The earliest known written account of Joseph’s first vision was recorded in 1832. Two years after the formation of the church. It is the most personal and the only account with portions written in Joseph’s own handwriting. It is very likely that this is the very first time in which Joseph would attempt to commit his experiences to writing and appears to be an unpublished attempt at an autobiography of Joseph Smith, titled “A History of the life of a Joseph Smith Jr.” relating a more personal side to his experiences in the formation of the church.
A hidden history?
From 1953 until 1964 this account was kept in the safe of Joseph Fielding Smith1, who served at the time as the Church Historian. (He would later serve as president of the church from January 1970 until June 1972)
It is unclear why this account was kept inaccessible for many years, the personal nature of it does cause it to come across differently than the other accounts, specifically the well known and very detailed 1838 account. Joseph Fielding Smith even reportedly referred to this account as “strange”.2
The original manuscript does include an insertion to the text, in the handwriting of Frederick G. Williams, incorrectly stating Joseph was 16 years old. It is possible this insertion may have caused Joseph Fielding Smith and other historians to question the authenticity of the document and this may be the reason it remained unpublished for so many years.
Questions and Understanding
Some critics have asserted that this account “reveals that [Joseph] did not see the Father and the Son in 1820.”2 This account does indeed emphasize the appearance of the Lord Jesus Christ to Joseph Smith and their interactions, writing: “I saw the Lord and He spake unto me”. While the Father is not explicitly mentioned in this account, it does not mean that the Father could not have also been present. This is the only retelling which does not specify that two personages appeared. As James Allen and John Welch concluded “remembering that the 1832 manuscript was an unpolished effort to record the spiritual impact of the vision on him, and that the main content of the heavenly message was delivered by the Son, it is understandable that the Prophet simply emphasized the Lord in the 1832 account. Thus, nothing precludes the possibility that two beings were present.”3
The raw, personal nature of this account has caused it to become a favorite of many, including myself. In its entirety it allows the reader to better understand Joseph’s inner thoughts and feelings during this pivotal time in his life. Below you will find a portion of the six page account. It may be viewed and read in its entirety on the Joseph Smith Papers website.
An excerpt from this account
“I pondered many things in my heart concerning the sittuation of the world of mankind the contentions and divisions the wickedness and abominations and the darkness which pervaded the minds of mankind my mind become excedingly distressed for I become convicted of my sins and by searching the scriptures I found that mankind did not come unto the Lord but that they had apostatised from the true and liveing faith and there was no society or denomination that built upon the gospel of Jesus Christ as recorded in the New Testament and I felt to mourn for my own sins and for the sins of the world for I learned in the scriptures that God was the same yesterday to day and forever that he was no respecter to persons for he was God for I looked upon the sun the glorious luminary of the earth and also the moon rolling in their magesty through the heavens and also the stars shining in their courses and the earth also upon which I stood and the beast of the field and the fowls of heaven and the fish of the waters and also man walking forth upon the face of the earth in magesty and in the strength of beauty whose power and intiligence in governing the things which are so exceding great and marvilous even in the likeness of him who created them and when I considered upon these things my heart exclaimed well hath the wise man said it is a fool that saith in his heart there is no God my heart exclaimed all all these bear testimony and bespeak an omnipotant and omnipreasant power a being who makith Laws and decreeeth and bindeth all things in their bounds who filleth Eternity who was and is and will be from all Eternity to Eternity and when I considered all these things and that that being seeketh such to worshep him as worship him in spirit and in truth therefore I cried unto the Lord for mercy for there was none else to whom I could go and obtain mercy and the Lord heard my cry in the wilderness and while in the attitude of calling upon the Lord a piller of light above the brightness of the sun at noon day come down from above and rested upon me and I was filled with the spirit of god and the Lord opened the heavens upon me and I saw the Lord and he spake unto me saying 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 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 prophets and Apostles behold and lo I come quickly as it is written of me in the cloud clothed in the glory of my Father and my soul was filled with love and for many days I could rejoice with great Joy and the Lord was with me but could find none that would believe the hevnly vision.”
- History, circa Summer 1832, The Joseph Smith Papers. Source note
- Jerald Tanner and Sandra Tanner, Joseph Smith’s Strange Account of the First Vision; Also a Critical Study of the First Vision (Salt Lake City: Modern Microfilm Co., [1965])
- James B. Allen and John W. Welch, “Analysis of Joseph Smith’s Accounts of His First Vision,” in Opening the Heavens: Accounts of Divine Manifestation, 1820–1844, ed. John W. Welch, 2nd ed (Provo, UT: BYU Studies, 2017)
https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/history-circa-summer-1832/1
