Joseph Smith claimed that as a 14-year-old boy he had a vision of God the Father and Jesus. (Other versions of the first vision place his age at 15, 16, 17, and 18-19).
Joseph Smith’s own story of the “first vision,” and that this account was faithfully recorded by his secretary, Warren A. Cowdery, as part of the daily journal:
Monday Nov. 9th …. While sitting in his house this morning between the hours of ten an eleven a man came in and introduced himself to him calling himself Joshua the Jewish Minister. His
appearance was something singular, having a beard about three inches in length which is quite grey, his hair was also long and considerably silvered with age. He had the appearance of a man
about 50 or 55 years old. He was tall and straight, slender frame, blue eyes, thin visage, and fair complexion. He wore a green frock coat and pantaloons of the same color. He had on a black fur hat with a narrow brim. When speaking he frequently shuts his eyes and exhibits a kind of scowl upon his countenance. He (Joseph) made some inquiry after his name, but received no definite answer. The conversation soon turned upon the subject of Religion, and after the subject of this narrative had made some remarks concerning the bible, he commenced giving him a relation of the circumstances, connected with the coming forth of the Book of Mormon, which were nearly as follows. Being wrought up in my mind respecting the subject of Religion, and looking at the different systems taught the children of men, I knew not who was right or who was wrong, but considered it of the first importance to me that I should be right, in matters of so much moment, matter involving eternal consequences. Being thus perplexed in mind I retired to the silent grove and there bowed down before the Lord, under a realizing sense (if the bible be true) ask and you shall receive, knock and it shall be opened, seek and you shall find, and again, if any man lack wisdom, let of God who giveth to all men liberally & upbraideth not. Information was what I most desired at this time, and with a fixed determination to obtain it, I called on the Lord for the first time in the place above stated, or in other words, I made a fruitless attempt to pray My tongue seemed to be swoolen in my mouth, so that I could not utter, I heard a noise behind me like some one walking towards me. I strove again to pray, but could not; the noise of walking seemed to draw nearer, I sprang upon my feet and looked round, but saw no person, or thing that was calculated to produce the noise of walking. I kneeled again, my mouth was opened and my tongue loosed; I called on the Lord in mighty prayer. A pillar of fire appeared above my head; which presently rested down upon me, and filled me with unspeakable joy. A personage appeared in the midst of this pillar of flame, which was spread all around and yet nothing consumed. Another personage soon appeared like unto the first: he said unto me thy sins are forgiven thee. He testified also unto 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 …. [1]
It will be noted that “the Lord” of the first version has become two “personages,” and that Joseph Smith has pushed back his age at the time of the vision from sixteen to fourteen. Joseph Smith dictated still a third version of his first vision in 1839. Here he implied that the “personages” are God the Father and Jesus Christ. Their directions to him are clear and precise, and the nature of his mission is spelled out. This version, published in this volume on pages 21-2, became part of the official History of the Church, and was the only one known to the general Mormon audience until 1965. Devout Mormon scholars have made clear that they believe the differences between the three versions are of no consequence. But to the non-devout the differences are evidence of Joseph Smith’s exuberant talent for improvisation before a stimulating audience and of his lack of care about consistency of detail. They bear out my original speculation that the first vision, if not an invention, was an evolutionary fantasy beginning in “a half-remembered dream stimulated by the early revival excitement and reinforced by the rich folklore of visions circulating in his neighborhood.”
[1] Dean C. Jessee: “The Early Accounts of Joseph Smith’s First Vision,” B.Y.U. Studies, IX, 284.