First Vision accounts

documented fact · scripture

In the 1837 Kirtland second edition of the Book of Mormon (typeset winter 1836-37), Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery inserted "the Son of" into four 1 Nephi passages: 11:18 ("mother of God" became "mother of the Son of God"), 11:21 ("the Lamb of God, yea, even the Eternal Father" became "even the Son of the Eternal Father"), 11:32 ("the Everlasting God" became "the Son of the Everlasting God") and 13:40 ("the Lamb of God is the Eternal Father" became "is the Son of the Eternal Father"). The edits came about 7 years after the 1830 edition, after the 1835 two-personage account and shortly before the 1838 history. The Church and FAIR describe them as clarifications; Vogel, the Tanners and other critics read them as bringing the text in line with a theology of a distinct Father and Son. Some similar passages, such as Mosiah 15 and Ether 3:14, were left unchanged.

Needs human verification

disputed · historical event

Historians, including the believing BYU historian Thomas G. Alexander, argue that Latter-day Saint teaching about God from 1830 to 1835 was close to contemporary Protestant views, and that the doctrine of a separate, embodied Father developed through the mid-1830s and the 1840s, which fits the order of the First Vision accounts and the 1837 Book of Mormon edits. Faithful scholars dispute that early Mormon theology was modalist and argue that the Book of Mormon reflects ancient Nephite rather than Joseph Smith's theology.

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disputed · historical event

Wesley Walters argued in 1969 that the Palmyra revival described in Joseph Smith's 1838 account took place in 1824-25, not 1820; Latter-day Saint historians have disputed his reading of the records.

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documented fact · historical event

Joseph Smith's earliest known First Vision account, written around 1832 partly in his own hand, centers on forgiveness of his sins and describes seeing the Lord.

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documented fact · historical event

Joseph Smith's firsthand First Vision accounts differ in who appears. The 1832 account, partly in his own hand, describes "the Lord," who says he was "crucifyed for the world": one being, Jesus. The 1835 journal account describes "a personage" and then "another personage" like the first, plus many angels, without naming either as the Father. The 1838 history (earliest surviving draft circa 1839), dictated about 18 years after the reported 1820 vision, is the first account that clearly presents God the Father and Jesus Christ together: one of two personages points to the other and says, "This is my beloved Son, Hear him." The 1842 Wentworth letter describes "two glorious personages who exactly resembled each other." The Church's First Vision Accounts essay says the accounts differ in emphasis and detail and that two of them were not widely published until historians brought them forward in the 1960s.

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unsupported · not applicable

The claim that differences among the First Vision accounts prove the event was fabricated is not established by the indexed sources.

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disputed · not applicable

The essay interprets the differences among First Vision accounts as expected in retellings and not as proof of fabrication. That interpretation is disputed. The differences do not, by themselves, prove the visionary claim, and they also do not by themselves prove fraud.

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documented fact · historical event

Joseph Smith's 1832 and 1835 First Vision accounts were not published in his lifetime and were largely unknown to members until the 1960s. Jerald and Sandra Tanner printed the 1832 account in 1965, and Church archivist Dean Jessee published both in BYU Studies in 1969. The Church's First Vision Accounts essay acknowledges they were generally forgotten until historians rediscovered and published them in the 1960s.

Needs human verification

documented fact · historical event

The Church was organized on April 6, 1830. Joseph Smith's earliest written First Vision account dates to 1832, about 2 years later. Dictation of the familiar two-personage narrative began in 1838, about 8 years after organization. It was first printed publicly in Orson Pratt's 1840 Edinburgh pamphlet, and Joseph Smith published it himself in the Times and Seasons in March 1842, about 12 years after organization. It was included in the first Pearl of Great Price in 1851 and canonized in 1880, 50 years after organization. Historian James B. Allen found that the story was not given general circulation in the 1830s.

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Changes to the Book of Mormon (Church History Topics)

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

This Church History topic says the Book of Mormon text has been edited across editions, mostly for spelling, grammar, and typesetting errors, with some clarifying changes by Joseph Smith in 1837 and 1840 and later editorial updates such as those in 1981. Summary, not a quotation.

