Mormon view of the House of Joseph
Encyclopedia
The House of Joseph were the Old Testament
tribes of Ephraim
and Manasseh
. Both of these tribes were descendants of Joseph's two sons, Ephraim
and Manasseh
, who are both first mentioned in . In Genesis Ephraim and Manasseh are taken to see a dying Jacob
, who blesses Ephraim (the younger son) with his right hand and Manasseh with his left hand (see KJV).
The house of Joseph is mentioned in the Bible several times, notably in ; ; ; and . There is also an allusion to the house of Joseph in .
Both the Samaritan
sect and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) claim Joseph as one of their ancient tribal patriarchs. In Latter Day Saint interfaith relations with Jews, the LDS Church sometimes calls its people "Joseph", whilst calling the Jews "Judah
", emphasizing beliefs of close kinship and mutual sacred covenant. Latter Day Saints do not believe themselves to be exclusively descended from these specific tribes, but in their use of names they associate themselves most closely with specific dominant tribes. No denomination of Judaism
affirms the Samaritan or LDS beliefs, nor similar beliefs adhered to by anyone else.
, Lehi (Hebrew לחי Léḥî / Lāḥî "jawbone") was an ancient prophet who lived around 600 BC. He was an Israelite
of the Tribe of Manasseh. Lehi and his family lived in Jerusalem in the Kingdom of Judah
under the reign of King Zedekiah
. Lehi also held other property, perhaps outside the city of Jerusalem. Some have suggested that he was a merchant. Lehi had six sons: Laman, Lemuel, Sam
, Nephi
, Jacob, and Joseph
; and at least two daughters, who were not named in the Book of Mormon. Lehi's sons are said to be characteristically Ephrathite
, though it is uncertain what this means or why this would be; Some LDS church leaders have suggested that Lehi's wife Sariah
may have descended from Ephraim, which is historically considered a half-tribe, as Ephraim and Manasseh were twin sons of Joseph. It has also been suggested that Lehi's friend, Ishmael
(not to be confused with Abraham's son Ishmael
), who joined Lehi in escaping Jerusalem, may have descended from Ephraim. Lehi's sons marrying Ishmael's daughters would then explain why their descendents could have belonged to either the Tribe of Ephraim or the Tribe of Manasseh.
Shortly before the destruction of Jerusalem, Lehi reportedly escaped with his family, along with his friend Ishmael and his family, and another man named Zoram
. Together, Lehi led them south down the Arabian Peninsula
until they reached a fertile coastal region they named Bountiful
. There, they built a ship, and sailed across the ocean to the Americas
. Lehi's sons Nephi and Laman are said to have established themselves and to have founded Israelite
nations: the Nephites and the Lamanites.
The Palestinian town of Khirbet Beit Lei
("The Ruin of the House of Lei") is purported to be the location of the ancient home of Lehi, although there is only problematic and circumstantial evidence to support it. Very few FARMS
scholars and other Mormonism
historians will definitively tie the two together because of the lack of evidence.
s and the Nephite
s. The Lamanites, together with the Nephites, are described as descending from the family of Lehi, a wealthy Jewish merchant, who traveled from the Middle East
in 600 BC to the Americas by boat. Nephites descended from the youngest son, Nephi, while Lamanites descended from the elder brothers, Laman and Lemuel. Lehi carried family genealogical records as well as scriptural records recorded on "brass plates" with them, and declared that his lineage was from the tribe of Manasseh. He later prophesied (Book of Mormon, 2 Nephi 3) that a latter-day Joseph, son of Joseph, who would also be a descendant of the house of Joseph, would do a great work that would be a blessing to Lehi's descendants. Latter-day Saints believe that this prophecy was fulfilled by Joseph Smith through translating the Book of Mormon, organizing the restored Church of Jesus Christ, and doing missionary work among latter-day descendants of the tribes of Israel, particularly Ephraim and Manasseh.
