KnoWhy #330 - What Did The Book Of Mormon Teach Early Church Leaders About The Order And Offices Of The Priesthood? (Alma 13:8)

After reading the account in 3 Nephi of Jesus giving his disciples “power to baptize” (3 Nephi 11:21–22), Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery sought to know how they could receive that authority for themselves. In May 1829, John the Baptist appeared and conferred upon them the Aaronic Priesthood. Not long afterward, the Melchizedek Priesthood was also restored. A June 1829 document on church administration, entitled “Articles of the Church of Christ,” written by Oliver Cowdery, borrows heavily from the Book of Mormon, demonstrating that early Church leaders frequently looked to the Book of Mormon as a guide for how the priesthood of Christ’s church should be organized. The Book of Mormon provided the early saints with many examples of the priesthood in action, beyond what was available in the Bible.