Variants
in the Stories of the First Vision of Joseph Smith and the Apostle Paul
By
John A. Tvedtnes
Some critics have suggested that Joseph Smith contradicts himself in different accounts of his first vision. In one, for example, he says that the Lord told him that all the churches were wrong, while in another he says that he had already come to this conclusion before going out in the woods to pray.
I see no real contradiction between Joseph Smith believing, when he went to pray, that he should join none of the churches, and the Lord confirming that thought by revelation. After all, he went into the woods to get an answer. If his mind was already made up and he merely needed confirmation, this fits the pattern described in D&C 9:8, where the Lord said, “You must study it out in your mind; then you must ask me if it be right.”
The point of the official published version of Joseph Smith’s story is that he got a revelation on the issue. But even that version does not preclude the idea that he had already determined the answer and needed confirmation.
In one account, Joseph says that he saw “the Lord” while in another he notes that he saw “two personages.” Similarly, one account mentions that he saw “angels,” a fact omitted in the others. Rather than viewing this as contradictory, I see it as merely a matter of emphasis.
I have done the same thing when recounting events in my life, sometimes omitting details that are irrelevant to the point I am trying to make or that do not suit the audience or the medium of expression. But this does not mean that I am inventing the story.
As for the variants “the Lord,” “two personages,” and “angels,” we can note that, in the Bible, the Lord is often said to be an angel (which merely means messenger). [1] As late as 1880, John Taylor used verbiage similar to that of Joseph Smith, speaking of the prophet’s first vision. While mentioning the Father and the Son, like Joseph, also using the term “Lord”: “as a commencement the Lord appeared unto Joseph Smith, both the Father and the Son, the Father pointing to the Son said ‘this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased, hear ye him’” (Journal of Discourses 21:65).
Other LDS scholars have already effectively dealt with the variants in the different accounts of Joseph Smith’s first vision, and while I recommend them to the reader, I shall not rehearse their words here. [2]
The real
subject of the present paper is another “first vision,” the one experienced
by the apostle Paul while en route to
Indeed,
there are fewer differences between the various accounts of Joseph Smith’s
first vision than between the five different accounts of Paul’s first
vision and his trip to
We begin with a chart that compares the different accounts of Paul’s experience, in order that the reader may better visualize the gaps and variants.
| Acts 9: 1 And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, 2 And desired of him letters
to 3 And as he journeyed, he
came near |
Acts 26: 12 Whereupon as I went to
13 At midday, O king, I saw in the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me and them which journeyed with me. |
Acts 22: 5 As also the high priest
doth bear me witness, and all the estate of the elders: from whom
also I received letters unto the brethren, and went to 6 And it came to pass, that,
as I made my journey, and was come nigh unto |
Galatians 1: 11 But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. 12 For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ. 13 For ye have heard of my
conversation in time past in the Jews’ religion, how that beyond
measure I persecuted the 14 And profited in the Jews’ religion above many my equals in mine own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers. 15 But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb, and called me by his grace, |
| Acts 9: 4 And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? 5 And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. 6 And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do. |
Acts 26: 14 And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. 15 And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. 16 But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee; 17 Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, |
Acts 22: 7 And I fell unto the ground, and heard a voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? 8 And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest. |
Galatians 1: 16 To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood: [continued later] |
| Acts 9: 7 And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man. 8 And Saul arose from the
earth; and when his eyes were opened, he saw no man: but they
led him by the hand, and brought him into 9 And he was three days without sight, and neither did eat nor drink. |
Acts 26: 18 To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me. 19 Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision: |
Acts 22: 9 And they that were with me saw indeed the light, and were afraid; but they heard not the voice of him that spake to me. 10 And I said, What shall
I do, Lord? And the Lord said unto me, Arise, and go into 11 And when I could not see
for the glory of that light, being led by the hand of them that
were with me, I came into |
|||
| Acts 9: 10 And there was a certain
disciple at 11 And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and enquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth, 12 And hath seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in, and putting his hand on him, that he might receive his sight. 13 Then Ananias answered,
Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath
done to thy saints at 14 And here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on thy name. |
Acts 22: 12 And one Ananias, a devout man according to the law, having a good report of all the Jews which dwelt there. |
| Acts 9: |
Acts 22: |
||
| 15 But the Lord said unto