According to the Book of Mormon there were many interactions between the Lamanites and the Nephites. Activities from war to trade to proselytizing were used by each one on the other to varying degrees and at different stages in their histories. The actual ethnic make up of each group seems to have shifted as the story progresses. The Lamanites initially are given a darker skin color from God due to their rebellion. At one point in the book the Lamanites and Nephites coexist for two centuries in peace (from circa AD 30 until 230) Shortly after this period of peace and cooperation between the two begins to decline along with a reestablishment of economic class distinction in both groups. Some time after AD 400 the Nephite culture and most if not all of its people were destroyed in a series of large wars between the Lamanites, Nephites and a renegade organization of robbers known as the Gadianton Robbers.
to be descendants of the Lamanites. Officially, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints appears to accept this position. The introduction to the Latter Day Saint (LDS) edition of The Book of Mormon states, "[T]he Lamanites are among the principal ancestors of the American Indians." However, an alternate interpretation of this text could imply that the Lamanites are only the most notable (religiously) of the ancestors of the American Indians instead of claiming to be the only group of ancestors from which modern-day American Indians descended from.
However, this position of the Lamanites being the only ancestors of the American Indians is controversial. Based on genetic and archeological data, mainstream scientists have concluded that Native Americans are descended from the prehistoric inhabitants of East Asia
, although mixed genetics are not precluded by either science or LDS doctrine. Thus, some Mormon scholars view Lamanites as (1) one small tribe among many in the ancient Americas, the remainder of whom were not discussed in The Book of Mormon although they were implied or, (2) a tribe that intermarried with indigenous Native American cultures. An alternate belief would be that they are fictional characters intended to portray an allegory (see similar debate regarding the Old Testament
Book of Job
). The Book of Mormon prophesied of great pillage and destruction by those who would find the Lamanite descendants and dominate them before a final period of "carrying them upon their shoulders," implied as bringing them the fulness of the gospel and a pattern of free government. Links to various commentaries are listed on the official church website, although not official church positions.
. After suffering under persecution in several states, including a government-ordered expulsion from Missouri
and the assassination of Joseph Smith by a mob in Illinois
, Brigham Young
was called to succeed Joseph Smith and led the Mormon pioneers to settle a large area now encompassed by the state of Utah
and parts of Arizona
, California
, Nevada
, Idaho
, and Wyoming
.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS Church), is the largest and best known denomination within the Latter Day Saint movement
(a form of Christian
Restorationism). The Church is headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah
, and claims through inspired "patriarchal blessings" to its members throughout the world that many of these are descendants of Ephraim and Manasseh, with the tribe of Ephraim holding a responsibility of leadership and a leading role in missionary work in the last days. The LDS Church believes that scattered descendants of Ephraim from Europe, Scandinavia, and other parts of the world have been led by the guiding hand of God to settle in the Americas, along with the descendants of the Lamanites and others, and that the Americas are a "promised land" of liberty for those who have been led there.
The LDS Church also teaches that the gathering of descendants of Ephraim and Manasseh in the Americas fulfills the prophecy of Jacob that "Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall:"(Genesis 49:22) wherein the "wall" of the "well" is understood to symbolize the oceans separating the American continent from EurAsia.
Also, the Old Testament book of Isaiah 2:2 reads, "And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it." The original settlers of the state of Utah wanted to name the state "Deseret". The U.S. Government instead chose to create the territory and name it "Utah" with the Compromise of 1850
. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' headquarters is in the heart of the capital city of Utah, Salt Lake City. In 1853, the LDS church began construction of the Salt Lake Temple. The temple was completed 40 years later in 1893. Many LDS Church members believe this to be a literal fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy, which again states that the "mountain of the Lord's house" ("mountain" signifying the Church headquarters and the "Lord's house" being the Salt Lake Temple) was to be built in "the top of the mountains", i.e. Utah. This prophecy also states that these events would occur in the "last days" and all nations shall flow unto it. Salt Lake City hosted the 2002 Winter Olympics
and more than 5 million visitors tour the Salt Lake Temple grounds (Temple Square
), every year.
Old Testament
The Old Testament, of which Christians hold different views, is a Christian term for the religious writings of ancient Israel held sacred and inspired by Christians which overlaps with the 24-book canon of the Masoretic Text of Judaism...
tribes of Ephraim
Tribe of Ephraim
According to the Hebrew Bible, the Tribe of Ephraim was one of the Tribes of Israel. The Tribe of Manasseh together with Ephraim also formed the House of Joseph....
and Manasseh
Tribe of Manasseh
According to the Hebrew Bible, the Tribe of Manasseh was one of the Tribes of Israel. Together with the Tribe of Ephraim, Manasseh also formed the House of Joseph....
