Quote
It was while translating the Book of Mormon that Joseph Smith and his scribe continued to encounter references to baptism and other ordinances (sacraments), as well as the need for proper authority to perform the same. Feeling the need to inquire of God on the matter, they knelt in prayer on May 15, 1829, on the banks of the Susquehanna River near Harmony, Pennsylvania. According to Joseph, an angel who called himself John, known in the New Testament as John the Baptist: the one who had prepared the way for and baptized Jesus), appeared, laid his hands upon their heads, and ordained them to what Joseph Smith called the Aaronic Priesthood. The Aaronic Priesthood, known also as the Lesser Priesthood or the Preparatory Priesthood, contained the power to teach and preach, to call to repentance, to baptize, and to ordain others to the same authority. John explained 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.” (Pearl of Great Price, Joseph Smith—History 1:72.) Joseph Smith stated that within weeks the three ancient apostles did in fact appear and bestow the higher or Melchizedek Priesthood. This authority contained the power to confirm individuals members of the Church after water baptism and confer the gift of the Holy Ghost. In addition, Joseph taught that the power he received from Peter, James, and John included the holy apostleship, the same authority given by Jesus anciently to bind and seal on earth and in heaven. (See Matt. 16:16-19; 18:18.)Share
Sign In to comment on this quote
