Descriptions:
According to a history of Joseph Smith written (through scribes) by his mother, Lucy Mack Smith, Joseph Smith Sr. had a dream that is awfully similar to the dream of Lehi in the Book of Mormon. Some (usually critics of the Latter-day Saint faith) believe that this is evidence that Joseph Smith Jr. made up Lehi’s dream, basing it on his father’s dream. Others, however, believe that the direction of dependence may be the reverse — that Lucy’s recollection of Joseph Sr.’s dream may actually be dependent on the text of the Book of Mormon. In this episode, Dave gives some insightful context that may help you come to your own conclusions.
“Why Are There So Many Similarities between the Dreams of Lehi and Joseph Smith, Sr.?” by Book of Mormon Central: https://bit.ly/3jGJLGW
“A Textual and Archival Reexamination of Lucy Mack Smith’s History,” by Sharalyn D. Howcroft: https://bit.ly/3izT7F8
Extant “fair copy” of Lucy Mack’s history (Joseph Smith Papers Project): https://bit.ly/3jx3loU (this link will take you directly to where the dream is question appears)
Extant “rough draft” of Lucy Mack’s history (Joseph Smith Papers Project): https://bit.ly/3CvXSYm (this link will take you directly to Joseph Sr.’s first dream. If you read a couple of pages, you’ll notice that the rough draft skips over dream #2 right to dream #3).
Transcript:https://bit.ly/2UFvx0I
Notes:
-In the rough draft of “History of Joseph Smith by His Mother,” Joseph Sr.’s dreams are not incorporated into the draft, but rather included one after the other at the end of the draft. In the published 1853 edition, the Joseph Sr./Lehi’s Dream dream is the second dream mentioned out of 7. Dreams 2, 4, & 5 are entirely absent from the rough draft. The dreams at the end of the rough draft skip from dream #1 to dream #3 to dream #6, followed by #7. Why are dreams 2, 4, & 5 not there? I’m not sure. Looking at page breaks surrounding where dream #2 should be, it’s possible that the pages are simply missing. And indeed, the rough draft really seems to be a compilation of multiple drafts, and there are many parts not found in the rough that appear in the fair copy. Or, like dreams 4 & 5, it could be that Lucy just didn’t have them written down at all at this time. The extant fair copy may provide some clues as to why dreams 4 & 5 were not included in the rough draft — all Lucy mentions is that “he [Joseph Sr.] had two others, but I cannot rem[em]ber them distinctly enough to rehearse them.” Perhaps no mention is made of dream 4 & 5 in the rough draft for the same reason — she couldn’t remember them. Perhaps Lucy also had trouble recalling dream 2 when the rough draft was created. Yet, in the fair copy, dream 2 is included with immense detail, paralleling the Book of Mormon. If, like dreams 4 and 5, Lucy couldn’t remember dream 2 for the rough draft, that would certainly call into question her suddenly detailed recollection that appears in the fair copy and published edition. Of course, this is all speculation and may be totally off-base. Just a few of my thoughts.
-If you happen to have a copy of this book, here’s where Joseph Sr.’s 7 dreams show up (based on whatever edition I own):
Pg. 47
Pg. 48 (the one this episode talks about)
Pg. 64
Pg. 65 (Lucy can’t remember this one)
Pg. 65 (Lucy can’t remember this one)
Pg. 66
Pg. 68
-Option 4, which I didn’t include in this video because I don’t think it’s a very popular interpretation, is that the Book of Mormon is true but that Joseph Sr.’s dream did influence Joseph Jr.’s translation of the plates in this section, thus rendering Lehi’s dream as not an entirely literal recounting of what Lehi dreamed. I don’t subscribe to this idea, but I thought I’d at least mention it here.
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