Priesthood restoration

disputed · historical event

Historians including Gregory Prince and D. Michael Quinn note that detailed written accounts of angelic priesthood restoration appear years after 1829; critics argue the accounts were added later, while the Church holds the events occurred in 1829.

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religious belief · scripture

The Church teaches that John the Baptist restored the Aaronic Priesthood to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery in 1829, as recorded in Doctrine and Covenants 13.

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Doctrine and Covenants 13

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Event date discussed: 1829-05-15

The words attributed to John the Baptist when conferring the Aaronic Priesthood on Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery in 1829. Summary, not a quotation.

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General Handbook, Chapter 3: Priesthood Principles

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints · 2026-10

Chapter 3 teaches that the priesthood is the authority and power of God, that the Church claims to be the only organization on earth with priesthood authority restored through Joseph Smith, and explains the Melchizedek and Aaronic Priesthoods and priesthood keys, says worthy male members receive priesthood authority by ordination to priesthood offices, and says all members, women and men, exercise delegated priesthood authority when set apart or assigned to callings. It says all covenant-keeping members, women, men, and children, receive priesthood power in their homes. Religious teaching, summarized, not a quotation.

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Power from on High: The Development of Mormon Priesthood

Gregory A. Prince · Signature Books · 1995

Prince argues that priesthood authority developed gradually in early Church history, moving from implied authority to angelic restoration accounts and a structured set of offices. Summary, not a quotation.

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The Mormon Hierarchy: Origins of Power

D. Michael Quinn · Signature Books · 1994

Quinn traces how Church leadership and priesthood offices developed under Joseph Smith, including late accounts of priesthood restoration, the Danites, and the Council of Fifty. Summary, not a quotation.

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An Insider's View of Mormon Origins

Grant H. Palmer · Signature Books · 2002

Palmer, a retired Church Educational System institute director, argues that Joseph Smith's translation, the witnesses' experiences, the First Vision, and priesthood restoration accounts developed over time and fit his nineteenth-century setting better than the traditional narrative. Summary, not a quotation.

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CES Letter: Priesthood Restoration

Jeremy Runnells · CES Letter

The priesthood section argues that accounts of John the Baptist and Peter, James, and John restoring priesthood do not appear until years after 1829, that early revelations were edited later to add them, and that David Whitmer said he never heard of the angelic ordinations at the time. Summary, not a quotation.

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Critical advocacy. Argues against Church truth claims. Not peer-reviewed and not an official Church source.

MormonThink: Mormon Priesthood Restoration

MormonThink · MormonThink

This page compares the Church's account of angelic priesthood restoration with critics' argument that the accounts appear late and that early revelations were revised to include them. Summary, not a quotation.

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Critical website. Presents critic and apologist views but is written to raise problems with Church claims. Not peer-reviewed.

An Insider's View of Mormon Origins: An Interview with Grant Palmer (Ep. 30-33)

John Dehlin (host); Grant Palmer (guest) · Mormon Stories Podcast

A four-part interview with Grant Palmer, a former institute director, about his background, the Hofmann period, and the research behind An Insider's View of Mormon Origins on translation, the First Vision, and priesthood accounts. Summary, not a quotation.

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Personal account of a former CES teacher who became a critic.