- For the ancient Israelite priesthood physically descended from Aaron, see Kohen. See also History of ancient Israel and Judah According to the Bible, the Israelites were the dominant group living in the Land of Israel. This article is about Aaron the Levite in the Hebrew Bible, the Qu'ran, and other sources A kohen (or cohen, Hebrew כּהן "priest" pl כּהנִים kohanim or cohanim) has a separate status in Judaism.
The Aaronic priesthood (also called the Levitical priesthood) is the lesser of the two (or sometimes three) orders of priesthood recognized in Mormonism. In the Latter Day Saint movement, priesthood is considered to be the power and authority of God including the authority to act as a leader in the church and to perform Mormonism is a term used to describe the religious, ideological and cultural elements of certain branches of the Latter Day Saint movement The others are the Melchizedek priesthood and the rarely-recognized Patriarchal priesthood. The Melchizedek priesthood is the greater of the two (or sometimes three orders of priesthood recognized in Mormonism. In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Patriarchal priesthood (or Abrahamic priesthood) is one of three types (called "orders" of Unlike the Melchizedek Priesthood, which is modeled after the authority of Jesus and the Apostles, or the Patriarchal Priesthood, which is modeled after the authority of Abraham, the Aaronic Priesthood is modeled after the priesthood of Aaron the Levite, the first high priest of the Hebrews, and his descendents. Jesus of Nazareth (7–2 BC / BCE —26–36 AD / CE) The Twelve Apostles (Greek apostolos, "someone sent out" e Abraham ( Ashkenazi Avrohom or Avruhom; ابراهيم, {{Unicode|Ibrāhīm}}; Ge'ez: This article is about Aaron the Levite in the Hebrew Bible, the Qu'ran, and other sources A kohen (or cohen, Hebrew כּהן "priest" pl כּהנִים kohanim or cohanim) has a separate status in Judaism. The Aaronic Priesthood is thought to be a "branch" or an "appendage" of the more powerful Melchizedek Priesthood. Practically, they are administrative and financial agents of the church[1].
Contents |
History of the Aaronic Priesthood
Mormons believe that ancient prophets and apostles conferred the Priesthood directly upon Joseph Smith, Jr. and other early members of the Church. The conferral of the Aaronic Priesthood on Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery is recorded in Joseph Smith - History as follows:
- "[W]e. Oliver Hervy Pliny Cowdery ( 3 October 1806 – 3 March 1850) was the primary participant with Joseph Smith Jr . . went into the woods to pray and inquire of the Lord respecting baptism for the remission of sins, that we found mentioned in the translation of the plates [The Book of Mormon],. The Book of Mormon is a Sacred text of the churches in the Latter Day Saint movement. . . . While we were thus employed, praying and calling upon the Lord, a messenger from heaven descended in a cloud of light, and having laid his hands upon us, he ordained us, saying:
- "Upon you my fellow servants, in the name of Messiah, I confer the Priesthood of Aaron, which holds the keys of the ministering of angels, and of the gospel of repentance, and of baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; and this shall never be taken again from the earth until the sons of Levi do offer again an offering unto the Lord in righteousness.
- "He said this Aaronic Priesthood had not the power of laying on hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost, but that this should be conferred on us hereafter; and he commanded us to go and be baptized, and gave us directions that I should baptize Oliver Cowdery, and that afterwards he should baptize me.
- "Accordingly we went and were baptized. . . .
- "The messenger who visited us on this occasion and conferred this Priesthood upon us, said that his name was John, the same that is called John the Baptist in the New Testament, and that he acted under the direction of Peter, James and John, who held the keys of the Priesthood of Melchizedek, which Priesthood, he said, would in due time be conferred on us, and that I should be called the first Elder of the Church, and he (Oliver Cowdery) the second. . . .
