"An Angel or Rather the Savior" at the Kirtland Temple Dedication: The Vision of Frederick G. Williams

Authors

Frederick G. Williams, Brigham Young University

Keywords

Mormon studies, Kirtland temple, angel

Abstract

At the Kirtland Temple dedication on Sunday, March 27, 1836, Presi-dent Frederick G. Williams testified that he saw a holy angel enter the temple during the opening prayer and take his seat between Joseph Smith Sr. and himself in the upper pulpits on the Melchizedek priesthood side of the room, a holy site that had just been dedicated and consecrated to the Lord earlier that morning. This study collects nine eyewitness statements regarding Williams’s vision of the heavenly personage to see if the identity of the angel as well as the purpose of his visit can be determined from their records. This article also suggests that Williams’s vision was of Christ because such a vision would fulfill the prophecies and pattern of having all the first First Presidency witness the Savior for themselves, so they, as spokesmen, could spread “the word . . . to the ends of the earth” (D&C 90:9).

Recommended Citation

Williams, Frederick G. (2017) ""An Angel or Rather the Savior" at the Kirtland Temple Dedication: The Vision of Frederick G. Williams," BYU Studies Quarterly: Vol. 56: Iss. 1, Article 9.
Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/byusq/vol56/iss1/9