 1878. Laborer, clerk, storekeeper, teacher, editor, businessman, lawyer, judge. Born at Oxford, New Haven Co., Connecticut. Son of Nathan Hyde and Sally Thorpe. Moved to Derby, New Haven Co., 1812. Moved to Kirtland, Geauga Co., Ohio, ...

View Full Bio
and
John E. Page

25 Feb. 1799–14 Oct. 1867. Born at Trenton, Oneida Co., New York. Son of Ebenezer Page and Rachel Hill. Married first Betsey Thompson, 1831, in Huron Co., Ohio. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by Emer Harris, 18 Aug. 1833, at Brownhelm...

View Full Bio
, [
Dayton

City in western Ohio on east side of Great Miami River, immediately below mouth of Mad River. Located approximately fifty-two miles northeast of Cincinnati and sixty-seven miles southwest of Columbus. First settled, 1796. Established as Montgomery Co. seat...

More Info
, Montgomery Co., OH], to JS,
Hyrum Smith

9 Feb. 1800–27 June 1844. Farmer, cooper. Born at Tunbridge, Orange Co., Vermont. Son of Joseph Smith Sr. and Lucy Mack. Moved to Randolph, Orange Co., 1802; back to Tunbridge, before May 1803; to Royalton, Windsor Co., Vermont, 1804; to Sharon, Windsor Co...

View Full Bio
, and
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...

View Full Bio
, [
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], 29 June 1840. Featured version copied [ca. 22 July 1840] in JS Letterbook 2, pp. 155–157; handwriting of
Robert B. Thompson

1 Oct. 1811–27 Aug. 1841. Clerk, editor. Born in Great Driffield, Yorkshire, England. Methodist. Immigrated to Upper Canada, 1834. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by Parley P. Pratt, May 1836, in Upper Canada. Ordained an elder by...

View Full Bio
; JS Collection, CHL. For more complete source information, see the source note for JS Letterbook 2.

Historical Introduction

On 29 June 1840,
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,...

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wrote a letter to JS asking to be forgiven for past transgressions and to have his
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...

View Glossary
membership restored. Phelps had been one of the church’s leading figures for several years, serving as a printer and as a member of the church
presidency

An organized body of leaders over priesthood quorums and other ecclesiastical organizations. A November 1831 revelation first described the office of president over the high priesthood and the church as a whole. By 1832, JS and two counselors constituted ...

View Glossary
in
Missouri

Area acquired by U.S. in Louisiana Purchase, 1803, and established as territory, 1812. Missouri Compromise, 1820, admitted Missouri as slave state, 1821. Population in 1830 about 140,000; in 1836 about 240,000; and in 1840 about 380,000. Latter-day Saint ...

More Info
.
1

Revelation, 20 July 1831 [D&C 57:11]; Minutes and Discourse, ca. 7 July 1834.


In 1837 and 1838, however, he clashed with other church leaders, mainly over issues with church finances and the sale and control of land in
Jackson

Settled at Fort Osage, 1808. County created, 16 Feb. 1825; organized 1826. Named after U.S. president Andrew Jackson. Featured fertile lands along Missouri River and was Santa Fe Trail departure point, which attracted immigrants to area. Area of county reduced...

More Info
and
Caldwell

Located in northwest Missouri. Settled by whites, by 1831. Described as being “one-third timber and two-thirds prairie” in 1836. Created specifically for Latter-day Saints by Missouri state legislature, 29 Dec. 1836, in attempt to solve “Mormon problem.” ...

More Info
counties, Missouri. In March 1838, he was excommunicated.
2

Letter to Wilford Woodruff, ca. 18 June 1838; Minute Book 2, 7 Apr. 1837 and 10 Mar. 1838.


Sometime thereafter his membership was restored, and a July 1838 revelation stated that if he was to be saved he should be
ordained

The conferral of power and authority; to appoint, decree, or set apart. Church members, primarily adults, were ordained to ecclesiastical offices and other responsibilities by the laying on of hands by those with the proper authority. Ordinations to priesthood...

