Physical & Spiritual Gifts
His commanding presence, indomitable strength, abilities, and gifts.
Meet Joseph Smith through his heart.
The Heart of Joseph is a revealing portrait — intimate and documented — of the heart, character, and soul of Joseph Smith. Across five sections and twenty-three chapters, each uncovering a distinct aspect of his character, readers discover not simply what Joseph taught, but who he was — and how the way he lived became its own kind of teaching.
Those who read carefully may find themselves, almost unexpectedly, seeing the hand of God and the grace of Jesus Christ woven through this remarkable man.
5distinct sections
23documented chapters
2complementary voices
Everysurviving letter to Emma
Joseph Smith: Five
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II
III
IV
V
From the visible man to the covenant heart
Organized from the external to the internal, the five parts follow Joseph from physical presence and personal gifts toward character, relationship, moral life, and finally his higher eternal calling.
Temperament & Emotional Character
His joy, playfulness, resolve, vulnerability, and response to opposition.
Relational & Social Dimensions
His friendships, family bonds, loyalty, affection, and life with Emma.
Moral Character & Attributes
His generosity, mercy, charity, courage, and willingness to give of himself.
Spiritual Capacity & Prophetic Gifts
His revelations, prophetic calling, spiritual power, and eternal purpose.
Two voices bring Joseph into the room.
Those who knew him
Firsthand accounts, reminiscences, and observations surround the narrative like remembered voices at the edge of the room — allowing friends, family, associates, and observers to describe the Joseph they actually encountered.
Joseph himself
His own declarations, candid journal entries, unguarded phrases, and every surviving letter he wrote to Emma open windows into his tenderness, burdens, loyalty, faith, and the covenant that held when distance and danger pressed hardest.
“Physically, intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually — a living human multitude.”
— Truman G. Madsen
Readers meet a man who challenged ministers to jumping contests after besting them in scripture, who stooped in a muddy street to clean the shoes of two frightened children, who wept in prayer for those who had turned against him, and who gave of himself — coat, cane, time, and ultimately life — without reservation.
This is history at human distance: close enough to hear the remembered voices, read Joseph's own words, and consider the heart behind them.
Who is this book for?
The believing reader. The curious reader. The honest skeptic.
For anyone who wants to encounter Joseph as a complete person rather than a flattened icon or a catalogued controversy. The text is supported by notes and references in Chicago style, but written to be read — not merely consulted.
Read The Heart of Joseph
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