Mormonism Mormonism is the religious tradition and theology of the Latter Day Saint movement of Restorationist Christianity started by Joseph Smith in Western New York in the 1820s and 1830s. As a label, Mormonism has been applied to various aspects of ...

, the restoration refers to a return of the authentic priesthood power,

spiritual gifts A spiritual gift or charism (plural: charisms or charismata; in Greek singular: χάρισμα ''charisma'', plural: χαρίσματα ''charismata'') is an extraordinary power given by the Holy Spirit."Spiritual gifts". ''A Dictionary of the ...

, ordinances, living

prophets In religion, a prophet or prophetess is an individual who is regarded as being in contact with a divine being and is said to speak on behalf of that being, serving as an intermediary with humanity by delivering messages or teachings from the s ...

and

revelation In religion and theology, revelation is the revealing or disclosing of some form of truth or knowledge through communication with a deity or other supernatural entity or entities. Background Inspiration – such as that bestowed by God on the ...

of the primitive Church of Christ after a long period of

apostasy Apostasy (; grc-gre, ἀποστασία , 'a defection or revolt') is the formal disaffiliation from, abandonment of, or renunciation of a religion by a person. It can also be defined within the broader context of embracing an opinion that ...

. While in some contexts the term may also refer to the early history of Mormonism, in other contexts the term is used in a way to include the time that has elapsed from the church's earliest beginnings until the present day. Especially in

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...

(LDS Church) "the restoration" is often used also as a term to encompass the corpus of religious messages from its general leaders down to the present. The restoration is associated with a number of events that occurred which are understood to have been necessary to re-establish the early Christian church found in the

New Testament The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Christ ...

, and to prepare the earth for the

Second Coming The Second Coming (sometimes called the Second Advent or the Parousia) is a Christian (as well as Islamic and Baha'i) belief that Jesus will return again after his ascension to heaven about two thousand years ago. The idea is based on messi ...

Jesus Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

. In particular, Latter Day Saints believe that angels appeared to

Joseph Smith Joseph Smith Jr. (December 23, 1805June 27, 1844) was an American religious leader and founder of Mormonism and the Latter Day Saint movement. When he was 24, Smith published the Book of Mormon. By the time of his death, 14 years later, he ...

and others and bestowed various priesthood authorities on them.

Apostasy

According to the LDS Church, the

Great Apostasy The Great Apostasy is a concept within Christianity to describe a perception that mainstream Christian Churches have fallen away from the original faith founded by Jesus and promulgated through his twelve Apostles. A belief in a Great Apostasy ...

in Christianity began not long after the

ascension of Jesus Christ The Ascension of Jesus (anglicized from the Vulgate la, ascensio Iesu, lit=ascent of Jesus) is the Christian teaching that Christ physically departed from Earth by rising to Heaven, in the presence of eleven of his apostles. According to the ...

. It was marked with the corruption of Christian doctrine by

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

and other philosophies, with followers dividing into different ideological groups, and the

martyr A martyr (, ''mártys'', "witness", or , ''marturia'', stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an externa ...

dom of the apostles which led to a loss of priesthood authority to administer the church and its ordinances. With all priesthood authorities either

ed, taken from the earth, or teaching impure doctrines, there was a break in

apostolic succession Apostolic succession is the method whereby the ministry of the Christian Church is held to be derived from the apostles by a continuous succession, which has usually been associated with a claim that the succession is through a series of bish ...

, and what remained was a mere fragment of the church established by Jesus. The Christian believers who survived the persecutions took it upon themselves to speak for God, interpret, amend or add to his doctrines and ordinances, and carry out his work without proper authority and divine direction from God. During this time, important doctrines and rites were lost or corrupted. Latter-day Saints specifically reject the early

ecumenical council An ecumenical council, also called general council, is a meeting of bishops and other church authorities to consider and rule on questions of Christian doctrine, administration, discipline, and other matters in which those entitled to vote ar ...

s for what they see as misguided human attempts to decide matters of doctrine without divine assistance, substituting debate and politics for divine

. Latter-day Saints have said that various Old Testament and New Testament scriptures, including teachings of Christ himself, prophesy of this "falling away" or "apostasy." Thus, Latter-day Saints refer to the "restitution of all things" mentioned in and claim that a restoration of all the original and primary doctrines and rites of Christianity was necessary. Adherents believe that important historical events such as the

Protestant Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...

and the establishment of the

United States Constitution The Constitution of the United States is the Supremacy Clause, supreme law of the United States, United States of America. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, in 1789. Originally comprising seven ar ...