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Gospel Topics Essay: First Vision Accounts

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Event date discussed: 1820

This Gospel Topics essay says Joseph Smith wrote or assigned scribes to write four accounts of the First Vision. Two were published in his lifetime, including the account now in the Pearl of Great Price. Two unpublished accounts were brought forward again by church historians in the 1960s. The essay says the accounts differ in emphasis and detail, including the 1832 account, and it interprets those differences as expected when a person retells an experience rather than as proof the event was fabricated. That interpretation is the essay's argument. The traditional dating of the vision is 1820, which is not the essay's publication date. Summary, not a quotation.

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Introductory Note, Pearl of Great Price

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints · The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints · current

The Church's introduction to the Pearl of Great Price. It says the first compilation was made in 1851 by Franklin D. Richards and that the Pearl of Great Price was canonized on October 10, 1880. These dates anchor the timeline for Joseph Smith-History and the Book of Abraham.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Accounts of the First Vision

Joseph Smith Papers Project · Church Historian's Press

A Joseph Smith Papers page gathering the 1832, 1835, 1838, and 1842 accounts and secondhand accounts with links to transcriptions. Summary, not a quotation.

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Book of Mormon, 1830 edition, p. 25 (1 Nephi 11)

Joseph Smith (translator) · Church Historian's Press (Joseph Smith Papers) · 1830

The 1830 first-edition text of 1 Nephi 11, before the 1837 edits, including "behold the Lamb of God, yea, even the Eternal Father!" and the nearby phrase "mother of God." It is the baseline for comparing the 1837 "Son of" changes.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Primary document transcribed by the Joseph Smith Papers (Church Historian's Press).

Church History, Times and Seasons, 1 March 1842 (Wentworth letter)

Joseph Smith · Church Historian's Press (Joseph Smith Papers) · 1842

Event date discussed: 1842-03-01

The Wentworth letter, one of the two First Vision accounts Joseph Smith published in his lifetime. It describes "two glorious personages who exactly resembled each other in features, and likeness."

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Primary document transcribed by the Joseph Smith Papers (Church Historian's Press).

History, circa June 1839-circa 1841 [Draft 2], p. 3

Joseph Smith; scribe James Mulholland · Church Historian's Press (Joseph Smith Papers) · 1839

Event date discussed: 1838

The earliest surviving text of the 1838 history's First Vision account, dictated from 1838. It reads "I saw two personages" and has one say, pointing to the other, "This is my beloved Son, Hear him." It is the first account in which the Father introduces the Son.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Primary document transcribed by the Joseph Smith Papers (Church Historian's Press).

History, circa Summer 1832

Joseph Smith · Church Historian's Press (Joseph Smith Papers)

Event date discussed: 1832

The earliest known First Vision account, partly in Joseph Smith's own hand. It focuses on forgiveness of his sins and describes seeing the Lord, without the later detail of two personages. Summary, not a quotation.

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Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling

Richard Lyman Bushman · Alfred A. Knopf · 2005

Richard Lyman Bushman's Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling was published by Alfred A. Knopf in 2005. It is a full scholarly biography by a Latter-day Saint historian. It is academic history, not an official church statement, and it is not a view from nowhere. This library does not store excerpts or statistics from the book. The linked page is an Internet Archive catalog record, not a substitute for reading the book. Summary, not a quotation.

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Academic biography by a believing historian.

Journal, 1835-1836, pp. 23-24 (9 November 1835 account told to Robert Matthews)

Joseph Smith; scribe Warren Parrish · Church Historian's Press (Joseph Smith Papers) · 1835

Event date discussed: 1835-11-09

The 1835 First Vision account recorded in Joseph Smith's journal. It describes "a personage" and then "another personage" like the first, plus many angels, and one testifies that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. It is the first account with two personages, but neither is named as the Father.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Primary document transcribed by the Joseph Smith Papers (Church Historian's Press).

The Book of Mormon: The Earliest Text

Royal Skousen · Yale University Press · 2009

The Book of Mormon: The Earliest Text, edited by Royal Skousen, was published by Yale University Press in 2009. The copyright page gives the hardcover ISBN 9780300142181, and the contents list an introduction by Grant Hardy. The edition is a critical text based on the earliest manuscripts and printed editions. It is textual criticism of the English text. It does not, by itself, establish or refute ancient authorship. Yale University Press issued a second edition in 2022. This entry is the 2009 edition. This library does not copy the text. Summary, not a quotation.

