How Different Versions of Joseph Smith's First Vision Emerged

Joseph Smith's foundational spiritual experience, the First Vision, was recorded in several distinct accounts over two decades, each offering unique insights and emphases.

By Garret Merkley · Explainer · Aug 10, 2026

Branched from Joseph Smith's Early Life and First Vision Account

Quick take

Joseph Smith's First Vision, a key event in Mormonism, was first recorded 12 years after it reportedly occurred.
Multiple accounts emerged between 1832 and 1842, each tailored for different audiences and purposes.
Variations include the number of divine beings seen and the primary message received, reflecting evolving understanding and context.
These accounts are crucial for historical study, revealing the development of Smith's narrative and early Latter-day Saint theology.

Joseph Smith's First Vision is the pivotal event in the founding of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, where he reported seeing God the Father and Jesus Christ in a grove of trees near his home in upstate New York. While the core experience remained consistent in his mind, Smith and others recorded this vision multiple times between 1832 and 1842, each account differing in detail, emphasis, and context.

The Genesis of the Accounts

The First Vision occurred in the spring of 1820, but Joseph Smith did not write down a personal account until 1832, twelve years later. This delay is not unusual for personal spiritual experiences, which are often shared orally before being formally documented. As Smith's understanding of the vision's significance deepened, and as the needs of the nascent church evolved, he recounted the experience to different audiences. Each retelling, whether for a private journal, a church history, or a public sermon, naturally emphasized aspects most relevant to that specific context, leading to variations in detail and focus rather than fundamental contradictions.

Key Accounts and Their Distinctions

Four main accounts of the First Vision are recognized, each providing a unique lens into Smith's experience and its evolving meaning. While the core message of a divine manifestation and guidance remained constant, the specific details and the reasons for the visit were sometimes framed differently.

Year	Audience/Purpose	Divine Manifestation	Key Message/Emphasis
1832	Private journal/autobiography	The Lord (Jesus Christ)	Personal forgiveness of sins, search for truth, felt rejection of sectarianism.
1835	Visitor (Jewish convert) and private journal	Many angels, then the Lord (Jesus Christ)	Forgiveness, opposition by evil, two personages (implied, not explicit as two distinct beings).
1838	Official Church History (published 1842)	Two distinct personages (God the Father and Jesus Christ)	Apostasy of all churches, command not to join any, restoration of truth.
1842	Chicago Democrat editor (Wentworth Letter)	Two distinct personages (God the Father and Jesus Christ)	Brief, concise summary of the 1838 account for a non-Latter-day Saint audience.

These accounts largely agree on Smith's age (around 14), his desire to know which church to join, the spiritual power he encountered, and the appearance of heavenly messengers. The differences are primarily in areas like the specific number of divine beings mentioned (from 'the Lord' to 'two distinct personages'), the intensity of the persecution described, and the primary focus of the divine message (from personal forgiveness to the larger apostasy of Christendom). These variations are understood by historians as common in personal narratives recalled and recorded over time, especially for profound spiritual experiences.

Why These Variations Matter

The emergence of different versions of the First Vision is significant for several reasons. For historians, these accounts offer a rich primary source base for understanding Joseph Smith's spiritual development and the evolution of early Latter-day Saint theology. They highlight how a foundational experience was interpreted, articulated, and contextualized over time to meet the needs of a growing religious movement and its various audiences. For members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, studying these accounts provides deeper insights into the vision's complexity and the human process of communicating profound spiritual truth, reinforcing the idea that the core message remained constant despite variations in detail.

Are the different accounts contradictory?

Most historians and Latter-day Saint scholars view the accounts as complementary rather than contradictory. The differences are generally seen as variations in emphasis, detail, and purpose, much like different witnesses to an event might highlight different aspects based on their perspective or what they are asked to focus on.

Why didn't Joseph Smith write it down immediately?

It was common for significant spiritual experiences in the 19th century to be shared orally for years before being formally recorded. Joseph Smith was also a young, uneducated farmer with many immediate concerns in the early years of the church's founding, making a formal written account a later priority.

Which account is considered the official version?

The 1838 account, part of Joseph Smith—History in the Pearl of Great Price (a book of scripture), is the most widely known and quoted official version within The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. However, the Church encourages studying all available accounts for a fuller understanding.

Does the existence of multiple accounts challenge the truthfulness of the vision?

For believers, the core truth of the vision remains. For historians, the multiple accounts provide valuable material for critical analysis, offering insights into memory, narrative construction, and the development of religious experience over time. The existence of variations is a normal historical phenomenon for personal narratives.

Sources

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, "First Vision Accounts" (Gospel Topics Essays)
Bushman, Richard Lyman. *Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling: A Cultural Biography of Mormonism's Founder.* Knopf, 2005.