, which explicitly allows for

freedom of religion Freedom of religion or religious liberty is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or community, in public or private, to manifest religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship, and observance. It also includes the freedom ...

in its

First Amendment First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and reco ...

, were necessary antecedents to the restoration. Scholars today view the Latter Day Saint movement as emerging from the spiritual fervor of the

restorationism Restorationism (or Restitutionism or Christian primitivism) is the belief that Christianity has been or should be restored along the lines of what is known about the apostolic early church, which restorationists see as the search for a purer a ...

movements Movement may refer to: Common uses * Movement (clockwork), the internal mechanism of a timepiece * Motion, commonly referred to as movement Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * "Movement" (short story), a short story by Nancy Fu ...

spawned by the

Second Great Awakening The Second Great Awakening was a Protestant religious revival during the early 19th century in the United States. The Second Great Awakening, which spread religion through revivals and emotional preaching, sparked a number of reform movements. R ...

Restoration of the Gospel

Joseph Smith, founder of the Latter Day Saint movement who was responsible for organizing the

Church of Christ Church of Christ may refer to: Church groups * When used in the plural, a New Testament designation for local groups of people following the teachings of Jesus Christ: "...all the churches of Christ greet you", Romans 16:16. * The entire body of Ch ...

, originally prayed about which church to join. In a vision in 1820 near Palmyra, New York, two personages (

God the Father God the Father is a title given to God in Christianity. In mainstream trinitarian Christianity, God the Father is regarded as the first person of the Trinity, followed by the second person, God the Son Jesus Christ, and the third person, God t ...

and

Jesus Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

) instructed him not to join any churches, for "all their creeds were an abomination." Smith described another vision in 1823 as being visited in his bedroom by an "

angel Moroni The Angel Moroni () is an angel whom Joseph Smith reported as having visited him on numerous occasions, beginning on September 21, 1823. According to Smith, the angel was the guardian of the golden plates, buried in the hill Cumorah near Smith's ...

", who told him of a record of an ancient people written in an ancient language on

golden plates According to Latter Day Saint belief, the golden plates (also called the gold plates or in some 19th-century literature, the golden bible) are the source from which Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon, a sacred text of the faith. Some acco ...

. After repeated visits by this angel in successive years, Smith described receiving and translating this ancient record and publishing the translation as the

Book of Mormon The Book of Mormon is a religious text of the Latter Day Saint movement, which, according to Latter Day Saint theology, contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the American continent from 600 BC to AD 421 and during an interlude date ...

. The Book of Mormon provided many teachings about the

atonement Atonement (also atoning, to atone) is the concept of a person taking action to correct previous wrongdoing on their part, either through direct action to undo the consequences of that act, equivalent action to do good for others, or some other ex ...

of Christ that were not as clear in the Bible, as also teachings about the House of Israel and the baptismal

covenant Covenant may refer to: Religion * Covenant (religion), a formal alliance or agreement made by God with a religious community or with humanity in general ** Covenant (biblical), in the Hebrew Bible ** Covenant in Mormonism, a sacred agreement b ...

. When Smith prayed in May 1829 about the need for baptism, he and

Oliver Cowdery Oliver H. P. Cowdery (October 3, 1806 – March 3, 1850) was an American Mormon leader who, with Joseph Smith, was an important participant in the formative period of the Latter Day Saint movement between 1829 and 1836. He was the first baptized ...

were visited by the resurrected

John the Baptist John the Baptist or , , or , ;Wetterau, Bruce. ''World history''. New York: Henry Holt and Company. 1994. syc, ܝܘܿܚܲܢܵܢ ܡܲܥܡܕ݂ܵܢܵܐ, Yoḥanān Maʿmḏānā; he, יוחנן המטביל, Yohanān HaMatbil; la, Ioannes Bapti ...

