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Joseph Smith's First Vision
Joseph Smith's First Vision
God touched his eyes with his finger and said “[Joseph] this is my beloved Son hear him.” As soon as the Lord had touched his eyes with his finger he immediately saw the Savior. After meeting, a few of us questioned him about the matter and he told us at the bottom of the meeting house steps that he was in the House of Father Smith in Kirtland when Joseph made this declaration, and that Joseph while speaking of it put his finger to his right eye, suiting the action with the words so as to illustrate and at the same time impress the [occurrence] on the minds of those unto whom He was speaking.
—Diary of Charles Lowell Walker (Logan, UT: Utah State University Press, 1980), 2:755–56 [recorded 2 February 1893]
—Diary of Charles Lowell Walker (Logan, UT: Utah State University Press, 1980), 2:755–56 [recorded 2 February 1893]
Joseph Smith's First Vision
Summary: Joseph Smith's claim that he saw the Father and the Son in 1820 has produced a wide variety of criticism. This set of articles addresses the various critical claims related to the First Vision. The linked articles below are designed to help readers to see some of the weaknesses that are found in arguments that are made against Joseph Smith's First Vision accounts. Some of these arguments are currently being advocated in anti-Mormon literature that is handed out near the Sacred Grove in Palmyra, New York. First Vision | Introduction to the Accounts
Joseph Smith's First Vision
This page gathers all the accounts of Joseph Smith's First Vision so that readers can be introduced to them. The links are directed to the Joseph Smith Papers website where readers can get an introduction to the account from the perspective of professional historians.
There were four firsthand and five secondhand accounts of Joseph's vision published in Joseph's lifetime. A description of each account is available in "Accounts of Joseph Smith’s First Vision", josephsmithpapers.org.
A brief summary of each is included below, along with a link to the original image and a transcription published by the Joseph Smith Papers project.
Firsthand accounts
Joseph Smith recorded four accounts of the First Vision (either by himself or using a scribe):
- 1832, a journal entry recorded by Joseph Smith
- 1835, a journal entry recorded in Joseph Smith's official journal
- A lightly edited version of this journal entry appeared in the 1835 JS history prepared by Warren Parish
- 1838 (commonly known as Joseph Smith–History in the Pearl of Great Price)
- Two other versions of this account were created in the 1838–1841 draft history and the 1841 fair copy history as Joseph's scribes were preparing the Church history (formerly known as History of the Church, now known as the JS, History, 1838–1856). It was also published in two parts the Times and Seasons, on 15 March 1842 and 1 April 1842
- 1842 (commonly known as the Wentworth Letter)
- A copy of this version appeared in an 1844 book published by Daniel Rupp
Secondhand accounts
Contemporaries of Joseph Smith recorded five secondhand accounts of the First Vision.
- 1840, A(n) Interesting Account, a pamphlet published by Apostle Orson Pratt
- 1842, Ein Ruf aus der Wüste (A cry out of the wilderness), a pamphlet published by Apostle Orson Hyde (original German also available)
- 1843, journal entry by Levi Richards, recording his experience listening to Joseph tell about the First Vision
- 1843, newspaper report by David Nye White in the Pittsburgh Weekly Gazette, including an interview White did with Joseph Smith
- 1844, journal entry by Alexander Neibaur, recording his experience listening to Joseph tell about the First Vision
Later accounts
In 1893, Charles Walker recorded a late reminiscent account of hearing Joseph describe his vision.
Other Resources
Video published by Doctrine and Covenants Central.
Video published by the Church History Department.
- REDIRECT Plural marriage/Practiced after the Manifesto/Further Reading
- REDIRECT Template:Critical sources box:Multiple accounts of the First Vision/1832/Doesn't mention new dispensation/CriticalSources
- REDIRECT Template:Critical sources box:Plural marriage/Early Christians on plural marriage/CriticalSources
- REDIRECT Alleged Contradictions in the Accounts of Joseph Smith's First Vision
- REDIRECT Plural marriage/Requirement for exaltation/CriticalSources
- "Reported accounts of the First Vision" (Video), The Joseph Smith Papers.