. Both of these tribes were descendants of Joseph's two sons, Ephraim
Ephraim
Ephraim ; was, according to the Book of Genesis, the second son of Joseph and Asenath. Asenath was an Egyptian woman whom Pharaoh gave to Joseph as wife, and the daughter of Potipherah, a priest of On. Ephraim was born in Egypt before the arrival of the children of Israel from Canaan...
and Manasseh
Manasseh (tribal patriarch)
Manasseh or Menashe was, according to the Book of Genesis, the first son of Joseph and Asenath. Asenath was an Egyptian woman whom Pharaoh gave to Joseph as wife, and the daughter of Potipherah, a priest of On. Manasseh was born in Egypt before the arrival of the children of Israel from Canaan...
, who are both first mentioned in . In Genesis Ephraim and Manasseh are taken to see a dying Jacob
Jacob
Jacob "heel" or "leg-puller"), also later known as Israel , as described in the Hebrew Bible, the Talmud, the New Testament and the Qur'an was the third patriarch of the Hebrew people with whom God made a covenant, and ancestor of the tribes of Israel, which were named after his descendants.In the...
, who blesses Ephraim (the younger son) with his right hand and Manasseh with his left hand (see KJV).
The house of Joseph is mentioned in the Bible several times, notably in ; ; ; and . There is also an allusion to the house of Joseph in .
Both the Samaritan
Samaritan
The Samaritans are an ethnoreligious group of the Levant. Religiously, they are the adherents to Samaritanism, an Abrahamic religion closely related to Judaism...
sect and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) claim Joseph as one of their ancient tribal patriarchs. In Latter Day Saint interfaith relations with Jews, the LDS Church sometimes calls its people "Joseph", whilst calling the Jews "Judah
Tribe of Judah
According to the Hebrew Bible, the Tribe of Judah was one of the Tribes of Israel.Following the completion of the conquest of Canaan by the Israelite tribes after about 1200 BCE, Joshua allocated the land among the twelve tribes....
", emphasizing beliefs of close kinship and mutual sacred covenant. Latter Day Saints do not believe themselves to be exclusively descended from these specific tribes, but in their use of names they associate themselves most closely with specific dominant tribes. No denomination of Judaism
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
affirms the Samaritan or LDS beliefs, nor similar beliefs adhered to by anyone else.
Book of Mormon genealogy
In the Book of MormonBook of Mormon
The Book of Mormon is a sacred text of the Latter Day Saint movement that adherents believe contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the American continent from approximately 2600 BC to AD 421. It was first published in March 1830 by Joseph Smith, Jr...
, Lehi (Hebrew לחי Léḥî / Lāḥî "jawbone") was an ancient prophet who lived around 600 BC. He was an Israelite
Israelite
According to the Bible the Israelites were a Hebrew-speaking people of the Ancient Near East who inhabited the Land of Canaan during the monarchic period .The word "Israelite" derives from the Biblical Hebrew ישראל...
of the Tribe of Manasseh. Lehi and his family lived in Jerusalem in the Kingdom of Judah
Kingdom of Judah
The Kingdom of Judah was a Jewish state established in the Southern Levant during the Iron Age. It is often referred to as the "Southern Kingdom" to distinguish it from the northern Kingdom of Israel....
under the reign of King Zedekiah
Zedekiah
Zedekiah or Tzidkiyahu was the last king of Judah before the destruction of the kingdom by Babylon. He was installed as king of Judah by Nebuchadnezzar II, king of Babylon, after a siege of Jerusalem to succeed his nephew, Jeconiah, who was overthrown as king after a reign of only three months and...
. Lehi also held other property, perhaps outside the city of Jerusalem. Some have suggested that he was a merchant. Lehi had six sons: Laman, Lemuel, Sam
Sam (Book of Mormon)
In the Book of Mormon, Sam was the third son of Lehi, and elder brother to the prophet Nephi. Early in the Book of Mormon narrative, Nephi confided in Sam. Lehi saw Sam in his vision of the tree of life, noting that he ate the precious fruit, symbolizing the righteousness of Sam, and that he...
