Multiple Accounts of the First Vision

Did Joseph Smith give more than one account of the First Vision?

Yes. Joseph Smith[BIO] recorded five (known) firsthand accounts of his experience and gave one account to an interviewer.[1] Joseph also may have alluded to the First Vision in some of his early revelations.[2]

Date of Account	Context	Notable details
Summer 1832	The earliest known account and the only one in Joseph Smith’s handwriting. Written as a personal history.	Mentions seeing “the Lord,” but does not specifically mention two personages. It was edited to say Joseph was in his “16th year.”[3][4]
November 9, 1835	Joseph Smith's journal entry about a visit with Robert Matthews.[BIO] Scribed by Warren Parrish.[BIO]	Describes seeing two “personages,” with one appearing soon after the other, and “many angels” when he was about 14. First mentions opposition while praying.[5][6]
Nov 14, 1835	Joseph Smith's journal records a visit with Erastus Holmes.[BIO] Scribed by Warren Parrish.	Brief reference to the "first visitation of Angels" that Joseph experienced when he was “about 14.”[7]
1838–1839	Part of a history of Joseph Smith’s life intended for publication. The earliest extant copy was scribed by James Mulholland.[BIO]	Mentions two personages and no angels. One personage points to the other and says, “This is my beloved Son.” This is the official, canonical version.[8][9]
1842	Times & Seasons editorial titled “Church History” published by Joseph Smith.	Mentions “two glorious personages who exactly resembled each other.” Originally intended to be published in a history book.[10][11]
Sept 15, 1843	David Nye White[BIO] interviews Joseph Smith for the Pittsburgh Weekly Gazette.	Mentions two personages, one appearing soon after the other, with the first saying, “Behold my beloved Son.”[12]
1844	In He Pasa Ekklesia, Israel Daniel Rupp[BIO] prints account of vision provided by Joseph Smith.	Near word-for-word retelling of the 1842 account, including “two glorious personages who exactly resembled each other.”[13]

Why did Joseph give different accounts of his vision?

Joseph's accounts of the First Vision were addressed to different audiences under different circumstances.[14]

Okay, but are the differences important?

Maybe. Joseph’s accounts differ slightly, emphasizing different aspects and varying in some details.

	1832[15]	1835[16]	1838-39[17]	1842[18]
How old was Joseph?	“in the 16th year of my age”[19]	“I was about 14”	“between fourteen and fifteen years of age”	“about fourteen years of age”[20]
What did Joseph think of churches at the time?	“they did not adorn their profession by a holy walk and Godly conversation . . . mankind did not come unto the Lord but that they had apostatised from the true and liveing faith and there was no society or denomination that built upon the gospel of Jesus Christ”	“looking upon at the different systems taught the children of men, I knew not who was right or who was wrong”	“the seemingly good feelings of both the Priests and the Converts were mere pretence more pretended than real . . . my mind became somewhat partial to the Methodist sect . . . for at this time it had never entered into my heart that all were wrong”	“there was a great clash in religious sentiment . . . if God had a church it would not be split up into factions”
Why did Joseph go to pray?	“I become convicted of my sins . . . I cried unto the Lord for mercy for there was none else to whom I could go and to obtain mercy”	“I knew not who was right or who was wrong and concidering it of the first importance that I should be right, in matters that involved eternal consequences; . . . information was what I most desired at this time, and with a fixed determination to obtain it, I called upon the Lord for the first time”	“My object in going to enquire of the Lord was to know which of all the sects was right, that I might know which to join.”	“if I went to one society they referred me to one plan, and another to another . . . considering that all could not be right, and that God could not be the author of so much confusion I determined to investigate the subject more fully”
Did Joseph read James 1:5?	—	“I retired to the silent grove and bow[e]d down before the Lord, under a realising sense that he had said (if the bible be true) ask and you shall receive knock and it shall be opened seek and you shall find and again, if any man lack wisdom let him ask of God who giveth to all men libarally and upbradeth not;”	“I was one day reading the Epistle of James, First Chapter and fifth verse which reads . . .”	“Believing the word of God I had confidence in the declaration of James; ‘If any man lack wisdom let him ask of God . . .”
Did something try to stop Joseph?	—	“my toung seemed to be swolen in my mouth . . . I heard a noise behind me like some person walking towards me . . . I sprung up on my feet, and and looked around, but saw no person or thing that was calculated to produce the noise of walking”	“I was siezed upon by some power which entirely overcame me and had such astonishing influence over me as to bind my tongue . . . Thick darkness gathered around me and it seemed to me for a time as if I were doomed to sudden destruction.”	—
Who appeared in the vision?	“the Lord opened the heavens upon me and I saw the Lord”	“a personage appeard in the midst, of this pillar of flame which was spread all around, and yet nothing consumed, another personage soon appeard like unto the first”	“I saw two personages (whose brightness and glory defy all description) standing above me in the air.”	“saw two glorious personages who exactly resembled each other in features, and likeness”
What was Joseph told in the vision?	“Joseph my son thy sins are forgiven thee. go thy way walk in my statutes and keep my commandments . . . the world lieth in sin and at this time and none doeth good no not one they have turned asside from the gospel and keep not my commandments . . . I come quickly as it [is] written of me in the cloud clothed in the glory of my Father”	“thy sins are forgiven thee, he testifyed unto me that Jesus Christ is the son of God;”	“One of them spake unto me calling me by name and said (pointing to the other) ‘This is my beloved Son, Hear him.’ . . . I was answered that I must join none of them, for they were all wrong . . . all their Creeds were an abomination in his sight, that those professors were all corrupt . . . He again forbade me to join with any of them and many other thing[s] did he say unto me which I cannot write at this time.”	“They told me that all religious denominations were believing in incorrect doctrines, and that none of them was acknowledged of God as his church and kingdom. And I was expressly commanded to “go not after them,” at the same time receiving a promise that the fulness of the gospel should at some future time be made known unto me.”
Did Joseph see angels?	—	“and I saw many angels in this vision”[21]	—	—
How did people react?	“could find none that would believe the hevnly vision”	—	“one of the Methodist Preachers . . . treated my communication not only lightly but with great contempt . . . telling the story had excited a great deal of prejudice against me among professors of religion”	—

