Messenger and Advocate

The Messenger and Advocate (1834–1837) The Latter Day Saints’ Messenger and Advocate was the second official periodical of the early Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, published monthly in Kirtland, Ohio, from October 1834 to September 1837. It succeeded the Evening and the Morning Star (which had been printed in Independence, Missouri) and served as the principal communication organ for Church members during a formative and often turbulent period. Purpose and Content The Messenger and Advocate functioned as both a spiritual and informational periodical. Its pages contained: Doctrinal discourses and theological essays. Editorials and defenses of the Church against critics. Historical sketches, including Oliver Cowdery’s serialized account of Joseph Smith’s early visions, the coming forth of the Book of…