KnoWhy #778 | February 11, 2025
How Was the Melchizedek Priesthood Restored?
Post contributed by
Scripture Central
“The messenger who visited us on this occasion and conferred this Priesthood upon us, said that his name 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. It was on the fifteenth day of May, 1829, that we were ordained under the hand of this messenger, and baptized.” Joseph Smith—History 1:72
The Know
On May 15, 1829, Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery translated the Book of Mormon account of Jesus Christ’s ministry to the Nephites in 3 Nephi. Prompted by what they read in 3 Nephi 11, they retired to a grove near the Susquehanna River and were visited by John the Baptist, who restored the Aaronic Priesthood to them.1 As Joseph would later record in his history, John the Baptist told Joseph and Oliver 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” (Joseph Smith—History 1:72).
Throughout his life, Joseph Smith recounted various details related to the restoration of the Melchizedek Priesthood. Joseph’s accounts variously focused on key events—namely, (1) the appearance of Peter, James, and John; (2) the organization of the Church, wherein Joseph and Oliver were ordained the First and Second Elders of the Church; (3) the ordination of high priests in 1831; and (4) the appearance of Elijah, Elias, and Moses in 1836.2
While the multiple sources and events can appear confusing, John S. Thompson has observed that these accounts become more understandable “when it is acknowledged that the Prophet frequently and consistently taught that though he was restoring a singular priesthood, it was a composite priesthood of portions and degrees.”3 That is, as the Lord revealed in Doctrine and Covenants 84:29–30, certain offices and roles in both the Aaronic and Melchizedek Priesthoods are “necessary appendages” to the office of priest or high priest, respectively.4 Additionally, the Aaronic Priesthood was revealed to be an appendage to the Melchizedek Priesthood (Doctrine and Covenants 107:14, 17). Thus, in a sermon given in 1841, the Prophet Joseph affirmed: “All priesthood is Melchizedek; but there are different portions or degrees of it.”5
This can help modern readers understand the challenge in explaining, in simple terms, how the Melchizedek Priesthood was restored. This office-by-office restoration of the Melchizedek Priesthood appears to have followed ancient patterns regarding the organization of the kingdom of God, and all offices needed to come in the order in which they came, beginning with the office of apostle.6
Peter, James, and John Restore the Apostolic Authority
First, Thompson proposes that the foundational portion of the Melchizedek Priesthood, the office of apostle, was first restored when Peter, James, and John ordained Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery to this office sometime in May or June 1829. While Joseph and Oliver never recorded the precise date of this ordination, in 1832 and 1835 they recalled being ordained to this office by “they who received it under the hand of the Messiah” and by angels.7 By 1835, this event would be published in the Doctrine and Covenants: “Peter, and James, and John, whom I have sent unto you, by whom I have ordained you and confirmed you to be apostles, and especial witnesses of my name, and bear the keys of your ministry and of the same things which I revealed unto them” (Doctrine and Covenants 27:12).8
As Thompson argued, this apostolic authority was a prerequisite to all subsequent events. Joseph Smith taught that apostleship is the unique authority sent among the Gentiles, or “in the wilderness” where there is no kingdom of God. Apostles have keys to start a kingdom and then eventually establish it fully by placing a high priest at the head: “Apostleship is the foundation from which all other high authorities or offices come into existence in likeness of Paul’s declaration in Ephesians 2:20. . . . Apostleship is the authority that has established high priestly presidencies of the Church from the local stake to the general First Presidency level since the beginning.”9 Significantly, this is also the first office Jesus established during His mortal ministry to build His ancient Church, and it is reflected in Jesus calling twelve disciples to lay the foundation of His Church among Book of Mormon peoples as well.10
Joseph and Oliver Were Ordained Elders
The second stage in restoring the Melchizedek Priesthood, as Thompson explained, occurred when the Church was organized on April 6, 1830. Prior to the Church’s organization, Joseph and Oliver heard “the voice of God in the chamber of old Father Whitmer, in Fayette, Seneca county” (Doctrine and Covenants 128:21). God commanded them that Joseph “should ordain Oliver Cowdery to be an Elder in the Church of Jesus Christ, and that he also should ordain me to the same office, and then to ordain others as it should be made known unto us” as part of the necessary steps to giving the Holy Ghost.11 As Apostles, Joseph and Oliver had the authority to ordain each other as the First and Second Elders of the Church at that time, effectively restoring this office of the priesthood.