The basics of the story in the different accounts are the same: as a young man, Joseph prayed to God and had a divine vision. In that vision, he saw deity and was given a commission.[22]

But why would Joseph say angels visited in one of the accounts instead of God?

It's unclear. It's possible he was being purposely vague. This vague account was recorded by Joseph's scribe when an ex-Methodist named Erastus Holmes[BIO] visited Joseph, asking about the Church.[23]

The week before, Joseph had shared a very detailed account of the First Vision with a visitor named Robert Matthews, who said he was a Jewish minister.[24] Joseph later learned that Matthews was not who he claimed to be, but was instead a notorious domestic abuser, fraudster, and possible murderer.[25] After this negative experience, Joseph may have decided to be less open with Erastus Holmes.

However, it's also possible that Joseph was using "angels" as a generic term for deity.[26]

Aren’t these inconsistencies evidence that he made the First Vision up?

Probably not. If Joseph Smith made it up with the intent to defraud then he would probably have a memorized, well-rehearsed story, and every version would be identical.[27]

But if Joseph was a prophet, wouldn't God have helped him tell his experience perfectly each time?

Probably not. Prophets don't have perfect recall, and apparently, God is okay with this.[28]

Did any of Joseph Smith’s peers give reports of the vision?

Yes. A handful of individuals gave secondhand accounts of the vision while Joseph Smith was alive and claimed they heard the account from Joseph.[29] Others alluded to hearing it from Joseph.[30] There are also thirdhand accounts[31] and later reminiscences from people who claimed they heard about the vision from Joseph.[32]

Did those secondhand accounts match up with Joseph’s accounts?

Overall, yes. However, some conflated details of the First Vision with Moroni’s visits to Joseph.[33]

Were accounts of Joseph’s vision ever published and circulated during his lifetime?

Yes. In 1842, the Church's newspaper, the Times & Seasons, published both the letter for John Wentworth and Joseph’s 1838 history.[34] A non-Latter-day Saint publication later republished the Wentworth Letter account in 1844.[35] Some missionary tracts in the early 1840s also recounted the First Vision in great detail.[36]

Why did Joseph wait so long to record his vision?