View Glossary
an
elder

A male leader in the church generally; an ecclesiastical and priesthood office or one holding that office; a proselytizing missionary. The Book of Mormon explained that elders ordained priests and teachers and administered “the flesh and blood of Christ unto...

View Glossary
and sent out to preach.
3

Revelation, 8 July 1838–B. A July 1838 entry in JS’s journal called Phelps a brother, suggesting he was back in the church by then. (JS, Journal, 26 July 1838.)


But Phelps evidently continued to have difficulties with the church. In November 1838, during hearings held in
Richmond

Area settled, ca. 1814. Officially platted as Ray Co. seat, 1827. Population in 1840 about 500. Seat of Fifth Judicial Circuit Court of Missouri; also location of courthouse and jails. JS and about sixty other Latter-day Saint men were incarcerated here while...

More Info
, Missouri, for JS and other church leaders charged with treason, Phelps testified against the men, stating, among other things, that they intended to kill any sheriff trying to serve writs on them and that they wanted to declare the church independent from earthly governments.
4

William W. Phelps, Testimony, Richmond, MO, Nov. 1838, State of Missouri v. JS et al. for Treason and Other Crimes (Mo. 5th Jud. Cir. 1838), in State of Missouri, “Evidence.”


Comprehensive Works Cited

Missouri, State of. “Evidence.” Hearing Record, Richmond, MO, 12–29 Nov. 1838, State of Missouri v. Joseph Smith et al. for Treason and Other Crimes (Mo. 5th Cir. Ct. 1838). Eugene Morrow Violette Collection, 1806–1921, Western Historical Manuscript Collection. University of Missouri and State Historical Society of Missouri, Ellis Library, University of Missouri, Columbia.

Phelps was again excommunicated in March 1839.
5

“Extracts of the Minutes of Conferences,” Times and Seasons, Nov. 1839, 1:15.


Comprehensive Works Cited

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

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,...

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’s testimony and excommunication created hard feelings on both sides. In December 1838, JS called Phelps and other dissenters from the church “so very ignorant that they cannot appear respectable in any decent and civilized society” and accused the dissenters of having eyes “full of adultery.”
6

Letter to the Church in Caldwell Co., MO, 16 Dec. 1838.


Phelps wrote disparagingly of church leaders in a May 1839 letter to his wife,
Sally Waterman Phelps

24 July 1797–2 Jan. 1874. Schoolteacher. Born in Franklin, Delaware Co., New York. Daughter of David Bassett Waterman and Jerusha Case. Married William Wines Phelps, 28 Apr. 1815, in Smyrna, Chenango Co., New York. Moved to Homer, Cortland Co., New York; ...

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, stating the
Twelve Apostles

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
were unable to see “the saw log in their own eyes while they are endeavoring to pull the slab out of the neighboring nations.”
7

William W. Phelps, Far West, MO, to Sally Waterman Phelps, St. Louis, MO, 1 May 1839, CHL.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Phelps, William W. Letter, Far West, MO, to Sally Waterman Phelps, St. Louis, MO, 1 May 1839. CHL.

Despite the contention, in spring 1839, Phelps offered to sell a mill in
Missouri

Area acquired by U.S. in Louisiana Purchase, 1803, and established as territory, 1812. Missouri Compromise, 1820, admitted Missouri as slave state, 1821. Population in 1830 about 140,000; in 1836 about 240,000; and in 1840 about 380,000. Latter-day Saint ...

More Info
on behalf of
Joseph Smith Sr.

12 July 1771–14 Sept. 1840. Cooper, farmer, teacher, merchant. Born at Topsfield, Essex Co., Massachusetts. Son of Asael Smith and Mary Duty. Nominal member of Congregationalist church at Topsfield. Married to Lucy Mack by Seth Austin, 24 Jan. 1796, at Tunbridge...

