Zerah Pulsipher — Vision of an Angel

Zerah Pulsipher, an early convert to the Church, testified that he received a divine witness while thrashing grain in his barn in late 1831 or early 1832. After hearing the preacher Jared Carter testify of his own heavenly knowledge regarding the Book of Mormon, Pulsipher, feeling it was his privilege as a man to obtain such a blessing, engaged in a period of fervent prayer. While working alone in his barn with the doors shut, a light from heaven appeared, causing him to pause his work. Shortly thereafter, a second, brighter light descended above his head. Looking up, he beheld what he described as multiple angels, arranged one above another, holding the Book of Mormon in their hands. The messengers declared that this was a revelation from God and the great work intended for the last days to fulfill the prophecies of the prophets. The experience was so clear and filled him with such majesty and power that he began to rejoice exceedingly, walking the length of his barn floor while crying, “glory hallelujah to the God and the Lamb” for some time. While some later accounts—most notably by Glen L. Rudd, relying on H. Donl Peterson—incorrectly attribute this visitation to the Angel Moroni, Pulsipher’s own autobiographical drafts consistently characterize the visitors as an unnamed group of angels. Furthermore, Pulsipher’s description suggests he was being shown the printed version of the Book of Mormon rather than the gold plates, serving as a personal witness to the truth of the book he had in his possession.