Joseph Smith History Study
Joseph Smith History is one of the most important documents in Latter-day Saint scripture. It contains Joseph's own account of the First Vision, the visit of Moroni, the translation of the Book of Mormon, and the restoration of the Aaronic Priesthood. Understanding the historical context and the plain meaning of this account is foundational to understanding the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. LDS Sunday School helps you engage this text with the depth it deserves.
The Account That Opens the Restoration
Joseph Smith History is the Prophet's own written account of how the Restoration began. It is found in the Pearl of Great Price and covers the years from his boyhood in the early 1820s to the coming forth of the Book of Mormon and the restoration of priesthood authority. For Latter-day Saints it is foundational, because everything the Church claims rests on whether the events Joseph describes actually happened.
What strikes many readers is the plainness of the account. Joseph does not write like a man spinning a legend. He describes his confusion as a boy, the specific date and place, and the ordinary details of a farm family in western New York. He records that he was persecuted for telling what he had seen, and that he could not deny it. The tone is measured, not dramatic.
The First Vision
In the spring of 1820, stirred by a religious revival that left him unsure which church to join, fourteen-year-old Joseph read in James 1:5 that anyone who lacks wisdom should ask of God. He went into the woods near his home to pray. He testifies that God the Father and Jesus Christ appeared to him, and that he was told to join none of the churches then existing. This is the First Vision.
The significance for Latter-day Saints is enormous. The First Vision answered the question of God's nature, that the Father and the Son are separate, embodied, glorified beings, and it opened the heavens after what members believe was a long apostasy. Joseph recorded the account more than once over his life, and comparing those accounts is a rewarding study that shows a consistent core told to different audiences.
Moroni, the Plates, and the Priesthood
Beginning in September 1823, Joseph records the visits of the angel Moroni, who told him of an ancient record buried in a nearby hill. Over four years of yearly visits, Joseph was prepared to receive the plates, which he obtained in 1827 and translated into the Book of Mormon between 1827 and 1829. The account gives specific dates and names, including the witnesses who later testified of the plates.
In May 1829, while translating, Joseph and Oliver Cowdery prayed about baptism and record that John the Baptist appeared and restored the Aaronic Priesthood. The Melchizedek Priesthood followed soon after. When a passage in this history assumes background you do not have, about the revival, the plates, or the priesthood, LDS Sunday School can supply the historical context and plain-language meaning so the account is clear.
Key Principles
- ✓Joseph was fourteen years old when he received the First Vision in the spring of 1820
- ✓The religious revival context explains why a young boy was seeking which church to join
- ✓Moroni's visits to Joseph began in September 1823 and continued for several years
- ✓The Book of Mormon was translated between 1827 and 1829
- ✓The Aaronic Priesthood was restored by John the Baptist in May 1829
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Start FreeFrequently Asked Questions
What is Joseph Smith History?
Joseph Smith History is the Prophet Joseph Smith's own account of the beginning of the Restoration, found in the Pearl of Great Price. It describes the First Vision, the visits of the angel Moroni, the coming forth of the Book of Mormon, and the restoration of the Aaronic Priesthood. Latter-day Saints regard it as foundational because the Church's claims rest on the events it records.
What is the First Vision?
The First Vision is the appearance of God the Father and Jesus Christ to Joseph Smith in the spring of 1820. As a fourteen-year-old troubled about which church to join, Joseph read James 1:5, went to a grove near his home to pray, and testified that the Father and the Son appeared and told him to join none of the existing churches. It began the Restoration.
How old was Joseph Smith during these events?
Joseph Smith was fourteen years old in the spring of 1820 when he received the First Vision. The angel Moroni first appeared to him in September 1823, when he was seventeen. He obtained the plates in 1827 at twenty-one, and the Aaronic Priesthood was restored in May 1829. The whole account covers his teenage years and early twenties.
Why did Joseph Smith write multiple accounts of the First Vision?
Joseph Smith recorded the First Vision more than once over his life, for different audiences and purposes, much as a person might tell an important event with different details on different occasions. The accounts share a consistent core: a boy seeking which church to join, prayer in the grove, and a divine manifestation. Studying them together strengthens rather than weakens the testimony they give.