Christianity is a religion of salvation in which believers have always anticipated post-mortem bliss for the faithful and non-salvation for others. Here, Trumbower examines how and why death came to be perceived as such a firm boundary of salvation. Analyzing exceptions to this principle from ancient Christianity, he finds that the principle itself was slow to develop and not universally accepted in the Christian movement's first four hundred years. In fact, only in the West was this principle definitively articulated, due in large part to the work and influence of Augustine.

For the first time, the unexpurgated diaries of the Mormon church founder, Joseph Smith, are presented, including references to wine, women, the church, accounts of the First Vision, and early rituals.

Joseph Smith was of course the religious leader who founded the Latter Day Saint movement, commonly known as Mormonism. These diaries of his from the 1830's have helped preserve some of the earliest history of the Church, just a few years after it began and more than a decade before arriving in Utah. A great resource for history enthusiasts.