Abstract
This article documents one strain of Mormon thought concerning the Woman of Endor narrative in 1 Samuel 28, in which the woman was interpreted as a prophetess enabled to raise the dead through her spiritual gifts. Church leaders eventually condemned this narrative because of its similarities with Spiritualist exegesis and American Christianity’s use of the narrative to condemn Spiritualism as necromancy. Through establishing an orthodox reading of the passage, leaders strengthened the boundaries separating the two faiths – boundaries that many Spiritualists had argued were at best blurry and overlapping.
Acknowledgments
The author would like to express his appreciation for those who read and commented on drafts of this paper, including Mason Kamana Allred, Matthew Godfrey, Courtney Jensen Peacock, Joseph Spencer, Joseph Stuart, Jeff Turner, and Kris Wright.
Works Cited
Manuscripts
The Church History Library, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, Utah.
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MS 1862
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MS 9628
MS 14590
Newspapers
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Elders’ Journal
Elder’s Journal of the Southern States Mission
Improvement Era
Juvenile Instructor
Millennial Star
New York Herald
Saints’ Advocate
Seer
Spiritualistic Free Press
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