Mormon (Book of Mormon)
9:1 - And now, I speak also concerning those who do not believe in Christ.
9:2 - Behold, will ye believe in the day of your visitation--behold, when the Lord shall come, yea, even that great day when the earth shall be rolled together as a scroll, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, yea, in that great day when ye shall be brought to stand before the Lamb of God--then will ye say that there is no God?
9:3 - Then will ye longer deny the Christ, or can ye behold the Lamb of God? Do ye suppose that ye shall dwell with him under a consciousness of your guilt? Do ye suppose that ye could be happy to dwell with that holy Being, when your souls are racked with a consciousness of guilt that ye have ever abused his laws?
9:4 - Behold, I say unto you that ye would be more miserable to dwell with a holy and just God, under a consciousness of your filthiness before him, than ye would to dwell with the damned souls in hell.
9:5 - For behold, when ye shall be brought to see your nakedness before God, and also the glory of God, and the holiness of Jesus Christ, it will kindle a flame of unquenchable fire upon you.
9:6 - O then ye unbelieving, turn ye unto the Lord; cry mightily unto the Father in the name of Jesus, that perhaps ye may be found spotless, pure, fair, and white, having been cleansed by the blood of the Lamb, at that great and last day.
9:7 - And again I speak unto you who deny the revelations of God, and say that they are done away, that there are no revelations, nor prophecies, nor gifts, nor healing, nor speaking with tongues, and the interpretation of tongues;
9:8 - Behold I say unto you, he that denieth these things knoweth not the gospel of Christ; yea, he has not read the scriptures; if so, he does not understand them.
9:9 - For do we not read that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and in him there is no variableness neither shadow of changing?
9:10 - And now, if ye have imagined up unto yourselves a god who doth vary, and in whom there is shadow of changing, then have ye imagined up unto yourselves a god who is not a God of miracles.
9:11 - But behold, I will show unto you a God of miracles, even the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob; and it is that same God who created the heavens and the earth, and all things that in them are.
9:12 - Behold, he created Adam, and by Adam came the fall of man. And because of the fall of man came Jesus Christ, even the Father and the Son; and because of Jesus Christ came the redemption of man.
9:13 - And because of the redemption of man, which came by Jesus Christ, they are brought back into the presence of the Lord; yea, this is wherein all men are redeemed, because the death of Christ bringeth to pass the resurrection, which bringeth to pass a redemption from an endless sleep, from which sleep all men shall be awakened by the power of God when the trump shall sound; and they shall come forth, both small and great, and all shall stand before his bar, being redeemed and loosed from this eternal band of death, which death is a temporal death.
9:14 - And then cometh the judgment of the Holy One upon them; and then cometh the time that he that is filthy shall be filthy still; and he that is righteous shall be righteous still; he that is happy shall be happy still; and he that is unhappy shall be unhappy still.
9:15 - And now, O all ye that have imagined up unto yourselves a god who can do no miracles, I would ask of you, have all these things passed, of which I have spoken? Has the end come yet? Behold I say unto you, Nay; and God has not ceased to be a God of miracles.
9:16 - Behold, are not the things that God hath wrought marvelous in our eyes? Yea, and who can comprehend the marvelous works of God?
9:17 - Who shall say that it was not a miracle that by his word the heaven and the earth should be; and by the power of his word man was created of the dust of the earth; and by the power of his word have miracles been wrought?
9:18 - And who shall say that Jesus Christ did not do many mighty miracles? And there were many mighty miracles wrought by the hands of the apostles.
9:19 - And if there were miracles wrought then, why has God ceased to be a God of miracles and yet be an unchangeable Being? And behold, I say unto you he changeth not; if so he would cease to be God; and he ceaseth not to be God, and is a God of miracles.
9:20 - And the reason why he ceaseth to do miracles among the children of men is because that they dwindle in unbelief, and depart from the right way, and know not the God in whom they should trust.
9:21 - Behold, I say unto you that whoso believeth in Christ, doubting nothing, whatsoever he shall ask the Father in the name of Christ it shall be granted him; and this promise is unto all, even unto the ends of the earth.
9:22 - For behold, thus said Jesus Christ, the Son of God, unto his disciples who should tarry, yea, and also to all his disciples, in the hearing of the multitude: Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature;
9:23 - And he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, but he that believeth not shall be damned;
9:24 - And these signs shall follow them that believe--in my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick and they shall recover;
9:25 - And whosoever shall believe in my name, doubting nothing, unto him will I confirm all my words, even unto the ends of the earth.
9:26 - And now, behold, who can stand against the works of the Lord? Who can deny his sayings? Who will rise up against the almighty power of the Lord? Who will despise the works of the Lord? Who will despise the children of Christ? Behold, all ye who are despisers of the works of the Lord, for ye shall wonder and perish.
9:27 - O then despise not, and wonder not, but hearken unto the words of the Lord, and ask the Father in the name of Jesus for what things soever ye shall stand in need. Doubt not, but be believing, and begin as in times of old, and come unto the Lord with all your heart, and work out your own salvation with fear and trembling before him.
