The story has
been told by every Mormon missionary who ever wore a nametag. It’s been recited
in sacrament meeting talks, family home evening lessons, and home teaching
visits. It’s been portrayed in film, drama, painting, sculpture, literature,
and song. It’s been attacked by critics, mocked by cynics, and questioned by
skeptics. According to Gordon B. Hinckley, “the very validity of the church”
rests on its reality.[1]
It’s also a topic many Latter-day Saints know relatively little about.
Joseph Smith’s
First Vision instigated every other occurrence in the history of Mormonism.
Anyone interested in the LDS church has to accept or reject its validity.
Without it, the church, its priesthood, the Book of Mormon, the temple, and
everything else unique to Joseph Smith’s followers lose all validity. If,
however, the First Vision actually occurred, as millions of Mormons across the
globe attest, believing the rest of Smith’s teachings naturally follows. With
eternal salvation hanging in the balance, just about everyone should be able to
spend some time learning for his or herself exactly what happened in that grove
of trees almost 200 years ago.
The Nine Accounts of
Joseph Smith’s First Vision
Most Mormons
are familiar with the version of the First Vision that appears in The Pearl of Great Price. They’ve
probably seen artistic representations in church publications and on the walls
of meeting houses. They also may have seen films such as The Restoration and Joseph
Smith: The Prophet of the Restoration. From such portrayals, they probably
think they have a pretty good idea of what exactly happened in a grove of trees
nearly 200 years ago. While they almost certainly understand the general idea,
if these are their only sources of information, they’re missing out on a lot of
intriguing details of one of the history’s most important occurrences.
Some members of the church may be
surprised to know that the account in Joseph Smith-History is not the only
record of what the prophet experienced in the Sacred Grove. There are actually
nine accounts of what took place, each highlighting different aspects of the
revelation. Smith wrote the version found in the Pearl of Great Price in 1838,
his third attempt to convey in writing what he saw and heard. He wrote similar explanations
in 1832, 1835, and 1842.[2]
Two more accounts were recorded as missionary tools by Orson Pratt and Orson
Hyde, members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. One resulted from an
interview with non-Mormon David Nye White, the editor of the Pittsburgh Weekly Gazette. The final two
came from the notes of lay Mormons Levi Richards and Alexander Neibaur, each of
whom heard Smith’s story firsthand.[3]
A comparison of the nine records gives
greater insight and detail on how the prophet began his journey toward the
Restoration of the Gospel.
What follows is a synthesis of these
nine accounts of the First Vision (see Tables 1 and 2, found at the conclusion
of this essay). Each version differs slightly in certain details, but few if
any direct contradictions can be found. Though one might question the accuracy
of some of the documents (particularly those not written by the prophet
himself), in the absence of contradiction, I will assume each account is
accurate. In cases of discrepancy, I will place greater confidence in the four
sources produced by Joseph Smith. I have neither altered nor edited the
documents in any way (except as shown by the use of brackets), even for grammar,
punctuation, or clarity; quotations appear in their original forms. That said,
let us begin to discuss one of the most important and most fascinating events
in world history.
Oh, How Lovely was the
Morning[4]
No one knows
the specific date of the First Vision. Indeed, even the year it took place is
disputed. The most familiar, official version among Latter-day Saints—the
version penned in 1938—indicates that the First Vision occurred in 1820, when
Smith would have been 14 years old. Other accounts, however, disagree. Joseph
Smith’s original account states that he was “in the 16th year of [his] age”
(meaning he would have been 15), which would have placed the first vision
sometime in 1821.[5]
Another version reaffirms the popular account: “I was about 14. years old when I received this first communication.”[6]
Some LDS scholars have pinpointed March 26, 1820 as a probable date, as weather
records describe a day similar to Joseph’s description.[7]
The actual day and year in which Joseph entered the grove of trees, however,
remain a mystery.
