Isn't Joseph's Vision Similar to Paul's?

 
Do Paul's Accounts Differ Like Joseph's Accounts?
Sometimes when we examine the Bible we encounter what appears to be a direct contradiction in parallel accounts of the same event, and at first glance the contradiction appears to invalidate the reliability and truth of the scriptures. Let’s take a look at one such apparent contradiction that my Mormon friends sometimes refer to when they are challenged about Joseph Smith’s first vision accounts. There are over a half dozen differing accounts of Joseph’s first vision (which form the very foundation of his status as a prophet), and these differing accounts are indeed contradictory in nature (for more on this refer to THIS article). But when challenged on these contradictions, my Mormon friends will sometimes open their King James Version Bibles and point to the account of Paul’s vision on the road to Damascus, claiming that it has a similar contradiction. After all, if we can believe Paul with his differing accounts, why can’t we believe Joseph? Well, let’s take a look at the passage under question (in the King James Version) and examine the apparent problem. First let’s look at Luke’s description of the encounter Paul had with the risen Christ on the road to Damascus:

 
Acts 9:3-9 (KJV)
And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do. And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man. And Saul arose from the earth; and when his eyes were opened, he saw no man: but they led him by the hand, and brought him into Damascus. And he was three days without sight, and neither did eat nor drink.

 
OK, now let’s take a look at Paul’s description of the same event as he is describing it to the crowd in Jerusalem immediately following his arrest there in Acts Chapter 22:

 
Acts 22:3-9 (KJV)
I am verily a man which am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, and was zealous toward God, as ye all are this day. And I persecuted this way unto the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women. As also the high priest doth bear me witness, and all the estate of the elders: from whom also I received letters unto the brethren, and went to Damascus, to bring them which were there bound unto Jerusalem, for to be punished. And it came to pass, that, as I made my journey, and was come nigh unto Damascus about noon, suddenly there shone from heaven a great light round about me. And I fell unto the ground, and heard a voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest. And they that were with me saw indeed the light, and were afraid; but they heard not the voice of him that spake to me.

 
Words Matter
OK, reading these two passages in the KJV, it is clear that there is a contradiction, right? Chapter 9 says that the “the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man”, while chapter 22 says that “they that were with me saw indeed the light, and were afraid; but they heard not the voice of him that spake to me.” So, did these eyewitnesses of the event hear the words of Jesus or not? Did they see Jesus or not? Why are these two accounts, written by the very same author, contradictory? Well, the key lies not in what Luke wrote, but in how we are reading what Luke wrote. We need to go back to the native language of the manuscript, Greek. Let’s look at the key words in the passage, and examine the variety of ways these Greek terms are used to express slightly different meanings:

 
The Greek Word for HEAR is “akouo” (ak-oo'-o)
This is a primary verb, meaning either “to hear” or to “understand”! For example, “I hear what you are saying” can mean “I hear your voice” or “I understand what you are saying”

The Greek Word for SEEING is “theoreo” (theh-o-reh'-o)
This word means either “to be a spectator of” (to behold) or to “discern” experientially (to perceive). For example, “I see” means either “I am able to see with my eyes” or “I understand”

The Greek word for VOICE is “phone” (fo-nay')
This word means either a “tone” (articulate, bestial or artificial in nature) or a “form of language” (like words). For example, musical instruments are said to have a particular “voice” (meaning ‘tone’) and we can give “voice” (meaning words) to our ideas.

 
Understanding the Broader Meanings
The Greek language is much like ours in that a single word can be used to describe a number of different meanings. That is exactly the case with three key words being used in these two passages. If we use only a singular meaning for each word, we arrive at what appears to be a contradiction. But if we look at the broader meaning of each term, we come to a completely different reading that reconciles the problem.

The first passage simply records the fact that eyewitnesses of the vision “HEARD” (akouo) a “SOUND” (phone). The second passage confirms the fact that they were unable to “UNDERSTAND” (akouo) the “WORDS” (phone). Both passages also agree that the eyewitnesses BEHELD (theoreo) something that they were unable to DISCERN (theoreo) with their eyes. Do you see the rich complexity of the Greek language in use here? The same words are being used in the two passages to describe two different concepts. Unfortunately, early English translations don’t capture the subtleties of the Greek language, as research into word usage has grown dramatically over the years. That’s why later translations have already corrected the readings. Take a look at the New International Version for example:

 
Acts 9:7
The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone.

Acts 22:8-9
My companions saw the light, but they did not understand the voice of him who was speaking to me.

 
The contradiction is resolved not because we have twisted the original language, but because we have come to understand it far better than the original translators of the KJV translation. That’s why this apparent contradiction does not exist in ANY modern translation of the two passages. And this makes sense, if you really think about it, because Luke is the author of both passages, and we would have to argue that he is unable to harmonize his own accounts of the vision within the SAME document if we were to believe that there really was a contradiction in the first place!

Do Luke’s Accounts Line Up?
Finally, let’s take a quick look at what is consistent with all accounts of this first vision (which can be found in Acts chapter 9, 22 and 26). We often talk about the fact that Joseph Smith’s accounts of his first vision vary on three fronts: (1) What his motivation was at the time of the vision, (2) How old he was and where the vision occurred, and (3) Exactly who appeared to him in the vision. These are three significant areas of contradiction. Is there anything similarly contradictory in Paul’s accounts of his first vision of Jesus? No:

 
What Was Paul’s Motivation at the Time of the Vision?
All three accounts agree that Paul had been a persecutor of the early Christians.

 
Acts 9:1-2
And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.

Acts 22:4
And I persecuted this way unto the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women.

Acts 26:10-11
and many of the saints did I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I gave my voice against them. And I punished them oft in every synagogue, and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted them even unto strange cities.

 
Where Was Paul?
All three accounts agree that Paul was on the road to Damascus

  
Acts 9:3
And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven

Acts 22:6
And it came to pass, that, as I made my journey, and was come nigh unto Damascus about noon, suddenly there shone from heaven a great light round about me.

Acts 26:12-13
Whereupon as I went to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests, At midday, O king, I saw in the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me and them which journeyed with me.

  
Who Appeared to Paul?
All three accounts agree that Paul saw the Risen Christ

 
Acts 9:5
And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.

Acts 22:8
And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest.

Acts 26:15
And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest.

 
Grounded in History
It’s comforting to know that our faith is grounded in a document that has historical and linguistic roots that we can still study with vigor and accuracy. But it is true that we need to study the Bible diligently or be at the mercy of those who would tell us that it is unreliable, or that it says something that it clearly does not say. The first vision account of Paul, unlike that of Joseph Smith, is ground in a true historical event that can be described repeatedly without contradiction.