KnoWhy #779 | February 18, 2025
Why Did the Three Witnesses Select the First Twelve Apostles?
Post contributed by
Scripture Central
“And now, behold, I give unto you, Oliver Cowdery, and also unto David Whitmer, that you shall search out the Twelve, who shall have the desires of which I have spoken; and by their desires and their works you shall know them.” Doctrine and Covenants 18:37–38
The Know
Among the many vital aspects of Church governance that were restored in the early years of the Church’s history, the restoration of the apostleship and organization of the Twelve stands apart as one of the truly momentous occasions.1 As Richard E. Turley has explained, “Joseph Smith’s organization of the Twelve and Seventy in Kirtland in 1835 would provide the foundation for leading the Church in the generations that followed.”2 Even before the Church was organized, the Lord revealed while the Book of Mormon was still being translated in June 1829 that twelve special disciples would be called and chosen “to go into all the world to preach my gospel unto every creature.”3
Many may not be aware, however, that the Three Witnesses to the Book of Mormon played a key role in selecting the initial Twelve Apostles in this dispensation. In a meeting held in Kirtland on February 14, 1835, Joseph Smith announced, “The first business of the meeting was for the three witnesses of the Book of Mormon, to pray each one and then proceed to chose twelve men from the church as Apostles to go to all nations, kindreds toungs and people . . . according to a former commandment.” The minutes to the meeting report, “The three Witnesses united in prayer (Viz.) Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer & Martin Harris. These three Witnesses were then blessed by the laying on of the hands of the Presidincy. They then . . . proceeded to make choice of the twelve” in consultation with Joseph Smith.4
The twelve men chosen at this time were Lyman Johnson, Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, Orson Hyde, David W. Patten, Luke Johnson, William E. McLellin, John F. Boynton, Orson Pratt, William Smith, Thomas B. Marsh, and Parley P. Pratt. In addition to selecting these men, “the three witnesses laid their hands upon each ones head” to bless and ordain them to the apostleship.5
It may seem unusual and surprising to some that the Three Witnesses had the responsibility and authority to issue these important callings. Doing so was, however, “according to a former commandment,” as Joseph Smith indicated, referring to the authorization given in Doctrine and Covenants 18:27–28. Here, as the Lord first revealed that twelve special disciples would eventually be called, He commissioned “Oliver Cowdery, and also . . . David Whitmer, that you shall search out the Twelve” (verse 37). With two of the Three Witnesses explicitly given this commission, the Prophet Joseph Smith was inspired to also include the third witness, Martin Harris, in this charge.6
One benefit of including Martin was his participation in Zion’s Camp the previous summer.7 Prior to the calling of the Twelve, Joseph Smith explained that of “those who went to Zion, with a determination to lay down their lives, if necessary, it was the Will of God, that they should be ordained to the ministry and go forth to prune the vineyard for the last time.”8 The men on that long march grew to know each other under great hardships and in many spiritual moments. Nine of the original Twelve were chosen from among those who participated in Zion’s Camp.9 As the only one of the Three Witnesses who had participated in that march, Martin could provide valuable first-hand observations about many of the potential candidates.
Some early Church leaders taught that the special commission of the Three Witnesses represented a unique dispensation of apostolic authority. For example, according to Edward Stevenson, “The 3 [witnesses] held the apostleship although they were not of the 12ve.”10 Indeed, in the June 1829 revelation the Lord spoke to David Whitmer and Oliver Cowdery as though they had apostolic authority, addressing them “even as unto Paul mine apostle, for you are called even with that same calling with which he was called” (Doctrine and Covenants 18:9). Likewise, a few months later, in a revelation to Martin Harris, the Lord said, “It is meet unto you to know even as mine apostles. I speak unto you that are chosen in this thing,” implying that Martin, too, had been chosen by the Lord for an apostle-like role in this dispensation.11
Heber C. Kimball taught that Joseph Smith had ordained each of the Three Witnesses “to be an Apostle . . . and then they were ordered to select twelve more and ordain them. It was done.”12 Next to Joseph Smith, they stood among the first Apostles of this dispensation. As such, they could be rightfully called upon to call and ordain others, according to the direction of the Lord Jesus Christ.
