{"collection":"Sacred Texts: Mormons","full_text_available":false,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/sacred_texts_v1_mor_dc_dc135_htm/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/sacred_texts_v1_mor_dc_dc135_htm","id":"sacred_texts_v1_mor_dc_dc135_htm","license":"unknown_pending_legal_review","rights_basis":"sacred_texts_v1_preview_gate_primary_text_only; acquisition-method/ToS and compilation-copyright questions still open, not resolved by this gate","source":"sacred_texts_v1","source_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/browse/mor/dc/dc135.htm","summary":"Section 135 of the *Doctrine and Covenants* is a commemorative martyrdom account written to record the deaths of Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum Smith, killed by a mob at Carthage Jail on June 27, 1844. The text functions as both eyewitness testimony and sacred eulogy, detailing the circumstances of the shooting \u2014 including the presence of apostles John Taylor and Willard Richards \u2014 and Joseph's final words before surrendering to authorities. Its central argument is hagiographic: that Joseph Smith was the greatest benefactor of humanity after Jesus Christ, having produced the Book of Mormon, gathered a religious community, founded a city, and disseminated what the church considers the restored gospel worldwide. The text makes a distinctive legal-theological claim that the martyrs' \"innocent blood\" serves as irrefutable juridical and spiritual evidence \u2014 a \"broad seal\" validating the truth of Mormonism that no earthly or heavenly court can overturn. It frames the deaths explicitly within a tradition of prophetic martyrdom, drawing parallels to ancient apostles and invoking the Book of Revelation's image of martyrs crying out for divine vengeance. The passage would interest readers studying 19th-century American religious history, LDS scripture and canonization, or the rhetorical construction of martyrdom narratives.","tags":[],"text":null,"title":"Doctrine and Convenants: 135. John Taylor's description of the martyrdom of Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum Smith, Carthage, Illinois, June 27, 1844.","tradition":"Sacred Texts: Mormons","translated_text":null,"word_count":915}