The Holy Priesthood: Order, Authority, and Divine Progression

Course Logistics and Reminders

• Audio Absence Apology: The instructor apologized for the lack of audio in the previous week's material, citing conference presentations and a busy schedule. Audio will be available for next week's content.
• Proposal Status: Proposals should have been submitted. There's a $99.9\%$ chance of approval, with only two out of thousands not initially approved, which were subsequently changed and approved. Students are encouraged to move forward.
• Source Reading: Students should begin reading their own sources. The skill introduced this week will be applied to these personal sources, which will be used to build a post—a foundational element for the final project. Proactive work now means less to do at the end of the semester.
• Safeguarding Posts: Due to a lack of trust in Learning Suite's ability to reliably retain posts (citing Doctrine and Covenants $121$: "by sad experience, we have learned that it is the nature of almost all men… to always do something wrong"), students are advised to write their posts in an external program like Word and then post it, or copy and save it after posting. This ensures a personal record of all submissions.
• Grading: Anna (TA) will randomly select one week before and one week after the midterm to review student posts for correctness. Each selected post is worth $20$ points, totaling nearly $5\%$ of the overall grade. Students with questions should contact Anna.
• First Two Posts: The first two posts, which are not topic-specific, are not required to be saved.

The Priesthood: Core Concepts and Understanding

• Full Name: The actual, full name of the priesthood is "The Holy Priesthood After the Order of the Son of God." This name was changed to "Melchizedek" (after a great high priest and king) to avoid repeating the name of God too often, similar to how the "New and Everlasting Covenant" was later referred to as the "Abrahamic Covenant."
• Clarifying the "Priesthood" Term: A common misconception is to equate a man holding priesthood authority with "the priesthood" itself (e.g., "Priesthood brethren will bless the sacrament" vs. "Brethren who hold that authority and power will bless and pass the sacrament").
  • Principle: "Man does not equal priesthood." The priesthood is the power of God; individuals hold or exercise its authority/power. This clarification has been emphasized by President Oaks multiple times and taught to General Authorities.
  • Line Upon Line, Precept Upon Precept: Understanding of divine principles, including the priesthood, is revealed progressively. When studying history, it's crucial to discipline one's mind to understand what individuals like Joseph Smith knew at a specific moment in time, rather than imposing later or current understanding onto past events. (Example: D&C $6:128$ mentions other angelic visits Joseph experienced but did not fully record, illustrating this progressive understanding and record-keeping).
• Gravity Analogy: Understanding Effects vs. Whys: While we all believe in gravity and its predictable effects (e.g., jumping off a cliff, we will fall), even quantum physicists do not fully understand why gravity works. They can measure its precise effects across the universe but the underlying "why" remains elusive. Similarly, with spiritual concepts like the Atonement, individuals may not fully comprehend how it works, but they can experience and testify of its effects (e.g., repentance, comfort). This principle extends to all learning: some things we simply don't know completely, but that does not nullify the observed effects or require us to discard what we do know.
• Defining Priesthood Terms:
  • Priesthood: Fundamentally, it is the power and authority of God Himself, shared with mortals who make covenants with Him, beginning with Adam and Eve.
  • Authority of the Priesthood: The right to act in God's name, perform ordinances, ordain others, or serve in any office or calling.
  • Power of the Priesthood: The actual power of God, obtained through righteous covenant keeping.
  • Office of the Priesthood: A specific division of priesthood authority to perform particular responsibilities. Doctrine and Covenants $107:5$ states that "all other authorities or offices in the church are appendages to this priesthood." This means offices are part of the priesthood but not its core essence (like an arm is an appendage to a body; the body can survive without it). These divisions have existed since ancient times and are held by men in mortality, but they do not encompass the full scope of what priesthood is.
  • Keys of the Priesthood: The right of presidency to receive revelation for and direct the exercise of priesthood authority. Keys are connected to priesthood office and are geographically bounded (e.g., a bishop's keys are limited to his ward boundaries; President Nelson holds keys for the entire earth). Every saving ordinance requires a key holder's authorization.
  • Priesthood Ordinance (Saving): Authorized, saving, covenantal rituals performed under the direction of priesthood keys. These rituals serve as object lessons, teaching the meaning and significance of the covenants being made.
    • Example: Baptism: A high priest has the authority to baptize, but he cannot arbitrarily baptize someone. The baptism requires authorization from a key holder (e.g., a bishop or mission president) who presides over the area of the person being baptized. The authority of the baptizer can be confirmed via temple recommend or historical certificates of ordination. Upon completion of the authorized ritual and covenant keeping, the baptized individual (male or female) receives increased priesthood power.

