1. Craig J. Ostler, “What Is a Mortal Messiah,” in The Apostle Paul: His Life and His Testimony, Proceedings from the 23rd Annual Sidney B. Sperry Symposium (Provo, Utah: Brigham Young University, 1994), 163 n. 23.

2. Joseph Smith, Address, June 16, 1844, Thomas Bullock report, in The Words of Joseph Smith: The Contemporary Accounts of the Nauvoo Discourses of the Prophet Joseph, comp. and ed. Andrew F. Ehat and Lyndon W. Cook (Provo, Utah: BYU Religious Studies Center, 1980; Orem, Utah: Grandin Book, 1991), 378, spelling and punctuation corrected; citations refer to the Grandin edition. The uncorrected text reads, “I have allways—& in all congregats. when I have preached it has been the plurality of Gods it has been preached 15 years—I have always decld. God to be a distinct personage—J.C. a sep. & distinct pers from God the Far. the H.G. was a distinct personage & or Sp & these 3 constit. 3 distinct personages & 3 Gods.”

3. For examples of those asserting that an understanding of the separate and distinct nature of the three members of the Godhead occurred in the 1830s or earlier, see David L. Paulsen, “The Doctrine of Divine Embodiment: Restoration, Judeo-Christian, and Philosophical Perspectives,” BYU Studies 35, no. 4 (1995–96): 6–94; and Robert L. Millet, “Joseph Smith and Modern Mormonism: Orthodoxy, Neoorthodoxy, Tension, and Tradition,” BYU Studies 29, no. 3 (1989): 49–68. For an example of the counterargument, see Thomas G. Alexander, “The Reconstruction of Mormon Doctrine,” Sunstone 5, no. 4 (1980): 24–33. For those who argue that details surrounding Joseph Smith’s 1820 theophany, referred to as the “First Vision” (which is seen by many as the source of the LDS concept of the Godhead) did not become widely known, even among the rank and file membership of the Church, for more than a decade later, see Richard Lyman Bushman with Jed Woodworth, Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling (New York: Knopf, 2005), 39–41; Robert J. Woodford, “Joseph Smith and ‘The Vision,’” in Joseph Smith: The Prophet and Seer, ed. Richard Neitzel Holzapfel and Kent P. Jackson (Provo, Utah: BYU Religious Studies Center, 2010), 120; and James B. Allen and John W. Welch, “The Appearance of the Father and the Son in 1820,” in Opening the Heavens: Accounts of Divine Manifestations, 1820–1844, ed. John W. Welch (Provo, Utah: BYU Press, 2005), 38–52.

4. It is important to note that there is not universal agreement on the interpretation of 1 Nephi 11:11. For example, James E. Talmage interprets the “Spirit of the Lord” as the Holy Ghost in Articles of Faith (Salt Lake City: LDS Church, 1952), 159–60. Of this, Sidney B. Sperry noted that while there is not agreement on whether or not the phrase “Spirit of the Lord” refers to the premortal Christ or the Holy Ghost, he indicated that he not only agreed with Elder Talmage but wished he could convince others to as well, explaining his position and giving an explanation for the opposing sentiment in Sidney B. Sperry, Book of Mormon Compendium (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1968), 117–18.

5. 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), 5:323–24.

6. Joseph Smith Diary kept by Willard Richards, April 2, 1843, in Ehat and Cook, Words of Joseph Smith, 171.

7. Joseph Smith, April 2, 1843, recorded in William Clayton, Diary, in Ehat and Cook, Words of Joseph Smith, 169.

8. Two different transcriptions of William Clayton’s diary entry for April 2, 1843, one by James B. Allen and the other by Andrew F. Ehat and Lyndon W. Cook, agree precisely: “The Holy Ghost is a personage, and a person cannot have the personage of the H. G. in his heart.” Although Allen sometimes rephrased Clayton’s diary entries in his own words, in this instance it is apparent that he did not, in that both of these transcriptions are exactly the same and both are in quotation marks. See James B. Allen, Trials of Discipleship: The Story of William Clayton (Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1987), 122; and Joseph Smith, April 2, 1843, William Clayton, Diary, in Ehat and Cook, Words of Joseph Smith, 170. More recently, a transcription of this portion of the William Clayton Diary was published in the Joseph Smith Papers, which confirms these transcriptions. See Andrew H. Hedges, Alex B. Smith, and Richard Lloyd Anderson, eds., Journals, Volume 2: December 1841–April 1843, vol. 2 of the Journals series of the Joseph Smith Papers, ed. Dean C. Jessee, Ronald K. Esplin, and Richard Lyman Bushman (Salt Lake City: Church Historian’s Press, 2011), 405.

