Contributed by Sydney Walker, Church News Editor
Article Highlights
- Saints, Volume 2, is now available in print in English and digitally in 13 additional languages.
“This is a really important time in the history of Latter-day Saint women, for what they accomplished and for the sense of self that they developed, and for their courage and their ability to stand up for themselves. raise up and proclaim their voice.” —Lisa Olsen Tait, editor
As Zina Young and Emmeline Wells traveled by train to attend a women’s conference at the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago, their thoughts returned to the past. Latter-day Saint women leaders reflected on the many trials and triumphs of the past 50 years.
“When we rest from our unspeakable sacrifices, may it be like the most beautiful Utah sunsets, may many in the future have reason to praise God for the noble women of this generation,” he later said Young in Wells.
This exchange, which we find towards the end of Saints, volume 2, No unholy hand, 1846-1893» – precisely sums up an idea that Lisa Olsen Tait hopes readers will take away from the new volume, released February 12.
“This is a really important time in the history of Latter-day Saint women, for what they accomplished and for the sense of self that they developed, and for their courage and their ability to stand up for themselves. stand up and proclaim their voices,” said Tait, editor of Volume 2. “I hope readers come away with a greater appreciation for the women of the Church of this era. »
Greater appreciation for early women in the Church is one of many ideas Saints, volume 2 publishers and writers hope readers will benefit. The new volume also features unique Indigenous voices, historical context surrounding controversial issues, and a lesson about God’s dealings with His covenant people.
Saints, volume 2, No unholy hand, 1846-1893 is now available in print in English and digitally in 13 additional languages. Other languages will be available in print within a few months. More than 500,000 copies have been sold Saints, Volume 1, The Standard of Truth, 1815-1846, published in 2018.
The second volume of story in four volumes commissioned by the First Presidency, recounts the Saints’ journey westward and their settlement in the Salt Lake Valley, the expansion of missionary work in many nations, and the construction and dedication of the Salt Lake Temple – or how the saints kept the faith while enduring “sacrifices.” indescribable.”
![](https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/bc/content/ldsorg/church/news/2020/02/11/12/350-Saints-Volume-2-Reading-683x1024.jpg)
Saints, volume 2, No unholy hand, 1846-1893 is now available in print in English and digitally in 13 additional languages. Other languages will be available in print within a few months.
Indigenous voices and controversial issues
At age 23, George Q. Cannon was called by President Brigham Young to serve a mission to the Hawaiian Islands in 1850. During his mission, George Q. Cannon translated the Book of Mormon into the Hawaiian language.
Many Latter-day Saints may be familiar with this story. But they probably never read it with the insight of Jonathan Napela, a native Hawaiian saint who helped George Q. Cannon translate the Book of Mormon.
“Time and time again, you see indigenous voices and people who have never been part of our history before,” said Jed Woodworth, chief historian for Volume 2.
Many readers of Book 1 reported discovering new stories they had never heard of, said Angela Hallstrom, author of Book 2. “I think you’ll find that more and more often with Book 2.”
“There will be all kinds of interesting people, exciting events and difficult events that we’re usually not as aware of,” she said.
An example of a difficult event is the persecution that the Saints faced in the 1870s and 1880s because they practiced plural marriage. “We know a little more about it, but I think Volume 2 really brings out the extent of the pressure on the Church and the suffering of the people,” Hallstrom said.
Another example is the first decade of settlement after the Saints reached the Utah Valley, Tait added. “People tend to think they know the story of the pioneers, but we tend to end that story when the Saints come into the valley.
“In the 1850s, they went from near-starvation to the handcart disaster to the arrival of the army in Utah to the Mountain Meadows Massacre,” Tait said. “It shows what a bumpy road it was,” not to mention the many women who move to a new area alone while their husbands are on missions.
Scott Hales, editor-in-chief of Saints, volume 2, said the Mountain Meadows Massacre is one of many controversial events and topics readers will find in the new volume. Plural marriage and racial restrictions on the priesthood are others.
“A lot of times we can be a little critical of some of the things they’ve done,” Hales said. “I think one of the things this book will do is help readers understand the historical context of the situations surrounding these controversies. . . and help readers engage in their own personal study of these issues and come to their own understanding.
“Really, I just hope more Saints take ownership of their story as they learn it.”
This map shows the locations described in Saints, volume 2, No unholy hand, 1846-1893.
A theme of deliverance
Another point to remember from Saints, volume 2 These are God’s dealings with his covenant people, Woodworth said. This theme parallels what Church members currently study in the Book of Mormon with Come, follow me This year.
Before Lehi’s family arrived in the promised land, they spent eight years in the wilderness. “God used those eight years in the wilderness to help train and rescue Nephi’s people,” Woodworth said. “Despite all the difficulties, opposition seems to be necessary to help them grow and develop as a people. »
The “delivering power” illustrated in the Book of Mormon is also found in Saints, volume 2. The difficulties and opposition that the early Saints faced also helped them grow and develop.
Compared to Kirtland, Nauvoo and Jackson County, the Salt Lake Valley offered much more space for the facility, which “allowed them to greatly increase the size and scope of the muster project,” Woodworth said.
In Volume 1, Saints gather from the United Kingdom and Canada. In volume 2, the Saints begin to gather from all parts of the world. “At the end of Volume 2, the Saints number around 200,000, and most of them are in the Great Basin. This would never have been possible if they had stayed in Illinois, Missouri or Ohio,” he said.
Hales said the theme of deliverance is also reflected in the volume’s subtitle:No unholy hand, a quote from the “Standard of Truth” in the Letter from Wentworthwritten by Joseph Smith.
“Readers might ask: Who are the “ungodly hands” trying to stop the work from progressing? Hales said.
“Despite their weaknesses, despite their many faults, despite their mistakes, they are able to overcome these challenges by relying on Jesus Christ, by relying on each other and on the community they are building, by relying on on the advice of their leaders and on the Spirit,” he said.
“They were able to overcome these obstacles and achieve their goal: to establish Zion, build a temple, and continue the work the Lord had for them. »