The Wives of the Prophet Summary and Analysis

No one knows for sure how many wives Joseph was married or under what circumstances. There are many stories, few of which are substantiated through primary sources. That Joseph would marry another man's wife seems improbable, though Ms. Brodie continues to insist that this occurred. She further attempts to guess which of these supposed wives had children with Joseph Smith, the Prophet. Nothing is substantiated.

After his death, many women chose to be sealed to the prophet, even though they had been married to another man, thinking that somehow it raise their position in the eternal life. This cannot be considered a slight on Joseph's character, for he had nothing to do with this.

It is true that Joseph did have multiple wives. Whether there was any real sexual intimacy is unknown. If...