Essentials in church history: A history of the Church from the birth of Joseph Smith to the present time, with introductory chapters on the antiquity ... away" (Classics in Mormon literature)
by Joseph Fielding Smith
Category: Religion

1922. With Introductory Chapters on the Antiquity of the Gospel and the Falling Away. Written by an Elder and Historian of the Church and a member of the Council of the Twelve Apostles. In the spring of 1820, young Joseph Smith Jr. retired to the woods near his home and offered a simple prayer to our Father in Heaven. A series of remarkable spiritual experiences prepared him for his prophetic calling. He saw God the Father and Jesus Christ in vision and was chosen by God to restore the Church of Jesus Christ to the earth. Through revelation, he translated and published the Book of Mormon, organized The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and received revelations to guide the Church. By inspiration, he called Apostles and other Church leaders, defined doctrines, and taught the principles and ordinances that would lead to exaltation. This volume is divided into the following Parts: Introductory: The Gospel in Ancient and Mediaeval Times; Opening of the Dispensation of the Fulness of Times; The Ohio and Missouri Period; The Settlement in the Rocky Mountains; and Recent Development. See other titles by this author available from Kessinger Publishing.