The
points given below (and page numbers) provide additional evidence that Joseph
did not conspire with Jacob to have the pamphlet written, and that the Prophet
told the truth when he denounced the pamphlet and denied knowledge of it prior
to its printing:
1.
The Peace Maker Degraded Women. Even though Udney Jacob promoted
polygamy in his pamphlet, most of it was a tirade insisting that wives must be
completely subservient to their husbands, even being considered the husband’s
property. In all of Joseph Smith’s extensive writings published during his
lifetime, there are no examples of his believing or teaching such an evil
system. His respect and treatment of his wife, adopted daughter, mother, and
sisters show him to have been compassionate to women. His wife, Emma, and his
mother, Lucy, exercised great freedom in testifying and in expounding Church
doctrine. He, by revelation, confirmed upon Emma the title of the “elect Lady.”
Joseph did not conspire with Udney to publish that pamphlet which advocated the
abuse of women and the promotion of polygamy.
2.
Udney Jacob as a Prophet. The pamphlet declared that Udney
Jacob was the Prophet Elijah (2), the prophet who would stop the mouths of
kings (22), and the man-child spoken of in Isaiah 66:7-8 (25) who was to
precede Christ’s return. Elijah had already appeared as a heavenly messenger
sent from the throne of Heaven to Joseph and Oliver Cowdery, in a vision in the
Kirtland Temple in 1836 (see RLDS History of the Church 2:47; LDS History
of the Church 2:436).
There
is no way that Joseph, who had beheld Elijah in that glorious vision, could
believe that Jacob was the reincarnation of that Old Testament prophet. Elijah
had, among other things, committed the keys of this dispensation into Joseph’s
hands, while Udney Jacob on the other hand claimed he, as the reincarnation of
Elijah, was to change the world by bringing about a worldwide system of
polygamy which would rob women of their agency to act and choose for
themselves.
3.
The Law of Moses Should Be Restored. The Peace Maker declared
that the Law of Moses should be restored (35); advocated making sin offerings
and forty stripes for some punishment (26); death as the only punishment for
adultery (7); and death to a child who cursed father or mother (34). In view of
the fact that Joseph had spent the previous twelve years restoring the New
Testament law of grace, the Prophet would not have had any part in producing a
book which called for a return to the Law of Moses.
4.
Scriptural References. Had the pamphlet been written by
Joseph, it would have had references to the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and
Covenants, the New Testament, and Latter Day Saint history. It is devoid of
such, however. Yet it has numerous biblical references.
5.
The Millennium Now. Jacob wrote, “For we now enter the Millennium” (19). Throughout
Joseph’s writings, the Millennium is spoken of as not to begin until after the
day of great judgments upon the earth, the binding of Satan, the gathering of
the Saints, and the advent of the Lord (see RLDS DC 43:7; LDS DC 43:27-33).
6.
Slavery. The Peace Maker advocated slavery for those of African
descent, calling abolitionists fanatics and their beliefs “absurdities” (26).
Joseph and the Latter Day Saints were anti-slavery in sentiment and were
favorable to abolitionists. One of the main reasons the Saints were driven from
Missouri was the fact that they were against slavery. There were
African-American Church members both at Kirtland and Nauvoo. Elijah Abel, the
first black elder, was ordained a seventy December 20, 1836 (see Richard S. Van
Wagoner and Steven C. Walker, A Book of Mormons, 2).
7.
Condemning U.S. Law. The pamphlet proclaimed that since the American Government had
laws which upheld the rights of women, that it was “the most outrageous crime
that a nation can be guilty of. Sodomy itself, is a trifle to this” (33). In
contrast, Joseph declared that the Saints should uphold and obey the laws of
the land (RLDS DC 58:5; LDS DC 58:21). The Doctrine and Covenants records that
the Saints were to respect the marriages of those whose marriages had been
performed by civil authority (1835 DC 101:1; RLDS DC 111:1c). The same section
also declares that “one man should have one wife.”
8.
