Account of the history of Joseph Smith 1832
This 1832 account contains the earliest known account of Joseph's first vision. It was written in part by him and dictated in part to his scribe, Frederick G. Williams.
José Smith
"About the age of twelve my mind became seriously occupied with all the major concerns for the welfare of my immortal soul, which led me to search the Scriptures, believing that they contained the Word of God as I had been taught was. to them, and my intimate acquaintance with men of different denominations, greatly astounded me to find that they did not adorn their profession with holy conduct and pious speech, as I found in that holy storehouse, it was an ache to my soul. So from the age of twelve to fifteen I was reflecting in my heart on many things about the situation in the world of mankind, the struggles and divisions, the wickedness and abominations and the darkness that pervaded the minds of mankind Saddened because of Convinced of my sins and searching the Scriptures, I discovered that mankind had not come to the Lord but had turned from the truth and living faith and there was no society or denomination based on the gospel of Jesus Christ as in the New written in my will and I felt sorry for my own sins and the sins of the world because I had learned from the Scriptures that God is the same. yesterday to today and forever after. I paid no attention to the person because he was God because I saw the sun the glorious light of the earth and also the moon rolling through the heavens in his kingdom and also the stars shining in their courses and he too the earth on which he stood. and the beasts of the field, and the fowls of the sky, and the fishes of the water, and also the man who walked the face of the earth masterfully and in the power of beauty, whose power and intelligence is to govern things so great are and wonderful, even in the image of him who created, and as I looked at these things, my heart cried out well, the sage said he is a fool, saying in his heart there is no God, my heart exclaimed, all this testifies and reveals a mighty Power, omnipotent and omnipresent, a being that makes laws and decrees, and binds all things within their bounds, fulfilling eternity, which was and is and will be from eternity to eternity, and when I look at all these things and seek to worship this being how worship him in spirit and inwardly right thenI called out to the Lord for mercy as there was no one else to go to and ask for mercy and the Lord heard my cry in the wildernessand while you were calling on the Lord on the 16th [or 15th].1year of my age a pillar of
Foga light above the brilliance of the midday sun came down from above and rested on me and I was filled with the Spirit of God and the Lord opened the heavens above me and I saw the Lord and he spoke to me and said:Joseph, my son, your sins are forgiven.. follow your way, follow my statutes and keep my commandments, behold I am the Lord of glory, I was crucified for the world, that whoever believes on my name may have eternal life, behold the world lies at this time in sin and no one does no good, they have strayed from the Gospel and do not keep My commandments, they approach Me with their lips while their hearts are far from Me and My anger is kindled against the inhabitants of the earth, they according to this ungodliness carry what has been said by the mouths of the prophets and apostles, behold, I come soon, as it is written in the cloud above me, clothed in the glory of my Father, and my soul was filled with love, and many days could I rejoiced with great joy, and the Lord was with me, but I found no one who believed in the heavenly vision, and yet I pondered these things in my heart.(Video) The First Vision: Primary AccountsHowever, I fell into transgression and sinned in many things that hurt my soul, and many things happened that cannot be written, and my father's family suffered many persecutions and afflictions.2
Joseph Smith's 1835 journal entry
Joseph erzählte von seinem Erlebnis im Hain einem Besucher aus Kirtland namens Robert Matthias, der behauptete, Joshua, ein jüdischer Geistlicher, zu sein. Dieses Konto wurde von Warren A. Cowdery registriert.
José Smith, Nov. 9, 1835
While I was studying the subject of religion and looking at the various systems taught to the sons of men, I did not know who was right and who was wrong, but I found being right to be of the utmost importance. , in matters of so great importance, matter of eternal consequences. With my confused mind I retired to the silent grove and there bowed before the Lord, in full sense (if the Bible is true), ask and it shall be given, knock and it shall be opened, seek and thou shalt find You, and if anyone lacks wisdom, ask God, who gives abundantly to all and does not blame.
The information was what I wanted most at that time, and with a firm determination to receive it, I called upon the Lord for the first time at the location indicated above, that is, I made an unsuccessful attempt to pray. Since my mouth was so swollen that I couldn't speak, I heard a sound behind me as if someone was walking towards me. I tried to pray again but couldn't; the sound of walking seemed to be getting closer, I got up and looked around but I saw no person or thing designed to make the sound of walking. I knelt again, opened my mouth and let go of my tongue; I called upon the Lord in mighty prayer. A pillar of fire appeared over my head; which soon took possession of me and filled me with an indescribable joy. In the midst of this pillar of flame, which spread everywhere and yet consumed nothing, a figure appeared. Soon another character appeared like the first: He told me your sins are forgiven. He also testified to me that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. I saw many angels in this vision. I was about 14 years old when I received this first communication.3
Historical account of Joseph Smith 1838
After many attempts to write a history of the Church, Joseph Smith completed the writings now published in The History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and found in the Pearl of Great Price.
