“Why did Joseph wait so long to write an account of the First Vision?,” First Vision Accounts (2022)
“Why did Joseph wait so long to write an account of the First Vision?,” First Vision Accounts
Why did Joseph wait so long to write an account of the First Vision?
No known autobiographical records were created by Joseph Smith during the first two and a half decades of his life. Joseph Smith grew up in a family that was literate, but he received little formal education. The Smiths, like many other rural families at that time, did not keep detailed journals or other records about their experiences and thoughts. Even paper would have been expensive for them. It is possible that a young Joseph Smith, who disliked expressing himself in writing, simply didn’t think to write down his experiences.
One possible early reference to Joseph Smith’s vision is found in the Church’s “Articles and Covenants,” now Doctrine and Covenants 20. Written no later than mid-1830, it mentions that as a young man, Joseph Smith “had received remission of his sins”—likely a reference to the First Vision—but in time found himself in need of repentance again. After he repented, the document continues: “God ministered unto him by an holy angel.”1 This second statement refers to the visit of Moroni.
It’s unsurprising that a rural New York farm boy failed to keep a detailed account of his life experiences. In fact, we are fortunate to have several rich accounts of the First Vision and Joseph Smith’s early visionary experiences. Among the first events he recorded after he was commanded to keep a history was the First Vision.