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74-529: (Redirected from Levitical Priesthood ) Levitical priesthood may refer to: Aaronic priesthood (Latter Day Saints) , an order of priesthood in Latter Day Saint movement churches Kohen , the priestly families in Judaism Levite , a male of the tribe of Levi See also [ edit ] Aaronic priesthood (disambiguation) Topics referred to by

148-518: A quorum , each being led by a president and counselors. The president of the priests quorum is the bishop or branch president. Each ward has one or more quorums of each office of the priesthood if there are young men of the appropriate age group. The church-wide titular head of the Aaronic priesthood is the Presiding Bishop . However, because the Aaronic priesthood is composed primarily of the youth of

222-530: A formal church organization. Nevertheless, this community of believers referred to themselves as "the Church of Christ", and included converts in three New York towns: Fayette , Manchester , and Colesville . In June 1829, Smith dictated a revelation stating that "in [the Book of Mormon] are all things written, concerning my church, my gospel, and my rock. Wherefore if you shall build up my church, and my gospel, and my rock,

296-534: A headnote to the earliest known version of chapter XXII of the Book of Commandments says that the revelation was dictated in Fayette on April 6, 1830, after the church was organized. This was changed to "Manchester" when the book was published in 1833. Officially, the major denominations of the Latter Day Saint movement claim Fayette as the birthplace of the religion, and Smith's official history, begun in 1838, listed Fayette as

370-521: A hyphen. After Smith's death, competing Latter Day Saint denominations organized under the leadership of a number of successors. The largest of these, led by Brigham Young and now based in Salt Lake City, Utah , continued using "Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints" until incorporating in 1851, when the church standardized the spelling of its name as " The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints " (LDS Church). Followers of James J. Strang use

444-582: A job normally reserved for bishops . The church leadership would hold drives to ensure that positions were filled not as a need of the members to hold the priesthood, but as a need of the church to have the necessary males to accomplish the needed tasks. By 1855, the Endowment House in Salt Lake City was completed and church leaders called for it to be busy in granting endowments to men and women. Each ward had quotas to fill in completing endowments, and

518-419: A man to be a Deacon, to assist me in my calling, unless he has a family." It is not the business of an ignorant young man, of no experience in family matters, to inquire into the circumstances of families, and know the wants of every person. Some may want medicine and nourishment and be looked after, and it is not the business of boys to do this, but select a man who has got a family to be a Deacon. The 1870s saw

592-553: A married couple in a dispute, settled neighborly disputes over cattle, and dealt with "lying and extortion." Adult deacons assisted priests and teachers in maintaining the houses of worship, seating people, making wine for the sacrament, and getting a license so that they could preach in homes. In 1833, plans for the Kirtland Temple included four rows for the presidencies of the Aaronic priesthood; these clearly were intended for adults and not youth. In Nauvoo between 1839 and 1846,

666-408: A president of a deacons quorum can preside over 12 deacons. As a result, in some large wards, there may be two or more quorums of deacons. From the members of each deacon's quorum, a president, first counselor, second counselor, and secretary may be called and set apart by the bishopric. The president and his two counselors constitute the deacon's quorum presidency. The president of the deacons quorum

740-407: A president, first counselor, and second counselor, is called from members of the quorum by the bishopric and set apart to serve as the presidency of the teachers quorum. The president of the teachers quorum is given priesthood keys by the laying on of hands by the bishop to preside over the members of his quorum. A secretary to the presidency may also be called from the quorum membership. The members of

814-409: A reversal of the trend of less youth being ordained. Circumstances at the time dictated a change. First, the youth of the Salt Lake City, Provo , and St. George areas were misbehaving in ever-increasing numbers with ever-worsening acts. Some complaints from the era were as follows: "rowdyism is rampant"; "crowds of uncouth boys loitering around the stores halloing in the streets, and breaking horses on

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888-528: Is called. Church of Christ (Latter Day Saints) The Church of Christ was the original name of the Latter Day Saint church founded by Joseph Smith . Organized informally in 1829 in upstate New York and then formally on April 6, 1830, it was the first organization to implement the principles found in Smith's newly published Book of Mormon , and thus its establishment represents the formal beginning of

962-401: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Aaronic priesthood (Latter Day Saints) In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) today, the holders of the Aaronic priesthood are primarily young men ages 11 to 18 and recent adult male converts to the church. The general leadership of the Aaronic priesthood, called