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JS told Phelps to mind his “own affairs” because JS had “already experienced much over officiousness at your [Phelps’s] hand.”
8

William W. Phelps, Far West, MO, to John P. Greene, Quincy, IL, 23 Apr. 1839, in JS Letterbook 2, p. 7; Letter to William W. Phelps, 22 May 1839.


By summer 1840,
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
’s views toward the church had softened. Having relocated to
Dayton

City in western Ohio on east side of Great Miami River, immediately below mouth of Mad River. Located approximately fifty-two miles northeast of Cincinnati and sixty-seven miles southwest of Columbus. First settled, 1796. Established as Montgomery Co. seat...

More Info
, Ohio, Phelps followed the counsel of apostles
Orson Hyde

8 Jan. 1805–28 Nov. 1878. Laborer, clerk, storekeeper, teacher, editor, businessman, lawyer, judge. Born at Oxford, New Haven Co., Connecticut. Son of Nathan Hyde and Sally Thorpe. Moved to Derby, New Haven Co., 1812. Moved to Kirtland, Geauga Co., Ohio, ...

View Full Bio
and
John E. Page

25 Feb. 1799–14 Oct. 1867. Born at Trenton, Oneida Co., New York. Son of Ebenezer Page and Rachel Hill. Married first Betsey Thompson, 1831, in Huron Co., Ohio. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by Emer Harris, 18 Aug. 1833, at Brownhelm...

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, who were preaching in the area, and wrote this 29 June 1840 letter, expressing contrition for his past actions and seeking forgiveness.
9

In the letter they appended to Phelps’s, Orson Hyde and John E. Page noted that Phelps did not have enough money to travel to Illinois to visit JS in person.


Hyde and Page appended a note to Phelps’s letter, explaining to JS and his counselors in the
First Presidency

The highest presiding body of the church. An 11 November 1831 revelation stated that the president of the high priesthood was to preside over the church. JS was ordained as president of the high priesthood on 25 January 1832. In March 1832, JS appointed two...

View Glossary
that they believed Phelps’s repentance to be genuine. The original letter has not been located, but JS received it and wrote a reply to Phelps on 22 July 1840, accepting Phelps’s apology.
10

Letter to William W. Phelps, 22 July 1840.


At some point around 22 July 1840,
Robert B. Thompson

1 Oct. 1811–27 Aug. 1841. Clerk, editor. Born in Great Driffield, Yorkshire, England. Methodist. Immigrated to Upper Canada, 1834. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by Parley P. Pratt, May 1836, in Upper Canada. Ordained an elder by...

View Full Bio
copied both letters into JS Letterbook 2.
11

A note dated 4 July 1840 preceded Phelps’s letter in the letterbook. (Note, 4 July 1840, in JS Letterbook 2, p. 154.)


Footnotes

  1. [1]

    Revelation, 20 July 1831 [D&C 57:11]; Minutes and Discourse, ca. 7 July 1834.

  2. [2]

    Letter to Wilford Woodruff, ca. 18 June 1838; Minute Book 2, 7 Apr. 1837 and 10 Mar. 1838.

  3. [3]

    Revelation, 8 July 1838–B. A July 1838 entry in JS’s journal called Phelps a brother, suggesting he was back in the church by then. (JS, Journal, 26 July 1838.)

  4. [4]

    William W. Phelps, Testimony, Richmond, MO, Nov. 1838, State of Missouri v. JS et al. for Treason and Other Crimes (Mo. 5th Jud. Cir. 1838), in State of Missouri, “Evidence.”

    Missouri, State of. “Evidence.” Hearing Record, Richmond, MO, 12–29 Nov. 1838, State of Missouri v. Joseph Smith et al. for Treason and Other Crimes (Mo. 5th Cir. Ct. 1838). Eugene Morrow Violette Collection, 1806–1921, Western Historical Manuscript Collection. University of Missouri and State Historical Society of Missouri, Ellis Library, University of Missouri, Columbia.

  5. [5]

    “Extracts of the Minutes of Conferences,” Times and Seasons, Nov. 1839, 1:15.

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

  6. [6]

    Letter to the Church in Caldwell Co., MO, 16 Dec. 1838.

