When Frederick G. Williams and Sidney Rigdon were ordained on March 18, 1833, to the Presidency of the High Priesthood, they were accounted as equal with Joseph Smith Jr. in holding the keys of the kingdom and also the keys of the School of the Prophets, according to the revelation received ten days earlier.
And again, verily I say unto thy brethren, Sidney Rigdon and Frederick G. Williams, their sins are forgiven them also, and they are accounted as equal with thee in holding the keys of this last kingdom;
As also through your administration the keys of the School of the Prophets, which I have commanded to be organized.1
Joseph’s entry for March 18, 1833, includes not only the ordination of his counselors to the Presidency, but the following notation regarding the School of the Prophets: “Great joy and satisfaction continually beamed in the countenances of the School of the Prophets, and the Saints, on account of the things revealed, and our progress in the knowledge of God. The High Priests assembled in the school room of the Prophets, and were organized according to revelation.”2
Since the March 8, 1833, revelation (D&C 90) linked two major responsibilities together—to preside over the kingdom and over the School of the Prophets, that is, to be the Lord’s stewards—the presidency must have recognized that the latter was a key for accomplishing the former. That proved to be the case, for the School of the Prophets played an important role in building the kingdom of God in the early days of the Church and in many ways was the spiritual fountainhead for much of what transpired doctrinally and administratively as a precursor to the temple.
Clerk for the School of the Prophets
The Prophet notes that the School of the Prophets began operations in the winter of 1832–33. “This winter was spent in translating the Scriptures; in the School of the Prophets; and sitting in conferences.”3 The school’s organization had come about in response to the Lord’s instructions found in a series of revelations received by Joseph Smith beginning December 27, 1832. The clerk for those meetings and for the revelations was Frederick G. Williams.4 “And again, the order of the house prepared for the presidency of the School of the Prophets, established for their instruction in all things that are expedient for them, even for all the officers of the church, or in other words, those who are called to the ministry in the church, beginning at the high priests, even down to the deacons.”5
Pipe-Smoking Brethren
As previously noted, the meetings of the School of the Prophets were often attended by a rich outpouring of the Holy Ghost, which included speaking in tongues and seeing heavenly manifestations, such as visions of the Savior and God, recorded by Frederick in the minutes.6 Several of the revelations found in the Doctrine and Covenants were also received during these meetings, including the Word of Wisdom (D&C 89), which came during a meeting held above the Whitney Store on February 27, 1833. Years later, Zebedee Coltrin, who was present on that occasion, related to President John Taylor what the response was by the pipe-smoking brethren upon receipt of the revelation, as well as a list of those who were in attendance, which included President Williams.
When the Word of Wisdom was first presented by the Prophet Joseph (as he came out of the translating room) and was read to the School, there were twenty out of the twenty-one who used tobacco and they all immediately threw their tobacco and pipes into the fire. There were members as follows: Joseph Smith, Hyrum Smith, William Smith, Frederick G. Williams, Orson Hyde (who had the charge of the school), Zebedee Coltrin, Sylvester Smith, Joseph Smith Sr., Levi Hancock, Martin Harris, Sidney Rigdon, Newel K. Whitney, Samuel H. Smith, John Murdock, Lyman Johnson and Ezra Thayer.7
Purpose of the School of the Prophets
The school also involved its members in the study of secular subjects according to the instructions contained in the revealed word of God.
And I give unto you a commandment that you shall teach one another the doctrine of the kingdom.
Teach ye diligently and my grace shall attend you, that you may be instructed more perfectly in theory, in principle, in doctrine, in the law of the gospel, in all things that pertain unto the kingdom of God, that are expedient for you to understand;
Of things both in heaven and in the earth, and under the earth; things which have been, things which are, things which must shortly come to pass; things which are at home, things which are abroad; the wars and the perplexities of the nations, and the judgments which are on the land; and a knowledge also of countries and of kingdoms.8
The next verse explains the purpose of this wide-ranging study.
