First LDS Temple (Kirtland) - Timeline Event
Founder
Joseph Smith
Time Period
03-27-1836
Description
In Kirtland, Ohio, Joseph Smith continued to incorporate Hebraic models into his movement by building a temple, not a church, for his members. During the construction of the temple, Smith, along with associate Oliver Cowdery, witnessed Jesus and famous Jewish prophets in an event similar to the biblical account of the transfiguration. This legitimized the temple’s construction as a divinely ordained act. While there was a focus on continuity with the Jewish tradition, they also performed the Christian ritual of foot-washing at the temple’s dedication on March 27, 1836. The first Latter-day Saints temple had areas for worship and for education.
Interactive Timeline(s)
Browse Related Timeline Entries
Religious Groups
Timeline Entries for the same religious group: Latter-day Saints Family (Mormonism)Latter-day Saints Family (Mormonism): Other ARDA Links
Latter-day Saints Family (Mormonism): Religious Family Tree
Biographies
Smith, JosephRelated Dictionary Terms
Latter-day Saints Family (Mormonism), Smith, Joseph (1805-1844)Photographs
Kirtland Temple- Internet Archive
Kirtland, Ohio- Internet Archive- from Early Days of Mormonism by J. H. Kennedy
Kirtland Temple interior- Library of Congress, HABS OHIO,43-KIRT,1--11
Kirtland Temple blueprints- Library of Congress, HABS OHIO,43-KIRT,1-
Joseph Smith with book- Internet Archive- from The Latter-Day Prophet by George Q. Cannon
Book/Journal Source(s)
Queen, Edward, Stephen Prothero and Gardiner Shattuck, 1996. The Encyclopedia of American Religious History New York: Facts on File.Web Source(s)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirtland_TempleWeb Page Contributor
Benjamin T. GurrentzAffliated with: Pennsylvania State University, Ph.D. in Sociology