The exact
location of the First Vision is also unaccounted for. The current location
designated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at 843 Stafford
Road, Palmyra, New York is a reasonable estimate. Just west of the Smith farm,
the grove would have been near enough for a teenage boy to reach alone and
otherwise fulfills the descriptions made in the original nine accounts. Exactly
where Joseph made his query, however, is another secret lost to the past.
Smith described
the scene as “the morning of a beautiful clear day.”[8]
Weather charts show that the upstate New York area had suffered harsh cold and
heavy snow early in the spring of 1820. Once temperatures began to rise, he and
his family likely would have been quite occupied with the maple sugar harvest,
a practice largely dependent on very specific temperature trends.[9]
Possibly, this was the boy’s first opportunity in months to escape family
obligations long enough to seek God’s counsel. Joseph could finally take
advantage of the warm weather and an open schedule to pray as long as he
desired.
Smith soon
arrived at “the place where [he] had previously designed to go.”[10]
He referred to the place as “the wilderness,” a word that can be defined as an
area undisturbed by human activity.[11]
Other accounts describe the place as “the Wood,” or “the grove.”[12]
It was “but a short distance from his father’s house,” a “secret place,” a
“silent grove,” described in its size only as being small.[13]
His destination was “where [his] father had a clearing,” presumably a place
cleared to chop firewood to heat syrup.[14]
Joseph explained that he had previously marked the spot to which he would go:
“[I] went to the stump where I had stuck my axe when I had quit work.”[15]
There, next to that axe lodged in a stump in that clearing of “a small grove of
trees near his father’s home,” “the place where [he] had previously designed to
go,” Joseph “looked around” and found himself “alone.”[16]
The Boy’s First Uttered
Prayer
Finally in his desired location, Joseph “knelt down
before God in solemn prayer.”[17]
It was the first time he had ever prayed vocally; presumably he had both heard
others do so and attempted to pray silently.[18]
While “bowd down,” the boy “began to call upon the Lord.”[19]
He was “fervently engaged in supplication,” and he “began to offer up the desires
of [his] heart.”[20]
Of these desires, only two are mentioned directly. First, he “cried unto the
Lord for mercy,” asking for forgiveness for past misdeeds that had troubled
him.[21]
Second, he “prayed, saying, ‘O Lord, what Church shall I join.’”[22]
We know of no other topics broached by the young seeker as he initially sought
guidance from God.
The Powers of Sin
Assailing
While Joseph thus prayed, “he was severely tempted by
the powers of darkness, which endeavoured to overcome him.”[23]
These powers are alternatively described as “the adversary,” “an actual being
from the unseen world, who had such a marvelous power as [Joseph] had never
before felt.”[24] Presumably,
this adversary was Satan, the enemy of God, who used several tactics to prevent
the boy from praying: attempting to bind his tongue, physical and psychological
distractions, and emotional despair.
This force “had such astonishing
influence over [him] as to bind [his] tongue so that [he] could not speak.”[25]
“His tongue was closet cleavet to his roof—could utter not a word.”[26]
It “seemed to be swolen in [his] mouth, so that [he] could not utter.”[27]
In addition to his bound tongue, the young man claimed: “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… looked
around, but saw no person or thing that was calculated to produce the noise of
walking.”[28]
His found his mind filled “with doubts and… all manner of inappropriate images
to prevent him from obtaining the object of his endeavors.”[29]
“Thick darkness gathered around [him] and it seemed… as if [he] were doomed to
sudden destruction.”[30]
Burdened by these sights, sounds, thoughts, and feelings, Joseph described
himself as “ready to sink into despair.”[31]
Undaunted, Still He
Trusted
Nevertheless,
the boy refused to give up. “Anxiously desiring an answer from God… he
continued to seek for deliverance.”[32]
He was forced to exert “all [his] powers to call upon God to deliver [him] out
of the power of this enemy.”[33]
As he did so, “darkness gave way from his mind; and he was enabled to pray.”[34]
He “kneeled again and [his] mouth was opened and [his] toung liberated, and
[he] called on the Lord in mighty prayer” “with faith and fervency of spirit.”[35]
Joseph was not yet fully released from the terror that had seized him, but it
appears at least that he was no longer prevented from praying. Full deliverance
would arrive soon.
