Priesthood (Latter Day Saints)

Based on Wikipedia: Priesthood (Latter Day Saints)

In the Latter Day Saint movement, the concept of priesthood is not merely a title or a clerical rank; it is defined as the actual power and authority of God given to human beings. This authority is the mechanism by which believers perform sacred ordinances and exercise leadership within the church. When a group of individuals holds this power, they are organized into a structure known as a quorum. The term itself denotes a dual nature, encompassing both the raw capacity to act and the legitimate right to do so. It includes the very power Jesus bestowed upon the Twelve Apostles, the ability to cast out devils and heal the sick as recorded in Luke 9:1. Latter-day Saints maintain that the biblical miracles performed by prophets and apostles were not acts of personal magic but were executed through the power of this priesthood. They believe Jesus Christ holds all the keys of this authority, serving as the ultimate source from which all such power flows.

Formally, this authority is known as the "Priesthood after the Order of the Son of God." However, out of a deep reverence for the Supreme Being and a desire to avoid the frequent repetition of His name, it is almost universally referred to as the Melchizedek priesthood. This name honors Melchizedek, the ancient high priest to whom the patriarch Abraham paid tithes. As an authority, it legitimizes the bearer to perform ecclesiastical acts in the name of God. A core tenet of Latter-day Saint theology is that these acts, particularly ordinances performed by one holding this authority, are recognized by God. They are binding not only on earth but also in heaven and throughout the afterlife. This authority is the foundational bedrock that validates leadership positions within the church hierarchy.

The landscape of who may hold this power has evolved and diverged across the various denominations of the movement. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), the largest body in the movement, restricts the priesthood to men. This restriction is shared by most other Latter Day Saint denominations. However, a significant exception exists within the Community of Christ, the second-largest denomination. In a historic shift that began in 1984, the Community of Christ started ordaining women to all its priesthood offices, marking a profound theological and structural divergence from the mainstream LDS tradition.

The Architecture of Authority

Latter Day Saint theology recognizes at least three distinct orders of priesthood: the Aaronic priesthood, the Melchizedek priesthood, and the Patriarchal priesthood. While these are categorized as different orders, they are, in reality, all subsumed under the singular priesthood held by Jesus, which is the Melchizedek priesthood. The hierarchy is often visualized as a progression, with the Aaronic priesthood considered a "lesser" priesthood tracing its roots to Aaron, the brother of Moses. This order is said to derive from the original holy priesthood received by Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery on May 15, 1829. According to church history, the two men were ordained by an angel who identified himself as John the Baptist. By 1835, Smith and Cowdery clarified that this specific authority was the "Aaronic, or Levitical priesthood."

The emergence of the higher priesthood occurred shortly after. By early 1831, the theology of the movement had expanded to recognize a high priesthood. This office had been foreshadowed in the Book of Mormon, which described men holding the unique position of high priest and speaking of the "high priesthood of the holy order of God" (Alma 4:20, Alma 13:8). Yet, the office was not immediately implemented in the early church structure. Its arrival was catalyzed by the arrival of Sidney Rigdon, a newly converted Cambellite minister from Ohio who merged his congregation with Smith's Church of Christ. Rigdon, while believing the teachings of the early Mormon missionaries, felt they lacked a specific heavenly power necessary for the full restoration of the church. In response to Rigdon's concern, the church's first high priests were ordained at a special conference held in June 1831.

By 1835, the terminology solidified. Latter Day Saints began referring to this high priesthood as the Melchizedek priesthood, or the "Holy Priesthood, after the Order of the Son of God." The revelation naming this order explained that Melchizedek was "such a great high priest" that to avoid the too frequent repetition of the name of the Supreme Being, the priesthood was named after him. This distinction was heavily influenced by the Epistle to the Hebrews, which argues that Jesus arose "after the order of Melchizedec, and not ... after the order of Aaron" (Hebrews 7:11). For most of Joseph Smith's life, it was generally understood that there were only these two orders. However, a year before his death, on August 27, 1843, Smith introduced a third order: the Patriarchal priesthood.

Smith described this as one of the "3 grand orders of priesthood," placing it second in greatness, situated between the lower Aaronic and the higher Melchizedek. This order, Smith taught, included the "keys to endowment—tokens, etc.," the ability to "walk with God," and the authority of the "order of prayer." He asserted that this order was passed from father to son, held by Abraham and the biblical patriarchs. Despite Smith's specific mention of it as a distinct order, he provided little further information about its mechanics. Consequently, while Smith instituted the office of patriarch in the church, most modern Latter Day Saint denominations classify the Patriarchal priesthood as an office within the Melchizedek priesthood rather than a separate, distinct order.

The Mechanics of Calling

According to Latter Day Saint doctrine, the exercise of priesthood authority is not a matter of personal ambition or self-selection. To exercise this power, a person must meet three specific criteria: they must be called by God, they must be ordained or endowed with the authority, and they must receive the necessary priesthood keys. These keys are conferred either through ordination to a specific office or through delegation and setting apart by someone who already holds the appropriate keys.