Condemning New Englanders. In his pamphlet Jacob wrote, “O
ye miserable fanatics of New England . . .” (26). Joseph was proud of his New
England heritage, and appreciated the thousands of Sants from New England who
had been baptized and were making worthwhile contributions as Church members.
9.
Jacob’s testimony. As previously mentioned, Jacob plainly stated that he was the
author of the work and was “not a Mormon” (2). Jacob was certain that he was
“Elijah the Prophet” reincarnated and that his book, with its polygamous
teachings, was destined to fulfill the prophecy in Malachi by turning the
hearts of the children to their fathers. There is no way that Jacob would have
had anything to do with Joseph. Jacob considered himself to be such a great
prophet and he would not have teamed up with one such as Joseph, whom he,
according to his letter to President Van Buren, considered to be a dangerous
fanatic.
10.
Joseph’s Quick Response. Another failing of the theory that
Joseph had Jacob produce The Peace Maker is the matter of timing, for if
Joseph had sponsored the publication of the pamphlet he would not have
condemned it immediately. He would have quietly waited to see how the Saints in
Nauvoo would have reacted to it. There was no time for The Peace Maker to
be condemned or accepted by the Saints at Nauvoo before Joseph issued his
statement: “There was a book printed at my office, a short time since.” It is
not known just how much time elapsed between the pamphlet coming off the press,
and Joseph’s statement being printed. However, it is known that the Times
and Seasons was printed only every two weeks, which would have made it
impossible for him to have his notice printed sooner. However, it is certain
that Joseph was the first and only member of the Church at Nauvoo to denounce
Jacob’s pamphlet in print.
11.
Udney Hated Joseph and the Saints. In his letter to President Martin
Van Buren, Jacob showed his hated of Joseph and the Saints by writing:
These
Mormons know but very little of me; but Sir, I know them—and I know them to be
a deluded and dangerous set of fanatics.
12.
Udney and Joseph Did Not Know Each Other. Although The
Peace Maker was published late in 1842, Joseph and Jacob still had not met
by January 26, 1844, according to a statement made by Jacob in a personal
letter which he penned to Joseph. Jacob wrote the Prophet:
I
hope you will not consider this letter an intrusion—I have not to be sure the
pleasure of a personal acquaintance with you nor do I know that I am worthy of
that favor; yet I believe that I am worth saving. . . . (Brigham Young
University Studies 9 [Autumn 1968]: 53)
This
statement in the letter from Jacob to Joseph completely exonerates Joseph of
having collaborated with Jacob in publishing The Peace Maker.
Coauthoring the book would have meant the same kind of close working
relationship with Jacob that Joseph had with Oliver Cowdery in producing the
Book of Mormon, or Sidney Rigdon during the correcting of the Inspired Version.
This never happened according to the testimonies of both men.
.
. .
A Chronological Account of Joseph and Jacob’s Activities
Since
incorrect beliefs seem to never die (such as believing that Joseph had Udney
write The Peace Maker to test the Saints’ tolerance of polygamy), the
following time line is provided. IT shows that Joseph and Udney could not have
cooperated in producing that pamphlet, because they were never together while
it was being written:
Early
1830s—Udney Jacob, his wife, adult children, and their families lived at
Pilot Grove, Hancock County, Illinois.
February
1, 1831—Joseph and Emma Smith moved from Pennsylvania to Kirtland, Ohio,
arriving there February 1, 1831.
March
14, 1838—Joseph and Emma moved from Kirtland in January 1838, and arrived
at their new home in Far West, Missouri, on this date.
October
31, 1838—Joseph Smith and other Church men were arrested at Far West on
false charges. Joseph was imprisoned for a period of five-and-a-half
months—most of that time in the dungeon of the jail at Liberty, Missouri.
April
16, 1839—Joseph, Hyrum, and others, with the help of their guards, were
allowed to escape.
April
22, 1839—Joseph arrived in Quincy, Illinois, where he found Emma and their
children.