9. Joseph began dictating this history to his scribes on June 11, 1839. By the time of his death, a draft of his history was completed up to August 5, 1838, and by the time Willard Richards and his clerk Thomas Bullock packaged the historical documents in their possession on February 4, 1846, in preparation to leave Nauvoo, the draft manuscript was 1,485 pages in length and included the Prophet’s history up to March 1, 1843, just one month short of the D&C 130 material under consideration, which was dated April 2, 1843. For an accurate and thorough review of the chronology of these events, see Howard C. Searle, “Authorship of the History of Joseph Smith,” BYU Studies 21, no. 1 (1981): 114–17.

10. Joseph Smith, Address, April 2, 1843, Joseph Smith Diary kept by Willard Richards, in Ehat and Cook, Words of Joseph Smith, 173. This is not the only instance of Joseph Smith’s words, as originally recorded in diaries or manuscript books, being revised later. For example, the revelations now published as Doctrine and Covenants sections 24–27, 68, 83, and 107 all underwent major textual revisions between the time of original recording and later publication in the Book of Commandments or subsequent editions of the Doctrine and Covenants. For details regarding these textual changes see Lyndon W. Cook, The Revelations of the Prophet Joseph Smith (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1985); Kurt Eliason, Historical Context of the Doctrine and Covenants and Other Modern Scriptures, Volume 1 (Dallas: Kurt Eliason, 2011); or Stephen E. Robinson and H. Dean Garrett, A Commentary on the Doctrine and Covenants, 4 vols. (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2005). All of these changes were directed by Joseph Smith. However, it is difficult to ascertain whether or not Joseph directed the addition of the line “the Father has a body of flesh & bones as tangible as mans the Son also, but” afterward when Willard Richards was transferring the contents of William Clayton’s diary to the journal he was keeping for Joseph Smith.

11. See note 8.

12. I am indebted to Andrew F. Ehat, who discovered that William Clayton may have shared Joseph’s corrections of Elder Hyde’s address with Willard Richards on April 5, 1843. Ehat has formulated the hypothesis that Clayton and Richards may have even collaborated on the construction of the additional statement “the Father has a body of flesh & bones as tangible as mans the Son also,” based on William Clayton’s recollections of Joseph Smith’s teachings, while he was sharing the April 2, 1843, diary entries with Richards. This supposition is based on an entry in the William Clayton Diary, dated April 5, 1843 (Wednesday), which states, “At the office near the temple also at prest. Josephs office, looking at a lot for Adam Lightner and giving Dr Richards history.” Ehat’s unpublished notes in possession of author.

13. See Ehat and Cook, Words of Joseph Smith, 268–69, note 5.

14. Initially, George A. Smith, with the help of his clerks, collected various documents from which the history would be drawn; these were assembled into scrapbook form. See Church Historian’s Office Journal, vol. 17, CR 100 1, pp. 17, 22, 62, and insert 1-8, Church History Library, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City (hereafter cited as Church Historian’s Office Journal). Thomas Bullock kept this journal, however, and at the request of the senior Brethren, he was absent from the Church Historian’s Office May 4–June 2, 1854, while attending them on an excursion to “the south” part of the territory. His responsibilities on this trip were keeping the camp journal and detailed odometer readings. As a result, he took the Church Historian’s Office Journal with him, and it actually includes these details of the trip instead of the occurrences in the Church Historian’s Office during this time period (see Church Historian’s Office Journal, vol. 17, 22–57). In his absence, one of the other clerks kept records of the happenings in the Church Historian’s Office, and these eight pages were inserted in the Church Historian’s Office Journal between pages 24 and 25 of volume 17. According to the composite journal kept by Thomas Bullock and the inserted pages, work on the scrapbook, which was commissioned by George A. Smith on April 28, 1854, was conducted on the following dates: May 3, 5, 9, 11, 13, 16–20, 22–31, and June 1, 2, and 6, 1854.

15. Dean C. Jessee, “The Writing of Joseph Smith’s History,” BYU Studies 11, no. 4 (Summer 1971): 470.

16. Church Historian’s Office Journal, 112. This is an extremely important page in the Church Historian’s Office Journal, because it is the only entry indicating that they worked on the “history for April [18]43,” as well as recording that “President Young calls at noon and hears and read history.”