The prerequisite for receiving the priesthood is the concept of being "called." When a person is called, it is viewed as their opportunity or destiny to hold the priesthood. This concept draws upon the scriptural adage found in Matthew 22:14: "Many are called but few are chosen." There is, however, a nuanced disagreement among the various Latter Day Saint sects regarding the precise manner by which a person is called. The scriptures present at least four possibilities for this calling:

1. Calling by prophecy 2. Calling through lineage 3. Calling by foreordination 4. Calling through faith and good works

These categories are not mutually exclusive. A calling through lineage or foreordination may be revealed by prophecy, and a person's faith and good works may serve as the identifying marks of one who was foreordained. Despite the existence of these multiple pathways, the most common and standard means by which a person is said to have been called to the priesthood is "by prophecy."

In his famous Wentworth letter, Joseph Smith articulated this standard clearly: "We believe that a man must be called of God, by prophecy, and by the laying on of hands, by one who is in authority... to preach the Gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof." This statement is also enshrined in the Fifth Article of Faith. In the early days of the church, many callings came as direct scriptural revelations received by Smith himself. Since Smith's death, the mechanism has shifted slightly in most denominations. A person is now considered to have been called by prophecy when someone within the church hierarchy, who holds the priesthood, is inspired by the Holy Spirit to confer the priesthood upon another.

The concept of lineage offers a different dimension to the calling. In some situations, Latter Day Saints believe a person may be called through their bloodline, granting them a legal right to a priesthood office by lineal succession. A revelation given to Smith states, "And if they be literal descendants of Aaron, they have a legal right to the bishopric, if they are the firstborn among the sons of Aaron." This lineage-based calling was further solidified for Smith himself. In a revelation, he was promised that his lineage would carry the priesthood: "Therefore, thus saith the Lord unto you, with whom the priesthood hath continued through the lineage of your fathers—For ye are lawful heirs, according to the flesh, and have been hid from the world with Christ in God—Therefore your life and the priesthood..."

This theological framework creates a system where authority is both divinely sourced and historically continuous. It is a power that is believed to bridge the gap between the mortal and the divine, allowing human hands to perform acts that have eternal consequences. The structure is rigid in its requirements but dynamic in its application, adapting to the needs of the church while maintaining a claim to ancient, apostolic origins. The distinction between the Aaronic and Melchizedek orders, the inclusion of the Patriarchal, and the specific mechanisms of calling all serve to construct a complex hierarchy that defines the spiritual and administrative life of the Latter Day Saint community.

The Human Dimension of Power

The concept of priesthood in the Latter Day Saint tradition is not abstract; it is deeply personal and practical. It dictates who can perform a baptism, who can officiate a marriage that is sealed for eternity, and who can lead a congregation in spiritual matters. For the men who hold this authority, it is a daily responsibility that shapes their identity and their role within the community. The restriction of this power to men in the largest denomination has been a source of intense debate and internal reflection, particularly as the broader culture has moved toward gender equality. The Community of Christ's decision in 1984 to ordain women stands as a testament to the evolving nature of religious authority and the ongoing struggle to interpret ancient texts in a modern context.

The history of the priesthood is also a history of conflict and reconciliation. The introduction of the high priesthood in 1831 was not merely a theological adjustment but a response to the human need for greater spiritual power, as felt by Sidney Rigdon and the early converts. The subsequent development of the Melchizedek priesthood and the eventual mention of the Patriarchal order reflect a church in flux, constantly seeking to restore what was lost and to expand the scope of divine authority. The story of Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery meeting with John the Baptist in 1829 is a foundational narrative, a moment where the human and the divine intersected to re-establish the power of God on the earth.

Yet, the weight of this authority is not without its burdens. The requirement to be "called" implies a sense of destiny that can be both empowering and overwhelming. For those called by lineage, the burden is inherited; for those called by prophecy, the burden is revealed. The interplay between these different modes of calling creates a rich tapestry of individual experiences within the church. Some feel a deep sense of rightness in their lineage, while others find their calling through a sudden, undeniable spiritual impression. The doctrine of foreordination adds another layer, suggesting that the call was made before the foundation of the world, a concept that can provide immense comfort or profound confusion depending on one's perspective.

The priesthood is also the mechanism through which the church's ordinances are made valid. In a world where many religious acts are seen as symbolic, Latter-day Saints believe that the priesthood makes these acts binding in heaven. This belief places a tremendous responsibility on the priesthood holder. A baptism performed without the proper authority is, in their view, ineffective. A marriage sealed without the keys of the priesthood is not eternal. This high stakes environment underscores the importance of the priesthood in the daily lives of believers. It is the key that unlocks the door to the afterlife, the instrument that connects the individual to God.

The evolution of the priesthood orders also reflects the church's attempt to make sense of its own history and its place in the biblical narrative. By linking the Melchizedek priesthood to the ancient priest Melchizedek and the Aaronic priesthood to the brother of Moses, the church roots itself in the deep history of the Judeo-Christian tradition. The distinction between the two orders, drawn from the Epistle to the Hebrews, allows for a nuanced understanding of spiritual authority. The lesser priesthood handles the temporal and preparatory work, while the higher priesthood manages the spiritual and eternal matters. This division of labor provides a clear structure for the organization of the church and the distribution of responsibilities.

Ultimately, the priesthood is the lifeblood of the Latter Day Saint movement. It is the source of its authority, the basis of its organization, and the means by which its most sacred rituals are performed. From the first ordination by John the Baptist to the modern ordinations in the Community of Christ, the story of the priesthood is the story of the church itself. It is a story of restoration, of authority, of lineage, and of the ongoing search for the power of God in the lives of human beings. Whether viewed as a divine mandate or a human construct, the priesthood remains the central pillar upon which the entire faith rests, shaping the lives of millions of people around the world.