It should also be noted that on this occasion, the Three Witnesses acted under the direction of the “the presidency of the high priesthood,” which is the equivalent of what is called the First Presidency today. At the time, this presidency consisted of Joseph Smith Jr., Oliver Cowdery, Sidney Ridgon, Frederick G. Williams, Hyrum Smith, and Joseph Smith Sr.13 These brethren laid their hands on each of the Three Witnesses and blessed and set them apart to perform the sacred task of choosing twelve men for the apostleship. The Three Witnesses then consulted with Joseph Smith in the selection process, in some cases accommodating his council in their selection.14
The Why
The decision to call Twelve Apostles and the selection of those men was not a spur-of-the-moment decision. It had been revealed nearly six years earlier that the calling of twelve special witnesses was an essential part of the Restoration in this dispensation (Doctrine and Covenants 18:26–36). In a special charge to the newly called Twelve, Oliver Cowdery explained that since June 1829 when the Lord had first revealed that twelve apostles would be chosen, “our minds have been on a constant stretch to find who these Twelve were.”15 On October 26, 1831, Oliver Cowdery and David Whitmer had been thinking about who should be selected as part of the Twelve and received revelatory guidance on the matter.16
Nonetheless, it was not until 1835 that the Lord saw that the time was right to call twelve men to restore the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in this dispensation. The advance notice given to those three whom the Lord had authorized to “search out the Twelve” ensured that the three had sufficient time to vet potential candidates, consider, contemplate, pray, council together and receive revelation concerning this sacred responsibility. Also given the sacred significance of this calling, it is only sensible that it would be entrusted to a small committee of proven and trusted individuals instead of being the isolated decision of a single individual.
The Three Witnesses of the Book of Mormon were a strong choice for that committee. Their direct involvement in the Restoration from the very earliest stages meant that they could witness and observe firsthand the growth of the Church, understand the unique demands of leadership within this rapidly changing environment, and interact with many potential candidates as they first united with the Saints in New York, Ohio, or Missouri. As special witnesses of the Book of Mormon and of Jesus Christ, they had been given the apostolic call to testify “unto all nations, kindred, tongues, and people,” so they also possessed unique insight as to who among the early Saints would be best suited “to go into all the world to preach my gospel unto every creature.”17
By 1835, each of the Three Witnesses had served in the Church in a variety of distinct ways and geographic regions. This allowed each of them, along with Joseph Smith, to bring their unique and diverse perspectives to the selection process. Despite having been previously commissioned by revelation, these dutiful witnesses appropriately acted under the direction of the highest presidency in the Church and also in collaboration with Joseph Smith, who ultimately held the keys of the apostleship.
The Twelve went on to play an influential role in the growth, leadership, and direction of the Church over the next nine years.18 After the martyrdom of Joseph Smith, the mantle of leadership rested firmly upon Brigham Young and the rest of the Twelve. Today, nearly all holders of the Melchizedek Priesthood trace their priesthood authority back to one of those first Twelve Apostles; from there, their authority runs back through the Three Witnesses to Joseph Smith and then to Peter, James, and John, who were ordained by Jesus Christ. The key role of the Three Witnesses in selecting the initial Twelve Apostles is one of many ways in which, according to Joseph Smith, these men can be likened to leaven hidden in three measures of meal, thus giving rise to the whole Church in the latter days.19
James B. Allen, “Apostles, the First Twelve of Latter Days,” in Doctrine and Covenants Reference Companion, ed. Dennis Largey and Larry E. Dahl (Deseret Book, 2012), 27–32.
Richard E. Turley Jr., “The Calling of the Twelve Apostles and the Seventy in 1835,” in Joseph: Exploring the Life and Ministry of the Prophet, ed. Susan Easton Black and Andrew C. Skinner (Deseret Book, 2005), 230–42.