When Joseph had the vision, he was a poor writer.[37] There are no known examples of his writing before 1829.[38][39] One of the first things he did write was his account of the First Vision.[40] He required a scribe when translating the Book of Mormon, and Emma reported that he could barely write at the time.[41]

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71 Primary Sources

Footnotes

BIOJoseph Smith, Jr.
Joseph Smith (1805–1844) organized The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Born in Sharon, Vermont, he began to experience visions of deity and angels at a young age. One vision featured the Angel Moroni, who revealed the location of gold plates with an account of ancient Americans. He translated this record and published it as The Book of Mormon. He continued to receive revelations throughout his life which serve as the foundation for the Church's doctrine today. He led the Latter-day Saints across the country from New York to Illinois. In 1844, he was martyred while awaiting trial in Carthage, Illinois.
BIORobert Matthews
Robert Matthews (1788–c. 1841) was born in Cambridge, New York. He was known as Matthias the Prophet. Matthews founded his own religious movement, with himself as the incarnation of God the Father and several others. In 1835, Matthews was accused of murdering his follower, Elijah Pierson. Though acquitted, he was imprisoned briefly for beating his daughter. In November 1835, he visited Joseph Smith in Kirtland under the name of Joshua the Jewish Minister.
BIOWarren Parrish
Warren Parrish (1803-1877) served as the Kirtland Safety Society's treasurer. He organized an opposition faction against Joseph Smith and eventually formed his own break-off church. After its dissolution, he became a Baptist preacher. By 1870, he had been deemed legally "insane." He died in Emporia, Kansas.
BIOErastus Holmes
Erastus Holmes (1800-1863) was born in Salisbury, Connecticut. As a Methodist, Holmes traveled to Kirtland in November of 1835 to learn more about the Church and spent several days with Joseph Smith. Smith related the First Vision to Holmes. Holmes also went to see the mummies and was given a revelation by Joseph Smith. Though he desired to be baptized, there is no indication that Holmes had ever joined the church.
BIOJames Mulholland
James Mulholland (1804-1839) was an early Latter-day Saint. Mulholland was born in Ireland. He served as a scribe for Joseph Smith in 1838 at Far West as well as a scribe for two of Joseph Smith’s journals in 1838 and 1839.
BIODavid Nye White
David Nye White (1805-1888) was born in Massachusetts, and he worked as an editor and a journalist. He purchased the Pittsburg Weekly Gazette and used his newspaper to attempt to form a new anti-slavery political party. He interviewed Joseph Smith in 1843 about the First Vision and foundings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
BIOIsrael Daniel Rupp
Israel Daniel Rupp (1803-1878) was born in East Pennsboro, Pennsylvania. He was a teacher, translator, and historian and grew up in a family of farmers. After an illness in 1823, Rupp gave up farming to study medicine and later became a school teacher. Rupp wrote multiple books, including Ha Passa Ekklesia in 1844, a history of religious denominations in America. He solicited a history of the Church from Joseph Smith, who thanked him for publishing it in the book.
BIOPaul R. Cheesman
Dr. Paul Cheesman (1921-1991) was an ancient American archaeologist who worked both as a professor at Brigham Young University and a chaplain during the Korean War. Cheesman was known for research of correlations between the Book of Mormon and pre-Columbian American discoveries.
BIOLaMar Petersen
LaMar Petersen (1910–2005) was born at Eden, Utah. He was the director of the Mozart School of Music for twenty years and on the music faculty at the University of Utah. Petersen's publication of Problems in Mormon Text in 1957 contributed to the excommunication of him and his family in 1969. He published a book about the lifestyle of Joseph Smith in 1975 called Hearts Made Glad: The Changes of Intemperance against Joseph Smith the Mormon Prophet.
BIOLevi Edgar Young
Levi Edgar Young (February 2, 1874 – December 13, 1963) was a historian and the President of the Quorum of the Seventy. He served missions in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Temple Square and New England. He served on the faculty of the University of Utah and studied at Harvard as well as Columbia University.
BIOJoseph Fielding Smith
Joseph Fielding Smith (1876-1972) was the tenth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He became an apostle in the Quorum of the Twelve in 1910 and served in this capacity until he became a member of the First Presidency in 1965. He was the Church Historian and Recorder from 1921 until 1970. He became president of the Church following the death of David O. McKay in 1970.
[1]↩︎
Five of the accounts were written or published by Joseph Smith. An additional account was from an interview that David Nye White had with Joseph in August of 1843. And another was essentially a reprinting of Joseph's account published in Times & Seasons by Israel David Rupp published in 1844.