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The Joseph Smith Papers

Church Historian's Press

The Joseph Smith Papers is a documentary editing project that publishes Joseph Smith's papers, journals, revelations, and related records. It is the place to read specific primary documents. This library entry is the project home, not a transcription of any one document, and it is not an argument for or against the church. Use a specific document page before citing a narrow factual claim. Summary, not a quotation.

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Primary-document project published by the Church Historian's Press. Not a view-from-nowhere commentary.

The Reconstruction of Mormon Doctrine: From Joseph Smith to Progressive Theology

Thomas G. Alexander · Sunstone · 1980

A landmark paper by a believing BYU historian. Alexander argues that Latter-day Saint teaching about God from 1830 to 1835 was close to Protestant views and that the doctrine of a separate, embodied Father developed later, and notes that the 1837 Book of Mormon edits and the 1838 First Vision account fit that development.

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The Significance of Joseph Smith's First Vision in Mormon Thought

James B. Allen · Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought · 1966

Allen, a BYU historian and later Assistant Church Historian, documents that the First Vision story was not given general circulation in the 1830s and became central to Latter-day Saint teaching only after 1838 to 1842 and especially in Utah. Believers and critics both cite it.

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Times and Seasons, 15 March 1842 (first installment of History of Joseph Smith)

Joseph Smith · Church Historian's Press (Joseph Smith Papers) · 1842

Event date discussed: 1842-03-15

The first publication of the 1838 history's First Vision account, in the Church newspaper about twelve years after the Church was organized in 1830.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Primary document transcribed by the Joseph Smith Papers (Church Historian's Press).

Book of Mormon/Textual changes/"the Son of" (FAIR Answers)

FAIR · FAIR · n.d.

Tabulates the original manuscript, printer's manuscript, 1830 and 1837 readings for 1 Nephi 11:18, 11:21, 11:32 and 13:40, and argues that adding "the Son of" clarified meaning rather than rewrote doctrine. Useful for the exact wording of the changes even for readers who reject its interpretation.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Faithful apologetics. Written to defend Church claims. Not peer-reviewed and not an official Church source.

FAIR overview of the CES Letter

FAIR · FAIR

FAIR, at fairlatterdaysaints.org, publishes a faithful-apologetic overview of the CES Letter and further responses to its arguments. FAIR describes the letter as Jeremy Runnells's doubts about church history and doctrine. FAIR is not The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and is not an official church statement. Its replies can be useful as faithful counter-argument and still have to be checked against primary documents. Summary, not a quotation.

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Faithful-apologetic. Not an official church statement.

Multiple accounts of the First Vision/Criticisms/Overview (FAIR Answers)

FAIR · FAIR · n.d.

FAIR's case that the First Vision accounts differ in emphasis because of audience and purpose rather than contradicting one another. Responds directly to CES Letter and MormonThink framing.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Faithful apologetics. Written to defend Church claims. Not peer-reviewed and not an official Church source.

The Early Accounts of Joseph Smith's First Vision

Dean C. Jessee · BYU Studies · 1969

Church archivist Dean Jessee's scholarly publication of the 1832 and 1835 First Vision accounts. It is the faithful documentary counterpart to the Tanners' 1965 printing and the basis of later harmonization arguments.

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Faithful documentary scholarship. Not an official Church statement.

An Insider's View of Mormon Origins

Grant H. Palmer · Signature Books · 2002

Palmer, a retired Church Educational System institute director, argues that Joseph Smith's translation, the witnesses' experiences, the First Vision, and priesthood restoration accounts developed over time and fit his nineteenth-century setting better than the traditional narrative. Summary, not a quotation.

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CES Letter

Jeremy Runnells · cesletter.org · 2013

The CES Letter, by Jeremy Runnells, is a public critical document, first circulated as a letter to a Church Educational System director. It gathers objections about the Book of Abraham, the Book of Mormon, First Vision accounts, plural marriage, the priesthood and temple restriction, and other topics. It is critical advocacy, not a primary historical edition and not a church publication. Claims in it should be checked against the underlying documents, including the Joseph Smith Papers and the church's own essays. This library does not copy the letter. The 2013 date is the commonly cited origin year and still needs confirmation. Summary, not a quotation.

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Critical advocacy. Not a primary source.