1036-493: Is given priesthood keys by the laying on of hands by the bishop to preside over the members of his quorum. The members of the deacons quorum presidency and the secretary may not be set apart until after they have been accepted by the common consent of the members of the quorum. The duties of a deacon are to assist the teachers in taking care of the temporal needs of the church, and "to warn, expound, exhort, and teach, and invite all to come unto Christ". In modern practice, one of

1110-492: Is open only to men and boys, twelve years old or older, who are considered worthy after a personal interview with their bishop. Requirements for worthiness include abstaining from all extra-marital sexual practices , following the Word of Wisdom , payment of tithes , and attending church services. With the exception of bishop, the offices of the Aaronic priesthood are organized primarily by age, and an adolescent boy will be ordained to

1184-628: Is uncertain whether this occurred in the home of Peter Whitmer Sr. in Fayette, New York , or whether it occurred in the log home of Joseph Smith Sr. near their property in Manchester, New York . Soon after this formal organization, small branches were formally established in Manchester, Fayette , and Colesville . Although the purpose was to effect a legal organization, it may have had no legal effect since no records of incorporation have been found in either

1258-456: Is very hard to get the older men to act as Teachers, but the young men come forward and are willing to take their parts and therefore we have to appoint young men where older ones should be." By the time of Young's death, he had taken the position that all boys needed some priesthood experience and that they should receive the Aaronic priesthood before reaching adulthood. In the LDS Church today,

1332-579: The 1st-century early Christian church , which Smith claimed had fallen from God's favor and authority because of what he called a " Great Apostasy ". After Smith's death in 1844, there was a crisis of authority , with the majority of the members following Brigham Young to the Salt Lake Valley , but with several smaller denominations remaining in Illinois or settling in Missouri and in other states. Each of

1406-512: The Latter Day Saint movement . Later names for this organization included the Church of the Latter Day Saints (by 1834 resolution), the Church of Jesus Christ , the Church of God , the Church of Christ of Latter Day Saints , and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (by an 1838 revelation ). Smith and his associates asserted that the Church of Christ was a restoration of

1480-522: The Presiding Bishopric , are administrative and financial agents of the church. Local leaders of the Aaronic priesthood are adult male bishops , who serve as pastoral leaders of individual congregations. Aaronic priesthood holders generally prepare, bless, and administer the sacrament , collect fast offerings , perform church and community service, assist in ministering , and occasionally perform baptisms . In their priesthood activities, holders of

1554-519: The "Latter Days" of the world, that is, the time immediately prior to the Second Coming of Jesus . The fact that a number of the churches of the Restoration Movement were also named the " Church of Christ " caused a considerable degree of confusion in the first years of the Latter Day Saint movement. Because of the distinct belief in the Book of Mormon among Smith's followers, people outside

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1628-570: The "church of God, or the church of Christ". The book described the clergy in Alma's church as consisting of priests, who were unpaid and were to "preach nothing save it were repentance and faith in the Lord". Alma later established many churches (or congregations), which were considered "one church" because "there was nothing preached in all the churches except it were repentance and faith in God." In addition to priests,

1702-526: The Aaronic priesthood are also supported by the church's Young Men organization . Latter Day Saints believe that John the Baptist conferred the Aaronic priesthood directly upon Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery on May 15, 1829. Smith relates the conferral of the Aaronic priesthood in Joseph Smith–History as follows: [W]e ... went into the woods to pray and inquire of the Lord respecting baptism for

1776-531: The Aaronic priesthood before receiving the Melchizedek priesthood, so the recruiting by the higher priesthood included the unordained as well. Presiding Bishop Edward Hunter and Brigham Young both lamented over the rush to ordain men to be high priests or seventies and the subsequent difficulty in keeping the Aaronic priesthood ranks filled. As examples, in 1857, Francis M. Lyman and Rudger Clawson were both ordained as elders at age 16; Clarence Merrill

1850-450: The Aaronic priesthood has taken on a role as a source of training, leadership, and service for adolescent boys and new converts. It is often called a "preparatory priesthood." Holders of the Aaronic priesthood whom the church considers worthy are ordained to an office in the Melchizedek priesthood as a matter of course around the age of 18. Recently baptized men ages 18 and older are ordained elders after they have: The Aaronic priesthood