, Nephi
Nephi
According to the Book of Mormon, Nephi was the son of Lehi, a prophet, founder of the Nephite people, and author of the first two books of the Book of Mormon, First and Second Nephi.- Early life :Nephi was the fourth of six sons of Lehi and Sariah...
, Jacob, and Joseph
Joseph (Book of Mormon)
In the Book of Mormon, Joseph is a priest, and a younger brother of the Prophets Nephi and Jacob.-Family:See also Joseph ....
; and at least two daughters, who were not named in the Book of Mormon. Lehi's sons are said to be characteristically Ephrathite
Tribe of Ephraim
According to the Hebrew Bible, the Tribe of Ephraim was one of the Tribes of Israel. The Tribe of Manasseh together with Ephraim also formed the House of Joseph....
, though it is uncertain what this means or why this would be; Some LDS church leaders have suggested that Lehi's wife Sariah
Sariah
According to the Book of Mormon, Sariah was the wife of Lehi, and the mother of Laman, Lemuel, Sam, Nephi, Jacob, and Joseph. She traveled with her husband from Jerusalem, into the wilderness, and eventually, across the ocean to the "promised land"...
may have descended from Ephraim, which is historically considered a half-tribe, as Ephraim and Manasseh were twin sons of Joseph. It has also been suggested that Lehi's friend, Ishmael
Ishmael (Book of Mormon)
In the Book of Mormon, Ishmael1 is the righteous friend of the prophet Lehi in Jerusalem. When Lehi takes his family into the wilderness, Lehi brings Ishmael and his family too. The daughters of Ishmael marry the sons of Lehi, but the sons of Ishmael join Laman and Lemuel in their rebellion against...
(not to be confused with Abraham's son Ishmael
Ishmael
Ishmael is a figure in the Hebrew Bible and the Qur'an, and was Abraham's first born child according to Jews, Christians and Muslims. Ishmael was born of Abraham's marriage to Sarah's handmaiden Hagar...
), who joined Lehi in escaping Jerusalem, may have descended from Ephraim. Lehi's sons marrying Ishmael's daughters would then explain why their descendents could have belonged to either the Tribe of Ephraim or the Tribe of Manasseh.
Shortly before the destruction of Jerusalem, Lehi reportedly escaped with his family, along with his friend Ishmael and his family, and another man named Zoram
Zoram
There are three individuals named Zoram in the Book of Mormon, indexed in the LDS edition as Zoram1, Zoram², and Zoram³.- Zoram¹ :Zoram1 was the servant of Laban, a wealthy inhabitant of Jerusalem. According to First Nephi, Zoram led Nephi, disguised as Laban, into Laban's treasury...
. Together, Lehi led them south down the Arabian Peninsula
Arabian Peninsula
The Arabian Peninsula is a land mass situated north-east of Africa. Also known as Arabia or the Arabian subcontinent, it is the world's largest peninsula and covers 3,237,500 km2...
until they reached a fertile coastal region they named Bountiful
Bountiful (Book of Mormon)
Bountiful is the name of two places described in the Book of Mormon, a religious narrative dictated in 1829 by Joseph Smith, Jr. The first location is set in the Old World near Jerusalem, and the second location is set somewhere in the Americas...
. There, they built a ship, and sailed across the ocean to the Americas
Americas
The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
. Lehi's sons Nephi and Laman are said to have established themselves and to have founded Israelite
Israelite
According to the Bible the Israelites were a Hebrew-speaking people of the Ancient Near East who inhabited the Land of Canaan during the monarchic period .The word "Israelite" derives from the Biblical Hebrew ישראל...
nations: the Nephites and the Lamanites.
The Palestinian town of Khirbet Beit Lei
Khirbet Beit Lei
Khirbet Beit Lei, Khirbet Beit Lehi or Beth Loya is an archaeological tell in the Judean lowlands, of Israel. It is located about 5.5 km southeast of Beth Guvrin on a hill 400 m above sea level.-History:...
