Remembering the First Vision

Joseph Smith’s First Vision is often the first story we tell in the narrative of the Restoration. But that was not always the case. It took about 50 years for the First Vision to become solidified as a foundational story of the Church. In this episode, BYU professor Steven Harper discusses his landmark research publication about how the First Vision was remembered and interpreted by Joseph Smith, and why thoughtfully doing the same today is essential for Latter-day Saints.

Publications:

First Vision: Memory and Mormon Origins (Oxford, 2019)

“Remembering the First Vision” (A Reason for Faith, 2016)

“Forming a Collective Memory of the First Vision” (An Eye of Faith, 2015)