1924-471: The Aaronic priesthood, entailed visiting from between eight and 20 families monthly, quarterly, or whenever possible. They also continued to be peacemakers and occasionally would judge wrongdoers. Hunter is quoted as saying, "The order of the church is to call in the labors of the teachers & if they cannot reconcile the parties it cannot be done." Youth began to be ordained to the Aaronic priesthood and in 1854 one ward reported that "the principal portion of

1998-731: The Book of Mormon also stated that there were "two churches only; the one is the church of the Lamb of God, and the other is the church of the devil". Also in May 1829, Smith and Oliver Cowdery said they were visited by John the Baptist in angelic form, who conferred the Aaronic priesthood on them, which included the authority to baptize in Jesus Christ's name. Smith and Cowdery then baptized each other by immersion. They also baptized dozens of people, as early as June 1829. These converts, however, did not belong to

2072-629: The Church of Christ, the LDS Church, accepts Fayette as the official location of the organizing meeting. By later accounts, the April 6 organizational meeting was a charismatic event, in which members of the congregation had visions, prophesied , spoke in tongues , ecstatically shouted praises to the Lord, and fainted. At this meeting, the church formally ordained a lay ministry, with the priesthood offices of deacon , teacher , priest , and elder . Smith and Cowdery, according to their 1831 account, were each ordained as "an apostle of Jesus Christ, an elder of

2146-523: The Elijah Message all claim to have been organized by Smith on April 6, 1830, the date on which the Church of Christ was organized. Other denominations, such as The Church of Jesus Christ (Bickertonite), acknowledge that their organizations were created after this date, but nevertheless claim to be a re-establishment of the original church. In an 1880 lawsuit , an Ohio court held that the RLDS Church

2220-454: The God of our salvation." From the start of the Church of Christ , the first members of the Aaronic priesthood were mostly adults. Early priests included Joseph Smith Sr. (59), Martin Harris (47), and two 30-year-old members: Hyrum Smith and Newel Knight . Teachers were Hezekiah Peck (49), Christian Whitmer (32), Hiram Page (30), and William Smith (20). Among the early deacons in

2294-458: The Holy Ghost fell upon him, and he stood up and prophesied many things which should shortly come to pass. And again, so soon as I had been baptized by him, I also had the spirit of prophecy, when, standing up, I prophesied concerning the rise of this Church, and many other things connected with the Church, and this generation of the children of men. We were filled with the Holy Ghost, and rejoiced in

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2368-613: The Manchester–Palmyra area, the Fayette area, or in several other counties around this time period, as required by state law at the time: the church evidently did not follow the required legal formalities. Prior to 1834, all church publications and documents stated that the church was organized in the Smith log home in Manchester, New York . The first Smith log home was located on the Samuel Jennings property in Palmyra, just north of

2442-404: The Melchizedek priesthood as "acting" teachers, priests, and deacons. Some bishops would ordain a few mature youth as teachers to accompany the "acting" teachers and learn the tasks. Whitney's successor, Edward Hunter, continued this practice of ordaining seventies and high priests as "acting" teachers, deacons, and priests. During the 19th century, home visits, which remained the paramount task of

2516-546: The Sabbath"; "uncouth and ill manners in refusing half the road on meeting teams"; "using pencils on walls and nails on the rails of the bannisters"; "strip[ping] of his clothes" (in reference to a mentally handicapped boy); "intoxicated and using the vilest language"; "a gang" spitting "tobacco juice on the floor". The church felt that it could help with such behavior, first by creating the auxiliary organizations for young women in 1869, young men in 1875, and Primary in 1878 for

2590-435: The Smith and Whitmer families, such as Porter Rockwell . Smith's revelations authorized and commanded the organization of the "Church of Christ" in 1830, and in several of the revelations Smith said he received, God referred to the church by that name. Smith taught that this church was a restoration of the primitive Christian church established by Jesus in the 1st century AD. Smith also taught that this restoration occurred in

2664-477: The average age of the priests was 29; however, there were four teenagers between 17 and 19. (This practice with respect to age continued on in the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints .) After the succession crisis which followed Smith's death, between the years 1846 and 1877, changes started to occur as the members of the LDS Church moved west to Salt Lake City . Wards were created as

2738-402: The bishop or one of his counselors, and the proposed ordination must be accepted by common consent by the members of the ward. With the bishop's approval, a person who holds the office of priest or a holder of the Melchizedek priesthood is able to perform the ordination of a deacon by the laying on of hands . Deacons in a ward are organized in quorums. The Doctrine and Covenants states that