A Shining, Glorious
Pillar
As Joseph continued his plea, “directly [he] saw a
light.”[36]
It was “a very bright and glorious light in the heavens above.”[37]
LDS art and film often portray this light as bright yellow, similar to a
flashlight beam. This, however, appears to be a misrepresentation. Smith
described it as “a piller of fire light above the brightness of the sun at noon
day.”[38]
The presence of fire is directly described in three of the nine accounts and
alluded to in a fourth, indicating that the light must have had some strong
flame-like qualities. This pillar appeared “near heaven,” “exactly over [his]
head,” contradicting another common aspect of LDS art, which usually depicts
the light coming from an angle.[39]
When the light first appeared, it still
“seemed to be at a considerable distance.”[40]
The boy “continued praying, while the light appeared to be gradually descending
towards him; and, as it drew nearer, it increased in brightness, and magnitude.”[41]
Joseph initially worried that these flames would burn the trees around him upon
contact, trapping him in the blaze. Fortunately, the pillar of flame “spread
all around, and yet nothing was consumed.”[42]
When Joseph saw this, “he was encouraged with the hopes of being able to endure
its presence.”[43]
As the light entered the trees, “the whole wilderness, for some distance around,
was illuminated in a most glorious and brilliant manner.”[44]
The light continued to descend
“gracefully gradually until it fell upon” the boy, who was now “surrounded with
a brilliant light.”[45]
“It rested upon the earth, and he was enveloped in the midst of it.”[46]
Immersed in this pillar, “the natural world around him was excluded from his
view, so that he would be open to the presentation of heavenly and spiritual
things.”[47]
He was now prepared to receive the instruction for which he had come.
His Heavenly Father’s
Care
A variety of feelings accompanied the presence of
this pillar of fire. First, Joseph found himself fully “delivered from the
enemy which held [him] bound.”[48]
“The overflowing mercy of God came to buoy him up and gave new impetus to his
failing strength… the dark cloud departed and light and peace filled his
frightened heart.”[49]
Second, “a peculiar sensation” permeated “throughout his whole system.”[50]
He was “comforted” and “filled with the spirit of god.”[51]
That spirit in turn “filled [him] with joy unspeakable.”[52]
Appeared Two Heavenly
Beings
Enwrapped in
this bright pillar, Joseph “saw a personage in the fire” with a “light
complexion blue eyes a piece of white cloth drawn over his shoulders his right
arm bear.”[53] It
was God the Father who first appeared to Joseph Smith. “After a wile a other
person came to the side of the first”: the Lord Jesus Christ.[54]
They were described as “glorious,” “heavenly,” with “brightness and glory” that
“defy all description.”[55]
The two figures “exactly resembled each other in features, and likeness,” “and
stature.”[56]
Accompanied by “many angels,” they stood above the boy “in the air.”[57]
Here, in the nineteenth century backwoods of upstate New York, a teenager was
laying eyes on God the Father and his Son Jesus Christ.
There is, however, a discrepancy in one of the
accounts of the vision, one which the prophet’s critics often attack. In
Joseph’s first written retelling of the vision, he only describes the
appearance of one personage with the words: “I saw the Lord.”[58]
Seven of the other eight accounts, however, specifically mention both. (The
last and shortest account, Levi Richards’s, mentions neither figure, merely
that Smith received an answer to his prayer. As Richards’s account is very
brief and leaves out many important details, his lack of a description of the
personages does not pose a contradiction.) As the prophet never publically
responded to this discrepancy, one can only speculate as to what caused this
difference. Perhaps he felt that in 1832, his readers were not yet ready to
accept the idea of the Father and the Son as separate beings. It is also
possible that he merely included one messenger for brevity’s sake, or merely to
focus on the Savior’s message. Fortunately, Smith’s later versions leave clear
that both the Father and the Son appeared to him in that pillar of fire.
