JOSEPH AND EMMA, COMPANIONS

by Roy A. Cheville

Joseph Smith, Jr., and Emma Hale were married on January 18, 1827, one hundred and fifty years before the publication date of this book in January 1977. To mark the anniversary, Roy Cheville presents Joseph and Emma, Companions. In his introduction, the author defines companionship in terms of its root words—"com" meaning "together" and "pan" translating as "bread." Thus, companions are "those who share bread together." This is the story of two who shared the bread of life.

Joseph and Emma, Companions is also the study of a relationship between two people whose marriage was faced with unusual demands and frightening difficulties—who kept their faith in God and each other. It is not a "romantic novel." Roy Cheville draws portraits of human beings, using quotations from many different sources including the Doctrine and Covenants, Church History, and Times and Seasons. He does not attempt to paint a perfect picture. He admits that there is much about these two people and their lives we will never know for certain. Joseph and Emma is a book about faith and love: faith and love in God and "companions."

One section in this book will no doubt become a classic. This is titled the "Enduring Continuants." It contains twenty-six basic principles that Joseph and Emma shared in their marriage, beliefs that held them together in times of danger and despair.