The role of elders is “to confirm those who are baptized into the church, by the laying on of hands for the baptism of fire and the Holy Ghost, according to the scriptures . . . and to confirm the church by the laying on of hands, and the giving of the Holy Ghost.”12 Ultimately, “the office of elder is the priesthood office that signals the official existence of a church” in a given country, which could explain why the Lord commanded that Joseph and Oliver wait until the Church was organized to ordain each other to this office.13 Elders are key to oversee a church in a given area until it grows enough and a high priest can be appointed. Furthermore, “an apostle is an elder,” allowing one individual to function where there is no kingdom but also to oversee and confirm a Church through the giving of the Holy Ghost (Doctrine and Covenants 20:38).
This is similar to the role of elders in the New Testament, who were called by visiting Apostles such as Peter and Paul to lead the congregation in a given area.14 Peter declared that he was also an elder of the church, showing how the office of apostle and elder likewise functioned in tandem in the ancient church (1 Peter 5:1). A similar pattern is also found in the Book of Mormon.15
The Office of High Priest Was Restored
According to Thompson’s reconstruction of the restoration of the Melchizedek Priesthood, the third step occurred at a conference of the Church in October 1831. On this occasion, Joseph Smith ordained multiple individuals to the office of high priest.16 Once men were called to be high priests, “the core framework of the kingdom of God was in place through which all blessings of the kingdom can eventually be administered to its constituents.”17 High priests, after all, “have a right to officiate in their own standing, under the direction of the presidency, in administering spiritual things” (Doctrine and Covenants 107:10).
The office of high priest was furthermore “the supreme religious authority in kingdoms throughout the ancient world.” In the Restored Church, the office of high priest “appears to be no different,” as local and general presidencies of high priests fully oversee and administer the Church’s needs.18 Thus, it is not surprising that the First Presidency was officially organized less than a year after others had been ordained to this office. Early Christian literature such as the Didache also connects the role of a high priest to the prophet, and the Book of Mormon similarly portrays high priests as the religious leaders of cities who are each under the stewardship of a central prophet and high priest.19
Elijah and Others Restored Keys and Temple Ordinances
Finally, as early as 1823 Joseph Smith was promised that the Lord would “reveal unto you the Priesthood, by the hand of Elijah the prophet” (Doctrine and Covenants 2:1). This began to be fulfilled on April 3, 1836, in the Kirtland Temple (see Doctrine and Covenants 136:13–16). Anciently, temple rites were how priesthood was conferred, and Joseph Smith later taught that the keys revealed by Elijah were central to allowing the priesthood, which had been given previously by laying on hands up to this point, to be fully experienced and ordained via the ordinances of the temple.20 As such, the restoration of the ordinances performed in temples would be central to the final stage of the Melchizedek Priesthood in this dispensation. This, likewise, follows ancient patterns whereby all individuals could receive the blessings of the priesthood through ritual washings, sacred anointings, and other ordinances performed in temples.21
The Why
The priesthood is central to the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ. It lies at the foundation of much of the Restored gospel. The Melchizedek Priesthood holds the authority needed for all ordinances, like baptism and eternal marriage, which are essential for salvation and exaltation. Thus, the Melchizedek Priesthood is crucial for bringing individuals to Christ and helping them make covenants with God and receive the full blessings of the gospel. As President Russell M. Nelson recently taught, “Priesthood keys distinguish The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from any other organization on earth. Many other organizations can and do make your life better here in mortality. But no other organization can and will influence your life after death.”22
The restoration of the Melchizedek Priesthood through each of its several offices was therefore necessary for the Church to be completely restored. Furthermore, it becomes clear that the priesthood’s restoration closely mirrors the ancient pattern established by the Lord, strengthening Joseph’s claims that the ancient holy order of the priesthood was indeed restored in these latter days.
Similarly, the temple and its ordinances have been restored to bless the lives of God’s children. In the temple, Latter-day Saints can receive the fullest blessings of the priesthood in this life and the next—as President Nelson continued, “The temple is the gateway to the greatest blessings God has in store for each of us, for the temple is the only place on earth where we may receive all of the blessings promised to Abraham.”23 Because both the priesthood and the temple have been restored, all the blessings God has prepared for His children can be received.
John S. Thompson, “Restoring Melchizedek Priesthood,” Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship 62 (2024): 263–318.
Brian Q. Canon and BYU Studies Staff, “The Earliest Accounts of the Restoration of the Priesthood,” in Opening the Heavens: Accounts of Divine Manifestations, 1820–1844, ed. John W. Welch (Brigham Young University Press; Deseret Book, 2017), 228–246.