17. History of the Church, Draft Manuscript, Church History Library.

18. Leo Hawkins copied the approved Draft Manuscript into Manuscript Book D-1 on the following dates: July 1, 20, 26, 27, 29, 31, and August 3, 16, 17, 18, 19, 21, 1854. See Church Historian’s Office Journal, 87, 106, 111–14, 116, 119, 132–37.

19. Church Historian’s Office Journal, 119.

20. The only other day on which portions of Manuscript Book D-1 might have been read to Presidents Young and Grant was August 13, 1854; however, the journal does not specifically indicate that those portions read were from Manuscript Book D-1 (although it is likely). Importantly, the journal does specifically indicate that Leo Hawkins was sick at home with a toothache that day, and since the D&C 130:22 portion of Manuscript D-1, as well as the corrections that were made to it, are in the handwriting of Leo Hawkins, the possibility of the changes being on this day are effectively eliminated. See Church Historian’s Office Journal, 130.

21. The author was not able to obtain images of the William Clayton journal but has images of the Willard Richards journal in his possession. Copies of these images have been provided for examination.

22. History of the Church, August 3, 1854, Manuscript Book D-1, 1511, Church History Library.

23. Brigham Young, “Salvation,” in Journal of Discourses (Liverpool: F. D. Richards, 1855–86), 1:3, January 16, 1853.

24. Orson Pratt, in Journal of Discourses, 2:338.

25. Pratt, in Journal of Discourses, 2:344.

26. Pratt, in Journal of Discourses, 2:337.

27. Orson Pratt, “The Holy Spirit,” in Tracts by Orson Pratt, One of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and President of Said Church throughout Great Britain and All European Countries (Liverpool: LDS Book and Star Depot, August 25, 1856–March 15, 1857), 50–56.

28. See, for example, Joseph F. Smith, Gospel Doctrine: Selections from the Sermons and Writings of Joseph F. Smith, comp. John A. Widtsoe (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1977), 60–61; and George Reynolds and Janne M. Sjodahl, Commentary on the Book of Mormon, 7 vols., ed. Philip C. Reynolds (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1956), 2:169. Admittedly, Joseph F. Smith did not serve as a counselor to Brigham Young when the changes occurred, but he was a counselor in the First Presidency when section 130 was published in the 1876 edition of the Doctrine and Covenants, and he was retained as a counselor to John Taylor when this section was canonized in 1880.

29. Joseph Smith, “Scriptural Items,” August 27, 1843, reported by Franklin D. Richards, in Ehat and Cook, Words of Joseph Smith, 245.

30. Joseph Smith, June 16, 1844, recorded in George Laub, Journal, in Ehat and Cook, Words of Joseph Smith, 382.

31. See David Paulsen’s excellent treatment of the word “personage” in David L. Paulsen, “The Doctrine of Divine Embodiment: Restoration, Judeo-Christian, and Philosophical Perspectives,” BYU Studies 35, no. 4 (1995–96): 25–27. It is important to note his treatment of the embodiment of the Holy Ghost (pages 17–19 of the same article), but only that his spirit was anthropomorphic and not in regards to the indwelling treated in this article.

32. Even though the scriptural eisegesis or personal application of these teachings has almost universally referred to one’s body, Richard Lloyd Anderson argued, “The King James Version is archaic but often helpful in its precision. In expressing a subject of a sentence, today’s English uses ‘you’ for one person or for many, whereas, ‘ye are the temple of God’ translates the Greek plural form; the Corinthians collectively were referred to as God’s temple here. This is not the analogy of the body as a temple.” Richard Lloyd Anderson, Guide to Acts and the Apostles’ Letters (Provo, Utah: FARMS, 1999), 39. He also noted, “Usually the Church is the temple of God. The members (‘ye,’ older plural English for the plural Greek) are ‘God’s building’ (1 Cor. 3:9), with Christ its foundation (1 Cor. 3:11), or in summary, ‘the Temple of God’ (1 Cor. 3:16).” Richard Lloyd Anderson, Understanding Paul (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1990), 86. Comparable explanations can be found in such notable works as these: D. Kelly Ogden and Andrew C. Skinner, New Testament Apostles Testify of Christ: A Guide for Acts through Revelation (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1998), 132, and, more recently, Eric D. Huntsman, “‘The Wisdom of Men’: Greek Philosophy, Corinthian Behavior, and the Teachings of Paul,” in Shedding Light on the New Testament: Acts–Revelation, ed. Ray L. Huntington, Frank F. Judd, and David M. Whitchurch (Provo, Utah: BYU Religious Studies Center, 2009), 78–79 n. 27.