Every
once in while I find myself tearfully welling up inside during an
experience that, even though I am also sharing it with others, is
very personal. The last such occasion came on the morning of Sept 21,
2014, as I attended, via closed circuit television, the rededication
of the Ogden Temple.
As
the service drew to a close I participated, along with thousands of
other Latter-day Saints in the state of Utah, in the Hosanna Shout.
As
the ceremony began I could not help but recall when, as a young man,
I read about the Hosanna Shout that took place during the dedication
of the Kirtland Temple and at other times. I envisioned congregations
large and small shouting “Hosanna” in unison several
times as they praised God and gave thanks for His blessings.
I
remembered longing to participate in what I believed would be a very
special and powerful spiritual experience — joining with many
others in that sacred ceremony. I was not disappointed as, in later
years, I attended several temple dedications.
Each
time that I stood and waved my white handkerchief in rhythm with
everyone else and shouted “Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna to God and
the Lamb. Amen, Amen, and Amen,” I was filled with emotion as I
thought of what the shout meant for the Lord’s people in the
early days of the Church and what it means for me today.
As
I left the dedication services it struck me that I should refresh
myself on the history of the Hosanna Shout and share a bit of it with
readers of Nauvoo Times. As I looked around for information I
ran across several references but three delightful articles were
especially helpful to me.1
I will not summarize them here, but most of what follows is based on
those articles.
The
precise form and use of the Hosanna Shout is nowhere defined in
scripture or in authoritative doctrinal statements. Like some other
practices, its official use today is based on long-standing
tradition.
In
addition, both the use and precise nature of the shout have gone
through slight changes over the years and some form of the shout has
been used on various occasions other than temple dedications,
particularly in the 19th Century. The word is spelled variously in
the sources, hosanna and hosannah, but I will use the
first form here unless it is included in a direct quotation.
One
very precise (though unofficial) statement about the meaning and
nature of the shout as given at temple dedications is found in the
Encyclopedia of Mormonism:
The
Hosanna Shout is whole-souled, given to the full limit of one's
strength. The congregation stands and in unison shouts the words
"Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna to God and the Lamb. Amen, Amen, and
Amen," repeating them three times. This is usually accompanied
by the rhythmic waving of white handkerchiefs with uplifted hands.
The epithet "Lamb" relates to the condescension and
Atonement of Jesus Christ.
The
Hosanna Shout memorializes the pre-earthly Council in Heaven, as
"when…all the sons of God shouted for joy" (Job
38:7). It also recalls the hosannas and the waving of palm branches
accorded the Messiah as he entered Jerusalem. And hosannas welcomed
him as he appeared to the Nephites. President Lorenzo Snow taught
that this shout will herald the Messiah when he comes in the glory of
the Father (cf. 1 Thes. 4:16).2
At
one time in my life I had the impression that the Hosanna Shout had
its origin in Old Testament times, but I later realized that this
simply is not true. In fact, the word hosanna does not even
appear in the King James version of the Old Testament.3
In
the New Testament the word is used as an expression of praise to
Jesus because of the great things He did. During His triumphal entry
into Jerusalem those welcoming Him cried “Hosanna to the Son of
David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in
the highest” (Matthew 21:9).
On
another occasion the priests in the temple were angered when they saw
children praising the Savior saying “Hosanna to the Son of
David” (Matthew 21:15). Similarly, hosanna is used in
the Book of Mormon and in some of the revelations in the Doctrine and
Covenants as an expression of praise and thanksgiving to the Lord.
Spontaneous Shouts of Hosanna
It
was not unusual in the early history of the Church for members to
spontaneously shout expressions of thanksgiving during or after a
great spiritual experience and use the word hosanna in their
exultation. One example came even before the Church was organized.
