The Martyrdom
8 Episodes
The martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum Smith was among the most tragic and defining moments in the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and it continues to reverberate deeply in the hearts and minds of Latter-day Saints around the world. Hyrum was 44 years old, and Joseph was 38 and a half when they were murdered in cold blood in Carthage Jail on June 27, 1844. Many have read the brief account of the events of that day, outlined in Section 135 of the Doctrine and Covenants, and wondered what more there was to know about this poignant event in our history. Like, how did they come to be incarcerated in Carthage Jail in the first place? What were the charges against them? Who had motivations to kill Joseph Smith and why? Was Joseph betrayed at all by insiders, or was this entirely an outside job? Who were those in the mob who actually pulled the trigger? And were they ever brought to justice?
Art Credit: Image created by Scripture Central
Episodes
Episode 1
Joseph Smith's Death: A Political Assassination
The martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum Smith was among the most tragic and defining moments in the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and it continues to reverberate deeply in the hearts and minds of Latter-day Saints around the world. Hyrum was 44 years old, and Joseph was 38 and a half when they were murdered in cold blood in Carthage Jail on June 27, 1844. Many have read the brief account of the events of that day, outlined in …
57 Min
Episode 2
“A Judas In Our Midst”
Six months before his death the prophet Joseph said to a group of trusted friends, “I am exposed to far greater danger from traitors among ourselves than from enemies without, … and if I can escape from the ungrateful treachery of assassins I can live as Caesar might have lived were it not for a right hand Brutus…. All the enemies upon the face of the earth may roar and exert all their power to bring about my death; but they can accomplish nothing, unless some who …
69 Min
Episode 3
The Nauvoo Expositor: the Spark That Lit the Fuse
The first and only publication of the Nauvoo Expositor was issued on June 7, 1844. It was an expose sheet published by seven recently excommunicated dissenters of the church in which they lay bare their grievances against Joseph Smith as a prophet and politician in the most blistering, malignant, exaggerated, and provocative ways they could invent. This move was a calculated trap set to force the hand of Joseph and those close to him to take action against …
56 Min
Episode 4
The Carthage Decision: Why Joseph and Hyrum Chose to Go
In the wake of Joseph Smith and the Nauvoo City Council’s fateful decision to destroy the Nauvoo Expositor press several things unfolded in rapid succession. Charges were pressed against them for riot, brazen calls to violence against them were published in Tom Sharp’s Warsaw Signal, and Missourians began eagerly gathering to Illinois with a vow to exterminate the “Mormons;” meanwhile, Joseph wrote urgent letters to Illinois Governor Thomas Ford and US President …
56 Min
Episode 5
What Happened in Carthage? A Careful Walk-Through of the Martyrdom
It was near midnight on June 24 that Joseph Smith, his brother Hyrum, and over a dozen members of the Nauvoo City council arrived in Carthage, Illinois to answer, for a third time, the charge of “riot” for their destruction of the Nauvoo Expositor press. Although the case for this charge had already been heard and dismissed by two separate judges, Governor Thomas Ford insisted that they needed to be tried in Carthage specifically in order to prove to the general public …
63 Min
Episode 6
Carthage Controversies
Consider the following Carthage controversy questions: Was Governor Thomas Ford complicit in the murders of Joseph and Hyrum Smith? When Joseph fired back at the Carthage attackers, did he kill anyone? Also, does the fact that Joseph fired back at the mob somehow take away his status as a martyr for his religion? Did Joseph and his friends in Carthage Jail drink wine together? Also, were they not wearing their temple garments in jail? Were Joseph Smith’s last words a Masonic …
70 Min
Episode 7
The Fate of the Persecutors of the Prophet Joseph Smith
In 1952 book entitled, The Fate of the Persecutors of the Prophet Joseph Smith, was published by N. B. Lundwall. Within its pages, among other things, Lundwall presented various stories describing how many of those who played significant roles in the persecution of Joseph Smith met with unfortunate ends in unnatural and sometimes gruesome ways, underscoring the idea of divine justice and retribution. Unfortunately, the historical credibility of most of these stories is seriously …
72 Min
Episode 8
“Carthage CSI” with Sam Weston
In this episode, Casey sits down with Sam Weston, a docent at the Church History Museum, who has been seriously researching the martyrdom at Carthage Jail in meticulous detail for the last fifteen years. They discuss the event of the attack at Carthage from something of a forensic crime scene investigation perspective, with a fair amount of challenging prior scholarship on the topic.
54 Min
Episode 9
Temple Garments and Temple Changes in the 20th and 21st Centuries
1904 marked the beginning of what would become a grueling, four-year-long Senate hearing of U. S. Senator and Apostle Reed Smoot. It is intriguing and important to learn how this crucible of intensive government examination into every aspect of the Church led Church leaders to a posture of much greater openness about the temple to outsiders. In fact, those hearings, followed by a backfired blackmail attempt by a man who threatened to release illicit pictures he had taken of the …
70 Min
Episode 10
Temple Q&R with Dr. Richard Bennett
What do we know about the purposes and function of the Holy of Holies? And do all temples have one? The word “seal” or “sealing” seems to have multiple meanings. What are those meanings? Also, has the Church’s teachings on wearing garments changed over time? And is there anything doctrinal about the length of garments? Since the garment length has changed in the past to accommodate changes in modern clothing styles, could we expect them to change again as …