CES Letter: First Vision

Jeremy Runnells · CES Letter

This section argues that Joseph Smith's several First Vision accounts differ on his age, his motive, and who appeared, and that the vision was not widely told in the Church until years after 1820. Summary, not a quotation.

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Critical advocacy. Argues against Church truth claims. Not peer-reviewed and not an official Church source.

Introduction to 3,913 Changes in the Book of Mormon

Jerald and Sandra Tanner · Utah Lighthouse Ministry · 1965

The Tanners compared a photocopy of the 1830 Book of Mormon with the 1964 edition and marked at least 3,913 changes. Most are spelling and grammar; the Tanners highlight some wording changes they consider doctrinal. Summary, not a quotation.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Critical advocacy from an evangelical Christian ministry. Argues against Church truth claims. Not peer-reviewed.

Joseph Smith: The Making of a Prophet

Dan Vogel · Signature Books · 2004

Vogel's biography of Joseph Smith's early years reads him as sincere in his sense of calling while also staging parts of his claims, and traces how the Book of Mormon reflects his family life and surroundings. Summary, not a quotation.

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Joseph Smith's Strange Account of the First Vision

Jerald and Sandra Tanner · Utah Lighthouse Ministry · 1965

The first public printing of Joseph Smith's 1832 First Vision account, in which only "the Lord" appears and says he was crucified for the world. It brought the 1832 account into public discussion and is the origin of the evolving-vision critique.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Critical advocacy from an evangelical Christian ministry. Argues against Church truth claims. Not peer-reviewed.

Mormonism: Shadow or Reality?

Jerald and Sandra Tanner · Utah Lighthouse Ministry · 1987

The Tanners' largest work compiles documents on many disputed issues: changes in revelations and the Book of Mormon, First Vision accounts, Adam-God, blood atonement, the Book of Abraham papyri, temple changes, Mountain Meadows, and Church finances. It was an early and influential critical reference. Summary, not a quotation.

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Critical advocacy from an evangelical Christian ministry. Argues against Church truth claims. Not peer-reviewed.

MormonThink: Book of Mormon Difficulties, Contradictions and Explanations

MormonThink · MormonThink

This page lists problems critics raise with the Book of Mormon, including anachronisms, King James Bible material, textual changes, and the lack of archaeological support, along with apologetic explanations. Summary, not a quotation.

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Critical website. Presents critic and apologist views but is written to raise problems with Church claims. Not peer-reviewed.

MormonThink: Joseph Smith's First Vision

MormonThink · MormonThink

MormonThink's First Vision page compares the accounts, the revival chronology, and the late appearance of the story in Church teaching, alongside faithful replies. Summary, not a quotation.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Critical website. Presents critic and apologist views but is written to raise problems with Church claims. Not peer-reviewed.

New Light on Mormon Origins from the Palmyra Revival

Wesley P. Walters · Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought · 1969

Walters, a Presbyterian minister, argued from church and newspaper records that the large Palmyra revival described in Joseph Smith's 1838 account happened in 1824-25, not 1820, challenging the First Vision timeline. Summary, not a quotation.

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No Man Knows My History: The Life of Joseph Smith

Fawn M. Brodie · Alfred A. Knopf · 1945

Brodie's biography presents Joseph Smith as a gifted storyteller who came to believe in his own role, explains the Book of Mormon as a product of his environment, and gave early detailed treatment of his plural marriages. Summary, not a quotation.

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The Earliest Mormon Concept of God

Dan Vogel · Signature Books (in Line Upon Line, ed. Gary James Bergera) · 1989

Vogel argues that the 1830 Book of Mormon reads as modalist, treating the Father and the Son as one God, and that the 1837 "Son of" edits follow Joseph Smith's move toward separate divine personages. The main critical source on the Book of Mormon wording question.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Critical scholarship. Argues against Church truth claims. Not an official Church source.

An Insider's View of Mormon Origins: An Interview with Grant Palmer (Ep. 30-33)

John Dehlin (host); Grant Palmer (guest) · Mormon Stories Podcast

A four-part interview with Grant Palmer, a former institute director, about his background, the Hofmann period, and the research behind An Insider's View of Mormon Origins on translation, the First Vision, and priesthood accounts. Summary, not a quotation.

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Personal account of a former CES teacher who became a critic.