The First Vision as a Prehistory of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Authors

Kathleen Flake

Keywords

BYU Studies, first vision, history, conference proceedings

Abstract

Most scholarly attention to the First Vision is dedicated to determining whether it happened or whether whatever happened is reliably described in the few primary accounts we have of it. My interests lie in a different direction. I am interested in the First Vision accounts insofar as they tell us something about religion, not about history, and not least because my wager is that this story, as a story, exceeds the limits of history, especially when it becomes understood as scripture. Which is to say, I want to better understand the work done by this story among the members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Recommended Citation

Flake, Kathleen (2020) "The First Vision as a Prehistory of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints," BYU Studies Quarterly: Vol. 59: Iss. 2, Article 5.
Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/byusq/vol59/iss2/5