D&C 1835 Edition

D&C 1835 Edition on Monogamy & Polygamy

CES Letter Core Question

Was Joseph a polygamist by 1835? Did Joseph defy the 1835 D&C by adding plural wives?

D&C 1835 Edition on Monogamy & Polygamy

The CES Letter argues that scriptures demand monogamy, apparently at all times and places. But God said in the Book of Mormon, “I will command my people,” so earlier commandments could be superseded. Regardless, the actual language of 1830s scriptures is ambiguous regarding polygamy.

34 scriptures condemning polygamy-1

See:

“‘Guilty of Such Folly?': Accusations of Adultery and Polygamy Against Oliver Cowdery,” Mormon Historical Studies vol. 9, no. 2, Fall 2008, 41-57. 

Brian C. Hales, Joseph Smith’s Polygamy: History and Theology, 3 vols., Salt Lake City: Greg Kofford Books, 2013, 1: 154-82