, who by the

laying on of hands The laying on of hands is a religious practice. In Judaism ''semikhah'' ( he, סמיכה, "leaning f the hands) accompanies the conferring of a blessing or authority. In Christian churches, this practice is used as both a symbolic and formal met ...

gave them priesthood authority to baptize. Coinciding with the restoration of the priesthood, Mormons believe that Smith received many revelations, visions, and visitations of heavenly messengers to instruct him in order to enable him to fulfill his responsibilities in propounding doctrine and re-establishing ordinances and

temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

covenants. These instructions came to Smith often in response to specific questions he asked in prayer. The majority of this history is recorded in one of the

standard works The standard works of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church, the largest in the Latter Day Saint movement) are the four books that currently constitute its open scriptural canon. The four books of the standard works are: * T ...

, the

Doctrine and Covenants The Doctrine and Covenants (sometimes abbreviated and cited as D&C or D. and C.) is a part of the open scriptural canon of several denominations of the Latter Day Saint movement. Originally published in 1835 as Doctrine and Covenants of the Chur ...

. Additional details and background of the church in Smith's era is presented in the church's seven volume '' History of the Church''. In regard to the restoration of priesthood authority, Smith dictated the following passage found in

128:20–21: In reflecting upon the responsibilities of teaching the constant revelations he received, Smith stated:

Personages who appeared to Joseph Smith

As part of the process of the restoration, Joseph Smith stated that a number of personages appeared to him to deliver messages, priesthood authority, or other instruction from God. These personages appeared either as resurrected beings or as

translated Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. The English language draws a terminological distinction (which does not exist in every language) between ''transla ...

beings. According to H. Donl Peterson, the following 50 personages appeared to Smith:

Significance and impact of the Restoration

According to the LDS Church, all priesthood keys necessary to administer Jesus' church were given to Joseph Smith, who re-organized that church, which will continue in perpetuity. Hence, members refer to their church as "The Church of Jesus Christ." The term "Latter-day Saints" refers to the fact that members of

early Christianity Early Christianity (up to the First Council of Nicaea in 325) spread from the Levant, across the Roman Empire, and beyond. Originally, this progression was closely connected to already established Jewish centers in the Holy Land and the Jewish ...

were originally called "saints", and the church reestablished by Smith is believed to be Christ's church in the last days prior to the second coming of Jesus. Members of the church do not use the term to indicate they are better than others in any way, but rather that they are striving to follow Jesus Christ in their personal daily walks of life. Members of the church believe that the restored church of Jesus Christ is the "only true and living church upon the face of the Earth" because of the divine authority restored through Joseph Smith. They believe that the church is the restoration of Jesus' original church, has the authentic priesthood authority, and all doctrines and ordinances of the gospel, fulfilling many of the prophecies of

Daniel Daniel is a masculine given name and a surname of Hebrew origin. It means "God is my judge"Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 68. (cf. Gabriel—"God is my strength" ...

Isaiah Isaiah ( or ; he, , ''Yəšaʿyāhū'', "God is Salvation"), also known as Isaias, was the 8th-century BC Israelite prophet after whom the Book of Isaiah is named. Within the text of the Book of Isaiah, Isaiah himself is referred to as "the ...

Ezekiel Ezekiel (; he, יְחֶזְקֵאל ''Yəḥezqēʾl'' ; in the Septuagint written in grc-koi, Ἰεζεκιήλ ) is the central protagonist of the Book of Ezekiel in the Hebrew Bible. In Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, Ezekiel is acknow ...

