September, 1827
After the First Vision, Joseph Smith recounts the next seven years of his life in the Pearl of Great Price which included visions of an angle named Moroni who usually appeared to him around 22nd of September (the first appearance being September 21st, 1823), the death of his brother, his marriage to Emma Hale and his employment in which he dug a silver mine. It’s a rather boring narrative clear up to Joseph Smith receiving the gold plates that the Book of Mormon was written on and it still doesn’t get much more interesting. Joseph never wrote just for the pleasure of writing for himself; he always wrote with the audience in mind and therefore, his writings become rather dramatic and altogether too wordy. But that is for the literary eye to critique, not me. I am more interested in what he says in his writings concerning what happened in his life. After all, his First Vision declared that God was real and appeared to men and that His son, Jesus, proclaimed that all churches were wrong- if that is all true, I want to know about it! But I also want to know if it isn’t true. (Wouldn’t you?)
After the telling of the First Vision, Joseph sets into motion the idea that it must have happened because he was sorely persecuted for it. But I’ve already investigated those claims and found that it doesn’t quite match up to what history said happened. However, this is not an uncommon path to take when trying to tug at someone’s feelings for your religious cause. The New Testament is littered with persecution stories; whether it actually happened that way or not might be considered to be a matter of faith. Regardless, we have the historical evidence that suggests Smith wasn’t as persecuted as he said. Persecution came later in his life and with more compelling reasons than his claim of seeing God.
Three years after the First Vision Joseph had another vision in his own home in which an angel appeared to him and told him that he had a work to do for God.
The official version of this story, as now canonized in LDS scripture appears as follows in the Pearl of Great Price in the section entitled: Joseph Smith-History:
In consequence of these things, I often felt condemned for my weakness and imperfections; when, on the evening of the above-mentioned twenty-first of September, after I had retired to my bed for the night, I betook myself to prayer and supplication to Almighty God for forgiveness of all my sins and follies, and also for a manifestation to me, that I might know of my state and standing before him; for I had full confidence in obtaining a divine manifestation, as I previously had one.
While I was thus in the act of calling upon God, I discovered a light appearing in my room, which continued to increase until the room was lighter than at noonday, when immediately a personage appeared at my bedside, standing in the air, for his feet did not touch the floor.
He had on a loose robe of most exquisite whiteness. It was a whiteness beyond anything earthly I had ever seen; nor do I believe that any earthly thing could be made to appear so exceedingly white and brilliant. His hands were naked, and his arms also, a little above the wrist; so, also, were his feet naked, as were his legs, a little above the ankles. His head and neck were also bare. I could discover that he had no other clothing on but this robe, as it was open, so that I could see into his bosom.
Not only was his robe exceedingly white, but his whole person was glorious beyond description, and his countenance truly like lightning. The room was exceedingly light, but not so very bright as immediately around his person. When I first looked upon him, I was afraid; but the fear soon left me.
He called me by name, and said unto me that he was a messenger sent from the presence of God to me, and that his name was Moroni; that God had a work for me to do; and that my name should be had for good and evil among all nations, kindreds, and tongues, or that it should be both good and evil spoken of among all people.
He said there was a book deposited, written upon gold plates, giving an account of the former inhabitants of this continent, and the source from whence they sprang. He also said that the fullness of the everlasting Gospel was contained in it, as delivered by the Savior to the ancient inhabitants… (Joseph Smith-History 1:29-34)
This account, just like the First Vision was written in 1838, eleven years after the fact. But it isn’t without issues.
It is difficult to say when Joseph Smith first started telling people about the vision of Moroni as history shows that no one really seemed to know Joseph was religious and many were surprised at the publication of the Book of Mormon and while I’ve done research, I still remain confused about when the story first appeared. It seems safe to say, however, that while he was working on much of the translation at the Peter Whitmer Sr. home in Fayette, New York during 1829 he was telling the story.
I have heard my grandmother say on several occasions that she was shown the plates of the Book of Mormon by an holy angel, whom she always called Brother Nephi. (Statement made by J.C. Whitmer in 1888)
Whhhhhaaaaaaaattttttttttt???
I thought the name was Moroni?
Thus stems the problem. It would seem to me that in 1829, while Joseph Smith was working on the translation of the Book of Mormon, he was informing the Whitmer family that the angel whom had presented it to him was Nephi. Of course now, this doesn’t make sense considering that it was Moroni in the Book of Mormon who had buried the plates of gold and was the last to give his account. Apparently Joseph had figured this out by 1838, but there are problems again with the name of the angel who appeared to Joseph.
In 1838, Joseph Smith began writing the accounts of the First Vision and the visitation of the angel Moroni. He dictated to a scribe named James Mulholland and gave him the account of the visitation of the angel whom he called Nephi. The confusing part of this, however, is that eight years in a revelation Joseph called the angel Moroni: Behold, this is wisdom in me; wherefore, marvel not, for he hour cometh that I will drink of the fruit of the vine with you on the earth and with Moroni, whom I have sent unto you to reveal the Book of Mormon, containing the fullness of my everlasting gospel, to whom I have committed the keys of the record of the stick of Ephraim. (Doctrine and Covenants 27:5, written August 1830) But in 1838, there it was, but why? Of course apologetic answer, Joseph got mixed up. Lame. How do you get mixed up?
I purpose that the angel’s name has been Nephi all along and well as Joseph went along with his creation, he realized that it had to be Moroni.
It was published in the Times and Seasons in 1842: When I first looked upon him I was afraid, but the fear soon left me. He called me by name, and said unto me that he was a messenger sent from the presence of God to me, and that his name was Nephi…
Mellennial Star, August 1842: …message of the angel Nephi…opened a new dispensation to man…
In the 1851 edition of the Pearl of Great Price page 41: He called me by name and said unto me, that he was a messenger sent from the presence of God to me, and that his name was Nephi.
Even Joseph Smith’s mother, Lucy Mack Smith wrote in Biographical Sketches page 79 writes that the angel’s name was Nephi.
What is most troubling to me is that Joseph lived for two years after the publication of the telling of the angel Nephi in the Times and Seasons and he was the editor, but he never changed the publication and never issued a retractor to it. What’s the deal? Was Nephi the angel’s name of the angel or was it Moroni?
LDS apologists argue that the references cited above may propagate a transcription error omitted during the 1838 manuscript recitation. It is claimed that Joseph or his scribe perhaps tangled the names in the process. While this is possible, it defies credibility that the error would then go undetected for four years, pass review for conclusion in the Times and Seasons, not be corrected in any subsequent issue, and then recur in 1851 in the printing of the Pearl of Great Price. (http://trailsofascension.net/mormon/nephi.html)