As
Martin Harris witnessed the plates of the Book of Mormon at the hands
of the angel Moroni in 1829, he cried out in joyful ecstasy, “’Tis
enough: ’tis enough: mine eyes have beheld; mine eyes have
beheld,” then jumped up and shouted “Hosanna,”
blessing God and rejoicing.4
There
are numerous other examples of Church members spontaneously shouting
and/or singing praise and thanksgiving and often using the word
hosanna. On June 1, 1830, for example, during the Church’s
first conference, some of the brethren experienced especially
powerful and physically exhausting spiritual manifestations and,
according to Joseph Smith’s History, when their strength
was restored “they shouted hosannas to God and the Lamb, and
rehearsed the glorious things which they had seen and felt, whilst
they were yet in the spirit.”5
According
to Heber C. Kimball, when he and Brigham Young heard the gospel for
the first time in 1831, it “caused such great joy to spring up
in our bosoms, that we were hardly able to contain ourselves, and we
did shout aloud, Hosannah to God and the Lamb.”6
These spontaneous shouts were not related to the official version of
the Hosanna Shout in temple dedications but, like the temple shout,
they were expressions of overwhelming joy.
Indeed,
by revelation through the Prophet Joseph Smith, the Lord commanded
his servants to shout “hosanna” as they preached the
gospel to others. Martin Harris was told to “speak freely to
all; yea, preach, exhort, declare the truth, even with a loud voice,
with a sound of rejoicing, crying — Hosanna, hosanna, blessed
be the name of the Lord God!” (D&C 19: 37).
Edward
Partridge was told to “declare it with a loud voice, saying:
Hosanna, blessed be the name of the most high God” (D&C
36:3). James Coville was instructed to “go forth, crying with a
loud voice, saying: The kingdom of heaven is at hand; crying:
Hosanna! blessed be the name of the Most High God” (D&C
19:19).
There
are many more examples of spontaneous shouts of hosanna in the
early days of the Church. On April 6, 1841, Elders Brigham Young,
John Taylor, George A. Smith, Parley P.Pratt, and Orson Pratt arrived
in England. There they joined with other apostles who had arrived
earlier to participate in one of the most important missions in the
early history of the Church.
Brigham
Young later recalled that as they stepped ashore in Liverpool and he
got both feet firmly planted “I gave a shout of hosannah ... I
felt that the chains were broken and the bonds that were upon me were
burst asunder.”7
On
March 4, 1852, the members of the Utah’s territorial
legislature, all of whom were Church members, along with Governor
Brigham Young, and their wives met at Salt Lake City’s Council
House for what Wilford Woodruff described as an “excellent
feast” and an “excellent social party.” Brigham
Young gave an address and the evening closed “with a shout of
Hosannah.”8
At
one point a Hosanna Shout even resonated in the Utah Territorial
Penitentiary. In March 1886 Lorenzo Snow, a member of the First
Presidency, was sent to prison for practicing plural marriage.
Because of the Edmunds Act of 1881, several other LDS men were also
there. As described by one of President Snow’s biographers:
When
general conference time came, they were unable to meet with the
Saints. Rather than just feel downhearted, Lorenzo Snow called the
Latter-day Saint prisoners together and said,
"Brethren,
we have learned in sacred circumstances to offer the Hosanna Shout.
Now, we're being denied the privilege of attending conference. But we
have the right, in this setting, to offer our Hosanna Shout to the
Lord, to exalt and honor him, to express gratitude that our lives are
blessed, even in these circumstances. All of you who would like to
join me in this, raise your right hand."
They
all raised their hands. I don't know where they found the white
handkerchiefs, but they performed the Hosanna Shout at the top of
their lungs. It would be interesting to know what the other prisoners
made of it. Rudger Clawson said at the funeral of Lorenzo Snow, “The
shout ascended to heaven. I testify to you . . . that that great
shout was acceptable to the Lord.”9
In
our day we seldom, if ever, hear of impromptu hosanna shouting as
expressions of spiritual joy. But it is well to remember that such
things are important parts of our religious heritage.
At Meetings other than Temple Dedications
Beyond
such spontaneous, informal shouts, there have been times that a
Hosanna Shout has been a planned part of meetings or activities other
than temple dedications. For example, there were occasions in the
early years that a shout of “hosanna” was seen as a
“sealing” of a special blessing or spiritual experience.
An
especially poignant example came in 1839. as members of the Quorum of
the Twelve Apostles were making their way toward England on that
all-important early mission. On Sunday, November 17, Elders Brigham
Young, Heber C. Kimball, John Taylor, and George A. Smith , along
with two missionaries who were accompanying them, Reuben Hedlock and
Theodore Turley, visited the Kirtland Temple.