  7. [7]

    William W. Phelps, Far West, MO, to Sally Waterman Phelps, St. Louis, MO, 1 May 1839, CHL.

    Phelps, William W. Letter, Far West, MO, to Sally Waterman Phelps, St. Louis, MO, 1 May 1839. CHL.

  8. [8]

    William W. Phelps, Far West, MO, to John P. Greene, Quincy, IL, 23 Apr. 1839, in JS Letterbook 2, p. 7; Letter to William W. Phelps, 22 May 1839.

  9. [9]

    In the letter they appended to Phelps’s, Orson Hyde and John E. Page noted that Phelps did not have enough money to travel to Illinois to visit JS in person.

  10. [10]

    Letter to William W. Phelps, 22 July 1840.

  11. [11]

    A note dated 4 July 1840 preceded Phelps’s letter in the letterbook. (Note, 4 July 1840, in JS Letterbook 2, p. 154.)

Asterisk (*) denotes a "featured" version, which includes an introduction and annotation. *Letter from William W. Phelps, with Appended Letter from Orson Hyde and John E. Page, 29 June 1840 Letterbook 2 Letter from William W. Phelps, with Appended Letter from Orson Hyde and John E. Page, 29 June 1840, as Published in Times and Seasons History, 1838–1856, volume C-1 [2 November 1838–31 July 1842] “History of Joseph Smith”

Page 156

whenever the Lord brings us together again, I will make all the Satisfaction, on every point that saints or God can require. Amen.
W[illiam] 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
Prst Joseph Smith.
Hyrum Smith

9 Feb. 1800–27 June 1844. Farmer, cooper. Born at Tunbridge, Orange Co., Vermont. Son of Joseph Smith Sr. and Lucy Mack. Moved to Randolph, Orange Co., 1802; back to Tunbridge, before May 1803; to Royalton, Windsor Co., Vermont, 1804; to Sharon, Windsor Co...

View Full Bio
)
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...

View Full Bio
&c)
Dear Brother,
We have been in this place a few days and have preached faithfully: a very great prospect of some able and influential men embracing the faith in this place. We have moved along slowly, but have left a sealing testimony:
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
a considerable number.
7

Hyde and Page, left Nauvoo, Illinois, in mid-April 1840 to serve a mission to the Jews in New York, Europe, Constantinople, and Jerusalem. Hyde reported in July 1840 that they “preached in the court house to crowded congregations; and also in the grove” in Dayton but baptized “only five persons there.” Hyde continued, however, that they had “left a great harvest for some faithful elders to reap.” (Orson Hyde and John E. Page, Quincy, IL, 28 Apr. 1840, Letter to the Editor, Times and Seasons, June 1840, 1:116–117; Minutes and Discourse, 6–8 Apr. 1840; Orson Hyde, Franklin, OH, 7 July 1840, in Times and Seasons, Aug. 1840, 1:156.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

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

We shall write again soon, as we learn the result of our labors here more particularly, We are well and in good spirits through the favor of the Lord.
Bro. 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
requests us to write a few lines in his letter and we cheerfully embrace the opportunity.
Bro. 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
says he wants to live: But we do not feel ourselves authorized to act upon his case but have reccommended him to you: But he says his poverty will not allow him to visit you in person at this time; and we think he tells the truth. We therefore advise him to write, which he has done. He tells us, verbally, that he is willing to make any sacrifice to procure your fellowship, life not excepted; Yet reposing that confidence in your magnanimity that you will take no advantage of this open and frank confession. If he can obtain your fellowship, he wants to come to
commerce

Located near middle of western boundary of state, bordering Mississippi River. European Americans settled area, 1820s. From bank of river, several feet above high-water mark, ground described as nearly level for six or seven blocks before gradually sloping...

More Info
as soon as he can. But if he cannot be received into the fellowship of the
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...

