Joseph, however, wasn’t simply adopting
the notions of Campbell, Swedenborg, or anyone else. Although Swedenborg’s
ideas had broad currency in the early nineteenth century, there is no evidence
that Joseph had had any particular contact with them at this point in his life.
What Joseph did was to catch hold of certain currents of thought and, through
extended periods of contemplation, biblical study, and mystical experiences,
mold them into his own distinctive teachings. (John G. Turner, Joseph Smith:
The Rise and Fall of an American Prophet [New Haven: Yale University Press,
2025], 113)