("The Ruin of the House of Lei") is purported to be the location of the ancient home of Lehi, although there is only problematic and circumstantial evidence to support it. Very few FARMS
Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies
The Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies is an informal collaboration of academics devoted to Latter-day Saint historical scholarship. The group is formally part of the Neal A...
scholars and other Mormonism
Mormonism
Mormonism is the religion practiced by Mormons, and is the predominant religious tradition of the Latter Day Saint movement. This movement was founded by Joseph Smith, Jr. beginning in the 1820s as a form of Christian primitivism. During the 1830s and 1840s, Mormonism gradually distinguished itself...
historians will definitively tie the two together because of the lack of evidence.
Lamanites
In The Book of Mormon, a Lamanite is a member of one of three main tribes described in the book. The other two tribes are the JarediteJaredite
The Jaredites are a people written of in the Book of Mormon, principally in the Book of Ether. In the Book of Ether, the Jaredites are described as the descendants of Jared and his brother, at the time of the Tower of Babel. According to the Book of Mormon, the people fled across the Ocean via...
s and the Nephite
Nephite
According to the Book of Mormon, a Nephite is a member of one of the four main groups of settlers of the ancient Americas. The other three groups are the Lamanites, Jaredites and Mulekites. In the Book of Mormon, the Nephites were a group of people descended from or associated with Nephi, the...
s. The Lamanites, together with the Nephites, are described as descending from the family of Lehi, a wealthy Jewish merchant, who traveled from the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
in 600 BC to the Americas by boat. Nephites descended from the youngest son, Nephi, while Lamanites descended from the elder brothers, Laman and Lemuel. Lehi carried family genealogical records as well as scriptural records recorded on "brass plates" with them, and declared that his lineage was from the tribe of Manasseh. He later prophesied (Book of Mormon, 2 Nephi 3) that a latter-day Joseph, son of Joseph, who would also be a descendant of the house of Joseph, would do a great work that would be a blessing to Lehi's descendants. Latter-day Saints believe that this prophecy was fulfilled by Joseph Smith through translating the Book of Mormon, organizing the restored Church of Jesus Christ, and doing missionary work among latter-day descendants of the tribes of Israel, particularly Ephraim and Manasseh.
According to the Book of Mormon there were many interactions between the Lamanites and the Nephites. Activities from war to trade to proselytizing were used by each one on the other to varying degrees and at different stages in their histories. The actual ethnic make up of each group seems to have shifted as the story progresses. The Lamanites initially are given a darker skin color from God due to their rebellion. At one point in the book the Lamanites and Nephites coexist for two centuries in peace (from circa AD 30 until 230) Shortly after this period of peace and cooperation between the two begins to decline along with a reestablishment of economic class distinction in both groups. Some time after AD 400 the Nephite culture and most if not all of its people were destroyed in a series of large wars between the Lamanites, Nephites and a renegade organization of robbers known as the Gadianton Robbers.
Theories about modern descendants of Lamanites
Many Mormons consider Native AmericansIndigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
to be descendants of the Lamanites. Officially, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints appears to accept this position. The introduction to the Latter Day Saint (LDS) edition of The Book of Mormon states, "[T]he Lamanites are among the principal ancestors of the American Indians." However, an alternate interpretation of this text could imply that the Lamanites are only the most notable (religiously) of the ancestors of the American Indians instead of claiming to be the only group of ancestors from which modern-day American Indians descended from.
However, this position of the Lamanites being the only ancestors of the American Indians is controversial. Based on genetic and archeological data, mainstream scientists have concluded that Native Americans are descended from the prehistoric inhabitants of East Asia
East Asia
East Asia or Eastern Asia is a subregion of Asia that can be defined in either geographical or cultural terms...
, although mixed genetics are not precluded by either science or LDS doctrine. Thus, some Mormon scholars view Lamanites as (1) one small tribe among many in the ancient Americas, the remainder of whom were not discussed in The Book of Mormon although they were implied or, (2) a tribe that intermarried with indigenous Native American cultures. An alternate belief would be that they are fictional characters intended to portray an allegory (see similar debate regarding the Old Testament
Old Testament
The Old Testament, of which Christians hold different views, is a Christian term for the religious writings of ancient Israel held sacred and inspired by Christians which overlaps with the 24-book canon of the Masoretic Text of Judaism...