How Sweet the Word
After the arrival of the second figure, the first
addressed Joseph by name (whether by his first name, his full name, or any other
type of nomination is unrecorded).[59]
“Behold,” the figure began, “this is my beloved Son, Hear him.”[60]
The second
personage then spoke to the boy. “Joseph my son,” he said, “thy sins are
forgiven thee. go thy way walk in my statutes and keep my commandments.”[61]
As one of Joseph’s objectives had been to seek heaven’s mercy, these words must
have been encouraging. Jesus then testified of his own mission and divinity.[62]
Joseph records his next words thus: “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.”[63]
In addition, the Lord told Joseph that “his prayers had been answered” and that
He “had decided to grant him a special blessing.”[64]
Once he got
“possession of [himself] to be able to speak,” Joseph addressed the two figures
above him, inquiring “which of all the sects was right.”[65]
The answers given to Joseph’s questions as recorded in the nine accounts vary
slightly in both the details they include and the order in which these details
occur. While a confident, accurate synthesis of these answers cannot be
determined from the records, here is one possibility that includes all the
elements recorded.
Joseph began directly, asking “Must I
join the Methodist Church?”[66]
The Savior (in Neibar’s account, the Father) answered, “No… they are not my
People, th all have gone astray.”[67]
“Behold, the world lieth in sin and at this time and none doeth good no not one
and they have turned asside from the gospel and keep not my commandments.”[68]
Nevertheless, the boy continued in his
endeavor, altering his question: “O Lord, what Church shall I join.”[69]
He records: “I was answered that I must join none of them, for they were all
wrong… their Creeds were an abomination in his sight, that those professors
were all corrupt.”[70]
He was further told that “all religious denominations were believing in
incorrect doctrines, and that none of them was acknowledged of God as his
church and kingdom.”[71]
The heavenly figure then quoted prophecies of Isaiah and Paul: “they draw near
to me 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.”[72]
Smith was told that “the Everlasting covenat was broken.”[73]
As a result, the Lord declared, “mine anger is kindling against the inhabitants
of the earth to visit them according to thir ungodliness and to bring to pass
that which hath been spoken by the mouth of the prophets and Apostles.”[74]
Once again, the boy was “expressly
commanded to ‘go not after them,’” but rather to “wait patiently until some
future time, when the true doctrine of Christ,” and “the fullness of the
gospel, should… be made known unto him.”[75]
Joseph later remarked that “many other thing did he say unto me which I cannot
write at this time.” (Smith recorded this in 1838, but he never revealed if any
of his later teachings were part of these “many other [things]”.)[76]
The Savior finally concluded: “behold and lo I come quickly as it written of me
in the cloud clothed in the glory of my Father.”[77]
Oh, What Rapture
Joseph’s experience left a profound, immediate
physical and emotional effect on him. He wrote, “When I came to myself again I
found myself lying on my back looking up into Heaven.”[78]
He was “sprawling on [his] back; and it was sometime before [his] strength
returned.”[79]
He “Indeavoured to arise but felt uncomen feeble.”[80]
In spite of this physical weakness, however, the experience left “his mind in a
state of calmness and peace, indescribable,” his “soul… filled with love.”[81]
For He Saw
The First
Vision is arguably the most important event of the last 200 years. While the
mere knowledge that Joseph Smith was chosen by God to restore the Gospel of
Jesus Christ on the earth is all that is necessary for a testimony, greater
detail of his experiences enriches a disciple’s understanding of how the Lord
has operated in the last days. Joseph entered his chosen grove of trees, he was
assaulted by the devil, he saw a pillar of fire, and he received marvelous
instructions from God the Father and Jesus Christ. True followers of Jesus
Christ should be eager to learn as much as they can of one of the Lord’s most
recent, most sacred visits to the earth.
To read more of Riley's work, click here.
To read more of Riley's work, click here.