There,
less than four years earlier, the Savior, Elijah, Elias, and Moses
had appeared and restored certain ancient and important keys and
authority to Joseph Smith. Undoubtedly the missionaries thought of
that sacred event as they held a meeting with some of the local
elders that evening.
As
the meeting drew to a close Elders Young, Kimball, and Smith
consecrated some “pure sweet oil” with which Brigham
Young anointed John Taylor and then gave him a special blessing. He
was the only member of the Quorum who had not previously received
such a blessing in the temple.
Daniel
S. Miles then gave a similar anointing to Theodore Turley, after
which both Elders Taylor and Turley each gave special prayers,
pouring out the desires of their hearts. The anointings were then
“sealed” by the congregation shouting “hosanna!”
This was indeed a day of spiritual renewal for the apostles and their
companions, and a shout of “hosanna” was part of it.10
Early
in the morning of May 24, 1845, a large crowd of Saints were gathered
to witness the laying of the capstone on the Nauvoo Temple. Everyone
was in perfect silence at 6:08 a.m. as William Player, the temple’s
master mason, began spreading the mortar and the stone was lifted to
its place. Brigham Young stepped up and placed the stone in position
and at 6:22 the stone was pronounced set and Pitt’s band began
to play a rousing march.
“The
last stone is now laid upon the Temple” said Brigham Young,
“and I pray the Almighty in the name of Jesus to defend us in
this place and sustain us until the Temple is finished and we have
all got our endowments.” At that point the whole congregation
shouted, “Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna, to God and the Lamb, Amen,
Amen, and Amen,” repeated three times.
Elder
Young then concluded the ceremony by saying “'So let it be, O
Lord Almighty. This is the seventh day of the week or the Jewish
Sabbath. It is the day on which the Almighty finished his work and
rested from his labors; we have finished the walls of the Temple and
we may rest today from our labors.”11
On
December 27, 1847, at the end of a special three-day general
conference in Kanesville, Iowa, Brigham Young was sustained as
President of the Church. President Young then addressed the
conference after which music was played by a band and Elder George A.
Smith led the group in “most heartily” shouting “Hosanna,
Hosanna, Hosanna to God and the Lamb. Amen! Amen! and Amen!”12
On
August 1, 1848, the people of the Salt Lake Valley met in the bowery
to celebrate their harvest. Despite the fact that this was not a
great year (the cricket problem had destroyed many of their crops),
it was a joyful time as they celebrated what they had.
As
one person reported: “A most excellent dinner, comprised of a
great variety of food, and all produced in the Valley, was prepared
and eaten. There was prayer and thanksgiving, the firing of cannon,
music and dancing and loud shouts of Hosanna to God and the Lamb, in
which all present joined in unison.”13
The
July 24th, 1875, celebration in Brigham City provided an
especially unique occasion for the Hosanna Shout. About 300 Indians
who had been baptized attended and one of the meetings celebrated
them and their relationship to the Church.
As
the noon meal was being served, Lorenzo Snow arose and spoke of the
remarkable spirit attending the meeting and proposed that after the
blessing they all join in “holy and sacred shouts of hosanna.”
He gave instructions with regard to the words to be used while
similar instructions were being given to the Indians.
Then,
“with spirited energy, all followed Prest. Snow, and a mighty
shout of ‘Hosanna! “Hosanna! Hosanna! To God and the
Lamb,’ &c., went up from the vast assembly, causing
impressions and thoughts that will never be obliterated.”14
The “&c” in the report suggests that, as on other
occasions, the shout was repeated three times and included “Amen.”
On
October 26-27, 1890, President Wilford Woodruff presided over a stake
conference in Brigham City. At the end of the second day, as recorded
in his diary, “We Closed the Conference with the shout of
(Hosannah to God & the Lamb) which was . . . vary impressive &
solemn. It was one of the most interesting Conferences I have
attended in the Stakes in these Mountains.”15
On
July 2, 1899 the Hosanna Shout was part of a special Solemn Assembly
of Church leaders held to present President Lorenzo Snow’s
revelation on tithing.
The
Hosanna Shout was also part of two meetings of the secret but
influential Council of Fifty in 1844 as well as part of at least four
general conferences (April 11, 1852; October 6, 1862; April 9, 1882;
April 6, 1830).