him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my
name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of 16 For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake. 17 And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost. |
13 Came unto me, and stood, and said unto me, Brother Saul, receive thy sight. And the same hour I looked up upon him. 14 And he said, The God of our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou shouldest know his will, and see that Just One, and shouldest hear the voice of his mouth. 15 For thou shalt be his witness unto all men of what thou hast seen and heard. |
| Acts 9: |
Acts 22: |
||
| 18 And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales: and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized. |
16 And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord. |
||
| 19 And when he had received
meat, he was strengthened. Then was Saul certain days with the
disciples which were at 20 And straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God. 21 But all that heard him
were amazed, and said; Is not this he that destroyed them which
called on this name in |
|||
| Acts 9: 22 But Saul increased the
more in strength, and confounded the Jews which dwelt at 23 And after that many days were fulfilled, the Jews took counsel to kill him: 24 But their laying await was known of Saul. And they watched the gates day and night to kill him. 25 Then the disciples took him by night, and let him down by the wall in a basket. |
Acts 26: 20 But shewed first unto them
of |
2 Corinthians 11: 32 In 33 And through a window in a basket was I let down by the wall, and escaped his hands. |
| Acts 9: 26 And when Saul was come
to 27 But Barnabas took him,
and brought him to the apostles, and declared unto them how he
had seen the Lord in the way, and that he had spoken to him, and
how he had preached boldly at 28 And he was with them coming
in and going out at 29 And he spake boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus, and disputed against the Grecians: but they went about to slay him. 30 Which when the brethren
knew, they brought him down to Caesarea, and sent him forth to
|
Acts 22: 17 And it came to pass, that,
when I was come again to 18 And saw him saying unto
me, Make haste, and get thee quickly out of 19 And I said, Lord, they know that I imprisoned and beat in every synagogue them that believed on thee: 20 And when the blood of thy martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by, and consenting unto his death, and kept the raiment of them that slew him. 21 And he said unto me, Depart: for I will send thee far hence unto the Gentiles. |
Galatians 1: [continued from earlier] 17 Neither went I up to 18 Then after three years
I went up to 19 But other of the apostles saw I none, save James the Lord’s brother. 20 Now the things which I write unto you, behold, before God, I lie not. 21 Afterwards I came into
the regions of 22 And was unknown by face
unto the churches of |
|||
| 23 But they had heard only, That he which persecuted us in times past now preacheth the faith which once he destroyed. |
In most cases, as in Joseph Smith’s different accounts of his first vision, there are no outright contradictions in the different versions of Paul’s first vision, but some information given in one account is often left out of others. For example, while Acts 22:6 and 26:13 indicate that the vision occurred about noon, Acts 9:3 does not give the time of day. Acts 9:1-2 says that Paul got letters from “the high priest,” Acts 26:12 says it was “from the chief priests,” and Acts 22:5 says it was “the high priest . . . and all the estate of the elders.” This is the very same kind of supposed “contradiction” in Joseph Smith’s account of whom he saw in his vision. And yet neither Joseph’s nor Paul’s accounts are really contradictory.
Also significant is the fact that the words of Jesus to Paul, as recorded in Acts 26:15-18 are much more extensive than the words attributed to him in Acts 9:5-6 and 22:7. Indeed, if these are intended to be verbatim accounts, then there are clear contradictions. Note the following comparisons:
| Acts 9:4-5 |
Acts 26:14-16 |
Acts 22:7-8 |
||
| Jesus: “Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?” |
Jesus: “Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.” |
Jesus: “Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?” |
||
| Saul: “Who art thou, Lord?” |
Saul: “Who art thou, Lord?” |
Saul: “Who art thou, Lord?” |
||
| Jesus: “I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.” |
Jesus: “I am Jesus whom thou persecutest.” |
Jesus: “I
am Jesus of whom thou persecutest.” |
||
| Saul: “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?” |
Saul: [no response] |
[conversation ends here] |
||
| Jesus: “Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.” |
Jesus: “But rise, and stand upon thy feet:” [Here Christ details Paul’s mission, with no indication that he should go “into the city.”] |
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The words of Ananias reported in Acts 9:17 are also at great variance with those found in Acts 22:13-16.
Acts 9:26-30
has Paul coming from
The much
abridged account in Acts 26:20 has him coming from
The point I wish to make is that if we are to allow the Bible to give different versions of Paul’s first vision and his reaction thereto (including different versions of the conversations that took place), it seems unreasonable for anyone to criticize Joseph Smith for similar variants in the different accounts of his first vision.
Notes:
2.
For a book-length treatment, see Milton V. Backman Jr., Joseph Smith’s
First Vision: Confirming Evidences and Contemporary Accounts (2nd
ed.,
3. One can also truthfully say that there are great differences in the various accounts of Christ’s resurrection found in the four gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John) than in Joseph Smith’s account of his first vision, but it is not our purpose to delve into that subject in this paper.