Table 1: Joseph
Smith’s Accounts of the First Vision
Item
|
1832
|
1835
|
1838
|
1842
|
Setting
|
Wilderness
|
silent
grove
|
on the morning of a beautiful
clear day
the place where I had previously
designed to go, having looked around me and finding myself alone
|
secret
place in a grove
|
Initial
Prayer
|
cried unto the
Lord for mercy
|
bowd
down before the Lord
,
I called upon the Lord for the first time
|
kneeled down and began to offer up
the desires of my heart to God
|
began
to call upon the Lord, while fervently en gaged in supplication
|
Adversary
|
-
|
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
seem ed 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 wal king
|
immediately I was <siezed>
upon by some power which entirely overcame me and <had> such
astonishing influence over me as to bind my tongue so that I could not
speak. Thick darkness gathered around me and it seemed to me for a time
as if I were doomed to sudden destruction. But exerting all my powers
to call upon God to de liver me out of the power of this enemy which had
siezed upon me, and at the very moment when I was ready to sink into
despair and abandon myself to destruction, not to an im aginary ruin but
to the power of some actual being from the unseen world who had such a
marvelous power as I had never before felt in any being
|
-
|
Second
Prayer
|
-
|
I
kneeled again my mouth was opened and my
toung liberated, and I called on the Lord in mighty
prayer
|
exerting all my powers to call
upon God to de liver me out of the power of this enemy
|
-
|
Light
|
a piller of fire
light above the brightness of the sun at noon day come
down from above and rested upon me
|
a
pillar of fire appeared above my head, it
presently rested down upon my <me> head
this
pillar of flame which was spread all
around, and yet nothing consumed
|
alarm I saw a pillar
<of> light exactly over my head above the brightness of the sun, which
descended gracefully gradually untill it fell upon me.
|
surround ed with a brilliant light which eclipsed the sun at noon-day
|
Reaction
|
filled with
the spirit of god
|
filled
me with joy unspeakable
|
It no sooner appeared than I found
myself delivered from the enemy which held me bound.
|
-
|
Personages
|
I saw the Lord
|
a
personage appeard in the midst
another
personage soon appeard like unto the
first
I
saw many angels in this vision
|
When the light rested upon me I
saw two personages (whose brightness and glory defy all description)
standing above me in the air.
|
and
I was enwrapped in a heavenly vision and saw two glorious personages who exactly resembled each other in features, and likeness
|
Message
|
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 thir ungodliness and to bring to pass that which <hath> been spoken
by the mouth of the prophe ts and Ap[o]stles behold and lo I
come quickly as it [is] wr itten of me in the cloud <clothed> in the
glory of my Father
|
(2nd
Person): thy sins are forgiven thee, he
testifyed unto me that Jesus Christ is
the son of God
|
This is my beloved Son, Hear
him.”
No sooner therefore did I
get possession of myself so as to be able to speak, than 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.
|
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 com manded 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.
|
Aftermath
|
my soul was filled with love
|
-
|
When I came to myself again I
found myself lying on <my> back looking up into Heaven.
|
-
|
Table 2: Secondhand
Accounts of the First Vision
Item
|
Orson
Pratt
|
Orson
Hyde
|
Levi
Richards
|
David
Nye White
|
Alexander
Neibar
|
Setting
|
he went to a small grove of trees
near his father’s home
|
he
went into the grove
|
I
immediately went out into the woods where my
father had a
clearing, and went to the stump where I
had stuck my axe when I had quit work
|
went
into the Wood to pray
|
|
Initial
Prayer
|
knelt
down, and began to call upon the Lord
|
knelt down before God in solemn
prayer
|
&
enquired of the Lord
|
and
I kneeled down, and prayed, saying, ‘O
Lord, what Church shall I join.’
|
kneelt
himself down
|
Adversary
|
At
first, he was severely tempted by the powers of dark ness,
which endeavoured to overcome him
|
The adversary then made several
strenuous efforts to cool his ardent soul. He filled his mind with doubts and
brought to mind all manner of inappropriate images to prevent him from
obtaining the object of his endeavors
|
-
|
-
|
his
tongue was closet cleavet to his roof— could utter
not a word, felt easier after a while
|
Second
Prayer
|
he
conti nued to seek for deliverance, until
darkness gave way from his mind; and he
was enabled to pray, in fervency of the spirit,
and in faith.
anxiously
desiring an answer from God
|
Once again he called upon the Lord
with faith and fervency of spirit.
