Where is Zion? Rises Again!

Coming back for another round:

Blair Hodges’ recent interview with Richard Bushman brought to mind some old ponderings that I have resurrected for the book on Joseph’s sermons. The tandem evolution of concepts of Zion, consecration, temple, millennium and gathering find a discursive foundation in Joseph’s sermons.

James Adams. Part 2. Aspects of the Sermon.

[Cross posted from By Common Consent.]

For part 1, see here.

The late summer and early fall of 1843 was not a healthy time in Nauvoo. Philadelphia had yellow fever in the summer (and it emptied the town) and Nauvoo had malaria. If you could survive a year, the general weakness would usually subside and you had a good chance of staying alive. But the eldery and the very young had a more guarded prognosis. Often, malaria teamed up with pneumonia or cholera or some other bug to take out even the robust. In James Adams’ case, cholera got the blame for his August 11 demise:

Alexander Neibaur – Nauvoo Journal

Hugh Nibley’s great grandfather, Alexander Neibaur, was a Mormon convert who emigrated to Nauvoo, Ill. in 1841. His short Nauvoo journal is available now at boap.org. It contains an interesting account of shipboard problems when Neibaur sailed from Liverpool to New Orleans. Neibaur tutored Joseph Smith in German, and Smith related several interesting incidents which Neibaur reports in his journal.

Joseph Smith’s Polyglot New Testament

When Joseph Smith lived in Nauvoo, Ill. he had acquired a polyglot NT. One can narrow down which one it was by the languages it contained. Hebrew, Greek, German, Latin. I’m not sure where he got it, but it might have been from Alex Neibaur. I’ve done a little searching for this NT, but have not found it. It’s not in the LDS archives, the CoC archives or the usual major libraries – unless of course it’s uncatalogued. So it may be in private hands, if it still exists at all. Joseph made reference to it in the King Follett sermon, which of course makes it relevant to this blog. So. Anyone out there know where this NT is? If you don’t want to reply by comment, you can email me at boap at boap dot org.

William, Rosanna and Ephraim Marks–Sources?

I’m away from home, and hence away from archive heaven, but not wanting to be completely idle, I’m asking for a favor–.

One of Joseph Smith’s funeral sermons that is extant to some reasonable degree is one delivered for 24 year old Ephraim Robinson Marks. Son of William and Rosanna Marks, the cause of death is obscure. In many ways the sermon was classically Protestant in flavor. But not all. William and Rosanna were prominent Nauvoo Mormons. Ephraim, like so many other people in Nauvoo, seems to be invisible.

I’ve not really burned any candles over Ephraim as yet (I mean in the sense of extensive study, not ritual!), but if you happen to know something about him, associates, reputation, his family, his parents, etc., how about sharing such sources. You can email me (see to the right) or comment here, as you please. I won’t respond unless you wish it. Yes, I want to poach your sources.