The
use of the Hosanna Shout occurred frequently and on varied occasions
throughout the nineteenth century, but in the twentieth century it
declined and almost disappeared, except for temple dedications.
One
notable exception was Sunday, April 6, 1930, the centennial
anniversary of the organization of the Church. In the first session
of general conference President Heber J. Grant led the congregation
in the same shout we are familiar with today. As noted in the
official Conference Report, “The waving of the white
handkerchiefs in almost perfect unison and the shouting of praises to
God and the Lamb by the thousands of people assembled in the great
tabernacle, was perhaps the most thrilling and impressive religious
solemnity that those present had ever witnessed.”16
Another
exception was when the Hosanna Shout was used in the dedication of
The Conference Center on October 8, 2000, during General Conference.
Ritualized Shout
The
Hosanna Shout became ritualized in 1836. This does not mean that the
present form and wording were always exactly the same, but that a
shouting ceremony very close to what we know today, led by a
priesthood leader, was specifically planned and incorporated into a
meeting. The wording was sometimes slightly different from what we
use today but the purpose and meaning were the same.
The
ritualization began in a small way in January 1836, even before the
dedication of the Kirtland Temple. On January 21 many Church members
received special anointing and also received various spiritual
manifestations, including the visitation of angels, and, according to
Joseph Smith’s History, “the house was filled with
the glory of God, and we shouted Hosanna to God and the Lamb.”17
This
was apparently an organized shout — the first in the history of
the Church.
Another
came the following day as the spiritual activities continued. As
recorded by Edward Partridge, “Prest. J. S. Jun., requested
Prest. Sidney Rigdon to ask the Lord to accept the performances of
the evening, and instructed us, when he was done, to shout Hosannah,
Blessed be the name of the Most High God. These things were
performed; the shout & speaking in unknown tongues lasted 10 or
15 minutes.
During
the evening, more especially at the time of shouting, a number saw
visions as they disclosed unto us.”18
The
tradition of conducting a special Hosanna Shout at a temple
dedication began with the dedication of the Kirtland Temple on March
27, 1836. It was a long service, and one quite different from
dedications we have attended in our day. Church members began
arriving at the temple about 7 a.m.
The
doors opened an hour later and the Prophet himself, along with Oliver
Cowdery and Sidney Rigdon, seated the members as they filed in. The
service began at 9 a.m and lasted until 4 o’clock that
afternoon.
The
program included scripture reading; a hymn written by Parley P. Pratt
and sung by a choir; an address by Sidney Rigdon; a congregational
hymn that had been written by W. W. Phelps; another discourse by
Sidney Rigdon; another hymn, “Now Let us Rejoice in the Day of
Salvation,” also written by W. W. Phelps; a twenty minute
intermission during which the congregation remained in their seats;
another hymn, “Adam-ondi-Ahman;” a short address by
Joseph Smith; sustaining of the General Authorities of Church and
then of high councils, bishoprics, elders quorum presidency, and
Aaronic priesthood presidency; another congregational hymn; then the
dedicatory prayer, which had been given by revelation to Joseph Smith
and now constitutes section 109 of the Doctrine and Covenants.
The
prayer included a plea to “help us by the power of Thy Spirit,
that we may mingle our voices with those bright, shining seraphs
around thy Throne, with acclamations of praise, singing hosanna to
God and the Lamb” (verse 79).
This
was followed by the choir singing “The Spirit of God Like a
Fire is Burning” after which the various priesthood quorums
separately and then the congregation as a whole were asked if they
accepted the prayer and acknowledge the house dedicated. The vote was
unanimous in the affirmative.
The
sacrament of the Lord’s supper was then administered , the
Prophet bore his testimony, a few others bore theirs, and some
reported seeing angels. Sidney Rigdon closed the meeting with a few
remarks and a short prayer “at the close of which,” says
the Prophet’s history, “we sealed the proceedings of the
day by shouting hosanna, hosanna, hosanna to God and the Lamb, three
times, sealing it each time with amen, amen, and amen.”19
The
shout, led by Sidney Rigdon, was given with uplifted hands. Thus the
pattern was set for the Hosanna Shout at the conclusion of each
temple dedication thereafter.
It
should be no surprise that there were some modifications in the
pattern from time to time, both in temple dedications and at other
times the shout was used. At this first temple dedication there is
no mention of waving white handkerchiefs, though that became standard
in later years.