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
Light
|
at
length, saw a very bright and glorious
light in the heavens above; which, at
first, seemed to be at a considerable distance. He continued
praying, while the light appeared to be gradually descending
towards him; and, as it drew nearer, it increas ed
in brightness, and magnitude, so that, by the time that it reached the tops of the trees, the whole
wilderness, for some distance around, was
illuminated in a most glorious and
brilliant manner. He expected to have seen the leaves
and boughs of the trees consumed, as soon as the light
came in contact with them; but, perceiving that it did
not produce that effect, he was encouraged with the hopes
of being able to endure its presence. It continued descending,
slowly, until it rested upon the earth, and he was
enveloped in the midst of it.
|
the natural world around him was
excluded from his view, so that he would be open to the presentation of
heavenly and spiritual things
|
-
|
Directly
I saw a light
|
saw
a fire towards heaven came near &
nearer
(After
the Father speaks) the fire drew nigher Rested
upon the tree enveloped him comforted
|
Reaction
|
.
When it first came upon him, it produced
a peculiar sensation throughout his whole system;
and, immediately, his mind was caught away, from
the natural objects with which he was surrounded;
|
but the overflowing mercy of God
came to buoy him up and gave new impetus to his failing strength. However,
the dark cloud soon parted and light and peace filled his frightened heart.
|
-
|
||
Personages
|
and
he was enwrapped in a heavenly vision, and saw two glorious
personages, who exactly resembled each other in their
features or likeness.
|
Two glorious heavenly personages
stood before him, resembling each other exactly in features and stature.
|
-
|
then
a glorious per sonage in the light, and
then another person age
|
saw
a personage in the fire light complexion blue
eyes a piece of white cloth drawn over his
shoulders his right arm bear after a w[h]ile a
other person came to the side of the first
|
Message
|
He
was informed, that his sins were
forgiven. He was also informed upon the subjects, which
had for some time previously agitated his mind, viz.—that
all the religious denominations were believing in
incorrect doctrines; and, consequently, that none of them
was acknowledged of God, as his church and king dom.
And he was expressly commanded, to go not after them;
and he received a promise that the true doctrine— the
fulness of the gospel, should, at some future time, be made known to him
|
They told him that his prayers had
been answered and that the Lord had decided to grant him a special blessing.
He was also told that he should not join any of the religious sects or
denominations, because all of them erred in doctrine and none was recognized
by God as his church and kingdom. He was further commanded, to wait patiently
until some future time, when the true doctrine of Christ and the complete
truth of the gospel would be revealed to him.
|
received
for answer that none of them were right, that they were all wrong, & that the Everlasting covena[n]t was broken
|
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.”
|
Mr
Smith then asked must I join the Methodist Church=
No= they are not my People, th all have gone astray there is none that doeth good no not one, but this is my Beloved son harken ye him
|
Aftermath
|
the
vision withdrew, leaving his mind in a
state of calmness and peace, inde scribable.
|
The vision closed and peace and
calm filled his mind.
|
-
|
The
vision then vanished, and when I come to
my self, I was sprawling on my back; and
it was sometime before my strength
returned
|
Indeavoured
to arise but felt uncomen feeble
|
[1]
Gordon B. Hinckley, “The Stone Cut out of the Mountain,” October 2007 General
Conference.
[2]
“First Vision Accounts, LDS.org,” <https://www.lds.org/topics/first-vision-accounts?lang=eng>
(accessed April 22, 2014).
[3]
“Primary Accounts of Joseph Smith’s First Vision of Deity,” <http://josephsmithpapers.org/site/accounts-of-the-first-vision>
(accessed April 22, 2014).