That ye may be prepared in all things when I shall send you again to magnify the calling whereunto I have called you, and the mission with which I have commissioned you.9
In the subsequent revelation (D&C 90), the Lord expanded on the purpose of the School of the Prophets, which was to “receive the word,” that is, questions and concerns were to be discussed and presented to God for his direction; the revealed word was then to be taught at the school so that the members “may be perfected in their ministry for the salvation of Zion.” Hence, the purpose of the school was to prepare Christ’s disciples in their duties to teach the restored gospel at home and abroad.
That thereby they may be perfected in their ministry for the salvation of Zion, and of the nations of Israel, and of the Gentiles, as many as will believe;
That through your administration they may receive the word, and through their administration the word may go forth unto the ends of the earth, unto the Gentiles first, and then, behold, and lo, they shall turn unto the Jews.10
The Lord directed that the ancient ritual of washing of feet become a part of the initiation into the school, a practice that was taken up again in the Kirtland Temple.
And ye shall not receive any among you into this school save he is clean from the blood of this generation;
And he shall be received by the ordinance of the washing of feet, for unto this end was the ordinance of the washing of feet instituted.11
The Lord also instructed the members to perform a formal salutation at the commencement of each class. The revelation’s language closely tied the School of the Prophets to the house of the Lord yet to be built.
Behold, verily, I say unto you this is an ensample unto you for a salutation to one another in the house of God, in the School of the Prophets.
And ye are called to do this by prayer and thanksgiving, as the Spirit shall give utterance in all your doings in the house of the Lord, in the School of the Prophets, that it may become a sanctuary, a tabernacle of the Holy Spirit to your edification.12
That the School of the Prophets would perform many of the functions of the modern temple is seen in the description of the house that they should establish.
And as all have not faith, seek ye diligently and teach one another words of wisdom; yea, seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom; seek learning, even by study and also by faith.
Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing; and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God.13
Three Houses of the Lord to Be Built in Kirtland
The first session of the School of the Prophets met during the winter months (1832–33), but then its operation was suspended in the spring to allow for active missionary service. While it was in session, the School of the Prophets usually met in a room over the Newel K. Whitney store, which could barely accommodate two dozen people at a time. In the spring of 1833, a conference of high priests decided to construct a school house that could better serve their needs; the minutes were taken by President Frederick G. Williams.14 The Prophet records:
May 4 [1833].—A conference of High Priests assembled in Kirtland, to take into consideration the necessity of building a school house, for the accommodation of the Elders, who should come together to receive instruction preparatory for their missions, and ministry, according to a revelation on that subject, given March 8, 1833, and by unanimous voice of the conference; Hyrum Smith, Jared Carter, and Reynolds Cahoon were appointed a committee to obtain subscriptions, for the purpose of erecting such a building.15
Two days later, however, on May 6, 1833, a revelation was received by Joseph Smith in which the Lord instructed him not only to build a house for the First Presidency wherein they could receive revelation and carry out all the work of the ministry—including the training of the brethren in the School of the Prophets—but also to build a separate house dedicated to the Lord as a printing establishment to publish the translation of the Bible “and all things whatsoever I command you.” Each of these two houses were to have the same dimensions as the temple and were to be built next to it. In this construction effort, Joseph would be laying the foundation for the “city of the stake of Zion, here in the land of Kirtland.”
And again, verily I say unto you, my friends, a commandment I give unto you, that ye shall commence a work of laying out and preparing a beginning and foundation of the city of the stake of Zion, here in the land of Kirtland, beginning at my house. . . .
And let the first lot on the south be consecrated unto me for the building of a house for the presidency, for the work of the presidency, in obtaining revelations; and for the work of the ministry of the presidency, in all things pertaining to the church and kingdom.
Verily I say unto you, that it shall be built fifty-five by sixty-five feet in the width thereof and in the length thereof, in the inner court. . . .
And it shall be wholly dedicated unto the Lord for the work of the presidency. . . .
And again, verily I say unto you, the second lot on the south shall be dedicated unto me for the building of a house unto me, for the work of the printing of the translation of my scriptures, and all things whatsoever I shall command you.