9:28 - Be wise in the days of your probation; strip yourselves of all uncleanness; ask not, that ye may consume it on your lusts, but ask with a firmness unshaken, that ye will yield to no temptation, but that ye will serve the true and living God.
9:29 - See that ye are not baptized unworthily; see that ye partake not of the sacrament of Christ unworthily; but see that ye do all things in worthiness, and do it in the name of Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God; and if ye do this, and endure to the end, ye will in nowise be cast out.
9:30 - Behold, I speak unto you as though I spake from the dead; for I know that ye shall have my words.
9:31 - Condemn me not because of mine imperfection, neither my father, because of his imperfection, neither them who have written before him; but rather give thanks unto God that he hath made manifest unto you our imperfections, that ye may learn to be more wise than we have been.
9:32 - And now, behold, we have written this record according to our knowledge, in the characters which are called among us the reformed Egyptian, being handed down and altered by us, according to our manner of speech.
9:33 - And if our plates had been sufficiently large we should have written in Hebrew; but the Hebrew hath been altered by us also; and if we could have written in Hebrew, behold, ye would have had no imperfection in our record.
9:34 - But the Lord knoweth the things which we have written, and also that none other people knoweth our language; and because that none other people knoweth our language, therefore he hath prepared means for the interpretation thereof.
9:35 - And these things are written that we may rid our garments of the blood of our brethren, who have dwindled in unbelief.
9:36 - And behold, these things which we have desired concerning our brethren, yea, even their restoration to the knowledge of Christ, are according to the prayers of all the saints who have dwelt in the land.
9:37 - And may the Lord Jesus Christ grant that their prayers may be answered according to their faith; and may God the Father remember the covenant which he hath made with the house of Israel; and may he bless them forever, through faith on the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Considering all the commotion over the supposed daguerreotype photo of Joseph Smith that has been going around like wildfire (which the Church has not authenticated), I thought I might post this new proposed photo of Joseph Smith. This one actually looks much more how I would imagine the prophet than the first one, considering the death mask. Historian Will Bagley apparently notes that Joseph made mention of a photograph he had taken in 1844 (does anyone have the original reference to Joseph’s statement, if it exists?). We’ll see what this turns up.
An article in the New Era a few years ago gives a description of Joseph from a combination of all the accounts:
Update 3/27/08: Also consider this drawing of Joseph Smith by Theodore Gorka in 1982, which is now in the Museum of Church History and Art. I’m particularly interested in the way the forehead and chin are receding, and the prominence of the nose, like the death mask (which is probably where Gorka got his inspiration). The upper lip is also very defined. Most of the early images of Joseph were side profile sketches, but which clearly show just how strong his nose was on his face. See more below:
DearScriptures.com
10 Comments
I think the esteem-ed Bagley is in error about Joseph recording that he had a photo taken. I’m pretty sure there is no record of that.
Perhaps Bagley was referring to Joseph’s son, Joseph Smith III, who claimed he had a daguerreotype made in Nauvoo.
A reader asked,
Thanks for your questions. There is nothing as of yet that confirms that this might be a photo of Joseph Smith. Nothing in the book says that it is (it only says it is of an anonymous person). There is no marking on the photo (that we know of), that mentions who it might be. The only evidence that suggests that it might be Joseph is:
* Joseph Smith, or his son Joseph Smith III, may have mentioned that a daguerreotype photo was taken of Joseph near the end of his life. Such a daguerreotype has never been found.
* The daguerreotype is said to have come out of New York in 1845, and went to Brazil, which is shortly after the death of Joseph, and which could explain why it has been lost.
* The last thing is, considering what the death mask and artwork that has depicted Joseph, this daguerreotype looks very much how we might imagine Joseph looking like, with all the features of his description mentioned above.
It is a stretch, but I’m willing to give it the possibility. The evidence is very slim, right now, but I’m keeping my hopes up. We are taught to “doubt not, but be believing” (Mormon 9:27).
You might want to check out the following thread, particularly comments 44-54, to see that this photo does not hold any credence.
http://www.juvenileinstructor.org/press-release-the-much-rumored-joseph-smith-daguerreotype/#comment-4258
Point well taken. I think that there’s a very slim possibility that it is Joseph, given the evidence. What interested me the most about this daguerreotype was how closely it resembles the artwork and other extant depictions of Joseph, not that it might actually be him, but especially in light of the “other” daguerreotype that’s been floating around, which looks nothing like him at all. If it is not Joseph, then this man resembled him closely.
Here's some more information (with references):
There are daguerreotypes extant, but they are most likely copies of an RLDS oil painting, and not of the prophet from life.
Hatch's analysis of the existing daguerreotypes of Joseph Smith concludes that all of them are copies of the RLDS oil painting. So, if there was a daguerreotype made directly of the prophet in life, which we don't have direct evidence for but would have been possible given the availability of the technology at the time, it hasn't been found yet.