[4]
This and each of the following subheadings, in addition to the title of the
piece, are taken from George Manwaring, “Joseph Smith’s First Prayer,” Hymns, Intellectual Reserve, 1985: 26.
[5]
Joseph Smith, “History, circa Summer 1832,” The
Joseph Smith Papers, <http://josephsmithpapers.org/paperSummary/history-circa-summer-1832?p=1>
(accessed April 22, 2014),1832. Hereafter cited as 1832.
[6]
Joseph Smith, “Journal, 1835-1836,” The
Joseph Smith Papers, <
http://josephsmithpapers.org/paperSummary/journal-1835-1836?p=24> (accessed
April 22, 2014), 1835. Hereafter cited as 1835.
[7]
John C. Lefgren, “Oh, How Lovely Was the Morning: Sun 26 Mar 1820?” johnpratt.com.
<http://www.johnpratt.com/items/docs/lds/meridian/2002/vision.html>
(accessed April 22, 2014).
[8] Joseph
Smith, “History, circa June 1839-circa 1841,” The Joseph Smith Papers, < Joseph Smith, “Church History, 1
March 1842,” The Joseph Smith Papers,
< http://josephsmithpapers.org/paperSummary/church-history-1-march-1842?p=1 >
(accessed April 22, 2014), 1838. Hereafter cited as 1842.> (accessed April
22, 2014)1838. Hereafter cited as 1842.
[9]
Lefgren.
[10]
1838.
[11] 1832.
[12] Alexander Neibaur, Journal excerpt, 24 May 1844; in
Alexander Neibaur, Journal, 5 Feb. 1841–16 Apr. 1862, pp. 23–24; handwriting of
Alexander Neibaur; CHL; Levi Richards, Journal excerpt, 11 June 1843; in Levi Richards,
Journal, 4 Oct. 1840–7 Aug. 1853, pp. [15]–[16]; handwriting of Levi Richards; CHL.
[13] Orson
Pratt, “An Interesting Account of Remarkable Visions,” 1840; Joseph Smith,
“Church History, 1 March 1842,” The
Joseph Smith Papers, <
http://josephsmithpapers.org/paperSummary/church-history-1-march-1842?p=1 >
(accessed April 22, 2014), 1842. Hereafter cited as 1842; 1835; Orson Hyde, Ein Ruf aus der Wuste (English
translation), 1842.
[15]
White.
[16]
Hyde; 1838.
[17]
Hyde.
[18]
1835.
[19]
1835; Pratt.
[20]
1842. 1838.
[21]
1832.
[22]
White.
[23]
Pratt.
[24]
Hyde; 1838.
[25]
1838.
[26]
Neibar.
[27]
1835.
[28]
1835.
[29]
Hyde.
[30]
1838.
[31]
1838.
[32]
Pratt.
[33]
1838.
[34]
Pratt.
[35]
1835; Hyde.
[36]
White.
[37]
Pratt.
[38]
1832.
[39]
Neibar; 1838.
[40]
Pratt.
[41]
Pratt.
[42]
1835.
[43]
Pratt.
[44]
Pratt.
[45]
1838; 1842.
[46]
Pratt.
[47]
Hyde.
[48]
1838.
[49]
Hyde.
[50]
Pratt.
[51]
Neibar; 1832.
[52]
1835.
[53]
Neibar.
[54]
Neibar.
[55]
White; Hyde; 1838.
[56]
1842; Hyde.
[57]
1835; 1838.
[58]
1832.
[59]
1838.
[60]
White; 1838.
[61]
1832.
[62]
1835.
[63]
1832.
[64]
Hyde.
[65]
1838.
[66]
Neibar.
[67]
Neibar.
[68]
1832.
[69]
White.
[70]
1838.
[71]
1842.
[72]
1838.
[73]
Richards.
[74] 1832.
[75]
1842; Pratt; Hyde.
[76]
1838.
[77]
1832.
[78]
1838.
[79]
White.
[80]
Neibar.
[81]
Pratt; 1832.
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