José Smith
So, in accordance with my determination to pray to God, I withdrew into the forest to try it. It was a beautiful, clear morning in the spring of 1820. It was the first time in my life that I had attempted such an attempt, for in all my anxieties I had never attempted to pray aloud. After retiring to the place I wanted to go, looking around and finding myself alone, I knelt and began offering my heart's desire to God. No sooner had I done this than I was immediately seized by a power that completely controlled me and exercised such an amazing influence on me that it stopped my tongue so that I could not speak. A thick darkness settled around me, and for a moment it seemed to me that I was doomed to sudden annihilation. But by using all my strength to ask God to deliver me from the power of this enemy who had held me captive, and at the very moment I was about to sink into despair and surrender , not the imaginary doom, but the power of a real being in the unseen world, who had such marvelous power as I had never before felt in any being; Just at that moment of great concern, I saw a pillar of light just above my head, above the glare of the sun gradually setting until it fell on me. As soon as it appeared, I got rid of the enemy that had tied me up. As the light rested on me, I saw two characters, (...)
…. whose brilliance and magnificence defy description, hovering in the air above me. One of them spoke to me, called me by name and, pointing to the other, said: This is my beloved son. hear it! My goal in consulting the Lord was to find out which of all the sects was the right one so I could know which one to join. As soon as I could control myself to speak, I asked the characters above me in the light which of all the sects was the correct one (since it had never been in force then). my heart that everything was wrong) - and that I should go along with it. They told me not to join any of them as they were all wrong; and the person who addressed me said that all their creeds were an abomination in his eyes; that these teachers were all corrupt; that: "they approach me with their lips, but their heart is far from me, they teach as doctrines the commandments of men who have the appearance of piety but deny their effectiveness". Again he forbade me to join any of them; and many other things he told me that I can't write at the moment. When I came to, I was lying on my back looking up at the sky. When the light went out I had no strength; but soon I recovered somewhat and went home. And as I approached the fireplace, Mom asked what was the matter. I replied, "It doesn't matter, it's okay, I'm fine." ...
(Video) Ask of God: Joseph Smith’s First Vision… So I said to my mother, “I learned for myself that Presbyterianism is not true.” It seems that the adversary knew very early in my life that I was destined to be a troublemaker and intruder of his kingdom ; If not, why should the forces of darkness unite against me? Why the resistance and persecution leveled against me almost in my childhood?4
Counter current Wentworth1843
Israel Daniel Rupp asked Joseph Smith for a chapter on the Mormons for a book he planned to publish that contained the history and doctrine of religious organizations in the United States. This was part ofMap of Wentworth:
José Smith
About the age of fourteen I began to reflect on the importance of being prepared for a future condition, and as I searched for the plan of salvation I discovered that there was a great conflict of religious feeling; when I went to a company, they sent me to one plane and from another to another; each referred to their particular creed as the supreme good of perfection: Considering that all could not be good and that God could not be the author of so much confusion, I decided to investigate the matter further, believing that If God had a church he would not be divided into factions, and if he taught one society to worship in one way and practice in one set of ordinances, he would not teach another society principles diametrically opposed. Believing in the Word of God, I had faith in the Declaration of Santiago; "If anyone lacks wisdom, ask God, who gives abundantly to all men and does not blame, and it will be given to him." I retired to a secret place in the forest and began to call on the Lord. while they are fervently engaged in the request. my mind was distracted from things around me, and I was enveloped in a heavenly vision and beheld two glorious Personages, exactly alike in features and likeness, surrounded by a brilliant light that eclipsed the sun at noon. They told me that all religious denominations believed false doctrines and that none of them were accepted by God as his church and kingdom. And I was specifically commanded not to "run after them," while being promised that the fulness of the gospel would be revealed to me sometime in the future.
- Although the age recorded on the manuscript appears to be 16, the "6" was not clearly written on the document and may have been written as "5".
- Milton V. Backman, Jr., Joseph Smith's First Vision: Confirmation of Evidence and Contemporary Accounts, 2nd ed. rev., p.157
- verJoseph Smith Diary, 1835-36
- verThe Joseph Smith Story,1838–1856