Historical Development of Priesthood Offices in the Restored Church

• Pre-Restoration: There were no specific priesthood offices or quorums as we understand them today.
• Day of Restoration: Originally, offices of Priest and Teacher existed. The office of Deacon was added later in the month of the Church's organization.
• Following Year ($1831$):
  • The office of Bishop (Aaronic Priesthood) was revealed.
  • The office of High Priest (Melchizedek Priesthood) was organized in June $1831$.
  • The title "President of the High Priesthood" became the official title of the President of the Church.
  • The office of Assistant President of the High Priesthood existed, with Oliver Cowdery holding this position.
  • The office of Patriarch was established (Joseph Smith Sr. was the second Patriarch).
• $1835$ (Post-Zion's Camp):
  • The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles was organized.
  • The Quorums of the Seventy were also created, echoing similar organizations in the times of Moses and the Savior.

Priesthood and Women

• President Nelson's Teaching: "To make covenants with God is an act of agency. To keep covenants with God is an act of power–His power! God does not discriminate according to gender… I pray that truth will be understood by all… Every woman and every man who makes covenants with God and keeps those covenants has direct access to the power of God. By making covenants with God in the temple, you are clothed with priesthood power. The endowment prepares these things."
• Exercise of Priesthood Authority and Power: Latter-day Saint women absolutely exercise priesthood authority (e.g., through ministering callings, participation in temple ordinances) and receive priesthood power by making and keeping sacred covenants.
• Officiating in Temple Ordinances: Women officiate in sacred ordinances within the temple.

The Order of the Priesthood: A Covenant Path

• "Order" as an Ancient Concept: Drawing from ancient Roman society, an "order" denoted being born into a specific group with distinct privileges and responsibilities. Advancement to a new "order" involved taking an oath, gaining new duties and rights, and often was symbolized by new clothing. This idea illuminates how God structures the covenant path.
• Divine Revelation on Orders: After Moses was baptized, God declared, "You are now after the order of my Son." The scriptures (Book of Moses, Doctrine and Covenants, Book of Mormon, Old and New Testaments) consistently refer to "orders of priesthood" (e.g., "holy order of God," "order of the Only Begotten Son," "House of Order," "this order was instituted in the days of Adam").
• D&C $\S131$: "Man" as Gender-Neutral: Doctrine and Covenants $131:2$ states that "in order to obtain the highest, a man must enter into this order of the priesthood." The word "man" here is often misunderstood as gender-specific. However, in ancient languages (e.g., Hebrew where Adam means "mankind") and in the historical concept of "coverture" (where the husband represented both spouses, as seen in a wife taking her husband's name), "man" often refers to a person (male or female) within the covenant of eternal marriage. Therefore, both men and women must enter this order.
• D&C $\S76$: "Sons" as Gender-Neutral: In D&C $76:54-57$, those who are faithful "become the sons of Moses and of Aaron and the seed of Abraham, and the church and kingdom, and the elect of God." The surrounding context, referring to "seed," "church," and "elect of God," clearly indicates that "sons" here is a gender-neutral term, encompassing all faithful individuals.
• Three Orders of the Priesthood (Covenant Path):
  1. Aaronic Order: This is the initial order encountered on the covenant path.
     • Office Appendages: Deacon, Teacher, Priest, Bishop.
     • Entry: Baptism. Adam entered this order through baptism, even before specific offices were organized.
     • Privileges/Keys (D&C $\S13$): Ministry of angels, the gospel of repentance, baptism by immersion for the remission of sins, and the power to have the companionship of the Holy Ghost.
     • Responsibilities (Baptismal Covenant): "Witness at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death"; "stand as witnesses of God"; "always remember him"; "keep his commandments"; and a "willingness to take upon us his name" (which is ultimately fulfilled in the temple).
  2. Melchizedek Order: This order builds upon the Aaronic Order.
     • Office Appendages: Apostle, Seventy, Elder, High Priest, Patriarch.
     • Entry: Receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost through the laying on of hands, which Joseph Smith referred to as the "other half of the Aaronic priesthood ordinance" (referencing D&C $84:19-20$ which states the Melchizedek Priesthood holds the "key of the knowledge of God" and manifests godliness).
     • Privileges: Increased knowledge and God's power to become more like Him, allowing one to eventually enter His presence. This includes the ability to administer in spiritual things, receive revelation through keys, and manifest the power of godliness through ordinances. It also encompasses the gospel of Jesus Christ and the gift of the Holy Ghost.
     • Responsibilities (Endowment Covenants): Though not individually listed, the five covenants made in the endowment (Law of Obedience, Law of Sacrifice, Law of the Gospel, Law of Chastity, Law of Consecration) are undertaken here. It is within the temple that individuals truly "take upon Christ's name" in its fulness.
  3. Patriarchal Priesthood (Highest Order): This order is part of the Melchizedek Priesthood and is often referred to as "Family Priesthood" because it is shared between a man and a woman.
     • Office Appendages: Unlike the Aaronic and Melchizedek, this order does not have distinct offices as appendages in the same way (e.g., King and Queen, Priest and Priestess are what it is, not separate offices). The ability for a high priest to be a sealer is one of its appendices.
     • Entry: The sealing ordinance (eternal marriage).
     • Privileges: Eternal companionship and family, resurrection, a new spiritual creation or "rebirth," and the promise of the First Resurrection. Ultimately, it promises not only a return to God's presence but also the ability to become like Him and live the life He lives (eternal family).
     • Responsibilities (Sealing Covenants): These build upon previous covenants, including cleaving to one another and faithfulness.