For some reason, interest piqued today regarding daguerreotypes of the Prophet.
From my research, it's evident that Lucien Foster was in Nauvoo three months before Joseph's martyrdom. Foster himself was from New York, and brought with him all the necessary equipment to begin a studio, of which, as you mentioned via the reference to Hatch, he first advertised after the Prophet's death. What your reference to Hatch does not indicate though, is the words of the advertisement. Some of Foster's daguerreotypes were presented at his gallery, as well as at the Smith Mansion. The theory is that the d-types at the Smith Mansion were owned by the Smiths.
Smith's journal records he met with an L.R. Foster of New York on April 29, 1944.
There's also evidence that Smith had Foster leading his presidential campaign in 1844. This is interesting, because Foster was young and the face behind a revolutionary movement (photography), in Nauvoo. Photographs of the presidential-candidate hopeful would be great tools during the campaign. Of course, that's hypothetical.
My biggest problem with Hatch's analysis is that the image filed in the Library of Congress (LOC) is a copy of the RLDS painting. A great resource for information regarding photos of the Prophet is located at http://www.photographfound.com. Reed Simonsen, the author of the book (which he published on the site after printing ceased), argues that the LOC image is a copy of the actual d-type taken by Foster in 1844. The reasoning for this lies in the true nature of photography, even d-type at it's stage of development in 1844--That is, pictures don't lie. Physical abnormalities are present in the LOC image that are not present in the RLDS painting. Mainly, scares, misshapen cheeks, field-of-depth perspective, and the asymmetry of the human face.
Each of the aforementioned discrepancies are eliminated in the RLDS image, yet it still bears striking resemblance to the LOC image. Scars on the left side of the Prophets face, above his lip and eyebrow, are not present in the RLDS painting. The cheeks are aligned, but not in the LOC image.
Field-of-depth perspective is crucial. Depth-of-field is the resulting “out-of-focus” look when an object lies outside of the plane of focus. Artists tend to ignore this in paintings, and bring everything (at least within a reasonable distance of the subject) into focus.
With that said, close examination of the LOC image reveals a very shallow depth-of-field focused on the eyes. There is a button present on the Prophet's jacket over his left breast, which is out-of-focus in the LOC image. The RLDS painting has this button in focus. Upon further examination, details within the eyes are present.
Evidence suggests the inverse to Hatch's argument, that is, that the RLDS painting was made from the LOC image. Painters often eliminated these physical abnormalities to make the subject more handsome and dignified.
The evidence of “retouching” the original d-type the LOC image is taken from is easily explained. The LOC image shows a very-stark white background. This was common on d-types in the early 1940s (with the technology only being invented in 1939), in that details in white elements were often lost. The photographer did not bother with the background, but felt it necessary to retouch the area below the Prophet's head, around his cravat, tracing the lines of the cravat, darkening the suit, and a few other details. Again, this was a common practice in the early days of d-type (and heck, we still do it with Photoshop to this day).
Even a litmus test of the LOC image against the death mask reveal striking similarities. The only major difference is the elongation of the face in the death mask. This, as Simonsen explains, resulted in the historical fact that the Prophet fell from the window onto his face, most definitely resulting in facial injuries, and quite possibly fractures. Testimonies also state the Prophet was hit in the face after the fall as well, most likely causing more damage. This facial damage caused elongating of the cheeks, as well a separated mandible. Exhumation of the Prophet in 1928 revealed a heavily damaged skull, with most of the facial bone missing. Why? Because it never healed and fell away from the rest of skull as it decomposed. This medical evidence proves the difference between the death mask and the LOC image.
So, Hatch has it backwards. The image in the LOC is a copy of the original d-type, which was used for the RLDS painting. The LOC image is the most accurate depiction of the Prophet.
Regarding the most recent d-type proposed to be the Prophet (the first image in your post), I've not heard of evidence either way. You don't mention a possible date this was taken, as I recollect. Given that d-types weren't invented until 1939, that leaves a very short timeframe for the Prophet to be before a camera to have one, and he appears younger that I would imagine he was in 1844.
Also, Will Bagley's note that Joseph mentioned sitting for photograph seems sketchy, as I've not seen it anywhere. There is testimony from Joseph Smith, III that his father sat for a photographer, as he recalled for one Brother Foster, in 1844. That may be what Bagley alludes to.
I apologize for the length of this comment. It's all very interesting.
I recall reading in James E. Talmage’s “House of the Lord” that a photograph of the Prophet Joseph Smith was included in the Items that were placed in the capstone or ball at the feet of the angel Moroni statue of the Salt Lake Temple.
Indeed, it does say that:
I wonder if the capstone has ever been opened.
If the man in that daguerrotype is not Joseph Smith, there is an amazing resemblance to what we all suppose him to look like. Show that photo to 10,000 long-time LDS, and 10,000 will say it is Joseph Smith.