TL;DR

  • Section 132 was dictated by Joseph Smith on July 12 1843, revealing eternal marriage and plural wives in direct conflict with earlier monogamous teachings.
  • Emma Smith destroyed the original; Joseph C. Kingsbury’s copy is the earliest surviving manuscript preserved by Nauvoo insiders.
  • Contemporary journals, Nauvoo Expositor affidavits, and later affidavits from associates corroborate its 1843 origin.
  • RLDS/Community of Christ denies Joseph ever taught polygamy and alleges Brigham Young fabricated or altered the text.
  • Scholarly analysis finds no substantive textual changes from the 1843 copies to the 1852 Deseret News publication, supporting Joseph’s authorship despite ongoing theological debate.

Introduction#

Doctrine and Covenants Section 132 is the Latter-day Saint scripture outlining the “new and everlasting covenant” of eternal marriage, including plural marriage (polygamy). Recorded in July 1843, it was privately circulated among early Mormon leaders but publicly published only years after Joseph Smith’s death. This section has long been controversial. It conflicted with earlier LDS teachings (e.g., the 1835 “Article on Marriage” forbidding polygamy) and with Joseph Smith’s public denials of polygamy during his lifetime. As a result, the authenticity and provenance of D&C 132 have been debated since the mid-19th century.

What Is D&C 132?#

D&C 132 is a revelation attributed to Joseph Smith on eternal marriage and plural wives, with July 12 1843 given as the date of dictation in Nauvoo, Illinois. The text, presented as the words of the Lord to Joseph, answers Joseph’s inquiry about Old Testament patriarchs having multiple wives. It proclaims that certain covenants, including marriage, must be made and sealed by God’s authority to last into eternity. It further asserts that those who enter this “new and everlasting covenant” and are faithful may achieve exaltation. Crucially, embedded within the revelation is divine sanction of plural marriage: it defends the actions of Abraham, Jacob, Moses, David, and Solomon in taking multiple wives, and warns Joseph’s wife Emma Smith to accept the principle of plural marriage or face destruction. In effect, D&C 132 provided the theological rationale for polygamy in early LDS practice, even as the church publicly remained monogamous at that time.

Theological Tension#

This revelation’s content starkly contrasted with earlier LDS scripture and public teachings. The Book of Mormon (1830) condemns taking multiple wives as “abominable” except if God explicitly commands it (Jacob 2:24–30). In 1835, the church added an “Article on Marriage” to its Doctrine and Covenants declaring that a man should have one wife only, pointedly denouncing polygamy. Joseph Smith himself, up through 1844, repeatedly denied in public that he practiced or taught polygamy, even calling such accusations “false and corrupt.” This makes Section 132 (kept secret at first) a paradox: privately, Joseph Smith was teaching select followers a doctrine wholly at odds with the Church’s public stance of the day.

Recording and Preservation of the Revelation#

According to contemporary LDS sources, Joseph Smith dictated D&C 132 to his scribe William Clayton on July 12 1843. Clayton recalled the three-hour session, writing “sentence by sentence” and later reading it back to Joseph for accuracy. Immediately after, Joseph’s brother Hyrum Smith showed it to Emma, who “did not believe a word of it and appeared very rebellious.” Emma allegedly seized and burned the original manuscript, though she later denied this. Unbeknownst to her, Joseph C. Kingsbury made a secret copy at Bishop Newel Whitney’s request. This Kingsbury manuscript—carefully compared line-by-line to the original—is the earliest surviving text of Section 132. After Joseph’s death (June 1844), the revelation circulated only among Brigham Young’s inner circle. It was not published until September 1852, when Young publicly announced plural marriage in Utah and printed the text in the Deseret News. Section 132 was added to the Doctrine and Covenants in the 1876 edition and formally canonized by vote in 1880, replacing the earlier 1835 “Article on Marriage.”

Evidence Supporting Authenticity of Section 132#

  1. Contemporary Jotting – Willard Richards’s 1843 journal briefly notes “a revelation … on the subject of celestial marriage.”
  2. Clayton’s Journal & Expositor – William Clayton’s detailed entry and the Nauvoo Expositor affidavits echo Section 132’s unique doctrines.
  3. Textual Consistency – Comparisons of the 1843 Kingsbury copy with 1844 copies (Richards, Horace Whitney) and the 1852 printed text show only minor edits—no substantive doctrinal changes.
  4. Later Affidavits – In the 1860s–1890s, scribes and plural wives affirmed Joseph Smith’s role in authoring and living Section 132, corroborating its origin in Nauvoo rather than Utah.

Theories Challenging Its Authenticity#

  1. RLDS (Community of Christ) denies Joseph ever taught or practiced polygamy and claims Brigham Young forged or altered Section 132 after 1844 to legitimize plural marriage.
  2. Brighamite Conspiracy – Critics argue the delayed public release (1852) under Brigham Young’s leadership enabled a posthumous fabrication or tampering, pointing to handwriting oddities and Emma’s vilification clause.
  3. False Revelation by Joseph – Some suggest Joseph retroactively invented Section 132 to justify his pre-1843 plural marriages, implying the revelation was self-serving rather than divine.
  4. Variant‐Copy Rumors – Fringe theories posit multiple versions circulated (some monogamous, some polygamous), with the polygamy portions later interpolated—though no alternate manuscripts have surfaced.

FAQ#

Q 1. Why wasn’t Section 132 published in Joseph Smith’s lifetime?
A. Because its endorsement of plural marriage conflicted with public teachings and would have caused scandal, Joseph kept it secret among trusted leaders.

Q 2. What happened to the original manuscript?
A. Emma Smith allegedly destroyed it in anger; a secret copy by Joseph C. Kingsbury survives as the earliest text.

Q 3. How do scholars verify its 1843 origin?
A. Multiple independent journals (Clayton, Richards) and affidavits, along with consistent manuscript comparisons, confirm its dictation and preservation in Nauvoo.

Q 4. Why do RLDS/Community of Christ reject Section 132?
A. Emma and Joseph III repudiated polygamy, arguing no genuine Joseph Smith revelation sanctioned it, attributing the text to Brigham Young’s agenda.

Q 5. Does modern LDS Church still recognize Section 132?
A. Yes—while polygamy has ceased since 1890, Section 132 underpins the doctrine of eternal (celestial) marriage sealings between one man and one woman.

Footnotes#

(No additional footnotes beyond inline citations.)

Sources#

  1. Joseph Smith Papers. “Revelation, 12 July 1843 [D&C 132],” Joseph Smith Papers, accessed July 2025. https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/revelation-12-july-1843-dc-132
  2. Mormonr. “Doctrine and Covenants 132 and Polygamy,” Mormonr Research Q&A, accessed July 2025. https://www.mormonr.org/commands/dc-132-polygamy
  3. LAMP Blog. “Polygamy, Doctrine and Covenants 132 and Their Doctrinal and Historical Problems,” LAMP, accessed July 2025. https://lamp.org/dc132-problems
  4. Nauvoo Expositor (June 7 1844), affidavits of William Law et al. https://archive.org/details/nauvoo_expositor
  5. Van Allen, Kirk. “D&C 132: A Revelation of Men, Not God,” Mormon Stories Podcast #1797 (2015). https://mormonstories.org/episode1797
  6. FAIR. “Doctrine and Covenants/Polygamy/Scriptures,” FAIR LDS Apologetics, accessed July 2025. https://www.fairlatterdaysaints.org/essays/DC-132
  7. Tensmeyer, Mark. “What Do Polygamy Skeptics Think About Joseph Smith?” FromtheDesk Interview (April 2020). https://fromthedesk.org/polygamy-skeptics