May
10, 1839—Joseph and his family moved into a two-room log cabin at Commerce,
Illinois (Commerce later became Nauvoo).
August
1839—Udney Jacob’s daughter, Mary Jane, was married to Milton Hamilton
at Pilot Grove in Hancock County (The Record of Norton Jacob, 2).
October
29, 1839—Joseph, Sidney Rigdon, Judge Elias Higbee, and Porter Rockwell
left for Washington, D.C., to lay before Congress their grievances for the
persecution of the Saints in Missouri.
March
4, 1840—Joseph arrived back home in Nauvoo.
March
19, 1840—Udney Jacob wrote a lengthy letter to President Martin Van Buren,
requesting him to provide finances to publish his manuscript of The Peace
Maker, which he had already written.
Summer
1840—Udney Jacob’s son, Norton Jacob, read a pamphlet written by Parley
P. Pratt, which sparked his interest in the Church (The Record of Norton
Jacob, 4).
Fall
and Winter 1840—Norton Jacob attended preaching services held by Church elders in
the vicinity of Pilot Grove, and “obtained” and “read with much interest”
Parley P. Pratt’s Voice of Warning (ibid.).
March
15, 1841—Norton was baptized at La Harpe by Seventy Zenos Gurley, Sr. Udney
said, according to Norton, that “he had rather heard I was dead than I was a
Mormon” (ibid).
February
6, 1842—Ebenezer Robinson, owner, editor, and printer of the Times and
Seasons sold the entire printing establishment to the Twelve. He wrote, “I
gave possession of the establishment, to Willard Richards the purchaser on the
behalf of the Twelve; at which time my responsibility ceased as editor” (Times
and Seasons 3 [February 15, 1842]: 729).
February
15, 1842—It was announced that the Prophet Joseph Smith was the new editor
of the Times and Seasons, with Apostle John Taylor assistant editor (see
ibid., 695)—but Joseph had very little time for editorial work.
August
8, 1842—A deputy sheriff from Adams County and two assistants arrested
Joseph based on an affidavit signed by ex-Governor Boggs of Missouri. Joseph
escaped from his would-be captors and went into hiding until late December
1842, after the new Illinois governor had taken office.
Fall
of 1842—Udney Jacob’s pamphlet, The Peace Maker, was published in
the Times and Seasons press at Nauvoo.
November
1, 1842—Norton moved his family into Nauvoo (The Record of Norton Jacob,
4).
December
1, 1842—Joseph Smith issued his statements in which he announced that he
did not want his name associated with Udney’s pamphlet.
1843—Udney
was baptized into the Church. A problem arose in the Pilot Grove Branch, where
he attended, and he had his name removed from the Church record (ibid. 12).
January
26, 1844—Udney wrote a letter to Joseph Smith in which he said, “I have not
to be sure the pleasure of a personal acquaintance with you” (Brigham Young
University Studies 9 [Autumn 1968]: 53).
June
27, 1844—Joseph and Hyrum Smith were murdered at Carthage Jail.
November
2, 1845—Udney Jacob was rebaptized by Norton Jacob and confirmed by
Norton, assisted by Zenos Gurley (see The Record of Norton Jacob, 12).
March
15, 1850—Eli B. Kelsey’s letter was published in the Millennial Star
in England. Kelsey defended Joseph against charges by Paul Harrison that the
Prophet participated in the writings and publishing of The Peace Maker (see
Millennial Star 12 [March 15, 1850]: 92-93).
March
1851—Udney Jacob wrote a letter to President Brigham Young, in which he
stated that he wrote the Peace Maker and that he published it before he
was a member of the Church (see Brigham Young University Studies 9
[Autumn 1968]: 52-53). (Richard Price and Pamela Price, Joseph Smith Fought
Polygamy, 3 vols. [Independence, Miss.: Price Publishing Company, 2014], 2:130-34,
146-48)
Further Reading:
Kenneth W. Godfrey, "Little Known Discourse by Joseph Smith," BYU Studies (Autumn 1968): 49-53
