Doctrine and Covenants Historical Resources: Doctrine and Covenants 41–44, Doctrine and Covenants Historical Resources (2020)
Doctrine and Covenants 41–44, Doctrine and Covenants Historical Resources
Doctrine and Covenants 41–44
Newel K. Whitney & Co. store (foreground), Kirtland, Ohio, USA. Home of Newel K. and Elizabeth Ann Whitney (background), where Joseph and Emma Smith lived for about four weeks in early 1831.
Texts
Historical background and the earliest manuscript of each revelation, as published in The Joseph Smith Papers
Revelation, 4 February 1831 [D&C 41]
This revelation was dictated the same day Joseph Smith arrived in Kirtland, Ohio, from New York. More …
Revelation, 9 February 1831 [D&C 42:1–72]
A late December 1830 revelation first directed members of the Church of Christ to migrate from New York to Ohio, and at a church conference a few days later, another revelation declared, “There [in Ohio] I will give unto you my law.” More …
Revelation, 23 February 1831 [D&C 42:74–93]
On 22 February 1831, Joseph Smith wrote to Martin Harris referencing the “Laws of the Church of Christ” that Joseph Smith had dictated 9 February: “We have received the laws of the Kingdom since we came here and the Disciples in these parts have received them gladly.” More …
Revelation, February 1831–A [D&C 43]
Joseph Smith dictated this revelation following his arrival in Kirtland, Ohio. It clarified Joseph Smith’s position as the only person authorized to “receive commandments & Revelations” for the Church of Christ. More …
Revelation, February 1831–B [D&C 44]
Shortly after Joseph Smith and Emma Smith relocated to Kirtland, Ohio, in early February 1831, a revelation established laws to govern the Church. The “first Commandment” declared on that occasion was for the elders to go two by two “in to the regions westward” to preach the gospel and build up the Church. More …
People
Biographical facts and historical images of individuals associated with the revelations
Historical Background
Revelations in Context
Essays on the background of each revelation
“A Bishop unto the Church”
On February 4, 1831, upon Partridge’s return to Ohio, Joseph Smith received a revelation calling Edward Partridge as the first bishop in the 10-month-old Church. More …
The Law
Prior to Joseph’s move from New York, the Lord gave him a commandment to gather the Church in Ohio and promised: “There I will give unto you my law.” More …
“I Quit Other Business”: Early Missionaries
Though early Latter-day Saint missionaries drew in part on the practices of other churches, several revelations provided the foundation for their missionary efforts in the early 1830s. More …
“All Things Must Be Done in Order”
Not long after the Church’s relocation to Kirtland, Ohio, a “woman by the name of Hubble” came forward claiming her own revelations. More …
Saints: The Story of the Church of Jesus Christ in the Latter Days
Narrative history of events surrounding the revelations
Volume 1, Chapter 11
Ye Shall Receive My Law
Joseph remained optimistic about the Indian mission, even as he turned his attention to strengthening the Church in Kirtland. More …
Volume 1, Chapter 12
After Much Tribulation
In the spring of 1831, seven-year-old Emily Partridge lived in a town northeast of Kirtland with her parents, Edward and Lydia, and four sisters. More …
Volume 1, Chapter 26
A Holy and Consecrated Land
As the families of Joseph and Sidney pushed west, Oliver Cowdery trudged through northern Missouri, battling rain and snow to scout locations for new stakes of Zion. More …
Church History Topics
Essays on subjects related to the revelations
Bishop
On February 4, 1831, Joseph Smith received a revelation appointing Edward Partridge as the first bishop of the Church. More …
Church Discipline
The Articles and Covenants of the Church, now canonized as Doctrine and Covenants 20, outlines the procedures for administering Church business, including how to discipline “transgressors” in the Church. More …
Consecration and Stewardship
Since the dawn of the Christian era, many groups have tried to emulate the New Testament Christians who “had all things common.” More …
Succession of Church Leadership
“The death of one or a dozen could not destroy the priesthood, nor hinder the work of the Lord from spreading throughout all nations,” taught Brigham Young. More …
United Firm (“United Order”)
The United Firm was an administrative organization that oversaw the expenditure of Church funds between 1832 and 1834. More …
Glossary
Conference: A meeting where ecclesiastical officers and other church members could conduct church business. More …
The Law: Principles given to the Church and its members in February 1831 revelations. In January 1831, a revelation promised the saints in New York that the law would be given after they gathered in Ohio. More …
Places
Maps and information about places associated with the revelations from The Joseph Smith Papers, Historic Sites, and other helpful sources
Chronology
Timeline placing each revelation in the context of key events in the Church’s first century