Evidence of LDS Priesthood

Preface: This article consists of edited extracts from chapters 19 and 20 of my book ONE LORD, ONE FAITH: WRITINGS OF THE EARLY CHRISTIAN FATHERS AS EVIDENCES OF THE RESTORATION, Horizon Publishers, 1996. The full text, along with all references, can be found therein. Information on ordering the book is provided at the end of this article.

THE NECESSITY OF PRIESTHOOD AUTHORITY:

THE LDS CHURCH AND THE EARLY CHRISTIAN PRIESTHOOD--ANCIENT CHRISTIAN EVIDENCE OF THE LDS PRIESTHOOD

Michael T. Griffith
1996
@All Rights Reserved

POINT:

The early Christians believed in the necessity of priesthood authority. They taught that one could not simply take it upon himself to administer to the saints. Rather, one had to be called and ordained to the priesthood by the laying on of hands by those in the church who had the authority to do so. To the ancient saints, being able to trace their line of priesthood authority back to the apostles, and through them to the Savior himself, was very important. Similarly, the ancient Hebrews also believed in the absolute necessity of proper priesthood authority.

SELECTED BIBLE PASSAGES:

Exodus 18:13-26: The people came unto Moses to inquire of God. Moses taught the Israelites about the laws of God.

Exodus 28:41: The priests were anointed and consecrated.

Numbers 27:18-23: Moses presented Joshua to the congregation. Moses then laid his hands on Joshua and gave him a charge as the Lord had commanded.

Deuteronomy 34:9: Joshua was full of the spirit of wisdom because Moses had laid his hands upon him.

2 Chronicles 26:18: Uzziah is told that it is not his place to burn incense unto the Lord. This duty belonged to the priests.

Matthew 16:19: The Savior gave the keys of the kingdom to Peter, so that whatever Peter bound or loosed on earth was also bound or loosed in heaven.

Mark 3:14-15: "And he [Jesus] ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach, And to have power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils."

Luke 9:1-2: "Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases. And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick."

John 15:16: Jesus said to the disciples, "Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you."

Acts 6:5-6: "And the saying pleased the whole multitude: and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolas a proselyte of Antioch: Whom they set before the apostles: and when they had prayed, they laid their hands on them."

1 Timothy 4:14: "Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery [an assembly of elders]."

Titus 1:5: "For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee."

Hebrews 5:1-4: Only those who are called as Aaron was called can receive the priesthood.

DISCUSSION:

Ancient Christian writers repeatedly stressed the importance of proper priesthood authority and apostolic succession; for them this was a crucial test of validity (Pagels 54; Nibley 1984a; Quasten 1:67-73; Fox 496, 498, 501; see also below).

In the early church, Peter was considered to be the chief apostle and Christ's successor as the earthly leader of the saints (Eusebius 88; Reicke 133; Roberts and Donaldson 3:643).

Many Protestants teach that Jesus never established a formal, structured priesthood, and that anyone who sincerely believes in Christ automatically has the authority to act, and even to baptize, in his name. This alleged authority is sometimes referred to as "the priesthood of all believers." However, even a cursory examination of the relevant early Christian sources reveals that the Savior's ancient church categorically rejected such a position.

The early church had a recognized and identifiable priesthood organization. The ancient Christian priesthood is mentioned in the New Testament and in the writings of the early church fathers.

The Priesthood in the New Testament

The Epistle to the Hebrews tells us that "every high priest is taken from among men and made their representative before God to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins" (5:1, New American Bible [NAB]). The epistle's author goes on to say that "no man taketh this honor unto himself, but he that is called of God as was Aaron" (5:4). How did Aaron obtain his priesthood? He was called by God through a prophet (Moses) and was formally ordained to the Aaronic (or Levitical) Priesthood (Exodus 28). It should be noted that the Lord himself referred to the Aaronic Priesthood as "an eternal priesthood" (Numbers 25:13; Exodus 40:15).

Hebrews 5:4 echoes the Savior's statement to his apostles in John 15:16: "Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you." The apostles did not take it upon themselves to enter the Lord's ministry. They were chosen and then ordained. This is the divine pattern.

The New Testament is replete with references to the various priesthood offices that existed in the Savior's original church, such as apostle, seventy, bishop, elder, and deacon. The New Testament also mentions the fact that men were ordained to these offices by the laying on of hands.

