Multiple accounts of the First Vision/1832/Only one Personage appears

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Criticism

Critics claim that in the 1832 account of the First Vision—which is in the handwriting of Joseph Smith himself—it only says that Jesus Christ made an appearance in the wilderness; the Father is missing from the text. Since this is the earliest known written account of the First Vision story, critics presume that it provides evidence that the Prophet's story became more elaborate and impressive over time.

Source(s) of the criticism

• Richard Abanes, Becoming Gods: A Closer Look at 21st-Century Mormonism (Harvest House Publishers: 2005).
• Isaiah Bennett, Inside Mormonism: What Mormons Really Believe (Catholic Answers: 1999).
• Grant Palmer, An Insider's View of Mormon Origins (Salt Lake City, Utah: Signature Books, 2002).
• Jerald and Sandra Tanner, The Case Against Mormonism, 2 vols., (Salt Lake City, 1967), 1:120–128.
• Jerald and Sandra Tanner, Changing World of Mormonism (Salt Lake City: 1980), 164.
• Dan Vogel, "The Earliest Mormon Concept of God," in Line Upon Line: Essays on Mormon Doctrine, edited by Gary James Bergera, (Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 1989), 17–33.

Response

Figure 1: The Sacred Grove, near Palmyra, New York, by George Edward Anderson, photograph, 1907.

The theophany portion of the 1832 account does seem to indicate that only Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph Smith. The relevant text reads as follows:

"a piller of fire light above the brightness of the sun at noon day c[a]me 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 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 th[e]ir ungodliness and to bring to pass that which <hath> been spoken by the mouth of the prophets and Ap[o]stles behold and lo I come quickly as it [is] written of me in the cloud <clothed> in the glory of my Father."^[1]

Even though the Savior is quoted as making a direct reference to the Father in this text, there is no indication in the theophany portion of it which would indicate that God the Father made an appearance on this occasion. However, critics have failed to notice a significant phrase found in the introductory remarks of the Prophet's 1832 historical narrative. There he says that this document is -

"A History of the life of Joseph Smith Jr. an account of his marvilous experience and of all the mighty acts which he doeth in the name of Jesus Ch[r]ist the son of the living God of whom he beareth record and also an account of the rise of the church of Christ in the eve of time according as the Lord brough <it> forth and established by his hand <firstly> he receiving the testamony from on high secondly the ministering of Angels thirdly the reception of the holy Priesthood by the ministring of Aangels to adminster the letter of the Gospel—<—the Law and commandments as they were given unto him—>and the ordinencs, forthly a confirmation and reception of the high Priesthood after the holy order of the son of the living God."

This paragraph outlines four major events of the Restoration in chronological order.

• FIRST: Reception of "the testimony from on high" - First Vision
• SECOND: The "ministering of angels" - Moroni visitations
• THIRD: Reception of the Holy Priesthood to administer the letter of the gospel - Aaronic
• FOURTH: Reception of the High Priesthood after the order of the Son - Melchizedek

The significant phrase is, naturally, the one associated with the First Vision—"receiving the testimony from on high." When this phrase is compared with the Prophet's 1835 and 1838 accounts of the First Vision experience it becomes apparent that the 1832 phraseology corresponds with the words spoken by God the Father when He introduced His Son in the Sacred Grove.

(1832 ACCOUNT)

“firstly . . . receiving the testimony from on high”

(1835 ACCOUNT)

“He [God the Father] testified unto me that Jesus Christ is the Son of God”

(1838 ACCOUNT)

“This is my beloved Son”

The Father's identification of Jesus Christ as His Son was His "testimony" of Him.

Since it can be concluded from this documentary evidence that Joseph Smith did indeed make an oblique reference to the appearance of the Father in his 1832 history the question becomes—Why did the Prophet construct the 1832 narrative in the manner that he did (so as to exclude explicit mention of the Father's appearance)? A careful analysis of the 1832 First Vision text reveals that it was deliberately constructed on the framework of many scriptural citations. The apostle Stephen's view of both the Father and the Son is clearly utilized in one section of the 1832 text but, more importantly, the Prophet told the actual theophany portion of this narrative in language that very closely corresponds to the apostle Paul's vision of Jesus Christ (Acts 26).^[2] .