[2]↩︎
For instance, a line in what is now Doctrine and Covenants 20, written prior to April 6, 1830, seems to allude to the First Vision:
For after that <it> truly was manifested unto this first Elder that he had Received a remission of his sins he was entangeled again in the vanities of the world
Joseph’s revision of Psalm 14 possibly alludes to the First Vision by using similar language to Joseph’s 1832 account.
His revision of John 1:18, likely made in early 1832, also contains a possible reference (emphasis added to indicate his revision):
no man hath seen God at any time, except he hath born record of the son.
[3]↩︎
This account is the only one to have been written by Joseph Smith himself.
The Lord heard my cry in the wilderness and while in <the> attitude of calling upon the Lord <in the 16th year of my age> a piller of ~~fire~~ light above the brightness of the sun at noon day come down from above and rested upon me and I was filled with the spirit of god and the <Lord> opened the heavens upon me and I saw the Lord and he spake unto me saying Joseph <my son> thy sins are forgiven thee. go thy <way> walk in my statutes and keep my commandments behold I am the Lord of glory I was crucifyed for the world that all those who believe on my name may have Eternal life <behold> the world lieth in sin and at this time and none doeth good no not one they have turned asside from the gospel and keep not <my> commandments they draw near to me with their lips while their hearts are far from me and mine anger is kindling against the inhabitants of the earth to visit them acording to th[e]ir ungodliness and to bring to pass that which <hath> been spoken by the mouth of the prophets and Ap[o]stles behold and lo I come quickly as it [is] written of me in the cloud <clothed> in the glory of my Father
- Joseph's 1832 history giving earliest firsthand account of the vision.
[4]↩︎
The insertion of “in the 16th year of my age” (meaning fifteen years old) is from Frederick G. Williams, one of Joseph’s scribes. Earlier in the account, Joseph mentioned that “from the age of twelve years to fifteen I pondered many things in my heart concerning the sittuation of the world of mankind . . .”
- Joseph's 1832 history giving earliest firsthand account of the vision.
[5]↩︎
Warren Parrish recorded Joseph saying:
I called on the Lord in mighty prayer, a pillar of fire appeared above my head, it presently rested down upon my <me> ~~head~~, and filled me with joy unspeakable, a personage appeard in the midst, of this pillar of flame which was spread all around, and yet nothing consumed, another personage soon appeard like unto the first, he said unto me thy sins are forgiven thee, he testifyed unto me that Jesus Christ is the son of God; <and I saw many angels in this vision> I was about 14. years old when I received this first communication.
- Joseph Smith account of First Vision in 1835 meeting with Robert Matthews.
[6]↩︎
This is the first account where Joseph mentions an opposing force before the appearance of deity:
I called upon the Lord for the first time, in the place above stated or in other words I made a fruitless attempt to pray, my toung seemed to be swolen in my mouth, so that I could not utter, I heard a noise behind me like some person walking towards me, <I> strove again to pray, but could not, the noise of walking seemed to draw nearer, I sprung up on my feet, ~~and~~ and looked around, but saw no person or thing that was calculated to produce the noise of walking, I kneeled again my mouth was opened and my toung liberated, and I called on the Lord in mighty prayer, a pillar of fire appeared above my head . . .
- Joseph Smith account of First Vision in 1835 meeting with Robert Matthews.
[7]↩︎
Joseph’s journal records:
I commenced and gave him a brief relation of my experience while in my juvenile years, say from 6, years old up to the time I received the first visitation of Angels which was when I was about 14, years old
- Joseph Smith’s journal records Joseph telling First Vision to Erastus Holmes.
[8]↩︎
Joseph Smith’s history records:
I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun; which descended gradually until it fell upon me. . . . When the light rested upon me I saw personages (whose brightness and glory defy all description) standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name, and said (pointing to the other.) "This is my beloved Son, hear him." I asked the personages who stood above me in the light, which of all the sects was right, (for at this time it had never entered into my heart that all were wrong) and which I should join. I was answered that I must join none of them, for they were all wrong, and the Personage who addressed me said that all their Creeds were an abomination in his sight, that those professors were all corrupt, that “they draw near to me to with their lips but their hearts are far from me, They teach for doctrines the commandments of men, having a form of Godliness but they deny the power thereof.” He again forbade me to join with any of them and many other thing[s] did he say unto me which I cannot write at this time.
