How many personages appeared to Joseph Smith? Did Joseph Smith embellish this aspect of his accounts over time?

As you study Church history, it is important to remember that God gives us understanding line upon line. Learn more about this and other principles for seeking answers and helping others with their questions.

Claims that Joseph Smith embellished his later accounts of the First Vision usually focus on the number and identity of the heavenly beings he stated that he saw. Joseph left four firsthand accounts of his vision. Three of these accounts clearly describe two “personages”—God the Father and Jesus Christ. Joseph’s earliest account is less clear. Written in 1832, the account describes “the Lord” opening the heavens and then Joseph seeing “the Lord.”¹

In the 1832 account, Joseph Smith may have used “the Lord” to refer to both God the Father and the Son. He may also have simply focused on Jesus Christ, the bearer of forgiveness and the personage who delivered the message of the vision. Joseph’s more specific later descriptions can also be seen as evidence of increasing insight gained over time through experience and further revelation about the nature of the Godhead.

Learn more

“First Vision Accounts,” Gospel Topics Essays

“‘I Saw the Lord’: Joseph Smith’s Descriptions of His Vision” (1:23), Church History Department

“Joseph Smith and the First Vision” (2:09): The Joseph Smith Papers volume editor Mark Ashurst-McGee describes the accounts of the First Vision found in Histories, volume 1

“First Vision Accounts: Joseph Smith, Journal, 9–11 November 1835” (2:58): Mark Ashurst-McGee discusses the 1835 account of the First Vision in Joseph Smith’s journal

1. Joseph Smith, in History, circa Summer 1832, 3, josephsmithpapers.org.