Opening the Heavens: Accounts of Divine Manifestations, 1820-1844

"Opening the Heavens allows readers to decide for themselves about certain key events of the Restoration ... All the crucial documents are laid open for inspection with enough commentary to put them in context. For serious students of Latter-day Saint history, nothing could be more helpful—and inspiring."
—Richard Lyman Bushman

"The categorizing of a large number of primary sources makes it easy to analyze the particular events that are so crucial to an informed study of Mormon origins...For those who seek inspiration and for the historian, it is a valuable resource."
—Daniel P. Dwyer, Journal of Mormon History

"Included are chapters on the first vision, the book of Mormon, the restoration of the priesthood, visionary experiences, the restoration of temple keys and powers, and succession in the presidency. These are not matters of minor historical detail; they go rather to the very heart of the truth claims made by the church and therefore to its reason for being...Everyone with an interest in the origins of Mormonism, whether as a matter of faith or simply as an academic interest, should read this book."
—Kevin L. Barney, FARMS Review

Think what New Testament scholars would give to have access to a single letter that Mary wrote about the raising of Lazarus. We have many such documents that relate to the Restoration of the gospel in our dispensation. Opening the Heavens records hundreds of accounts of divine manifestations relating to the Restoration — events that strengthen our faith and expand our knowledge of Church History. Did you know for instance, that there are ten recorded accounts of the first vision from the lifetime of Joseph Smith? That there are seventy-one documents that deal directly with priesthood restoration? This volumes brings together, for the first time, all of the known documents from Joseph Smith's lifetime relating directly to key events of the Restoration that were accompanied by divine manifestations. These first hand accounts uniquely convey the spirit of these important occasions and provide precious details that help modern readers construct a vivid image of what transpired.

Contents
Introduction
• The First Vision
  The Earliest Documented Accounts of Joseph Smith's First Vision
  —Dean C. Jessee
  The Appearance of the Father and the Son to Joseph Smith in 1820
  —James B. Allen and John W. Welch
• The Coming Forth of the Book of Mormon
  The Miraculous Translation of the Book of Mormon
  —John W. Welch
• The Restoration of the Priesthood
  Seventy Contemporaneous Priesthood Restoration Documents
  &mdashBrian Q. Cannon and BYU Studies Staff
• Visions upon Visions
  Parting the Veil: Joseph Smith's Seventy-six Documented Visionary Experiences
  &mdashAlexander L. Baugh
• The Restoration of Temple Keys and Powers
  "A Pentecost and Endowment Indeed": Six Eyewitness Accounts of the Kirtland Temple Experience
  —Steven C. Harper
• The Succession in the Presidency
  The Mantle of the Prophet Joseph Passes to Brother Brigham: One Hundred Twenty-one Testimonies of a Collective Spiritual Witness
  —Lynne Watkins Jorgensen
• Other Documented Key Events
  Further Early Church Historical Documents Originally Published in BYU Studies
Historical Name Index