First Anointing Kings and Priests and Their Keys

An Artistic rendition of the “Holy Order” where the Endowment ceremony was performed in Nauvoo.

  Priesthood is one of the more complex historical subjects in Mormonism, and understanding the history and doctrine pertaining to it can be a challenge. One of the purposes of One Eternal Round is to explain the doctrine of the priesthood from historical sources in a way that is accurate and understandable. The subject of this article will be to explore the authority of “First Anointing Kings and Priests” as laid out in One Eternal Round issue #3 — “King and Priest Endowments and the Washing of Feet”.
  Latter-day Saint groups who believe in the Nauvoo Temple ceremonies understand that the “Initiatory” or the Washing and Anointing (also called the “First Anointing”) in the Temple Endowment ceremony is only a preparatory ordinance. As it is performed today, the washing is that you “may become clean of the blood and sins of this generations…through your faithfulness”, and the anointing is “preparatory to your becoming a King and a Priest [or Queen and Priestess] unto the Most High God” which also is to eventually be obtained “through your faithfulness.” Knowledgeable Latter-day Saints understand that the full realization of these blessings occurs in the ordinance known as the Second Anointing.
   While One Eternal Round #3 — “King and Priest Endowments and the Washing of Feet” proves that in the Nauvoo period the standard way an individual received their Endowment was to be anointed a King and Priest or Queen and Priestess, rather than being anointed to eventually become as such, the article did not explain when this practice was fully abandoned. Read More...

Recent Talks, Two Papers Available to Download

  On Saturday, August 1, 2020 I gave a presentation on the subjects of “The Demise of the Patriarchal Priesthood” and “Women and the Priesthood.” This presentation essentially covered the material in One Eternal Round issues #10 and #11. Because I have had a lot of requests for my paper, I have decided to make digital copies of it freely available on this website! While each paper can be read as a stand-alone paper, I do recommend reading “The Demise of the Patriarchal Priesthood” as it lays important foundational material for understanding the pamphlet on “Women and the Priesthood.” Additionally, there are a few sources regarding women and the priesthood that I mention in “The Demise of the Patriarchal Priesthood” that are not included in Part 2 (For anyone just looking for material on women and the priesthood in One Eternal Round #10, it’s in the section on the History of the Church starting on page 34).

  Free Digital Download, 42 page PDF: The Demise of the Patriarchal Priesthood
  Free Digital Download, 43 page PDF: Women and the Priesthood

  I also recently gave a talk over conference call on the Council of Fifty—for anyone interested in listening to that recording it can be listened to here.

Read More...

Joseph Smith’s “Three Grand Orders” Speech

Dieric Bouts painting “Abraham Meeting Melchizedek.”

  Early revelations in the Doctrine and Covenants only reference two orders of priesthood in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: “But there are two divisions or grand heads — one is the Melchizedek Priesthood, and the other is the Aaronic or Levitical Priesthood.” (D&C 107:6, emphasis added) “For whoso is faithful unto the obtaining these two priesthoods of which I have spoken, and the magnifying their calling, are sanctified by the Spirit unto the renewing of their bodies.” (D&C 84:33, emphasis added)
  Yet, on August 27, 1843 Joseph Smith gave a speech on “Three Grand Orders” of priesthood — identified as “Aaronic”, “Patriarchal”, and “Melchizedek”, which the Prophet on the occasion also labeled the “Priesthood of Melchizedek”, the “Priesthood of Abraham”, and the “Priesthood of Levi”. This was one of the most important speeches on priesthood the Prophet ever gave, and so is worth being a longer post! Read More...

The Highest Order of the Melchizedek Priesthood

  On May 4, 1842 the Prophet Joseph Smith administered the Endowment ceremony with its creation story, signs, tokens, and covenants for the first time in this Dispensation. Sadly, the Prophet’s original journal entry for May 4, 1842 was guarded and cryptic, only listing the names of the men present and that they received certain “instruction on priesthood”. Fortunately however, 3 years later in April 1845, as the church historian tasked with completing the Prophet’s History of the Church (and one of the men present for this meeting), Willard Richards wrote a more detailed account of what the Prophet taught and did at this meeting:

“I spent the day in the upper part of the store, that is in my private office…in council with General James Adams, of Springfield, Patriarch Hyrum Smith, Bishops Newel K. Whitney and George Miller, and President Brigham Young and Elders Heber C. Kimball and Willard Richards, instructing them in the principles and order of the Priesthood, attending to washings, anointings, endowments, and the communication of keys pertaining to the Aaronic Priesthood, and so on to the highest order of the Melchizedek Priesthood…” (History of the Church vol. 5 pages 1–2, emphasis added) Read More...

The Patriarchal Priesthood of Kings and Priests

  Some in the past have tried to dismiss the Patriarchal Priesthood as not really being an order of priesthood at all, but simply receiving the “temple endowment and eternal marriage”. However, a careful examination of the sources demonstrate that the Patriarchal Priesthood introduce in Nauvoo was an actual order of priesthood, conferred through the anointing of men and women to the offices of King and Priest and Queen and Priestess. And even after Nauvoo, though the terminology “Patriarchal Priesthood” was dropped and not used to reference temple authority, the apostles still understood that the temple ordinations of Kings and Priests and Queens and Priestess were patriarchal in nature. Read More...

The Patriarchal Priesthood in Nauvoo

  In the Nauvoo period, Joseph Smith began to introduce the saints to a new higher order of priesthood. This priesthood was called the Patriarchal Priesthood, and was distinct and above the “patriarchal priesthood” tied to the office of Stake Patriarch (and Presiding Patriarch) in the Church. The Prophet taught that this priesthood pertained to the Temple and Temple Ordinances:

“The 2nd Priesthood [referred to in Hebrews chapter 7] is Patriarchal authority. Go to and finish the temple, and God will fill it with power, and you will then receive more knowledge concerning this priesthood.” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith page 322)

  Another record of this speech recorded the Prophet saying on this same occasion that this “2[nd Priesthood:] Abraham’s Patriarchal Power” was the “greatest” priesthood “yet experienced in this church”. When was this Priesthood first experienced? Read More...