The Kingdom of Matthias: A Story of Sex and Salvation in 19th Century America

The prologue takes place in 19th century New York. A jury found Robert Matthews, also known as the Prophet Matthias, not guilty on murder and fraud charges and guilty of contempt of court and assaulting his daughter, Isabella. His reputation in tatters and his church disbanded, Matthews spent four months in jail. After his release, he visited his wife Margaret in Albany, who refused to reconcile with him, stating that she never wanted to see him again. In November 1835, Matthews appeared at the Mormon Settlement in Kirtland, which predates the later Utah settlement, and met Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormonism. Matthias introduced himself as Joshua, a Jewish Minister, reluctant to identify himself as the infamous Prophet Matthias, whose story had been plastered all over the penny presses for months. The two men agreed they despised Finneyism; they asserted the Old Testament teachings of women’s inferiority to men. John Smith, however, was not impressed with Matthews, and the meeting ended badly, with each denouncing the other as the Devil incarnate.