Abstract:

In an article which appeared in the January 1985 issue of the Ensign, we discussed four written descriptions by the Prophet Joseph Smith of the vision he had in 1820 near Palmyra, New York, in which he was visited by the Father and the Son. This article is an extension of that summary and considers accounts of the First Vision given by contemporaries of Joseph Smith, who, they said, related the information to them personally. These contemporary accounts are of interest because they harmonize with and include all the major concepts found in Joseph’s written statements on the First Vision. As such, they provide a confirming testimony of one of the most remarkable visions in the history of mankind.