A Church in Turmoil After the Martyrdom The deaths of Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum in the summer of 1844 plunged Nauvoo into fear, uncertainty, and grief. Without the Prophet, the Saints faced a new and unsettling question: Who now held the authority to guide the Church? The city trembled under the threat of … Read more
A Church in Crisis After the Martyrdom The deaths of Joseph and Hyrum Smith in June 1844 placed the Saints in a condition of profound grief and uncertainty. Nauvoo, filled with mourning, now faced an equally pressing question: who carried the authority to lead the Church forward? The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles returned to … Read more
Introduction The period surrounding Joseph Smith’s final years in Nauvoo remains one of the richest and most complex eras in early Latter-day Saint history, shaping doctrines, ordinances, and leadership structures that continue to define the Church today. This episode explores that historical context, the succession crisis that followed Joseph Smith’s death, the rise and fall … Read more