And it shall be built fifty-five by sixty-five feet in the width thereof and the length thereof, in the inner court; and there shall be a lower and a higher court.16
Drawings of the three identical houses of the Lord have survived in the 1833 Kirtland plat,17 together with the names of the lot owners nearby. Had they been built, two of the three houses of the Lord would have been built on the prior Isaac More property, at that time owned by Frederick G. Williams.
Committee to Draft Inner Court of the House of the Lord
At a conference of high priests convened in the translating room in Kirtland on June 3, 1833, plans for the house of worship (Kirtland Temple) and the School of the Prophets were discussed, and President Williams was appointed one of the members of the committee to obtain a draft of the inner court of the house.
The next matter before the conference was to ascertain what should be the dimensions or size of the house, that is to be built for a house of worship and for the School of the Prophets. I had received a revelation on the size of the house in which the word of the Lord was that it should be fifty-five feet wide, and sixty-five feet long, in the inner court. The conference appointed Joseph Smith, Jun., Sidney Rigdon and Frederick G. Williams to obtain a draft or construction of the inner court of the house.18
School House
Besides the temple, however, only a modified version of one of these two other houses of the Lord was ever built, and its interior features were different and its dimensions much smaller than what the Lord had instructed. After it was constructed, the two-story building served as a combination First Presidency office, meeting room for the renamed School of the Elders, and the printing office. Regarding this building, Keith W. Perkins and Donald Q. Cannon have written:
The first lot west of (behind) the Kirtland Temple, on the south side of Maple (Whitney) Street, is the site of a two-story, 30-by-38 foot building known as the Schoolhouse and Printing Office. Landscaping and a parking lot now cover the site. The Lord had commanded that two separate buildings be built, but because of the Saints’ poverty, one building served both purposes (D&C 94).
The top floor served as a meetinghouse, First Presidency office, and Church printing office. The lower floor served as a schoolhouse. Following the building’s completion and dedication in Dec. 1834, the School of the Elders (previously the School of the Prophets) was moved from the Whitney store and held in the schoolhouse during the winter of 1834–35 (HC 2:169–70). Besides receiving instructions through lectures on theology, such as the Lectures on Faith delivered by Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon, the elders studied penmanship, grammar, arithmetic, and geography. When the school was moved into the Kirtland Temple in Jan. 1836, a Hebrew class taught by Joshua Seixas was added to the curriculum.19
During the 1834–35 session of the school, Joseph reported on the success of the theological course (the Lectures on Faith), the increased attendance at class, and the diligent efforts made by the elders in preparing themselves to serve missions.
December 1 [1834].—our school for the Elders was now well attended, and with the lectures on theology, which were regularly delivered, absorbed for the time being everything else of a temporal nature. The classes, being mostly Elders gave the most studious attention to the all-important object of qualifying themselves as messengers of Jesus Christ, to be ready to do His will in carrying glad tiding to all that would open their eyes, ears and hearts.20
Later in January 1835, Joseph’s journal recorded: “During the month of January, I was engaged in the school of the Elders, and in preparing the lectures on theology for publication in the book of Doctrine and Covenants, which the committee appointed last September were now compiling.”21 The preface in the original 1835 publication of the Doctrine and Covenants also notes that the Lectures on Faith were studied at the School of the Elders. “The first part of the book will be found to contain a series of lectures as delivered before a Theological class in this place, and in consequence of their embracing the important doctrine of salvation, we have arranged them into the following work.”22
Students Board at the Williams’s
When the renamed School of the Elders convened in the winter of 1834–35, more than its name and its location had changed. One obvious difference was that whereas in the School of the Prophets enrollment was virtually limited to the leading brethren of the Church, now in the School of the Elders, enrollment expanded to include other priesthood members as well. Even more distinguishing changes were made during the 1835–36 school session. Whereas before, studies were primarily focused on religious topics, the school now taught a variety of secular subjects, such as Hebrew, geography, arithmetic, and grammar. Zebedee Coltrin, a student at the school, commented: “The School of the Prophets began in Kirtland, January 24, 1833, much instruction received by the gift of tongues and the interpretation thereof.” He continued, “The science we engaged in for the winter was English grammar, of which we obtained a general knowledge.”23 It is interesting to note that Coltrin had boarded at President Williams’s home for about half of the month of January 1833, for which he paid a total of $4.04, or $2.02 per week.