2812-416: The book mentions that the clergy of these churches also included teachers. Nevertheless, in May 1829, a revelation by Smith described the "church" in informal terms: "Behold, this is my doctrine: whosoever repenteth and cometh unto me, the same is my church: whosoever declareth more or less than this, the same is not of me, but is against me: therefore, he is not of my church." Smith's further dictation of

2886-424: The church began to refer them as "Mormonites" or " Mormons ." Smith and other church elders considered the name "Mormon" derogatory. In May 1834, the church adopted a resolution that the church would be known thereafter as "The Church of the Latter Day Saints". At various times the church was also referred to as "The Church of Jesus Christ", "The Church of God", and "The Church of Christ of Latter Day Saints". In

2960-470: The church were Titus Billings (38). There were some youth that were ordained to the Aaronic priesthood, including William F. Cahoon (17), Don Carlos Smith (14), and Erastus (15) and James Snow (17). In these early years, the holders of the priesthood had adult duties thrust upon them. For instance, in the Missouri Stake , the teachers quorum dealt with helping a brother quit tobacco , worked with

3034-568: The church". This account was edited in 1835 to state that Smith was ordained the "First Elder", and Oliver Cowdery was ordained the "Second Elder". According to the LDS Church, the first six members of the Church of Christ were: Early membership also included the Three Witnesses and the Eight Witnesses to the Book of Mormon and members of the extended Whitmer and Smith families . Other early members included friends and acquaintances of

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3108-564: The church, the presidency of the Young Men organization supervises much of the church-wide organization involving the Aaronic priesthood. Holders of the Aaronic priesthood meet at the ward or branch where the priesthood holder lives. Young men who do not hold the office of the priesthood of the age group associated with each quorum are still invited and encouraged to attend with the quorum of their age group. However, priesthood duties can only be performed by those who are ordained . (Offices of

3182-405: The churches that resulted from this schism considers itself to be the rightful continuation of Smith's original "Church of Christ", regardless of the name they may currently bear ( The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), Community of Christ , The Church of Jesus Christ (Bickertonite) , Church of Christ (Temple Lot) , etc.). This church is unrelated to other bodies bearing

3256-548: The course of this dictation, the outlines for a community of believers or church structure gradually became apparent. Such a structure would have authority from God, ordinances such as baptism , and ordained clergy . Some time in April 1829, Smith dictated a story of Alma the Elder , the former priest of a wicked king, who baptized his followers by immersion, "having authority from the Almighty God", and called his community of believers

3330-423: The deacons' primary duties is to pass the sacrament to the members of the congregation during sacrament meeting . Deacons also may receive fast offerings from the members of their ward on fast Sunday . A deacon may often sit beside the bishopric during sacrament meeting to act as a messenger or assistant to the bishop. An adult advisor may be called to assist the deacon's quorum. Sometimes an assistant advisor

3404-416: The determining factor in the church ordaining youth. Young instructed Hunter in 1873 that each stake should have a full quorum of priests, teachers, and deacons; however, Hunter complained that he could not find willing men to fill these positions. One bishop noted, "It is a difficult task to find a sufficient quantity of efficient teachers. I have thought of calling upon some of the boys." Another stated, "It

3478-453: The duties of a deacon. Teachers are also typically paired with an adult male (often their father) to perform ministering . An adult teachers quorum adviser may be called to assist the teachers. Sometimes an assistant adviser is also called. After an interview with the bishop, teachers who are deemed worthy are ordained to the office of priest at the beginning of the year in which they turn 16 years of age, whereupon they will become members of

3552-411: The endowment pertaining to the Aaronic priesthood first before their missions. This would have allowed Aaronic priesthood holders to have served as missionaries ; however, this idea was never implemented. Melchizedek priesthood quorums also engaged in recruiting members from the Aaronic priesthood, which further depleted the ranks of the lesser priesthood. Unlike today, it was not a requirement to hold

3626-480: The founding place. In 1887, one other eye-witness, David Whitmer , recollected that the event occurred in his father's home in Fayette; however, years earlier, in 1875, Whitmer had already told a reporter that the event occurred in Manchester. Marquardt argues that the event described by Whitmer in 1887 bears more resemblance to Fayette meetings such as the founding of the church's Fayette branch five days later on April 11, 1830. The largest successor organization to

