Latter-day Saints believe that the lower, or Aaronic, priesthood was restored to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery by the resurrected John the Baptist on May 15, 1829. The higher, or Melchizedek, priesthood was restored to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery soon after that by the ancient apostles Peter, James, and John. Many critics, on the other hand, believe Joseph made these angelic experiences up in order to lend credibility to his claims of authority. So… what’s the deal? Let’s talk about it.
Video transcript: [ Ссылка ]
— “Priesthood Restoration Documents,” by Brian Q. Cannon (BYU Studies): [ Ссылка ]
— “Priesthood Restoration,” via the Joseph Smith Papers: [ Ссылка ]
— “Restoration of the Priesthood,” via the Church’s website: [ Ссылка ]
— “Oliver Cowdery as Second Witness of Priesthood Restoration,” by Steven C. Harper (BYU RSC): [ Ссылка ]
— Podcast recommendation: “The Priesthood Restored: A Joseph Smith Papers Podcast,” produced by the Church (specifically, check out episodes 2 & 3): [ Ссылка ]
— Recommended reading: “A Reason for Faith,” by Laura Harris Hales (editor), specifically chapter 6, “The Restoration of the Priesthood,” by Ronald O. Barney.
— “Minutes, circa 3–4 June 1831,” via Joseph Smith Papers: [ Ссылка ]
— “The CES Letter, a Closer Look: Priesthood Restoration Intro Quote,” [ Ссылка ]
— “LDS Truth Claims 33: Criticism from 1st Vision and Priesthood Restoration” via LDS Truth Claims on YouTube: [ Ссылка ]
— “Defending the Authenticity of Priesthood Restoration,” via Latter-day Saint Q & A on YouTube: [ Ссылка ]
— Doctrine and Covenants Section 13: [ Ссылка ]
— Doctrine and Covenants Section 27: [ Ссылка ]
— Doctrine and Covenants Section 128: [ Ссылка ]
Notes:
— Regarding the Lyman Wight ordination issue, it may also be worth mentioning that there is precedent for other ordinances also being performed twice. For example, many Latter-day Saints were baptized more than once. Was it necessary? Maybe not, but it was meaningful to them. Perhaps Lyman’s ordination of Joseph was unnecessary, but worked as a way of more formally involving church members in the process. It’s also important to note that the policies, divisions, offices, and responsibilities of the priesthood were not fully hammered out and established at this time (the 1831 conference). The organization of the priesthood was established line upon line, over time. We need to beware of presentism.
— Interestingly, the first detailed description we have of the visit of Peter, James, and John, comes from Oliver (in 1834) — not Joseph.
— In the same document that David Whitmer expresses doubt over the visit of John the Baptist, he also affirms the reality of priesthood authority. He believed priesthood authority was real — there was just some confusion about the details of how the Aaronic priesthood was restored. It’s interesting that he felt this angelic visitation was a “misconception,” though, considering the fact that it was published in the 1835 Doctrine and Covenants, years before David separated from the Church.
SUBSCRIBE:
[ Ссылка ]
Follow Us:
Facebook: [ Ссылка ]
Instagram: [ Ссылка ]
Website: [ Ссылка ]
Follow the Hosts:
David: [ Ссылка ]
Allex: [ Ссылка ]
Kaitlyn: [ Ссылка ]
Sabrina: [ Ссылка ]
Cam: [ Ссылка ]
Lauren: [ Ссылка ]
Wilson: [ Ссылка ]
Brett: [ Ссылка ]