View Glossary
, he must do the best he can in banishment and exile.
Brethren, with you are 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 kingdom;
8

See Revelation, 30 Oct. 1831 [D&C 65:2]; Revelation, between ca. 8 and ca. 24 Mar. 1832; and Revelation, 2 Aug. 1833–A [D&C 97:14].


to you is power given to “exert your clemency or display your vengence”
9

In The Ancient History of the Egyptians, Carthaginians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Medes and Persians, Macedonians, and Grecians, Charles Rollin attributed these words to Themistocles, an exiled Athenian political leader who was petitioning his former enemy—the Persian king Artaxerxes—for protection around 471 BC. It was largely through Themistocles’s machinations that Greece defeated Persia around 480 BC after Persia invaded Greece. (Rollin, Ancient History, 427–429.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Rollin, Charles. The Ancient History of the Egyptians, Carthaginians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Medes and Persians, Macedonians, and Grecians. Vol. 2. London: Longman, 1839.

By the former, you will save a soul from death, and hide a multitude of sins:
10

See James 5:20.


By the latter, you will forever descourage a returning prodigal, cause sorrow without benefit, pain without pleasure, ending in wretchedness and dispair.
But former experience teaches that you are workmen in the art of saving souls,
11

Hyde himself issued an affidavit against JS and other church leaders in October 1838 and was dropped from the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. He later sought forgiveness and was restored to his former standing in June 1839. (Thomas B. Marsh and Orson Hyde, Affidavit, Richmond, MO, 24 Oct. 1838, copy, Mormon War Papers, Missouri State Archives, Jefferson City; Historical Introduction to Minutes and Discourses, 5–7 Oct. 1839.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Mormon War Papers, 1838–1841. MSA.

therefore, with the greater confidence [p. 156]
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Document Information

Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
Letter from William W. Phelps, with Appended Letter from Orson Hyde and John E. Page, 29 June 1840
ID #
548
Total Pages
3
Print Volume Location
JSP, D7:303–306
Handwriting on This Page
  • Robert B. Thompson

Footnotes

  1. [7]

    Hyde and Page, left Nauvoo, Illinois, in mid-April 1840 to serve a mission to the Jews in New York, Europe, Constantinople, and Jerusalem. Hyde reported in July 1840 that they “preached in the court house to crowded congregations; and also in the grove” in Dayton but baptized “only five persons there.” Hyde continued, however, that they had “left a great harvest for some faithful elders to reap.” (Orson Hyde and John E. Page, Quincy, IL, 28 Apr. 1840, Letter to the Editor, Times and Seasons, June 1840, 1:116–117; Minutes and Discourse, 6–8 Apr. 1840; Orson Hyde, Franklin, OH, 7 July 1840, in Times and Seasons, Aug. 1840, 1:156.)

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

  2. [8]

    See Revelation, 30 Oct. 1831 [D&C 65:2]; Revelation, between ca. 8 and ca. 24 Mar. 1832; and Revelation, 2 Aug. 1833–A [D&C 97:14].

  3. [9]

    In The Ancient History of the Egyptians, Carthaginians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Medes and Persians, Macedonians, and Grecians, Charles Rollin attributed these words to Themistocles, an exiled Athenian political leader who was petitioning his former enemy—the Persian king Artaxerxes—for protection around 471 BC. It was largely through Themistocles’s machinations that Greece defeated Persia around 480 BC after Persia invaded Greece. (Rollin, Ancient History, 427–429.)

    Rollin, Charles. The Ancient History of the Egyptians, Carthaginians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Medes and Persians, Macedonians, and Grecians. Vol. 2. London: Longman, 1839.

  4. [10]

    See James 5:20.

  5. [11]

    Hyde himself issued an affidavit against JS and other church leaders in October 1838 and was dropped from the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. He later sought forgiveness and was restored to his former standing in June 1839. (Thomas B. Marsh and Orson Hyde, Affidavit, Richmond, MO, 24 Oct. 1838, copy, Mormon War Papers, Missouri State Archives, Jefferson City; Historical Introduction to Minutes and Discourses, 5–7 Oct. 1839.)

    Mormon War Papers, 1838–1841. MSA.

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