“One consistent way the Lord teaches us doctrine is by giving us life experiences that encourage us to seek and practice truth. Dr. Richard Bennett, a seasoned historian, illuminates this process through the life and teachings of Joseph Smith. A fascinating perspective on important years in Church history.” &mdash Virginia H. Pearce, Educator and Best-selling Author“Professor Richard Bennett combines the curiosity and precision of a superb historian with an excellent knowledge of the restored gospel. The result is a singular contribution to Latter-day Saint literature — readers will never see the early years of the Restoration in the same way.” &mdash Robert L. Millet, Professor of Religious Education, Brigham Young UniversityBetween that crisp spring morning in 1820 when he knelt in prayer in a secluded grove of trees and April 6, 1830, when he organized the Church of Jesus Christ, the youthful Joseph Smith learned how to be a prophet.In a glorious time of intense preparation and careful instruction, he was taught by the Father and the Son, the Holy Ghost, and angelic messengers from previous gospel dispensations. It was essential that the message of the gospel be learned and lived by the messenger of the gospel.Drawing upon a fascinating combination of new historical research, scriptural insights, and prophetic statements, historian Richard E. Bennett documents how these early years of the Restoration were a divinely inspired apprenticeship, a careful schooling in matters of deep and lasting importance for the young man called to open the dispensation of the fulness of times.In School of the Prophet: Joseph Smith Learns the First Principles, Dr. Bennett shows us how Joseph Smith, the first convert and initial student of this “marvelous work and a wonder” (Isaiah 29:14), was taught by heavenly beings, refined in the fires of adversity, and firmly grounded in the saving principles and ordinances of the gospel.The preparation of the Prophet, including the translation and publication of the Book of Mormon and the restoration of priesthood authority, took time.And nothing was left to chance.Table of ContentsPrefaceIntroduction1. And Thus by Faith, They Did Lay Hold upon Every Good Thing2. The Office of Their Ministry Is to Call Men unto Repentance3. I Know the Door: Baptism by Immersion for the Remission of Sins4. Have Ye Received the Holy Ghost?5. Hold Out Faithful: The Doctrine of Enduring to the EndEpilogueNotesBibliographyIndex