- Joseph's 1838 canonical history.
[9]↩︎
This account is contained in Joseph Smith—History within the Pearl of Great Price, one of the standard works of the Church.
[10]↩︎
The Times & Seasons editorial, printed on March 1, 1842, says:
I retired to a secret place in a grove and began to call upon the Lord, while fervently engaged in supplication my mind was taken away from the objects with which I was surrounded, and I was enwrapped in a heavenly vision and saw two glorious personages who exactly resembled each other in features, and likeness, surrounded with a brilliant light which eclipsed the sun at noonday. They told me that all religious denominations were believing in incorrect doctrines, and that none of them was acknowledged of God as his church and kingdom. And I was expressly commanded to “go not after them,” at the same time receiving a promise that the fulness of the gospel should at some future time be made known unto me.
- Joseph Smith gives an account of First Vision in 1842 for John Wentworth.
[11]↩︎
This accounts begins by saying:
At the request of Mr. John Wentworth, Editor, and Proprietor of the “Chicago Democrat,” I have written the following sketch of the rise, progress, persecution, and faith of the Latter-Day Saints, of which I have the honor, under God, of being the founder. Mr. Wentworth says, that he wishes to furnish Mr. [George] Ba[r]stow, a friend of his, who is writing the history of New Hampshire, with this document.
- Joseph Smith gives an account of First Vision in 1842 for John Wentworth.
[12]↩︎
David Nye White reports Joseph saying:
Directly I saw a light, and then a glorious personage in the light, and then another personage, and the first personage said to the second, “Behold my beloved Son, hear him.” I then, addressed this second person, saying, “O Lord, what Church shall I join.” He replied, “don’t join any of them, they are all corrupt.” The vision then vanished, and when I come to myself, I was sprawling on my back; and it was sometime before my strength returned.
- DNW interviews JS on the First Vision and JS details seeing two personages.
[13]↩︎
The account provided to Rupp was to be included in his book He Pasa Ekklesia. An Original History of the Religious Denominations at Present Existing in the United States. Containing Authentic Accounts of their Rise, Progress, Statistics and Doctrines.
- IDR prints JS' account of the First Vision, where he sees two personages who are exactly the same.
[14]↩︎
For example, the 1838 account was written specifically to combat "many reports which have been put in circulation by evil-disposed and designing persons" that were "designed by the authors thereof to militate against" Joseph Smith's claims and the progress of the Church. It was intended for publication.
Meanwhile, the 1832 history was never published, and the 1835 and 1842 accounts were explicitly directed to non-members (Robert Matthews and John Wentworth, respectively).
Like the 1842 account, Joseph likely knew his 1843 interview with David Nye White would be published in White's newspaper for a non-Latter-day Saint audience.
[15]↩︎
Joseph’s first history, likely written during the summer of 1832. Largely in his own handwriting.
This account was never published.
- Joseph's 1832 history giving earliest firsthand account of the vision.
[16]↩︎
In Joseph Smith’s journal, Warren Parrish recorded Joseph Smith’s meeting with Robert Matthews on November 9, 1835, where Joseph recounted the First Vision.
This account was never published.
- Joseph Smith account of First Vision in 1835 meeting with Robert Matthews.
[17]↩︎
In 1838, Joseph Smith began writing a history with Sidney Rigdon. The earliest manuscripts from it were scribed my James Mulholland.
It was later published in the Times & Seasons, in 1842.
- Joseph's 1838 canonical history.
[18]↩︎
Joseph addressed this account to John Wentworth for inclusion in the a history book being written by George Barstow. It is often referred to as the “Wentworth Letter.”
Barstow did not end up including Joseph’s letter in his book, and it was instead published in the Times & Seasons in 1842.
- Joseph Smith gives an account of First Vision in 1842 for John Wentworth.
[19]↩︎
The insertion of “in the 16th year of my age” (meaning fifteen years old) is from Frederick G. Williams, one of Joseph’s scribes.
Earlier in the account, Joseph mentioned that “from the age of twelve years to fifteen I pondered many things in my heart concerning the sittuation of the world of mankind,” likely indicating that the vision occurred when he was fifteen.
[20]↩︎
In this account, Joseph states:
When about fourteen years of age I began to reflect upon the importance of being prepared for a future state, and upon enquiring the plan of salvation I found that there was a great clash in religious sentiment;
