A Study of Emma Smith
Discussion based on the following two presentations:
Joseph Spencer: “A Revelation I Give Unto You” The Revelation of Jesus Christ to Emma Hale Smith - Sperry Symposium, October 2020
Carter Charles: “Thou Art an Elect Lady”: How Christ Includes and Empowers Women in Doctrine and Covenants 25 - Sperry Symposium, October 2020
Joseph Spencer
One of the many points made about Emma Smith by Dr. Spencer is that the three appointments given to her in verses 5-12, to be a scribe to Joseph the Prophet, teacher or exhorter to the Church, and collector of hymns for the Church, were all assignments that were exclusively male. This is remarkable and something we may overlook—“she is divinely appointment that in other religious traditions are exclusively male.” Emma had serious and important roles in the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Emma was invited from the margins of the church.
The text of the revelation changes between 1830 and 1835. Why changes? In preparation for the publication of the Doctrine and Covenants. Changing circumstances.
Bringing sons into the revelation - Emma becomes a model for ALL, not just women, but women and men.
Doctrine and Covenants 25:4 “. . . for they are withheld from thee and from the world, which is wisdom in me in a time to come.” In a time to come - He reveals who He is to the whole world. The time could be now. God’s will to call women, and maybe everyone who is marginalized, into the center. Those already in the center are to make room so that all can have a part in the restoration.
Carter Charles - Sperry Symposium
BYU Professor Carter Charles also presented on Doctrine and Covenants Section 25—his presentation is wonderful and worth listening to. He talks about the hiatus, a disconnect between the revelation and its implementation in the history of the church relating to women. Church leaders are actively seeking to bridge or end that hiatus, for example, women now stand as witnesses during various ordinances. This has profound practice . . .
The word “calling” is significant. A God-given mission or divine decree or mission imposed by God. Example: Abish became instrumental in how the spiritual experience ended for everyone.
Emma is called to help Christ steady his prophets—love this! Interdependent and intertwined.
Though not ordained to a specific priesthood office, women who are set apart to serve in the restored church of Jesus Christ officiate under the same priesthood keys as those who are ordained to priesthood offices. Instruments of balance and perfection in the restoration process. The restoration of the church bridges the loopholes that had marginalized women.
Emma symbolically conducts the meeting - the act of opening a hymn book is a ritual - this sets up the condition to partake of the sacrament. Female inclusion and empowerment. Emma received multiple divine callings. A hiatus, a disconnect between the revelation and its implementation in the history of the church. Church leaders are actively seeking to bridge or end that hiatus - women stand as witnesses. Profound practical implications. The female witness validates the ritual—this is using priesthood authority. Looking forward to bringing the church more in line with authorized precedence.
Carol Cornwall Madsen
Reflecting on the events of Smith’s early married life, historian Carol Cornwall Madsen aptly observed:
“The attempts by gold-seekers to wrest the plates from Joseph, the harassment during their translation, the mobs who interfered with Emma’s baptism, the unwarranted arrest of Joseph the same night, as well as the alienation of her parents, the loss of home and roots, and the death of her first child, all gave Emma a harsh introduction to the life of a prophet’s wife.” “A Sacred Space for Women: Hymnody in Emma Hale Smith’s Theology” by Rachel Cope.
Section 25 was bringing Emma to the center of the Restoration. We don’t give her enough credit to humbly do her work so that Joseph could do his work. The Lord heard her and knew her needs. Her voice mattered in the Restoration. Section 25 is so personal.
All men and women can learn from Emma
Is Section 25 her baptismal confirmation?
Glad to live in this time frame
“In July of 1830, Emma was 26 years old; she was so young. She was three and a half years into her marriage. She had lost a baby boy—her first. His little grave is just down the lane from her home. As I stood at that window, it was not hard for me to imagine what might have filled her thoughts. Surely she worried about their finances, about the increasing persecution that threatened their safety, about their future. And yet the work of God was everywhere around her. Did she also wonder about her place in the plan, her purpose in His kingdom, and her potential in the eyes of God?” President Emily Belle Freeman’s General Conference Talk
Emma wanted a blessing from Joseph, and he said for her to write it and he would sign it. He respected her so much that he asked her to write her own blessing. Joseph Smith understood women. https://josephsmithjr.org/emmas-last-blessing/