3700-407: The gates of hell shall not prevail against you." Some time between June and December 1829, Cowdery said he received a revelation about "how he should build up his church & the manner thereof". This revelation was called the " Articles of the Church of Christ ", and it indicated that the church should ordain priests and teachers "according to the gifts & callings of God unto men". The church

3774-667: The gospel of repentance, and of baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; and this shall never be taken again from the earth until the sons of Levi do offer again an offering unto the Lord in righteousness. He said this Aaronic Priesthood had not the power of laying on hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost, but that this should be conferred on us hereafter, and he commanded us to go and be baptized, and gave us directions that I should baptize Oliver Cowdery, and that afterward, he should baptize me. Accordingly, we went and were baptized. The messenger who visited us on this occasion and conferred this Priesthood upon us, said that his name

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3848-424: The larger Utah church, at the time in the midst of federal issues related to polygamy . In 2001, the RLDS Church changed its name again to " Community of Christ "—consciously echoing the original "Church of Christ" name. The Sidney Rigdon group dwindled until one of its elders, William Bickerton , reorganized in 1862 under the name " The Church of Jesus Christ ". Other Latter Day Saint denominations returned to

3922-479: The late 1830s, Smith and those loyal to him founded a new headquarters in Far West, Missouri . At Far West in 1838, Smith announced a revelation renaming the organization the "Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints". Up to the time of Smith's death , the church was known alternatively as the "Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints" or the "Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints", that is, with or without

3996-410: The meeting was in Manchester and several eyewitnesses said the event took place in Manchester. Independent researcher H. Michael Marquardt argues that the evidence suggests the organization occurred in Manchester, and that the confusion was likely due to the effect of memory tending to conflate memories of several meetings in Manchester and Fayette years earlier. Critics suggest that the location of

4070-400: The men that were sent to receive theirs were required to hold the Melchizedek priesthood. The average age of men who received the endowment at this time was 22; some were as young as 14. So many men were receiving the senior priesthood and their endowments that there were too few to fill the ranks of the junior priesthood. Brigham Young commented that perhaps men should receive the portion of

4144-422: The next office if found worthy upon reaching the appropriate age. Active Aaronic priesthood holders seldom delay ordination to another priesthood office. The conferral and ordination to an office in the Aaronic priesthood is performed by the laying on of hands by a priest or by those holding the Melchizedek priesthood. With the exception of bishop, Aaronic priesthood holders of the same office are organized into

4218-409: The organization was intentionally changed in 1834 around the same time the church's name was changed to the "Church of the Latter Day Saints", in order to make it seem like the new church organization was different from the "Church of Christ", as a tactic to frustrate the church's creditors and avoid payment of debts. There is also evidence pointing to Fayette as the place of organization. For example,

4292-542: The original name or a variation of the name, including the Church of Christ (Temple Lot) , the Church of Jesus Christ (Cutlerite) , and the now-extinct Church of Christ (Whitmerite) . Virtually every Latter Day Saint denomination claims to be the rightful successor to the original Church of Christ and claims Joseph Smith as its founding prophet or first president. For example, the LDS Church, Community of Christ, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Strangite), Church of Christ (Temple Lot), and Church of Christ with

4366-426: The priesthood have all the rights and responsibilities of their lower levels.) In the LDS Church, the teacher is the second of four offices in the Aaronic priesthood. Male members of the church are eligible to be ordained teachers at the beginning of the year in which they turn 14 years of age. Approval by the bishop and an interview with him or one of his counselors is required before ordination. Prior to ordination,

4440-432: The priests quorum. In the LDS Church, the deacon is the first of four offices of the Aaronic priesthood to which a male may be ordained. Male members of the church may become deacons at the beginning of the year in which they turn 12 years of age. A bishop may give approval for such members to receive the Aaronic priesthood and ordained to the office of deacon. Prior to ordination, the candidate must have an interview with

4514-409: The primary organizational unit of the church; however, the deacons, teachers, and priests were still stake-level positions. Adult men were still the major source for priests and teachers, as their duties entailed visiting ward members to check on spiritual well-being, settling disputes, collecting contributions, and helping those in need. Teachers occasionally would sit and judge in cases of wrongdoing,

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4588-495: The proposed ordination must also be accepted by common consent by the members of the ward. With the approval of the bishop, a priest or a holder of the Melchizedek priesthood may ordain a person to the office of teacher by the laying on of hands. As specified in the Doctrine and Covenants, a teachers quorum may not contain more than 24 members. As a result, in some larger wards there are two teacher quorums. A presidency, consisting of