The Priesthood in Early Christian Writings

The Constitutions of the Holy Apostles

A valuable source of information on the ancient priesthood comes to us in the form of the Constitutions of the Holy Apostles, which are believed to have been written sometime between A.D. 275 and A.D. 360. The Constitutions provide us with an accurate picture of the doctrines and organization of the early church from around the latter part of the third century to the middle part of the fourth. The purpose of these documents was to present "a manual of instruction, worship, polity, and usage for both clergy and laity" (Roberts and Donaldson 7:388).

Significantly, the authority of the bishop is strongly stressed in the Constitutions:

As, therefore, it was not lawful for one of another tribe, that was not a Levite, to offer anything, or to approach the altar without the priest, so also do you nothing without the bishop; for if any one does anything without the bishop, he does it to no purpose. (Roberts and Donaldson 7:410)

The Constitutions go on to stress the importance of receiving the priesthood in the proper manner:

And as Uzziah the king, who was not a priest, and yet would exercise the functions of the priests, was smitten with leprosy for his transgression; so every lay person shall not be unpunished who despises God, and is so mad as to affront his priests, and unjustly to snatch that honor to himself: not imitating Christ, "who glorified not himself to be made an high priest;" but waited till he heard from his Father, "The Lord sware, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever, after the order of Melchizedek." If, therefore, Christ did not glorify himself without the Father, how dare any man thrust himself into the priesthood who has not received that dignity from his superior, and do such things which it is lawful only for the priests to do? (Roberts and Donaldson 7:410)

Cyprian

Cyprian (A.D. 200-258), bishop of Carthage, is another witness to the importance of proper priesthood authority in the early church:

Only they who are set over the Church and established in the Gospel law, and in the ordinance of the Lord, are allowed to baptize and to give remission of sins [cf. John 20:21-23]; but that without, nothing can either be bound or loosed, where there is none who can either bind or loose anything.

Nor do we propose this, dearest brother, without the authority of divine Scripture, when we say that all things are arranged by divine direction by a certain law and by special ordinance, and that none can usurp to himself, in opposition to the bishop and priests, anything which is not of his own right and power. (Roberts and Donaldson 5:381)

Cyprian's writings are literally loaded with references to the priesthood and its importance. Here are a few examples: "the office of our priesthood"; "the vigor of the priesthood"; "hands were placed upon the repentant by the bishops and clergy"; "the Church is founded upon the bishops, and every act of the Church is controlled by these same rulers"; "it behooves the deacon . . . to acknowledge the honor of the priest, and to satisfy the bishop set over him with full humility" (Roberts and Donaldson 5:291, 294, 305, 363, 366).

Ignatius

It is no exaggeration to say that Ignatius was emphatic about the importance of the bishop's authority:

A valid Eucharist is to be defined as one celebrated by the bishop or by a representative of his. (Sparks 112)

It is not right either to baptize or to celebrate the agape apart from the bishop; but whatever he approves is also pleasing to God--so that everything you do may be secure and valid. (Sparks 113)

It is fitting for each of you, especially the presbyters, to refresh the bishop, to the honor of the Father, Jesus Christ, and the apostles. (Sparks 95)

He who is within the sanctuary is pure; he who is outside the sanctuary is not pureÄÄthat is, whoever does anything apart from the bishop and the presbytery and the deacons is not pure in conscience. (Sparks 94)

Irenaeus

Irenaeus spoke frequently of the importance of priesthood authority and of the need to follow the church's priesthood leaders. He said that "it is incumbent to obey the presbyters who are in the Church," and he spoke of those leaders who possessed "the succession from the apostles" (Roberts and Donaldson 1:497). Irenaeus even referred to "the order of the priesthood" (Roberts and Donaldson 1:497). He placed great importance on the authority of Christ's apostles, and he saw immense significance in the fact that Polycarp was ordained to the office of bishop by one of the Savior's apostles. Irenaeus even said that important doctrinal questions could be settled by consulting with "the most ancient Churches with which the apostles held constant intercourse. . . ." (Roberts and Donaldson 1:417).

Chain of Authority

An essential element in maintaining priesthood authority is to ensure that it is transmitted by those who have the authority to confer it. In doing this, a chain of authority is established. Christ ordained his apostles, and they in turn ordained other church leaders, thus forming a chain of priesthood authority.

The chain was broken and divine authority was lost when the church later drifted into apostasy. However, three of the Savior's apostles (Peter, James, and John) returned in the latter days as resurrected beings to confer the fullness of the priesthood onto Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery, thereby reestablishing the divine chain of authority that existed in the Savior's ancient church. This restored chain of authority exists today in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. An authorized LDS priesthood holder can trace his chain of authority back to the Savior himself.