, and

Malachi Malachi (; ) is the traditional author of the Book of Malachi, the last book of the Nevi'im (Prophets) section of the Tanakh. According to the 1897 ''Easton's Bible Dictionary'', it is possible that Malachi is not a proper name, as it simply mean ...

in the

Old Testament The Old Testament (often abbreviated OT) is the first division of the Christian biblical canon, which is based primarily upon the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh, a collection of ancient religious Hebrew writings by the Israelites. The ...

and also the prophesies of Peter,

, and

John the Revelator John of Patmos (also called John the Revelator, John the Divine, John the Theologian) is the name traditionally given to the author of the Book of Revelation. The text of Revelation states that John was on Patmos, a Greece, Greek island where, a ...

in the

. Members of the LDS Church maintain that other religions have a portion of the truth, mingled with inaccuracies. They also maintain that many other religions advance many good causes and do much good among the people insofar as they are led by the light of Christ, "which lighteth every man that cometh into the world" (John 1:9). The Church of Jesus Christ maintains an international humanitarian program and strives to "do good unto all men" (Galatians 6:10). The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ, which faithful members of the Church believe is one of the keystones of their religion, and are encouraged to read it along with the Bible, teaches that "all men are alike unto God" and that "When ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God (Mosiah 2:17)". Missionaries of the LDS Church challenge all people everywhere to read the book for themselves, and pray to God to know if it is true. They believe that the validity of the Book of Mormon is interconnected with the validity of the church: if the Book of Mormon is true, then the church is true, and all people everywhere should seek this knowledge for themselves (Moroni 10:3-5). Members of the church believe that after one gains a knowledge of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon, one should be baptized a member of the church to follow the example that Jesus Christ has sent.

References

. *Barker, Margaret (1991; Revised Ed, 2008). ''The Gate of Heaven: The History and Symbolism of the Temple in Jerusalem''. London: SPCK; Sheffield Phoenix Press. *Barker, Margaret (1992). ''The Great Angel: A Study of Israel's Second God''. London: SPCK; Louisville, KY: Westminster/John Knox Press. *Barker, Margaret (2003). ''The Great High Priest: The Temple Roots of Christian Liturgy''. London & New York:

T&T Clark T&T Clark is a British publishing firm which was founded in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1821 and which now exists as an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing. History The firm was founded in 1821 by Thomas Clark, then aged 22 and who had a Free Church ...

Continuum Continuum may refer to: * Continuum (measurement), theories or models that explain gradual transitions from one condition to another without abrupt changes Mathematics * Continuum (set theory), the real line or the corresponding cardinal number ...

. *Barker, Margaret (2004). ''Temple Theology: An Introduction''. London: SPCK. *Barker, Margaret (2005).
Joseph Smith and Preexilic Israelite Religion
' Provo, UT: BYU Studies ''BYU Studies Quarterly'' is an academic journal covering a broad array of topics related to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ( Mormon studies). It is published by the church-owned Brigham Young University. The journal is abstracted ...
44:4 (Dec 2005). *Barker, Margaret (2007). ''The Hidden Tradition of the Kingdom of God''. London: SPCK. *Barker, Margaret (2008). ''Temple Themes in Christian Worship''. London: T&T Clark. *Barker, Margaret & Gary N. Anderson, et al (2012).
Mormonism and the Temple: Examining an Ancient Religious Tradition
'
Academy for Temple Studies
Conference, 29 Oct 2012. Logan, UT:

Utah State University Utah State University (USU or Utah State) is a public land-grant research university in Logan, Utah. It is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. With nearly 20,000 students living on or near campus, USU is Utah's ...

. * Barker, James L. (1951, Three volumes; Revised Ed, 1984). Apostasy from the Divine Church. Salt Lake City:

Deseret News Press Deseret may refer to: Places * Deseret, Utah, an unincorporated community ** Fort Deseret * Deseret Ranches, Florida, US * State of Deseret, a provisional US state, 1849-1851 Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Deseret'' (film), a 1995 experiment ...

;

Bookcraft Bookcraft was a major publisher of books and products for members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). History In 1940, LDS Church president Heber J. Grant asked the church's ''Improvement Era'' magazine to compile his ...

