Editing First Vision (section)

===1835 Smith accounts===
On November 9, 1835, Smith dictated an account of the First Vision in his diary after telling it to a stranger<ref>The stranger was [[Robert Matthews (religious figure)|Robert Matthias]], a religious con-artist using the alias "Joshua the Jewish minister". Bushman, ''Rough Stone Rolling'', 275-76.</ref> who had visited his home earlier that day.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Smith|1835|pp=22–24}}.</ref> Smith said that when perplexed about religions matters, he had gone to a grove to pray<ref>{{Harvtxt|Smith|1835|p=23}}.</ref> but that his tongue seemed swollen in his mouth and that he had been interrupted twice by the sound of someone walking behind him.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Smith|1835|pp=23–24}}.</ref> Finally, as he prayed, he said his tongue was loosed, and he saw a pillar of fire in which an unidentified "personage" appeared.<ref name="Smith 1835 24">{{Harvtxt|Smith|1835|p=24}}.</ref> Then another unidentified personage told Smith his sins were forgiven and "testified unto [Smith] that Jesus Christ is the Son of God."<ref name="Smith 1835 24"/> An interlineation in the text notes, "and I saw many angels in this vision."<ref name="Smith 1835 24"/> Smith said this vision occurred when he was 14 years old and that when he was 17, he "saw another vision of angels in the night season after I had retired to bed" (referring to the later visit of the [[angel Moroni]] who showed him the location of the [[golden plates]]).<ref name="Smith 1835 24"/> Smith identified none of these personages or angels with "the Lord" as he had in 1832.<ref>Abanes,{{specify|date=April 2012}} 16: [http://www.irr.org/mit/First-Vision-Scans/first-vision-1835A.html the 1835 account] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050414033852/http://www.irr.org/mit/First-Vision-Scans/first-vision-1835A.html |date=April 14, 2005 }}{{Unreliable source?|date=April 2012}}. In 1835, Smith approved the "[[Lectures on Faith]]", an orderly presentation of Mormonism (probably written by [[Sidney Rigdon]]) in which it was taught that although Jesus Christ had a tangible body of flesh, God the Father was a spiritual presence—a view not out of harmony with orthodox Christian belief. The "Lectures on Faith" were canonized by the LDS Church and included as part of the [[Doctrine and Covenants]] until de-canonized after 1921. (Bushman,''Rough Stone Rolling'', 283–84.)</ref>

A few days later, on November 14, 1835, Smith told the story to another visitor, Erastus Holmes.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Smith|1835|p=35}}.</ref> In his journal, Smith said that he had recited his life story "up to the time I received the first visitation of angels, which was when I was about fourteen years old."<ref>{{Harvtxt|Smith|1835|pp=35–36}}. When LDS Church historian [[B. H. Roberts]] included this account into his ''[[History of the Church (Joseph Smith)|History of the Church]]'' '''2''':312, he changed the words "first visitation of angels" to "first vision."</ref>