This does not explicitly state his age at the time of the vision.
[21]↩︎
Joseph’s journal has this phrase inserted in between the lines.
[22]↩︎
Historian John Turner, a non-Latter-day Saint, wrote:
It is impossible for scholars to penetrate the marrow of anyone’s religious experience. At the same time, regardless of its particular content or exact date, there seems little reason to doubt the story’s core: that a spiritually distraught young man sought, saw, and heard the Lord.
Stephen Prothero, a non-Latter-day Saint author, observed:
Despite the contradictions [in the accounts], key elements abide. In each case, Jesus appears to Smith in a vision. In each case, Smith is blessed with a revelation. In each case, God tells him to remain aloof from all Christian denominations, as something better is in store.
- John Turner comments on Joseph Smith’s First Vision.
- Stephen Prothero discusses First Vision.
[23]↩︎
Holmes was a Methodist that visited Joseph Smith in late 1835 to ask about the Church. Warren Parrish recorded the visit in Joseph’s journal.
- Joseph Smith’s journal records Joseph telling First Vision to Erastus Holmes.
[24]↩︎
This detailed account given to Robert Matthews on November 9, 1835, includes seeing two "personages" and "many angels."
- Joseph Smith account of First Vision in 1835 meeting with Robert Matthews.
[25]↩︎
Joseph’s journal includes an account of a visit with an eccentric religious figure who presented himself as "Joshua the Jewish Minister,” but later admitted to being Robert Matthews. Matthews had been convicted of fraud and accused of beating his wife, whipping his adult daughter, and committing murder (though he was acquitted). He had also been institutionalized in an insane asylum.
Joseph denounced him, and the next day, Matthews left Kirtland.
- Joseph Smith account of First Vision in 1835 meeting with Robert Matthews.
- Gilbert Seldes gives a description of Robert Matthews and his time in a “hospital for the insane."
[26]↩︎
The Bible sometimes speaks of "the angel of the Lord" as referring to God (e.g., Exodus 3:2, 6; Acts 7:30).
Joseph may have intended this in the one account that speaks of the "first visitation of angels."
- Joseph Smith’s journal records Joseph telling First Vision to Erastus Holmes.
- TGM writes that JS saw both angels and God during the First Vision.
[27]↩︎
Historian Stephen Prothero said, "Any good lawyer (or historian) would expect to find contradictions or competing narratives written down years apart and decades after the event."
- Stephen Prothero discusses First Vision.
[28]↩︎
For example, the book of Acts in the New Testament, written by a single author (traditionally attributed to Luke), gives three different accounts of Paul's conversion on the road to Damascus, with some inconsistencies (Acts 9:1–8; 22:6–21; 26:12–21).
[29]↩︎
This includes accounts from Orson Pratt, Orson Hyde, Levi Richards, David Nye White, and Alexander Neibaur.
[30]↩︎
Joseph Curtis, for instance, recorded hearing Joseph retell the First Vision in his diary in 1835.
William W. Phelps, in a letter to his wife in 1835, described how
"President Smith preached last Sabbath, and I gave him the text: ‘This is my belovd Son; hear ye him!’ He preached one of the greatest sermons I ever heard—it was about 3½ hours long—and unfolded more mysteries than I can write at this time."
In 1836, Parley P. Pratt wrote to Church members in Canada about hearing Joseph explain “many Particulars of the manner of his first visions &c.”
[31]↩︎
One thirdhand account says that God touched Joseph's right eye, and another seems to mix the First Vision with Moroni's visitation.
- CW says JA says he heard JS say God touched his eyes in the vision.
- JM recounts meeting WS who retells JS First Vision.
[32]↩︎
Edward Stevenson left multiple reminiscences of hearing Joseph tell of the First Vision in the mid-1830s.
Rhoda Ann Fullmer remembered hearing about the First Vision at the time of her and her husband's conversion in late 1835.
[33]↩︎
Oliver Cowdery's serialized 1834 account of the First Vision speaks of the religious excitement that prompted Joseph to seek God in one installment, but then the next installment skips over the First Vision and narrates the appearance of Moroni. Either Oliver conflated the two events, or Joseph stopped Oliver from describing the First Vision in print and he deliberately skipped over it.
William Smith, Joseph's brother, mixed details of the First Vision with the visitation of Moroni as well. So did Joseph's mother in her 1845 history.
[34]↩︎
The letter intended for John Wentworth was published in the March 1, 1842, issue of the Times & Seasons.
The account included in Joseph Smith’s history, written in 1838–1839, was published just two weeks later on March 15, 1842.
- Joseph Smith gives an account of First Vision in 1842 for John Wentworth.
- 1842 publication of JS 1838 First Vision account.
[35]↩︎
This account, published in Israel Daniel Rupp’s book on religions in America, was specifically intended for a broad, non-Latter-day Saint audience.