Book of Job
Book of Job
The Book of Job , commonly referred to simply as Job, is one of the books of the Hebrew Bible. It relates the story of Job, his trials at the hands of Satan, his discussions with friends on the origins and nature of his suffering, his challenge to God, and finally a response from God. The book is a...
). The Book of Mormon prophesied of great pillage and destruction by those who would find the Lamanite descendants and dominate them before a final period of "carrying them upon their shoulders," implied as bringing them the fulness of the gospel and a pattern of free government. Links to various commentaries are listed on the official church website, although not official church positions.
Joseph Smith and the Church of Christ
After translating the Book of Mormon and publishing it in 1830, Joseph Smith, Jr. asked five associates to join in officially incorporating the Church of Christ on April 6, 1830 in the company of some 56 men and women in Fayette, New YorkFayette, New York
Fayette is a town in Seneca County, New York, United States. The population was 3,643 at the 2000 census.The Town of Fayette is on the western border of the county and is southeast of Geneva, New York.- History :...
. After suffering under persecution in several states, including a government-ordered expulsion from Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
and the assassination of Joseph Smith by a mob in Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, Brigham Young
Brigham Young
Brigham Young was an American leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and a settler of the Western United States. He was the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1847 until his death in 1877, he founded Salt Lake City, and he served as the first governor of the Utah...
was called to succeed Joseph Smith and led the Mormon pioneers to settle a large area now encompassed by the state of Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
and parts of Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
, Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
, and Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
.
Modern day House of Joseph
Latter Day Saint movement
The Latter Day Saint movement is a group of independent churches tracing their origin to a Christian primitivist movement founded by Joseph Smith, Jr. in the late 1820s. Collectively, these churches have over 14 million members...
(a form of Christian
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
Restorationism). The Church is headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC. With a population of 186,440 as of the 2010 Census, the city lies in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total population of 1,124,197...
, and claims through inspired "patriarchal blessings" to its members throughout the world that many of these are descendants of Ephraim and Manasseh, with the tribe of Ephraim holding a responsibility of leadership and a leading role in missionary work in the last days. The LDS Church believes that scattered descendants of Ephraim from Europe, Scandinavia, and other parts of the world have been led by the guiding hand of God to settle in the Americas, along with the descendants of the Lamanites and others, and that the Americas are a "promised land" of liberty for those who have been led there.
The LDS Church also teaches that the gathering of descendants of Ephraim and Manasseh in the Americas fulfills the prophecy of Jacob that "Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall:"(Genesis 49:22) wherein the "wall" of the "well" is understood to symbolize the oceans separating the American continent from EurAsia.
Also, the Old Testament book of Isaiah 2:2 reads, "And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it." The original settlers of the state of Utah wanted to name the state "Deseret". The U.S. Government instead chose to create the territory and name it "Utah" with the Compromise of 1850
Compromise of 1850
The Compromise of 1850 was a package of five bills, passed in September 1850, which defused a four-year confrontation between the slave states of the South and the free states of the North regarding the status of territories acquired during the Mexican-American War...
. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' headquarters is in the heart of the capital city of Utah, Salt Lake City. In 1853, the LDS church began construction of the Salt Lake Temple. The temple was completed 40 years later in 1893. Many LDS Church members believe this to be a literal fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy, which again states that the "mountain of the Lord's house" ("mountain" signifying the Church headquarters and the "Lord's house" being the Salt Lake Temple) was to be built in "the top of the mountains", i.e. Utah. This prophecy also states that these events would occur in the "last days" and all nations shall flow unto it. Salt Lake City hosted the 2002 Winter Olympics
2002 Winter Olympics
The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event that was celebrated in February 2002 in and around Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. Approximately 2,400 athletes from 77 nations participated in 78 events in fifteen disciplines, held throughout...
and more than 5 million visitors tour the Salt Lake Temple grounds (Temple Square
Temple Square
Temple Square is a ten acre complex located in the center of Salt Lake City, Utah, owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . In recent years, the usage of the name has gradually changed to include several other church facilities immediately adjacent to Temple Square...
), every year.