Priesthood restoration: when the angels entered the story
Whether ordination by John the Baptist and by Peter, James and John was claimed in 1829 or added to the record in 1834-35.
What the Church claims
John the Baptist conferred the Aaronic Priesthood on Joseph and Oliver Cowdery on 1829-05-15, and Peter, James and John conferred the Melchizedek Priesthood shortly afterwards; this exclusive authority is the basis of the Church's claim to be the only true church.
Once the evidence is in, this claim: Contested. The late, growing documentary trail and the 1835 textual expansion are solid facts; whether they reflect invention or delayed disclosure cannot be settled from the documents.
The record
- The Church concedes the Melchizedek restoration cannot be dated: 'it is impossible to precisely date this heavenly manifestation from existing sources'; faithful scholars range from late May 1829 (Larry Porter) to July 1830 (Quinn).
- The revelation now printed as D&C 27 names John the Baptist and Peter, James and John, but the early manuscripts and the 1833 Book of Commandments contain only the first portion; JSP: 'the earliest extant text for the expanded version of the revelation is the 1835 edition'.
- The first detailed public account of John the Baptist's visit is Oliver Cowdery's 1834 letter in the Messenger and Advocate.
- Joseph's 1832 history already speaks of receiving the priesthood by 'the ministring of Aangels', without names or dates.
- David Whitmer said in 1885 that he 'never heard that an Angel had ordained Joseph and Oliver to the Aaronic priesthood until the year 1834 5. or 6'; William McLellin, an apostle from 1835, said the same of his first years in the Church.
The moving target
- 1835: Published the expanded revelation naming the angelic ministers.
- current: Affirms both visitations, concedes the Melchizedek date is unknown, and presents the 1835 text as an expansion Joseph dated to September 1830.
The exchange
FAIR; BYU Studies 'Priesthood Restoration Documents'
Early hostile newspapers (Painesville Telegraph, Nov-Dec 1830; Palmyra Reflector, 1831) already report Cowdery claiming angelic contact and divine credentials, and the 1832 history mentions angelic ministry, so the claim was not invented in 1834.
The answer: These sources show generic claims of angels and authority from Christ; none names John the Baptist or Peter, James and John, or describes an ordination by laying on of hands. The specific narrative first appears in 1834-35, exactly when Joseph's authority was under challenge in Kirtland, and its scriptural anchor survives only in the 1835 printing. Whitmer and McLellin were insiders who would have heard it.
What they get right: The 1832 'ministring of Aangels' line is genuinely early and is the strongest point against a wholesale 1834 invention.
JSP editors reporting Joseph's later history
Joseph himself said the added paragraphs of D&C 27 were dictated in September 1830; the 1835 edition merely combined two dictations.
The answer: That is Joseph's retrospective statement, made after 1835; no September 1830 manuscript of the added text exists. Many 1835 D&C revelations were demonstrably edited to reflect later offices and doctrine, so an unattested 1830 original cannot be assumed.
Both cases at full strength
The skeptics' case
The two events on which the Church's exclusive authority rests have no contemporaneous record. The named-angel narrative surfaces in 1834-35, the canon was expanded in 1835 to include it, one of the two events cannot be dated within a year, and two founding insiders said they never heard of it in the early years.
The apologetic case
Joseph and Oliver consistently claimed angelic authority from at least 1830, outsiders noticed, and the 1832 history mentions angels conferring priesthood. Sacred experiences were shared slowly; Oliver, even after leaving the Church, never withdrew his testimony. Whitmer and McLellin spoke decades later as committed opponents of the high-priesthood structure.
What would change this
A manuscript dated before 1834 that names John the Baptist or Peter, James and John as ordaining Joseph and Oliver.
Closely related
Sources
- Revelation, circa August 1830 [D&C 27]
- Restoration of the Melchizedek Priesthood (Church History Topics)
- Priesthood Restoration Documents
- Priesthood restoration (FAIR Answers)
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