- IDR prints JS' account of the First Vision, where he sees two personages who are exactly the same.
[36]↩︎
Apostles Orson Pratt and Orson Hyde both printed works containing the First Vision, with Hyde’s being printed in German.
- Orson Pratt recounts JS's First Vision.
- OH recounting of JS First Vision.
[37]↩︎
By his own admission, Joseph was raised "in indigent circumstances" and was "deprived of the bennifit of an education," so that he "was mearly instructtid in reading and writing and the ground <rules> of Arithmatic which const[it]uted my whole literary acquirements."
- Joseph describes his childhood education and his upbringing.
[38]↩︎
The first known example of Joseph’s writing comes from a few lines in the original manuscript of the Book of Mormon in 1829.
The next earliest writing sample is from a letter Joseph Smith wrote to Hyrum Smith in 1831.
- Joseph Smith's handwriting in original Book of Mormon manuscript.
- Joseph Smith letter to Hyrum Smith on March 3, 1831.
[39]↩︎
Before the late 1820s and early 1830s, there are very few written documents from any of the Smith family members. Historian Robin Jensen explained:
The Smith family was a fairly normal agricultural family in that they kept practical records, but they didn’t necessarily keep records about their past. There doesn’t seem to be much correspondence, though there is some evidence that there is some. In other words, the Smith family is not a literary family. They are literate. They’re not literary. They are not engaged in this republic of letters where they’re reading what various intellectuals are saying. They’re not creating their own types of information. It’s a practical record keeping. It’s as much an oral culture than it is a literate culture.
- RJ and SM discuss JS writing and record-keeping habits.
[40]↩︎
In the summer of 1832, Joseph began writing his history with the help of several scribes. However, Joseph wrote the account of the First Vision himself.
- Joseph's 1832 history giving earliest firsthand account of the vision.
[41]↩︎
Shortly before her death, Emma recounted that when she first met Joseph in the mid-1820s, he "could neither write nor dictate a coherent and well-worded letter."
[42]↩︎
Joseph's 1832 account says he "could find none that would believe the hevnly vision," while his 1838 history says he was treated "with great contempt" when sharing the vision, and that "the story had excited a great deal of prejudice against [him] among professors of religion and was the cause of great persecution."
Some historians have said that this opposition may have been why Joseph did not share his vision more widely early on.
[43]↩︎
Historian Ronald O. Barney saw Joseph as one who "largely kept to himself the sacred experiences that bore on his divine authority as a religious leader,” and only recorded or published his visionary experiences as he felt it needful and as he grew more confident in his own prophetic role. Robin Jensen, another historian, arrived at similar conclusions.
The editors of the Joseph Smith Papers also explained that, later in life, Joseph relied on scribes and clerks to "compose, copy, or take down his dictation of the thousands of pages attributed to him, including sacred texts, correspondence, journals, histories, administrative records, and other documents."
[44]↩︎
Orson Pratt and Orson Hyde both published their accounts of the First Vision to be used in proselytizing efforts in Europe, so the First Vision story was probably considered an important component in teaching about the restoration of the gospel.
- Orson Pratt recounts JS's First Vision.
- OH recounting of JS First Vision.
[45]↩︎
Some of these were published in Church newspapers and in the Journal of Discourses, so they had relatively broad circulation.
[46]↩︎
Glen Leonard noted that the development of Sunday School materials occurred over time. A curriculum was available in 1916, but the curriculum was not defined by standard manuals before then.
Teachers may have used common materials like pamphlets, but the development of a formal curriculum occurred over time.
- GML illustrates how the standardization of Sunday School was an ongoing process from the 1800s into the early 1900s.
[47]↩︎
Roberts referenced two different accounts of the First Vision and commented:
The above description of this vision is a blending of two narratives of the occurrence left by Joseph Smith. Not that there are any irreconcilable differences in the two statements, but one is given in greater detail than the other, and in each there are some details not mentioned in the other, hence the blending of the narratives.
Roberts then provided a detailed description of these two accounts.
- BHR recounts First Vision, reproduces and cites material from 1838 and 1842 FV accounts.
[48]↩︎
Cheesman was the first scholar to document the 1832 First Vision account in his 1965 BYU Master's thesis.
He referred to it then as an "undated manuscript" account in "a journal ledger in the Church Historian's office" and dated it to 1833, just one year off from what is the accepted date of the text today.