The Melchizedek and Aaronic Priesthoods

There were two orders of the priesthood in the ancient Christian church. There was the higher priesthood, which was the Melchizedek Priesthood, and there was the lesser priesthood, which was the Aaronic Priesthood.

SELECTED BIBLE PASSAGES:

Genesis 14:18: Melchizedek was the priest of the most high God.

Leviticus 3: Some of the duties of the Aaronic priesthood in Old Testament times.

Numbers 25:10-13; Exodus 40:15: The Aaronic priesthood is an "everlasting" priesthood.

Nehemiah 13:29: The priesthood and the covenant of the priesthood.

Luke 10:1: "After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come."

Hebrews 3:1: "Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus."

Hebrews 5:5-6: "So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest; but he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, to day have I begotten thee. As he saith also in another place, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec."

Hebrews 5:10: "And being made perfect, he [Jesus] became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him; Called of God an high priest after the order of Melchisedec."

DISCUSSION:

Some believe that Christ was and will always be the only Christian high priest, i.e., in this context, the only person to hold the Melchizedek Priesthood. This is the view espoused by most evangelical critics of the LDS faith. However, this position is not supported by scripture. For starters, I quote LDS author James A. Carver:

Christ was after the Order of Melchizedek. Observe that he was after the Order of Melchizedek. For there to be an order, a group of people must belong. The Greek word for "order" is taxin, which means, "a fixed succession" or "manner." If Christ belonged to an "order" then Jesus was not the only one to hold the Melchizedek Priesthood. He established an order of that priesthood in his day. (15)

Other indications that Christ was not the only one who held the Melchizedek Priesthood can be found in Hebrews 4:14 and 5:5, where we read that Christ was "a great high priest" and that he "glorified not himself to be made an high priest." If Jesus had been the only Christian high priest "after the order of Melchizedek" (Hebrews 5:6), then it stands to reason that the definite article "the" would have been used in these verses instead of the indefinite articles "a" and "an."

Some evangelical commentators assert that the Greek word for "unchangeable" used in reference to the Savior's priesthood in Hebrews 7:24 actually means "untransferable," "without a successor," or "that doth not pass from one to another." Thus, it is argued that since Christ's priesthood is "untransferable," then no one else can hold the Melchizedek Priesthood. However, this rendering, which at best has always been viewed as a marginal reading, has long been rejected by the best Greek scholars.

The Dead Sea Scrolls provide evidence that some ancient Jews understood that men could hold the Melchizedek Priesthood. S. Kent Brown, a professor of ancient scripture at Brigham Young University, discusses the Qumran material and Hebrews 7:24:

There was further concern for priesthood matters at Qumran. Not only do we find a good deal said about the priests (the direct descendants of Aaron) and Levites as distinct from the laymen of the community, but there was additional interest in Melchizedek's priesthood and those who would share his sacred lot, that is, those who would bear the same priesthood. The rather late Christian understanding that Jesus would be the last High Priest of the Melchizedek order (see Hebrews 7:24, marginal reading no. 5 in most King James Version translations) is based on an erroneous interpretation of the Greek word aparabaton which does not mean "intransmissible" but means "unchangeable" when referring to Jesus' priesthood. Because the Essenes of the Dead Sea obviously expected other priests to arise after the order of Melchizedek and because their Melchizedek text bears a close connection to the ideas expressed in the Epistle to the Hebrews, the notion that Jesus was to be the last High Priest cannot be sustained by an appeal to this scroll [11Q Melchizedek] which was being read by Jews contemporary with Jesus and Paul. In addition, no contemporaneous Greco-Roman source ever uses the term aparabaton with the meaning "intransmissible"--it always means "unchangeable." (56-57)

Church father Theophilus (ca. A.D. 115-180), bishop of Antioch, spoke of Melchizedek as the first priest of all high priests and said that from Melchizedek's time such priests were found "in all the earth":

And at that time there was a righteous king called Melchizedek, in the city of Salem, which is now Jerusalem. This was the first priest of all high priests of the Most High God. . . . And from his time priests were found in all the earth. (Roberts and Donaldson 2:107)

The Aaronic Priesthood

The Mormon Church is the only major Christian church that claims to possess the Aaronic Priesthood. Critics of the LDS Church assert that Aaron's priesthood was abolished when the Savior came to earth. But the New Testament does not teach this. Furthermore, the Aaronic Priesthood could not have been abolished because the Old Testament says it is an eternal priesthood. Therefore, this priesthood must be found in the true church. The New Testament suggests there were two levels of priesthood authority in the Savior's church (Richards 84-89).