Joseph Smith’s First Vision
by Steven C. Harper
There is so much more to the story of Joseph Smith’s first vision than is commonly known. Besides the familiar account included in the Pearl of Great Price, there are three other known accounts by Joseph and five known reports of people who heard him tell his experience. As a historian and as a believer, I’m thrilled that Joseph Smith’s first vision is probably the best documented vision of God in history. But some Latter-day Saints are troubled when they learn that there are several accounts of the story.
They worry that the differences in the accounts could prove them to be inauthentic.
- Joseph Smith’s accounts of the First Vision
- The Original Context of the First Vision Narrative: 1820s or 1830s
- Joseph Smith’s First Vision as Endowment and Epitome of the Gospel of Jesus Christ (or Why I Came Back to the Church)
- FairMormon Conference Podcast #40 – Don Bradley, “Joseph Smith’s First Vision as Endowment and Epitome of the Gospel of Jesus Christ (or Why I Came Back to the Church)”
- Did Early LDS Leaders Misunderstand the First Vision? – FairMormon
- Four Accounts and Three Critiques of Joseph Smith’s First Vision
- Published references to Joseph Smith’s First Vision
- Will You Engage in the Wrestle? (Talk by Sherry Dew)
- How to Build Resilient Faith by Ben Spackman
Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families
Come, Follow Me—For Primary | Youth | Sunday School
Gospel Topics Essay – First Vision Accounts