When
the First Presidency was reorganized on December 27, 1847, on each
word the participants struck the right fist into the palm of the left
hand. In another instance the participants clapped their hands in
rhythm with the shout.
On
November 9, 1871, the site for the St. George Temple was dedicated
and ground was broken. After the ground breaking President Brigham
Young stood on a chair and instructed the congregation on how to
perform the Hosanna Shout. In this case as the shout was given the
participants raised their right hands in the air and clapped them
with their left hands as they gave the traditional shout: ‘Hosanna!
Hosanna! Hosanna! To God and the Lamb. Amen! Amen! And Amen!”20
On
April 9, 1882, President John Taylor gave a long and impassioned
discourse before a general conference of the Church. With the Church
facing legal persecution he talked to the Saints not just about the
injustices they faced but about their duties as Saints, exhorting
them to righteousness.
“God
has delivered us before,” he proclaimed. “He will deliver
us again, if we put our trust in Him and remain true to the covenants
we have made with Him. Our trust is in God. You have heard me say
before, Hosanna, the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth; and if this
congregation feels as I do we will join together in the same acclaim.
Follow me.”
At
that point he led the congregation as it shouted “Hosanna!
Hosanna! Hosanna! to God and the Lamb, for ever and ever worlds
without end, Amen, Amen and Amen.”21
Note that in this case the words “for ever and ever worlds
without end” were added.
Perhaps
one of the most dramatic occasions on which a Hosanna Shout was given
came on April 6, 1892, during the annual General conference of the
Church. That day the capstone was laid on the Salt Lake Temple. More
than forty thousand people were gathered within the temple block and
thousands more crowded the surrounding area to watch and participate
in the special service, which began at high noon.
The
service included music by a band, a choir, and the congregation
singing hymns, one specially composed for the occasion. Joseph F.
Smith, a member of the First Presidency, offered a prayer which was
followed by a huge “Amen” by the gathered throng. After a
hymn President Wilford Woodruff announced the laying of the capstone,
then closed an electric circuit that caused the granite hemisphere to
slowly descend into position.
At
that point the forty thousand Saints, led by President Lorenzo Snow
of the Council of the Twelve, shouted as if with one voice: “Hosanna!
Hosanna! Hosanna! To God and the Lamb! Amen! Amen! Amen,”
accompanied by the waving of handkerchiefs and repeated three times.
J. Don Carlos, the architect in charge, then announced that the
capstone was laid and the choir and congregation broke out with the
triumphant song “The Spirit of God Like a Fire is Burning!”22
Interestingly,
there were two slight differences in that ceremony from what we know
today. Handkerchiefs were waved during the shout but not for the
words “to God and the Lamb.” Also, the handkerchiefs were
not all white (probably because this was not a temple dedication and
nearly everyone was outside).
As
reported by the Salt Lake Tribune, the coloring was beautiful.
“It was a novel sight to witness 40,000 people shouting all at
the same time and waving their handkerchiefs. The coloring, from an
artistic point of view, was beautiful. There were every color of
handkerchiefs that one could imagine, although white predominated.
There were blue handkerchiefs, red, yellow, black, purple and
pink.”23
Just
how impressive this occasion was could not have been captured better
than in an expression by a non-Mormon observer. A reporter from the
New York World wrote:
Nor
could anything exceed the impressiveness of the response which the
people gave instantaneously to the appeal of their President for the
support of their voices. The great Tabernacle was filled with waves
of sound as the “Amens” of the congregation burst out.
The shout of men going into battle was not more stirring than the
closing words of this memorable conference, spoken as if by one vast
voice.24
Three
temples were completed and dedicated in Utah before the dedication of
the Salt Lake Temple. The first was in St. George and this occasion
was considered so special that on April 6, 1877, the forty-seventh
annual conference of the Church was held there and the temple was
dedicated by Daniel H. Wells.
Dedicatory
services were held over a period of three days and at each service
Elder Lorenzo Snow led in the Hosanna Shout. Thus a pattern was
established for all future temple dedications.
Next
came the Logan Temple, dedicated on May 17, 1884. President John
Taylor gave the dedicatory prayer and also led the assembled
congregation in the Hosanna Shout. The shout was also part of the
dedication of the Manti Temple on May 21, 1888.
