Hat Joseph
Smith 1838 vor dem Hintergrund der Krise in Kirtland nicht nur seine Version
der ‚Ersten Vision‘ erheblich verändert, sondern gar in Guttenberg`scher Manier abgekupfert?
So
beschreibt Norris Stearns 1815 seine Vision, als er mit religiösen Zweifeln zu
kämpfen hatte:
“At length, as I lay apparently upon the brink of eternal woe,
seeing nothing but death before me, suddenly there came a sweet flow of the
love of God to my soul, which gradually increased. At the same time, there
appeared a small gleam of light in the room, above the brightness of the sun,
then at his meridian, which grew brighter and brighter: As this light and love
increased, my sins began to separate, and the Mountain removed towards the
east. At length, being in an ecstacy of joy, I turned to the other side of the
bed, (whether in the body or out I cannot tell, God knoweth) there I saw two
spirits, which I knew at the first sight. But if I had the tongue of an
Angel I could not describe their glory, for they brought the joys of heaven
with them.
“One was God, my Maker, almost in bodily shape like a man. His face was, as
it were a flame of Fire, and his body, as it had been a Pillar and a Cloud.
In looking steadfastly to discern features, I could see none, but a small
glimpse would appear in some other place. Below him stood Jesus Christ my
Redeemer, in perfect shape like a man—His face was not ablaze, but had the
countenance of fire, being bright and shining. His Father’s will
appeared to be his! All was condescension, peace, and love!!”
(Richard L. Bushman, “The
Visionary World of Joseph Smith”, BYU Studies, 37, 1)
Im Vergleich
dazu Joseph Smith Lebensgeschichte 16-17:
But, exerting all my powers to call upon God to deliver me out of the power
of this enemy which had seized upon me, and at the very moment when I was
ready to sink into despair and abandon myself to destruction—not to an
imaginary ruin, but to the power of some actual being from the unseen world,
who had such marvelous power as I had never before felt in any being—just at
this moment of great alarm, I saw a pillar of light exactly over my
head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until
it fell upon me.
It no sooner appeared than I found myself delivered from the enemy which
held me bound. When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose
brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air.
One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other—This
is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!
Parallelen sind unterstrichen. Die Motive und Formulierungen sind schon
überraschend ähnlich und wohl kaum dem Zufall geschuldet. Auf jeden Fall war Joseph Smith nicht der Einzige, der in dieser Zeit und Gegend göttliche Erscheinungen zu haben glaubte - im Gegenteil es gab noch Dutzend andere wie Richard Bushman herausfand. Also war Joseph Smiths Visionserlebnis eher typisch für die damalige Zeit als eine Ausnahme.
Weitere mögliche Quellen und Parallelen unter http://www.mormonhandbook.com/home/first-vision-plagiarized.html
Weitere mögliche Quellen und Parallelen unter http://www.mormonhandbook.com/home/first-vision-plagiarized.html
