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| Presidents of the High Priesthood |
| Joseph Smith, Jesse Gause,
Sidney Rigdon,
Frederick G. Williams,
Oliver Cowdery |
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| November 11, 1831 |
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President of the High Priesthood |
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To be appointed
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65 |
wherefore it must needs be that one be appointed
of the high Priesthood to preside over the Priesthood and he shall be
called President of the high priesthood of the Church |
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KRB, 84–85, 86 // D&C
107:59–100 |
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66 |
or in other words the presiding
high Priest over the high priesthood of the Church |
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from the same cometh the administring
of ordinances and blessings [85] upon the church by the laying on of the hands … |
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Preside over church
Be like Moses |
91 |
[86] … And again the duty of the President
of the office of the high Priesthood is to preside over the whole church
and to be like unto Moses. |
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Seer, revelator,
translator, prophet
All gifts |
92 |
Behold here is wisdom yea to
be a seer a revelator a translator and a prophet having all the gifts
of God which he bestows upon the head of the church |
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| January 25, 1832 |
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Joseph Smith President of the High Priesthood |
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| Joseph president of High Priesthood |
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[Reynolds Cahoon:] Wednesday the Elders asembld for Conference
[-] the first business ordained the President of the high Preas[t]hood
and others. |
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¶ Reynolds
Cahoon |
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| Sidney seals blessings |
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[Orson Pratt:] … and started for Lorain
County, Ohio, where we preached in the regions around until the general
conference held at Amherst, Lorain Co., on the 25th of January. At
this conference, the Prophet Joseph was acknowledged President of the
High Priesthood, and hands laid on him by Elder Sidney Rigdon, who sealed
upon his head the blessings which he had formerly received. |
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Orson Pratt journals, 11 // ¶ Orson
Pratt (h1) |
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| Was Joseph ordained president of the High Priesthood in November 1831? |
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D&C 107:59-100, announcing the need for a president of the High Priesthood, was received November 11, 1831. Reynolds Cahoon's diary states that "the President
of the high Preas[t]hood" was "ordained" at a general conference in Amherst, Ohio on January 25, 1832, but Orson Pratt's history indicates at this
conference "the Prophet Joseph was acknowledged President of the High Priesthood,
and hands laid on him by Elder Sidney Rigdon, who sealed upon his head the
blessings which he had formerly received." If Sidney only sealed blessings "formerly received," could Joseph have been ordained on or shortly after November 11, and the blessings associated with that ordination were "sealed upon his head"at the January 25, 1832 general conference? The minutes of the January conference are very brief and give no indication of a blessing or ordination. |
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Minutes of November 11, 1831
Minutes of January 25, 1832 |
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[Hyrum Smith:] … in Amherst, on the evening of the
24th attended at Broth<er> gideon Carters on the 25th attended
Confrence on 26th [16] 27th returned home to kirtland |
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Hyrum's diary, {15–16}. |
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| March 15, 1832 |
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Counselors Jesse Gause and Sidney Rigdon |
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| Jesse and Sidney are counselors in High
Priesthood presidency |
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Chose this day and ordained brother | <i>Mormonism Unvailed</i>, Eber D. Howe (Painesville, Ohio: author, 1834). | | ')" onmouseout="kill()" class="ref">Mormonism unvailed, 200–210.">Jesse
Gause [11] and Broth Sidney to be my councellors of the ministry
of the presidency of <th> high Priesthood. |
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D&C 81 |
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| March 8, 1833 |
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Counselors equal in holding
keys |
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| Sidney and Frederick forgiven |
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[Sidney's and
Frederick's sins are forgiven] |
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¶ D&C
90:6, 9, 16 |
| Equal to Joseph |
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and they are accounted as equal with thee in
holding the keys of this last kingdom … and through their administration
the word may go forth unto the ends of the earth … and this shall
be your business and mission in all your lives, to preside in council,
and set in order all the affairs of this church and kingdom. |
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| March 18, 1833 |
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Sidney Rigdon and Frederick G. Williams
Presidents |
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| Sidney and Frederick are presidents, equal
in keys and presidency |
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Joseph ordains Sidney and
Frederick to the office of “President
of the high Priesthood ... to be equal with him in holding the keys of
the Kingdom and also the Presidency of the high Priesthood.” |
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¶ Minutes
of March 18, 1833 |
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| December 5, 1834 |
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Oliver Cowdery Assistant President |
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brother Oliver Cowdery was an Ordained an assistant President of the High and Holy Priesthood under the hands of brother Joseph Smith Jr. saying, "My brother, in the name of Jesus Christ who died was crucified for the Sins of the world, I lay my hands upon thee, and ordain thee an assistant President of the high and holy priesthood in the Church of the Latter Day Saints." |
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Diary-1, 93. |
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According to the direction of the Holy Spirit, President Smith, assistant Presidents, Rigdon and Williams, assembled for the purpose of ordaining <first> High Counsellor
Cowdery to the office of assistant President of the High and Holy Priesthood
in the Church of the Latter-Day Saints. … |
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Diary-1, 17 (Oliver Cowdery, comp.). |
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First. The office of the President is to preside
over the whole Church; to be considered as at the head; to receive revelations
for the Church; to be a Seer, and Revelator <and Prophet—> having
all the gifts of God:— taking <Moses> for an ensample. Which is Second the office and station of the above President Smith, according to the calling
of God, and the ordination which he has received. |
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Second. The office of Assistant President is
to assist in presiding over the whole Church, and to officiate in the abscence
of the President, according to their <his> rank and appointment, viz:
President Cowdery, first; President Rigdon Second, and President Williams
Third, as they are <were> severally called. The office of this Priesthood
is also to act as Spokesman—taking Aaron for an ensample. |
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Spokesman: Sidney was named spokesman
in October 1833. ¶ D&C 100:9 |
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| April [28–30], 1835 |
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High Priesthood after the
order of Melchizedek |
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| Presidency of High/Melchizedek Priesthood |
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The Presidency of the High
Priesthood, after the order of Melchizedek, have a right to officiate in
all the offices in the church. |
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D&C 107:1–58 |
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