On
April 6, 1893, the Salt Lake Temple was dedicated, forty years after
it was begun. It was an extra special occasion, and in order to
accommodate all who wanted to attend dedication services were held
daily, usually with two sessions each day, from April 6 to April 18,
except on April 7, when a third sessions was held in the evening.
During
the first service, President Wilford Woodruff gave the dedicatory
prayer, after which Lorenzo Snow led the Saints in the Hosanna Shout.
Also at that service the choir sang a new anthem, written by Evan
Stephens especially for the occasion, “The House of the Lord is
Completed.” Singing that anthem has become traditional in
temple dedications.
So
there you have it. Over the years the shouting of hosanna has
taken place on various kinds of occasions: informal, spontaneous
shouts by individuals or groups in connection with powerful spiritual
experiences; planned shouts in connection with a variety of special
occasions; and, most long-lasting, the standard shout at the temple
dedications that we are so familiar with today.
And,
of course, every time we sing that well-known hymn that was first
sung at the dedication of the Kirtland Temple we each participate in
a musical Hosanna Shout:
We'll sing & we'll shout with the armies of heaven:
Hosanna, hosanna to God and the Lamb!
Let glory to them in the highest be given,
Henceforth and forever: amen and amen!
NOTES
1.
Jack W. Olmstead, “From Pentecost to Administration: A
Reappraisal of the History of the Hosanna Shout,” Mormon
Historical Studies 2:2 (Fall 2001): 7-37;
Reed Durham, “What is the Hosanna Shout?,” New
Era (September 1973), “Q & A:
Questions and Answers” section; Steven H. Heath, “The
Sacred Shout,” Dialogue: A Journal of
Mormon Thought 19:3 (Fall 1986): 115-23. If
you want to read the Olmstead article in full you can find it online
at
http://mormonhistoricsites.org/mormon-historical-studies-fall-2001-vol-2-no-2/.
The Durham article may be accessed through www.lds.org
and the Heath article may be downloaded from the Dialogue
web site, www.dialoguejournl.com.
2.
Lael J. Woodbury, “Hosanna Shout,” Encyclopedia of
Mormonism, ed Daniel H. Ludlow (New York: Macmillan Publishing
Company, 1992), 659. See also Lael J. Woodbury, “The Origin
and Uses of the Sacred Hosanna Shout,” Sperry Lecture
Series [1975] (Provo, UT: BYU College of Religious
Instruction,1975), 18-22.
3.
However, a form of the word is found in Psalms 118:25: “Save
now, I beseech thee, O LORD: O LORD, I beseech thee, send now
prosperity.” I am no expert on the Hebrew language, but one
online explanation of how this expression is related to “hosanna”
seems reasonable to me. “The Hebrew words yasha (‘deliver,
save’) and anna (‘beg, beseech’) combine to form
the word that, in English, is ‘hosanna.’ Literally,
hosanna means ‘I beg you to save!’ or ‘please
deliver us!’”
(http://www.gotquestions.org/hosanna.html).
Webster’s dictionary says that the word is used as a cry of
acclamation and adoration, but also points out that it comes from a
Hebrew word that could mean “save us.”
4.
Joseph Smith, History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints, ed. B. H. Roberts (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1946),
I:55.
6.
Heber C. Kimball, “History of Brigham Young,” Millennial
Star 26, no. 32 (6 August 1864): 504, as cited in Olmstead,
“From Pentecost to Administration,” 11. Note that the
word is sometimes spelled hosannah, and I have not changed it
when quoting a source that used this spelling.
7.
James B. Allen, Ronald K. Esplin, and David J. Whittaker, Men
With a Mission: The Quorum of the Twelve in the British Isles 1837 -
1841 (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1992), 83.
8.
Wilford Woodruff, Wilford Woodruff’s Journal, 9 vols.,
ed., Scott G. Kenny (Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 1985), 4:102
9.
Truman G. Madsen, Presidents of the Church (Salt Lake City,
Deseret Book, 2004), section on Lorenzo Snow.
20.
Blaine M. Yorgason, Richard A. Schmutz, and Douglas D. Alder, All
that Was Promised: The St. George Temple and the Unfolding of the
Restoration (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2013), 95.
22.