- 1. For historical background on the initial calling of Twelve Apostles in 1835, see Richard E. Turley Jr., “The Calling of the Twelve Apostles and the Seventy in 1835,” in Joseph: Exploring the Life and Ministry of the Prophet, ed. Susan Easton Black and Andrew C. Skinner (Deseret Book, 2005), 230–242; James B. Allen, “Apostles, the First Twelve of Latter Days,” in Doctrine and Covenants Reference Companion, ed. Dennis Largey and Larry E. Dahl (Deseret Book, 2012), 27–32.
- 2. Turley, “Calling of the Twelve Apostles,” 238.
- 3. Doctrine and Covenants 18:28. Stephen E. Robinson and H. Dean Garrett, A Commentary on the Doctrine and Covenants, 4 vols. (Deseret Book, 2000), 1:103, date this revelation to the first half of June 1829. Casey Paul Griffiths, Scripture Central Commentary on the Doctrine and Covenants (Scripture Central; Cedar Fort, 2024), 189, also observes that because Oliver quoted this revelation extensively in a letter to Hyrum Smith dated June 14, 1829, it must have been revealed prior to this time.
- 4. “Minutes, Discourse, and Blessings, 14–15 February 1835,” p. 149, The Joseph Smith Papers. Turley, “Calling of the Twelve Apostles,” 233, notes that Joseph Smith reviewed and approved the names of the men selected before they were announced.
- 5. “Minutes, Discourse, and Blessings, 14–15 February 1835,” p. 149, The Joseph Smith Papers. Allen, “Apostles,” 28: “The Witnesses then proceeded to choose the apostles, laid their hands on the first three, blessed them, and ordained them to their new office.”
- 6. Allen, “Apostles,” 27. Robinson and Garrett, Commentary on the Doctrine and Covenants, 1:108, suggest that the reason for Martin’s omission in Doctrine and Covenants 18 is that his “life was still not in order at this time.” B. H. Roberts followed a similar rationale, as discussed and cited in Turley, “Calling of the Twelve Apostles,” 239n12.
- 7. Susan Easton Black and Larry C. Porter, Martin Harris: Uncompromising Witness of the Book of Mormon (BYU Studies, 2018), 239–50.
- 8. “Minutes, Discourse, and Blessings, 14–15 February 1835,” in Minute p. 147, The Joseph Smith Papers.
- 9. The three exceptions were Thomas B. Marsh, John F. Boynton, and William E. McLellin. See Ronald K. Esplin, The Emergence of Brigham Young and the Twelve to Mormon Leadership, 1830–1841 (PhD. diss., Brigham Young University, 1981), 49.
- 10. As cited in Black and Porter, Uncompromising Witness, 258n7.
- 11. Doctrine and Covenants 19:8–9. See Turley, “Calling of the Twelve Apostles,” 239n11.
- 12. Heber C. Kimball, in Journal of Discourses, 26. vols. (London, 1854–86), 6:29.
- 13. Matthew C. Godfrey et al., eds., Documents, Volume 4: April 1834–September 1835, vol. 4 of the Documents series of The Joseph Smith Papers, ed. Ronald K. Esplin and Matthew J. Grow (Church Historian’s Press, 2016), 228n45. Oliver Cowdery had also been ordained as the Second Elder (see Doctrine and Covenants 20:3) and had also received all of the priesthood keys as they were restored, including those of the apostleship from Peter, James, and John.
- 14. Esplin, Emergence of Brigham Young, 56n108, cites a letter from Oliver Cowdery explaining that William Smith was chosen at Joseph Smith’s suggestion in place of Phineas Young, who was preferred by Oliver and David.
- 15. “Minute Book 1,” p. 158, The Joseph Smith Papers.
- 16. Donald Q. Cannon and Lyndon W. Cook, eds., Far West Record: Minutes of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1830–1844 (Deseret Book, 1983), 26, notes that on that day Oliver announced that he and David had “directions . . . received this morning respecting the choice of the twelve.”
- 17. The Testimony of Three Witnesses; Doctrine and Covenants 18:28.
- 18. See Esplin, Emergence of Brigham Young.
- 19. See “Letter to the Elders of the Church 30 November–1 December 1835,” p. 228, The Joseph Smith Papers; “History, 1838–1856, volume B-1 [1 September 1834–2 November 1838],” p. 649, The Joseph Smith Papers.