January the 12—1833
I commenced at boreding
at F. G. Williams
Ze Coltrin to F. W
Two Dol 2 ce.
D[itt]o ended 1–2524
Another participant, Bishop Edward Partridge, wrote of studying grammar at the school and also of his having boarded at President F. G. Williams’s home for nine days.
Nov. 3 [1835] I went to Unionville to see Mr. Lee’s folks, returned the 4. The 5 commenced going to school to learn Grammar.
The 7 went to Cleveland to see my friends there, returned the 9 Commenced school again the 10 and also finished a letter to my wife and children.
The 12 at evening commenced board at elder Lyman Johnsons, having boarded at br. F. G. Williams’s about 9 days.25
1. Doctrine and Covenants 90:6–7.
2. Joseph Smith Jr., History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, ed. B. H. Roberts, 2d ed., rev., 7 vols. (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1971), 1:334 (hereafter cited as History of the Church).
3. History of the Church, 1:322.
4. Fred C. Collier and William S. Harwell, eds., The Kirtland Council Minute Book, 2d ed. (Salt Lake City: Collier’s Publishing, 2002), 3.
5. Doctrine and Covenants 88:127.
6. March 18, 1833, was one such sacred occasion. See Collier and Harwell, Kirtland Council Minute Book, 9–10.
7. Statement of Zebedee Coltrin in Minutes, Salt Lake City School of the Prophets, October 3, 1883, quoted in Mark L. Staker, “‘Thou Art the Man’: Newel K. Whitney in Ohio,” BYU Studies 42, no. 1 (2003): 107. Staker includes a photograph of pipe fragments he uncovered in the ash pit archaeological dig just south of the Whitney ashery, which, he says “may be a remnant of those thrown into the Whitney fireplace when Joseph received the Word of Wisdom.”
8. Doctrine and Covenants 88:77–79.
9. Doctrine and Covenants 88:80.
10. Doctrine and Covenants 90:8–9.
11. Doctrine and Covenants 88:138–39.
12. Doctrine and Covenants 88:136–37.
13. Doctrine and Covenants 88:118–19.
14. Collier and Harwell, Kirtland Council Minute Book, 14
15. History of the Church, 1:342–43.
16. Doctrine and Covenants 94:1, 3–4, 7, 10–11.
17. The City of the Stake of Zion–Kirtland Plat was prepared in 1833 and clearly shows all three buildings are identical in size and appearance. The City of Zion–Missouri Plat, which contains twenty-four buildings, was also prepared in 1833. Due to the similar use of Zion in their names, the Kirtland plat had been catalogued as a Missouri document, when in fact it was not, as can be seen from the names on the lots next to the temple site. Mark L. Staker, “Center Blocks of the Earliest Plat of Kirtland Showing Three Proposed Buildings,” unpublished manuscript. Dr. Staker is curator at Church History Museum in Salt Lake City.
18. History of the Church, 1:352.
19. Donald Q. Cannon and Keith W. Perkins, Sacred Places: A Comprehensive Guide to Early LDS Historical Sites, vol. 3, Ohio and Illinois, ed. LaMar C. Berrett (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2001), 29–30.
20. History of the Church, 2:175–76.
21. History of the Church, 2:180.
22. Doctrine and Covenants of the Church of the Latter Day Saints (Kirtland, Ohio: F. G. Williams & Co., 1835), iii. Reprint of the first edition by Herald House, Independence, Mo., 1971.
23. Quoted in Richard S. Van Wagoner, Sidney Rigdon: A Portrait of Religious Excess (Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 1994), 161.
24. Zebedee Coltrin, “Zebedee Coltrin Diary II,” 28, Church History Library, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City.
25. “Diaries, 1818 and 1835–1836 of Edward Partridge” also referred to as “The Journal of Bishop Edward Partridge,” 33–34, Church History Library.