Paul did not report that he saw the Father alongside the Son, and so it seems that this is the reason why Joseph Smith did not explicitly mention the Father's appearance in his text. The Prophet's strong sense of connection with Paul's visionary experience is referred to by him right in his 1838 First Vision account. The context of this connection is the persecution experienced by both men for speaking publicly about a heavenly manifestation. Joseph relates in his 1838 history that he was informed by a clergyman that his vision was "all of the devil." This piece of information may help to explain why the Prophet chose to couch his first known written account in heavy biblical language and imagery. He may have hoped that by doing so his story would have a better chance of acceptance among a populace that was steeped in the content of the Bible.

It should be noted that the scribe for the material which directly precedes and follows after the 1832 First Vision narrative (Frederick G. Williams) never mentioned anything about Joseph Smith's story evolving over time and becoming more elaborate with the inclusion of the Father. This, despite the fact that he faced a Church court, was rejected as a counselor in the First Presidency, and evidently lost his membership for a period of time.^[3]

Furthermore, the Godhead was understood by Joseph and the early Saints to be decidedly different from the trinitarian model which modern critics now to impose upon him in the early 1830s. (See here.) One should note that in the 1832 vision account, Jesus announces he will come "clothed in the glory of my Father." The Book of Mormon (translated three years earlier in 1829) also contains numerous passages which teach a physical separation and embodiment (even if only in spirit bodies, which are clearly not immaterial, but have shape, position, and form) of the members of the Godhead. (See: 3 Nephi 11, 1 Nephi 11꞉1-11, Ether 3꞉14-18.)

Critics' attempt to make Joseph into a classical Trinitarian in the 1830s simply won't wash.

Conclusion

The Father is not mentioned as making an appearance in the theophany portion of the 1832 First Vision account because Joseph Smith patterned that part of his narrative after the vision of Jesus Christ experienced by the apostle Paul. The words spoken by the Father during His First Vision appearance are, however, referred to in the introductory paragraph of the 1832 text.

Evidence of how Joseph Smith and others understood the doctrine of God early in Church history demonstrates that the supposed 'evidence' for Joseph altering his story later is only in the eyes of critical beholders.

The critics have not been careful in their analysis of this early Mormon historical document.

Endnotes

1. [note]  Dean C. Jessee, The Personal Writings of Joseph Smith, revised edition, (Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret Book, 2002), 9–20.Direct off-site [PRECISE page numbering is needed; the words "emphasis added" need to be inserted after a ";" and space after the numbering designation.]
2. [note]  See the 2006 FAIR Conference address entitled "Revised or Unaltered? Joseph Smith's Foundational Stories" and its accompanying slides.  (needs URL / links)
3. [note]  Andrew Jenson, Latter-Day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia: A Compilation of Biographical Sketches of Prominent Men and Women in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, 4 vols., (Salt Lake City, A. Jenson History Co., 1901; reprinted Salt Lake City, Utah : Greg Kofford Books, 2003), 1:51.; Frederick G. Williams III, "Frederick Granger Williams of the First Presidency of the Church," Brigham Young University Studies, vol. 12, no. 3, Spring 1972, 243-61.  (needs URL / links)
4. [note] John Taylor, "The Revelation of the Father and Son to Joseph Smith, and The Bestowal Upon Him of the Priesthood, etc.," Journal of Discourses, reported by George F. Gibbs, John Irvine, and others, (4 January 1880), Vol. 21 (London: Latter-day Saint's Book Depot, 1881), 65.off-site (emphasis added)
5. [note]  John Taylor, "Gathering the Result of Revelation, etc.," Journal of Discourses, reported by D.W. Evans, G.F. Gibbs, and others, (14 November 1877), Vol. 19 (London: Latter-day Saint's Book Depot, 1878), 151–152.off-site (emphasis added)
6. [note]  John Taylor, "Eternal Nature of the Gospel, etc.," Journal of Discourses, reported by George F. Gibbs, John Irvine, and others, (28 November 1879), Vol. 21 (London: Latter-day Saint's Book Depot, 1881), 116–117.off-site (emphasis added)
7. [note]  John Taylor, "Restoration of the Gospel Through Joseph Smith, etc.," Journal of Discourses, reported by George F. Gibbs, John Irvine, and others, (7 December 1879), Vol. 21 (London: Latter-day Saint's Book Depot, 1881), 161.off-site (emphasis added)
8. [note]  John Taylor, Letter to the Editor of the Interpreter Anglais et Francois, Boulogne-sur-mer (25 June 1850). (emphasis added) Reprinted in John Taylor, Millennial Star 12 no. 15 (1 August 1850), 235–236.