Many Latter-day Saints are unaware that there are a number of accounts of the First Vision, with at least four accounts written or dictated by Joseph Smith himself. Some critics of the church have demonstrated their over-eagerness to besmirch the church by claiming that the irregularities in these accounts are demonstrations of the falsity of the account. To best understand where these critics are coming from, as well as the superficiality of such criticisms, it is helpful to consider the accounts for what they are and to find the most distinct differences.
The account church members are most familiar with is at least the third account that Joseph Smith produced in retelling his vision, and was written between 1838 and 1839. The first account, which never became more than a rough draft, was written mostly by Joseph’s own hand in 1832. Joseph’s lack of education is both admitted and demonstrated in the text of this writing. One discrepancy often pointed out herein is that he reports having been in his 16th year (ie 15 years old) when he received his first vision. There is no mention herein of being set-upon by Satan. This account also makes no mention of there having been two personages, referring only to “the Lord.”
In 1835 Joseph Smith kept a diary with the help of his scribes. In an entry for the 9th of November, 1835, is recorded an interview with the infamous religious extremist Robert Matthews, traveling under the alias “Joshua the Jewish minister.” In this interview Joseph again recounted the first vision. The actual events within the sacred grove are written in detail, including the account of the dark opposition, and first one and then a second personage – and many angels – are reported as being seen after a “pillar of fire” appears over Joseph’s head.
The 1838-39 account included within the modern Pearl of Great Price is probably the next one written. After this was what may be the last account, contained in the Wentworth letter from which the Articles of Faith also come. A notable feature of the Wentworth account is that Joseph specifically says, “my mind was taken away from the objects with which I was surrounded.”
Variations in the four accounts of Joseph Smith’s first vision should not be surprising. They were collectively written during a 10-year span, with each letter written under different conditions and with a different audience. The condition of the first account, from 1832, seems a strong indicator of its casual and unedited nature. That the other three accounts are consistent in putting the age of the prophet at 14 rather than 15 indicate that he probably spoke to family members who reminded him of the particular dates. The mellowness of the spiritual activities in this account – only one personage, no encounter with the Adversary, and no angels – indicate that his emphasis was on the simple testimony of the Savior and the errancy of the surrounding churches, a similar emphasis to that clear in the final account to John Wentworth.
Only the second and third accounts make note of the opposition that faced Joseph before his vision, and it should be noted that both of these were intended for believing audiences. The Wentworth account is plain in declaring that the experience was a vision, and is beside the Church History account as not reporting the presence of angels.
The existence of the differences mentioned above indicate that the First Vision never became a polished, recited thing, but varied in the telling according to the situation and the current mind of the Joseph Smith, as does any true retelling. Like the four gospels of the New Testament, distances in time and differences in audience contribute to deviations in the harmony of the records.