4662-483: The remission of sins, that we found mentioned in the translation of the plates [Book of Mormon] .... While we were thus employed, praying and calling upon the Lord, a messenger from heaven descended in a cloud of light, and having laid his hands upon us, he ordained us, saying: Upon you my fellow servants, in the name of Messiah, I confer the Priesthood of Aaron, which holds the keys of the ministering of angels, and of

4736-670: The same name, including the United Church of Christ , a Reformed church body, and the Churches of Christ , who have roots in the Restoration movement . Today, there are several Latter Day Saint denominations called "Church of Christ", largely within the Hedrickite branch of the movement. The first Latter Day Saint references to the "church of Christ" are found in passages of the Book of Mormon that Smith dictated from April to June 1829. During

4810-437: The same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Levitical priesthood . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Levitical_priesthood&oldid=1195557194 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description

4884-497: The spelling of the public domain name, " Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints ", as the name of their church. The name "Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints" was also used by members who recognized Smith's son, Joseph Smith III , as his father's successor. The younger Smith became prophet-president of this group on April 6, 1860. However, the church incorporated in 1872 as the "Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints" (RLDS Church), to distinguish it from

4958-453: The teachers quorum presidency and the secretary may not be set apart until after they have been accepted by the common consent of the members of the quorum. The duties of a teacher are to assist the priests in taking care of the temporal needs of the church, and "to warn, expound, exhort, and teach, and invite all to come unto Christ". Teachers are permitted to assist in preparing the sacrament, usher during sacrament meeting, and perform all

5032-493: The town's southern border and subsequent the Smith Manchester property. The Smiths may have constructed a second log home on their own property. Beginning in 1834, several church publications began to give the location of the organizational meeting as Fayette, at the home of Peter Whitmer Sr. The Whitmer home had been the site of many other meetings near the same time period. After 1834, several official church accounts said

5106-736: The young men had been ordained to the lesser priesthood." Possibly the youngest holders of the lesser priesthood were George J. Hunt, who was ordained a priest at age nine, and Solomon W. Harris, baptized and then ordained as a deacon at age eight. However, by the mid-1850s leaders were warning against ordaining unmarried men, and in the October 1856 general conference Young expressed disapproval regarding inexperienced "young men" being ordained: When you have got your Bishop, he needs assistants, and he ordains Counsellors, Priests, Teachers, and Deacons, and calls them to help him; and he wishes men of his own heart and hand to do this. Says he, "I dare not even call

5180-410: The younger children. This also led to a modest effort to recruit the young men into the Aaronic priesthood. Salt Lake Stake President Angus M. Cannon directed bishops "to draw the young men into positions in the Priesthood and thus an excellent experience, and, at the same time, preserve them from evil associations." However, the lack of adult men willing to serve in Aaronic priesthood was ultimately

5254-599: Was John, the same that is called John the Baptist in the New Testament, and that he acted under the direction of Peter, James and John, who held the keys of the Priesthood of Melchizedek, which Priesthood, he said, would in due time be conferred on us, and that I should be called the first Elder of the Church, and he (Oliver Cowdery) the second. Immediately on our coming up out of the water after we had been baptized, we experienced great and glorious blessings from our Heavenly Father. No sooner had I baptized Oliver Cowdery, than

5328-412: Was ordained as a seventy at age 16. In 1849, Young initiated an apprenticeship program whereby the holders of the Aaronic priesthood would take boys with them to teach them and give them experience. No age limits were specified. This helped to temporarily alleviate the problem arising from the dearth of Aaronic priesthood holders. By 1852, church leaders were instructing bishops to set apart members of

5402-419: Was the lawful successor to Smith's original Church of Christ. The court also explicitly held that the LDS Church was not the lawful successor because it "has materially and largely departed from the faith, doctrines, law, ordinances and usages of the said original Church". These holdings were preliminary findings of fact based on the RLDS Church's unopposed legal submissions; the court issued no final judgment on

5476-418: Was to meet regularly to partake of bread and wine . Cowdery was described as "an Apostle of Jesus Christ". According to David Whitmer , by April 1830, this informal "Church of Christ" had about six elders and 70 members. On April 6, 1830, Joseph Smith , Oliver Cowdery , and a group of approximately 30 believers met with the intention of formally organizing the Church of Christ into a legal institution. It

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