James E. Talmage, House of the Lord: A Study of Holy Sanctuaries,
Ancient and Modern (Salt Lake City, Deseret Book, 1912), 124-28.
23.
“Attention All nations! President Woodruff Calls Them to
Capstone Laying,” Salt Lake Tribune [The Daily Tribune[,
(April 7, 1992), 5. This article carries a full description of that
day’s proceedings.
JAMES B. ALLEN, Professor of History, Emeritus, Brigham Young University
James B. Allen was born June 14, 1927, in Ogden, Utah. He married Renée Jones, April 16,
1953. They have five children, twenty-one grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren . He
received his bachelor's degree in history form Utah State University in 1954, a master's degree
from Brigham Young University in 1956, and the Ph.D. from the University of Southern
California in 1963.
Active in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints all his life, he has served in numerous
positions, including bishop of two BYU wards and a member of 5 different BYU high councils.
In 1999-2000 he and Renée served as missionaries at the Boston Institute of Religion.
He has also been active in the Republican party and twice served as a delegate to the state
convention.
In his professional career, he taught in the LDS Seminary and Institute program from 1954-63,
after which he was a member of the faculty at Brigham Young University until his retirement in
1992. From 1972 to 1979 he also served as Assistant Church Historian (splitting his time
between BYU and the Church Historical Department). He was chair of the History Department
from 1981-1987 then, during his last five years at BYU, he was honored to hold the Lemuel
Hardison Redd, Jr. Chair in Western American History. After his retirement he became
associated with the Joseph Fielding Smith Institute for Latter-day Saint History at BYU, where
for several years he held an appointment as a Senior Research Fellow.
He has also been active in various professional organizations, including the Western History
Association (served on various committees, and as chair of a program committee) and the
Mormon History Association (president, 1971-73). He has been on various boards of editors and
advisory committees and presented numerous papers at the meetings of various historical
associations.
As a researcher and writer he is the author, co-author, or co-editor of fourteen books or
monographs and around 90 articles relating to Western American history and Mormon history,
as well as numerous book reviews in professional journals. Some of his books include the
following:
The Company Town in the American West (University of Oklahoma Press, 1966)
The Story of the Latter-day Saints (with Glen M. Leonard; Deseret Book Company, 1976;
2nd edition 1992)
Trials of Discipleship: The Story of William Clayton, a Mormon (University of Illinois
Press, 1987). Revised and republished in 2002 by BYU Press under the title No
Toil Nor Labor Fear: The Story of William Clayton. In 1986, while still in press,
this book won the prestigious David Woolley Evans and Beatrice Cannon Evans
Biography Award.
Men With a Mission: The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in the British Isles, 1837-1841
(with Ronald K. Esplin and David J. Whittaker, Deseret Book Company, 1992)
Studies in Mormon History 1830-1997: An Indexed Bibliography (with Ronald W.
Walker and David J. Whittaker; University of Illinois Press, 2000). Allen was the
lead investigator for this important work. It lists, and provides an index to, all the
significant books, articles, doctoral dissertations and master's theses on Mormon
history produced between 1830 and 1997. It has been widely hailed as one of the
most important aids to finding LDS history ever published. In 2001 the Mormon
History Association awarded the authors a special citation for the publication of
this book. After that, working with J. Michael Hunter, Allen continued to update
the bibliography database. Hunter has now taken over the updating, and the
database is online at mormonhistory.byu.edu.
Mormon History (with Ronald W. Walker and David J. Whittaker, University of Illinois
Press, 2001). This book is a history of the writing of Mormon history, from the
days of Joseph Smith until the present time.
Over the years he has received various awards, honors, and recognitions, besides those indicated
above. Among them were several "best article" awards; the Karl G. Maeser Research and
Creative Arts Award, Brigham Young University, 1980; named Distinguished Faculty Lecturer,
Brigham Young University, 1984; named a Fellow of the Utah State Historical Society, July 15,
1988; the Leonard J. Arrington Award for a Distinctive Contribution to the cause of Mormon
History, awarded by the Mormon History Asociation, 2008.
James and Renée have enjoyed living in Orem, Utah since 1963.
He currently serves as Sunday School President in his ward, and he and Renée have been officiators
in the Mt. Timpanogos Temple since 2004.