Michael Hubbard MacKay, “Event or Process?: How “the Chamber of Old Father Whitmer” Helps Us Understand Priesthood Restoration,” BYU Studies Quarterly 60, no. 1 (2021): 73–101.
- 1. See John W. Welch, “The Miraculous Timing of the Translation of the Book of Mormon,” in Opening the Heavens: Accounts of Divine Manifestations, 1820–1844, ed. John W. Welch (Brigham Young University Press; Deseret Book, 2017), 102.
- 2. For a compilation of the various accounts, see “Documents of the Priesthood Restoration,” in Welch, Opening the Heavens, 247–79.
- 3. John S. Thompson, “Restoring Melchizedek Priesthood,” Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship 62 (2024): 271.
- 4. Per Doctrine and Covenants 84:29–30, “The offices of elder and bishop are necessary appendages belonging unto the high priesthood [that is, high priests]. And again, the offices of teacher and deacon are necessary appendages belonging to the lesser priesthood [that is, priests], which priesthood was confirmed upon Aaron and his sons.”
- 5. “Discourse, 5 January 1841, as Reported by William Clayton,” p. 5, Joseph Smith Papers; spelling modernized.
- 6. Thompson, “Restoring Melchizedek Priesthood,” 274.
- 7. “Appendix 5, Document 6. Blessing to Oliver Cowdery, 2 October 1835,” p. 12, Joseph Smith Papers. For similar sources, see Thompson, “Restoring Melchizedek Priesthood,” 276n52. Some scholars have proposed that this occurred after Joseph and Oliver translated either 3 Nephi 18 or Moroni 2–3. See, for example, Brian Q. Canon and BYU Studies Staff, “The Earliest Accounts of the Restoration of the Priesthood,” in Welch, Opening the Heavens, 233, 235.
- 8. For context behind this revelation, see Casey Paul Griffiths, Scripture Central Commentary on the Doctrine and Covenants, 4 vols. (Scripture Central; Cedar Fort, 2024), 1:265–66.
- 9. Thompson, “Restoring Melchizedek Priesthood,” 281–82.
- 10. It is also worth noting that in both the Bible and modern Church history, the office of an apostle was “preceded by a lesser priesthood—which is also, scripturally speaking, a voice crying ‘in the wilderness’ preparing the way.” This voice was found in John the Baptist both times. Thompson, “Restoring Melchizedek Priesthood,” 281.
- 11. “History, 1838–1856, volume A-1 [23 December 1805–30 August 1834],” p. 27, The Joseph Smith Papers.
- 12. Doctrine and Covenants 20:41, 43; see also Moroni 2:1; 3:1
- 13. Thompson, “Restoring Melchizedek Priesthood,” 288. For a full discussion on this event and its connection to the appearance of Peter, James, and John, see Michael Hubbard MacKay, “Event or Process?: How “the Chamber of Old Father Whitmer” Helps Us Understand Priesthood Restoration,” BYU Studies Quarterly 60, no. 1 (2021): 73–101.
- 14. See Acts 8:14–17; 11:29–30; 14:21–23; 20:16–17, 28; Titus 1:5; James 5:14; 1 Peter 5:1–3. Apostles and elders are also mentioned together in Acts 15:2, 6, 22–23; 16:4.
- 15. See Thompson, “Restoring Melchizedek Priesthood,” 286, for examples of the ordination and functions of elders as found in the Book of Mormon.
- 16. This is discussed in Thompson, “Restoring Melchizedek Priesthood,” 289–90. Joseph Smith was ordained to the same office after he had given others the authority to do so.
- 17. Thompson, “Restoring Melchizedek Priesthood,” 289.
- 18. Thompson, “Restoring Melchizedek Priesthood,” 289.
- 19. Didache 13:3; see Thompson, “Restoring Melchizedek Priesthood,” 292, for a full discussion on this passage as well as the similar roles of the high priests in the Book of Mormon.
- 20. See Thompson, “Restoring Melchizedek Priesthood,” 294–296.
- 21. See Thompson, “Restoring Melchizedek Priesthood,” 297–310, for a full discussion.
- 22. Russell M. Nelson, “Rejoice in the Gift of Priesthood Keys,” April 2024 general conference. President Nelson also invited: “Consider how your life would be different if priesthood keys had not been restored to the earth. Without priesthood keys, you could not be endowed with the power of God. Without priesthood keys, the Church could serve only as a significant teaching and humanitarian organization but not much more. Without priesthood keys, none of us would have access to essential ordinances and covenants that bind us to our loved ones eternally and allow us eventually to live with God.”
- 23. Nelson, “Rejoice in the Gift of Priesthood Keys.”