The Plan of Happiness as "The Holy Order"

• Four "Births": The human experience can be viewed as a progression through four "births" reflecting increasing capacity and divinity:
  1. The creation of intelligence as a spirit.
  2. Mortal birth on Earth.
  3. Spiritual rebirth (beginning with baptism, receiving the Holy Ghost, and ongoing covenant keeping).
  4. Resurrection.
• Temple Work: Temples facilitate both Aaronic (e.g., proxy baptisms) and Melchizedek (e.g., endowment, sealing) ordinance work for all individuals, living and deceased.
• Heaven as Godly Relationships: Heaven is characterized by godly relationships with one another and with God, regardless of physical scenery.
• Adam and Eve as First Kings/Queens, Priests/Priestesses: In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve were given "dominion" (king/queen-like authority) and instructed to "dress and keep" the garden (Hebrew words for priestly duties in the temple). This signifies their initial roles as priests and priestesses, kings and queens, before the Fall.
• Celestial Kingdom's Inhabitants: The Celestial Kingdom will be filled with kings and queens, priests and priestesses—reflecting what God Himself is—rather than specific leadership offices like bishops or apostles as we know them on Earth. This process begins with baptism, continues through endowment, and finds its ultimate journey in patriarchal sealing.
• Millennial Opportunity: Everyone born on Earth will have the opportunity to accept these covenants and responsibilities, with the Millennium serving as a period to bring all to their desired place.
• Ultimate Purpose of Priesthood: The priesthood in its ultimate reality is far broader than a brotherhood or an earthly leadership position. It is the means by which all individuals are empowered to become like God the Father and the Savior, inheriting all that They have. This is the essence of the great "Plan of Happiness," which could also be called "the holy order after the Son of God," who initiated and enables it.
• Judgment for the Saints: According to Daniel, Revelation, and Joseph Smith's teachings, righteous, faithful individuals (both resurrected and living) will gather for a series of meetings where "judgment is given to the saints." This refers to being given governance and reigning, not a final judgment of souls, in preparation for the Millennium. This is the grand purpose of the Plan: the progression from the Fall, back into God's presence, to eventually inheriting all He has and becoming all He is. This ultimate progression is taught in the temple, consistent with ancient and modern scripture.