An Overlooked Text Supporting Joseph Smith’s First Vision Consistency

With spring now officially here, some Latter-day Saints have no doubt reflected on Joseph Smith’s First Vision, which took place in the spring of 1820. Smith’s First Vision is hailed by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as the beginning of the Restoration of Christ’s restored gospel.

Like differences between the New Testament Gospel accounts, scholars have likewise had questions about the differences in the available accounts of the First Vision. The multiple accounts of the First Vision vary in detail, with Joseph Smith’s earliest written account (1832) lacking some elements found in his later accounts. Most notably, this account refers to Joseph seeing “the Lord” — Jesus Christ — without specifying that he also encountered God the Father.