Mormon History, Jan 16, 1836

-- Jan 16, 1836
Upon complaints by the Quorum of Twelve Apostles, the First Presidency formally apologizes for not showing them due respect. Oliver Cowdery records in his journal: "met in the evening with bro. Joseph Smith, Jr. at his house, in company with bro. John Corrill, and after pure water was prepared, called upon the Lord and proceeded to wash each other's bodies, and bathe the same with whiskey, perfumed with cinnamon. This we did that we might be clean before the Lord for the Sabbath, confessing our sins and covenanting to be faithful to God. While performing this washing unto the Lord with solemnity, our minds were filled with many reflections upon the propriety of the same, and how the priests anciently used to wash always before ministering before the Lord. As we had nearly finished this purification, bro. Martin Harris came in and was also washed." (1)

Twelve air their grievances with the First Presidency, the presidency apologizes, covenant with each other. (2)

[Joseph Smith] Upon complaints by the Quorum of Twelve Apostles, the First Presidency formally apologizes for not showing them due respect. (3)

-- Jan 17, 1836
while the First Presidency, the Twelve, the Seventy, and the Councilors of Kirtland and Zion are gathered together in conference, "the gift of tongues came on us also, like the rushing of a mighty wind". Five days later the gift of tongues again comes to this group "in mighty power". (1)

First Presidency and Twelve confess their faults to one another, tears, gift of tongues "like the rushing of a mighty wind." (2)

Kirtland, Ohio. Joseph Smith performed three marriages to establish the Churchs right to marry by proclamation. (4)

-- Jan 18, 1836
Kirtland, Ohio. The School of the Prophets, instructed by Joseph Smith, moved into a third-floor room of the Kirtland Temple, adjoining the Hebrew school. (4)

-- Jan 20, 1836
Joseph Smith performs a wedding attended by "The Presidency and their companions in the first Seats, the Twelve Apostles in the second, the 70 in the third and the remainder of the congregation seated with their companions." After the ceremony "Eld[e]r O[rson] Hyde, Eld[e]r L[uke] Johnson, and Eld[e]r W[arren] Parrish who served on the occasion then presented the Presidency with three Servers filled with glasses of wine to bless. It fell to my [Joseph Smith's] lot to attend to this duty, which I cheerfully discharged. It was then passed round in order, then the cake in the Same order. Suffise it to say our hearts were made glad, while partaking of the bounty of the earth which was presented until we had taken our fill." (1)

Kirtland, Ohio. Joseph Smith performed the marriage of John F. Boynton and Susan Lowell. (4)

-- 21Jan36
[Joseph Smith Sermon] Conversation with Kirtland visitor at Joseph Smith home on Thursday January 21, 1836.
... I went into the room where he was, and the first question he asked me,
after passing a compliment, was to know how many members we have in our
church, I replyed to him, that w hav[e] between 15 hundred and 2,000 in
this branch. -- He then asked me wherein we differ from other christian
denomination[s] I replyed that we believe the bible, and they do not.
--however he affirmed that he believed the bible, I told him then to be
baptised, --he replied that he did not realize it to be his duty -- But
when [I] laid before him the principles of the gospel, viz. faith and
repentance and baptism for the remission of sins and the laying on of
hands for the reseption of the Holy Ghost he manifested much surprise
--I then observed that the hour for school had arived, and I must attend
The man seemed astonished at our doctrine but by no means hostile (5)

-- Jan 21, 1836
After dismissing Hebrew School for the day and attending "to the ordinance of washing our bodies in pure water we also perfumed our bodies and our heads in the name of the Lord" Joseph Smith receives a revelation in which he states "I saw father Adam, and Abraham and Michael and my father and mother, my brother Alvin that has long since slept[.]" After Joseph Smith's death the words "and Michael" are removed from the revelation because they contradict the teaching that Adam and Michael are the same personage. The altered revelation becomes section 137 of the DOCTRINE & COVENANTS. In the revelation Joseph also "saw the 12 Apostles of the Lamb, who are now upon the earth, who hold the keys of this last ministry, in foreign lands, standing together in a circle, much fatigued, with their clothes tattered and feet swol[l]en, and their eyes cast downward and Jesus standing in their midst, and they did not behold him. The Savior looked upon them and wept. . . . And I finally saw the
Twelve in the celestial kingdom of God." This part of the revelation is not canonized. Many members of the Twelve Apostles at that time were later either excommunicated or apostatized. (1)

At about 3. oclock P.M I dismissed the School and the presidency; retired to the loft of the printing office, where we attended to the ordinance of washing our bodies in pure water, we also perfumed our bodies and our heads, in the name of the Lord Diary-2, 135. (2)

In the House of the Lord, Joseph has a vision of the Father and the Son, Adam, Abraham, his parents and his brother Alvin, in the celestial kingdom. Children who die before 8 years, and all others who would have received the gospel had they heard it before they died, inherit the celestial kingdom. D&C 137 (2)

Footnotes:
1 - On This Day in Mormon History, http://www.advent-adam.com/jakestand.html
2 - Kenny, Scott, "Mormon History 1830-1844," http://saintswithouthalos.com/dirs/d_c.phtml
3 - Quinn, D. Michael, The Mormon Hierarchy: Origins of Power, Appendix 7: Selected Chronology of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1830-47"
4 - BYU Studies Journal, volume 46, no. 4: A Chronology of the Life of Joseph Smith
5 - The Parallel Joseph, http://www.boap.org/LDS/Parallel/

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