First Vision
Source of First Vision Supernatural beings Messages from beings Notes
1832 Joseph Smith 's own handwriting from his Letterbook The Papers of Joseph Smith , v1 , p. 5-7 , Dean Jessee ( ed . ) , Deseret Book Company 1989 . And Early Mormon Documents , v 1 , p. 27-29 , Dan Vogel , Signature Books , 1996 The Lord Thy sins are forgiven thee ; the world lieth in sin and has turned aside from the gospel ; and a brief apocalyptic note Frederick G. Williams edited Joseph 's account to take place in his 16th year ( i.e . when he is 15 years old ) . All other accounts state his age as 14
1835 , Nov. 9 , 14 - Joseph Smith diary ( Ohio Journal , handwritten , Warren Parrish scribe ) The Papers of Joseph Smith , Dean Jessee ( ed . ) , v2 , p68-69 . Deseret Book Company 1989 Two personages , and many angels Thy sins are forgiven thee and Jesus is the son of God No message of revivals or corrupt churches
1838/1839 - History of the Church , Early Draft ( James Mulholland Scribe ) Two personages appear , and one says This is my beloved Son , hear him The personages tell Smith that all churches are corrupt No mention of sins forgiven . A revival is mentioned
1842 , March - Times and Seasons March 1 , 1842 , vol . 3 no . 9 , pp 706-07 Two personages appear , and one says This is my beloved Son , hear him The personages tell Smith that all churches are corrupt No mention of sins forgiven . A revival is mentioned
1842 , March - Times and Seasons March 15 , 1842 , vol . 3 no . 11 , pp . 727-28 , April 1 , 1842 , vol . 3 , no . 11 , pp . 748-49 . This version was later incorporated into History of the Church , and later into the Pearl of Great Price as Joseph Smith-History and thus is sometimes referred to as the canonized version Two personages appear , and one says This is my beloved Son , hear him The personages tell Smith that all churches are corrupt No mention of sins forgiven . A revival is mentioned . When this version was incorporated into the History of the Church , it was put into a context that suggests it was composed in 1838 , but 1842 is the first known publication of this version
1843 , July - Letter from JS to D. Rupp An Original History of the Religious Denominations at Present Existing in the United States , Daniel Rupp , Philadelphia , 1844. pp . 404-10 Two personages appear . No mention of this is my son The personages tell Smith that all churches are corrupt No mention of sins forgiven . No revival mentioned . Available online here . See also the Wentworth letter
1843 , Aug 29 - Interview with journalist David White Reprinted in Jessee vol . 1 pp . 443-44 Two personages appear . Behold my beloved son , hear him The personages tell Smith that all churches are corrupt Revival is mentioned . No mention of sins forgiven
Context and development of the vision story -- Recorded accounts of the vision
In the first written accounts of the First Vision , the central theme is personal forgiveness , while in later accounts the focus shifts to the apostasy and corruption of churches . [ 114 ] In early accounts , Smith seems reluctant to talk about the vision ; in later versions , various details are mentioned that were not mentioned in the earliest narratives . [ 115 ] Jerald and Sandra Tanner cite the multiple versions of the First Vision as evidence that it may have been fabricated by Smith . [ 116 ] For instance , they have specifically pointed out that it is unclear between various versions whether Smith was 14 or 15 at the time of the vision ; whether he attended a contemporaneous religious revival ; whether the supernatural personages told Smith that his sins were forgiven ; whether the personages were angels , Jesus , God , or some combination ; and whether Smith had already determined for himself that all churches were false before he experienced the vision . However , Stephen Prothero argues that any historian should expect to find differences in narratives written many years apart , and that the key elements are present in all the accounts . [ 117 ] Some believers view differences in the accounts as overstated . Richard L. Anderson wrote , `` What are the main problems of interpreting so many accounts ? The first problem is the interpreter . One person perceives harmony and interconnections while another overstates differences . `` [ 118 ] Other believers view the differences in the accounts as reflective of Smith 's increase in maturity and knowledge over time . [ 119 ] The following table gives a summary of differences in First Vision accounts :
The First Vision (also called the grove experience) refers to a vision that Joseph Smith said he received in the spring of 1820, in a wooded area in Manchester, New York, which his followers call the Sacred Grove. Smith described it as a personal theophany in which he received instruction from God. Smith's followers believe the vision reinforces his authority as the founder and prophet of the Latter Day Saint movement. According to the account Smith told in 1838, he went to the woods to pray about which church to join but fell into the grip of an evil power that nearly overcame him. At the last moment, he was rescued by two shining personages (implied to be Jesus and God the Father) who hovered above him. One of the beings told Smith not to join any existing churches because all taught incorrect doctrines. Smith wrote several accounts of the vision beginning in 1832, but none of the accounts were published until the 1840s. Though Smith had described other visions, the First Vision was essentially unknown to early Latter Day Saints; Smith's experience did not become important in the Latter Day Saint movement until the early 20th century, when it became the embodiment of the Latter Day Saint restoration. The First Vision also corroborated distinctive Mormon doctrines such as the bodily nature of God the Father and the uniqueness of Mormonism as the only true path to salvation.