. *Barkun, Michael. (1986). ''Crucible of the Millennium: The Burned-over District of New York in the 1840s''. Syracuse: Syracuse University Press. * Barlow, Philip L. (1991). ''Mormons and the Bible: The Place of the Latter-day Saints in American Religion''. New York: Oxford University Press. * Bickmore, Barry R. (1999; Revised Ed, 2013). Restoring the Ancient Church: Joseph Smith and Early Christianity. Redding, CA:

FairMormon FAIR (Faithful Answers, Informed Response), formerly known as FairMormon and the Foundation for Apologetic Information & Research (FAIR), is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that specializes in Mormon apologetics and responds to criticism of t ...

. * Brown, Matthew B. (2009). A Pillar of Light: The History and Message of the First Vision. American Fork, UT:

Covenant Communications Deseret Book () is an American publishing company headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, that also operates a chain of bookstores throughout the western United States. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Deseret Management Corporation (DMC), the ...

. *Brown, Matthew B. (2000). All Things Restored: Evidences and Witnesses of the Restoration. American Fork, UT: Covenant Communications. *Brown, Matthew B. (1999). The Gate of Heaven: Insights on the Doctrines and Symbols of the Temple. American Fork, UT: Covenant Communications. *Brown, Matthew B. (1997). Symbols in Stone: Symbolism on the Early Temples of the Restoration. American Fork, UT: Covenant Communications. * Bushman, Richard L. (2005). Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling. New York:

Knopf Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. () is an American publishing house that was founded by Alfred A. Knopf Sr. and Blanche Knopf in 1915. Blanche and Alfred traveled abroad regularly and were known for publishing European, Asian, and Latin American writers in ...

. * Butler, Jon. (1990). Awash in a Sea of Faith: Christianizing the American People. Cambridge, MA:

Harvard University Press Harvard University Press (HUP) is a publishing house established on January 13, 1913, as a division of Harvard University, and focused on academic publishing. It is a member of the Association of American University Presses. After the retirem ...

. * Callister, Tad R. (2006). The Inevitable Apostasy and the Promised Restoration. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book. *Christensen, Kevin. (2013)
'Prophets and Kings in Lehi’s Jerusalem and Margaret Barker’s ''Temple Theology''
' Provo, UT: '' Interpreter: A Journal of Mormon Scripture'' 4:177-193. *Hansen, Klaus J. (1981). Mormonism and American Culture. Chicago:

University of Chicago Press The University of Chicago Press is the largest and one of the oldest university presses in the United States. It is operated by the University of Chicago and publishes a wide variety of academic titles, including ''The Chicago Manual of Style'', ...

. * Harper, Steven C. & Andrew H. Hedges, eds. (2004). <
Prelude to the Restoration: From Apostasy to the Restored Church
2004

Sidney B. Sperry Sidney Branton Sperry (December 26, 1895 – September 4, 1977) was one of three scholars who were members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) who began the scholarly and systematic study of the Book of Mormon in the mid- ...

Symposium. Provo, UT:

Religious Studies Center The Religious Studies Center (RSC) is the research and publishing arm of Religious Education at Brigham Young University (BYU), sponsoring scholarship on the culture, history, scripture, and doctrine of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day S ...

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ...

Deseret Book Deseret Book () is an American publishing company headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, that also operates a chain of bookstores throughout the western United States. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Deseret Management Corporation (DMC), the ...

. * Hatch, Nathan O. (1989). ''The Democratization of American Christianity''. New Haven: Yale University Press. *Hatch, Nathan O. & Noll, Mark A. (1982). ''The Bible in America: Essays in Cultural History''. New York: Oxford University Press. *Huchel, Frederick M. (2009).
Antecedents of the Restoration in the Ancient Temple: Margaret Barker's ''Temple Themes in Christian Worship''.
Provo, UT: FARMS ''Review'' 21:1. *Hughes, Richard T., ed. (1988). ''The American Quest for the Primitive Church''. Urbana: University of Illinois Press. * Jackson, Kent P. (1996). From Apostasy to Restoration. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book. *Jackson, Kent P., ed. (2011). <
''The King James Bible and the Restoration''
Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University & Deseret Book. *MacKay, Michael H. (2016). Sacred Space: Exploring the Birthplace of Mormonism. Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University & Deseret Book. *Marsh, W. Jeffrey, ed. (2005). <
Joseph Smith and the Doctrinal Restoration
/i>. Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University & Deseret Book. * Millet, Robert L. (2016). Precept upon Precept: Joseph Smith and the Restoration of Doctrine. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book. * Morrison, Alexander B. (2005). Turning from Truth: A New Look at the Great Apostasy. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book. * Nibley, Hugh W. (2001). <
When the Lights Went Out: Three Studies on the Ancient Apostasy
Provo, UT:

Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship The Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship, or Maxwell Institute, is a research institute at Brigham Young University (BYU). Made up of faculty and visiting scholars who study religion (primarily the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- ...

, Brigham Young University & Deseret Book. *Nibley, Hugh W. (1954; 1987). <
The World and the Prophets
/i>
The Collected Works of Hugh Nibley
Volume 3). Provo, UT:

Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies The Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies (FARMS) was an informal collaboration of academics devoted to Latter-day Saint historical scholarship. ThFoundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies (FARMS)was established in 1979 as a ...

(FARMS) & Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship, Brigham Young University & Deseret Book. *Nibley, Hugh W. (1987). <
Mormonism and Early Christianity
/i> (The Collected Works of Hugh Nibley, Volume 4). Provo, UT: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies (FARMS) & Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship, Brigham Young University & Deseret Book. *Nibley, Hugh W. (2004). <
Apostles and Bishops in Early Christianity
/i> (The Collected Works of Hugh Nibley, Volume 15). Provo, UT: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies (FARMS) & Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship, Brigham Young University & Deseret Book. * Noll, Mark A. & Luke E. Harlow, eds. (1990; Second Ed, 2007). Religion and American Politics: From the Colonial Period to the Present. Oxford, UK:

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...

. *Noll, Mark A. (1992). A History of Christianity in the United States. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. * Ostler, Craig J., ed. (2016). Foundations of the Restoration: Fulfillment of the Covenant Purposes. 2016 Sidney B. Sperry Symposium. Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University & Deseret Book. *Petersen, Scott R. (2005). Where Have all the Prophets Gone? Revelation and Rebellion in the Old Testament and the Christian World. Springville, UT: Cedar Fort, Inc. * Reynolds, Noel B., eds. (2005). Early Christians in Disarray: Contemporary LDS Perspectives on the Great Apostasy. Provo, UT: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies (FARMS) &

Brigham Young University Press Brigham Young University Press (BYU Press) is the university press of Brigham Young University (BYU). History Brigham Young University Press was formed in 1967 through the consolidation of BYU's various publishing activities into one central or ...

. * Roberts, B. H. (1893). <
Outlines of Ecclesiastical History
Salt Lake City: George Q. Cannon & Sons. *Sandeen, Ernest R. (2008)

970 Year 970 ( CMLXX) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar, the 970th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' designations, the 970th year of the 1st millennium, the 70th yea ...

''The Roots of Fundamentalism: British and American Millenarianism, 1800-1930''. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. * Talmage, James E. (1909). The Great Apostasy: Considered in the Light of Scriptural and Secular History. Salt Lake City:

Deseret News The ''Deseret News'' () is the oldest continuously operating publication in the American west. Its multi-platform products feature journalism and commentary across the fields of politics, culture, family life, faith, sports, and entertainment. Th ...

. * Underwood, Grant (1999)

993 Year 993 ( CMXCIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * Spring – The 12-year-old King Otto III gives the Sword of Saints Cosmas and Damian ...

''The Millenarian World of Early Mormonism''. Urbana: University of Illinois Press. * Welch, John W., ed. (2006). The Worlds of Joseph Smith: A Bicentennial Conference at the Library of Congress. Provo, UT: BYU Studies & Brigham Young University Press.

External links

"The Restoration of the Truth" at Mormon.org
- Official LDS Church website explaining Mormon belief {{History of Christianity, uncollapsed Latter Day Saint belief and doctrine Latter Day Saint terms