- PRC MA thesis including first published version of 1832 FV account.
[49]↩︎
The July 1969 issue of BYU Studies was devoted to publishing and evaluating Joseph Smith's various accounts of the First Vision.
The editor of this issue, Truman Madsen, mentioned how one article in the issue was from Dean Jessee and the staff of the Church Historian's Office, indicating that the project had official Church backing. Madsen also explicitly mentioned that "Church authorities" gave their approval to the work being done by historians to recover Joseph Smith's documentary history.
- TGM mentions institutional support behind project to catalogue known First Vision accounts.
- BYU Studies full issue of Spring 1969 devoted to First Vision accounts.
[50]↩︎
Latter-day Saint historian James B. Allen published an article on the known accounts of the First Vision for Latter-day Saints in the April 1970 issue of the Church's official periodical, the Improvement Era.
Even before the rediscovery of the 1832 account, the Church had published the full 1842 account of the First Vision written for John Wentworth in the six-volume History of the Church and the Improvement Era.
[51]↩︎
Historian Milton V. Backman, Jr. published articles on the First Vision accounts in 1985 and 1986 issues of the Ensign. Another historian, Richard L. Anderson, published another article on the same subject a decade later in the April 1996 issue.
[52]↩︎
The CES manual Church History in the Fulness of Times, for example, first published in 1989 and revised in 1993, 2000, and 2003, harmonizes material from the 1832 and 1838 First Vision accounts.
The accompanying teacher's manual also recommends articles by Dean Jessee, Richard L. Anderson, and Milton V. Backman, Jr. that discuss the First Vision accounts.
- Chpt 3 in CES manual references 1832 and 1838 First Vision accounts.
- CES teacher's manual that recommends scholarship on First Vision.
[53]↩︎
The chart was published in an April 1970 article in the Improvement Era.
- JBA provides chart harmonizing First Vision accounts.
[54]↩︎
The Joseph Smith Papers editors explained:
Manuscript evidence suggests that these excisions took place in the mid-twentieth century. A tear on the third leaf, which evidently occurred during its excision, was probably mended at the time. This tear was mended with clear cellophane tape, which was invented in 1930. The three leaves of the history certainly had been removed by 1965, when they were described as “cut out,” although they were archived together with the letterbook.
Paul Cheesman also noted in his 1965 thesis that the pages had been removed.
- Joseph Smith Papers Editors explain the document history of the 1832 First Vision account.
- PRC MA thesis including first published version of 1832 FV account.
[55]↩︎
Petersen's notes on his meeting with Young were reprinted in the anti-Mormon manuscript Mormonism-Shadow or Reality? by Jerald and Sandra Tanners.
- L. Petersen recounts L.E. Young's examination of a "strange account" of the First Vision.
[56]↩︎
Petersen recorded this recollection nearly 50 years later.
The two available accounts from Petersen conflict on the year, though not by much. One lists the date of his meeting with Young as February 3, 1953. The other simply gives 1952 as the year of the meeting.
- L. Petersen recalls his discussion with L.E. Young about a "strange account" of the First Vision.
- L. Petersen recounts L.E. Young's examination of a "strange account" of the First Vision.
[57]↩︎
These details, according to Petersen's recollection, "did not agree entirely with the official version."
He added, "Jesus was the center of the vision, but God was not mentioned."
- L. Petersen recalls his discussion with L.E. Young about a "strange account" of the First Vision.
[58]↩︎
Joseph Fielding Smith was called as the Church Historian and Recorder on March 17, 1921, and was sustained as such during the April 1921 General Conference. He was released in February 1970 and replaced by Howard W. Hunter.
- "Church Section" of Deseret News reports on release of Joseph Fielding Smith as Church historian/recorder in February 1970; notes he was called March 17, 1921.
- Joseph Fielding Smith is sustained as Church historian/recorder at the April 1921 General Conference.
[59]↩︎
Stan Larson argued:
One of the senior members of the Church Historian’s Office would have been responsible for the decision to keep the pages separate; it was probably Joseph Fielding Smith himself, but could possibly have been Earl E. Olson or A. William Lund.
Robert M. Bowman, Jr., basing his work on Larson's research, argued that it is "a reasonably strong case for thinking that Joseph Fielding Smith did in fact know about the account for years prior to Cheesman's thesis and tried to suppress knowledge of its existence."
- Stan Larson argues that J.F. Smith hid the 1832 First Vision account.
- Robert M. Bowman Jr., argues that Joseph Fielding Smith knew about the 1832 First Vision account and he wanted "to be made public quietly under the most favorable possible circumstances."