- "Immediately on our coming up out of the water after we had been baptized, we experienced great and glorious blessings from our Heavenly Father. No sooner had I baptized Oliver Cowdery, than the Holy Ghost fell upon him, and he stood up and prophesied many things which should shortly come to pass. And again, so soon as I had been baptized by him, I also had the spirit of prophecy, when, standing up, I prophesied concerning the rise of this Church, and many other things connected with the Church, and this generation of the children of men. We were filled with the Holy Ghost, and rejoiced in the God of our salvation. "
- Read full account here [1]
Aaronic Priesthood as practiced in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Aaronic Priesthood has taken on a role as a source of training, leadership and service for adolescent boys and new converts. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the fourth largest Christian denomination in the United States and the largest and most well-known It is often called a "preparatory priesthood. " Holders of the Aaronic priesthood whom the church considers worthy are advanced to an office in the Melchizedek priesthood as a matter of course around the age of 18, or in the case of adult converts, after approximately a year of active church membership. The Melchizedek priesthood is the name of several priesthoods
The Aaronic priesthood is open only to men and boys, twelve years old or older, who are considered worthy after a personal interview with a local bishop. Bishop is the highest priesthood office of the Aaronic priesthood in the Latter Day Saint movement. Requirements for worthiness include abstaining from certain sexual practices, following the Word of Wisdom (a code requiring abstinence from drinking, smoking, and consumption of coffee and tea), and attending church services. The law of chastity is one of two moral codes established by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Word of wisdom is regarded among Charismatics and Pentecostals to be the Supernatural revelation of wisdom through the power of the Holy Spirit
With the exception of bishop, the offices of the Aaronic priesthood are organized primarily by age, and an adolescent boy will automatically advance to the next office if found worthy upon reaching the appropriate age. Bishop is the highest priesthood office of the Aaronic priesthood in the Latter Day Saint movement. The conferral and ordination to an office in the Aaronic priesthood is performed by the "laying on of hands" by a Priest or by those holding the Melchizedek priesthood. The laying on of hands is a religious practice found throughout the world in varying forms Priest is a priesthood office in the Aaronic Priesthood of denominations within the Latter Day Saint movement, including The Church of Jesus Christ The Melchizedek priesthood is the name of several priesthoods
With the exception of bishop Aaronic priesthood holders of the same office are organized into a quorum led by a president and counselors within each quorum. Bishop is the highest priesthood office of the Aaronic priesthood in the Latter Day Saint movement. In the Latter Day Saint movement, a quorum is a group of people ordained or endowed with priesthood authority and organized to act together as a body The president of the Priests Quorum is the bishop or branch president of the congregation. Each ward has one or more quorums of each office of the priesthood, if there are young men in that age group among the membership. In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a ward is the larger of two types of local congregations (the smaller being a branch)
The church-wide titular head of the Aaronic priesthood is the Presiding Bishop. Presiding BishopBishop (Latter Day Saints The Presiding Bishop of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church is a priesthood calling However, because the Aaronic priesthood is composed primarily of the youth of the church, the presidency of the Young Men Organization supervises much of the church-wide organization involving the Aaronic priesthood. The Young Men (often referred to incorrectly as Young Men's) is a youth organization and an official auxiliary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Offices and quorums of the Aaronic priesthood in the LDS Church
| Office | Minimum requirements to be ordained | Rights and responsibilities | Name of quorum organization | Maximum number in quorum |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bishop | Married adult male; high priest in Melchizedek priesthood | See Bishop (Latter Day Saints) | No quorum of bishops; bishop is president of the Priests Quorum and a member of the stake High Priests Quorum | |
| Priest | Baptized 16 year old male | Bless the sacrament; baptize; give others the Aaronic priesthood and ordain other to the offices of priest, teacher and deacon; all rights of a teacher | Priests Quorum | 48 |
| Teacher | Baptized 14 year old male | Prepare the sacrament; home teaching; all rights of a deacon | Teachers Quorum | 24 |
| Deacon | Baptized 12 year old male | Keys of the ministering of angels; pass the sacrament to the congregation; collect fast offerings; other duties as assigned by bishop | Deacons Quorum | 12 |
- Note: when a Latter-day Saint male turns 18 he is encouraged to become an elder of the church, which is an office of the Melchizedek Priesthood. Bishop is the highest priesthood office of the Aaronic priesthood in the Latter Day Saint movement. High priest is a priesthood office in the Melchizedek priesthood of denominations within the Latter Day Saint movement, including The Church of The Melchizedek priesthood is the name of several priesthoods Bishop is the highest priesthood office of the Aaronic priesthood in the Latter Day Saint movement. Priest is a priesthood office in the Aaronic Priesthood of denominations within the Latter Day Saint movement, including The Church of Jesus Christ In Mormonism, the Holy Sacrament of the Lord's Supper most often simply referred to as the Sacrament is the Sacrament in which participants partake of In Christianity, baptism ( Greek, "immersing" "performing Ablutions " is the ritual act with the use of water by which one is admitted Teacher is a priesthood office in the Aaronic Priesthood of denominations within the Latter Day Saint movement, including The Church of Jesus Christ In Mormonism, the Holy Sacrament of the Lord's Supper most often simply referred to as the Sacrament is the Sacrament in which participants partake of Home teaching (formerly called ward teaching) is a responsibility of priesthood holders in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Deacon is a priesthood office in the Aaronic Priesthood of denominations within the Latter Day Saint movement, including The Church of Jesus Christ An angel is a Spiritual Supernatural being found in many Religions Although the nature of angels and the tasks given to them vary from tradition to tradition In Mormonism, the Holy Sacrament of the Lord's Supper most often simply referred to as the Sacrament is the Sacrament in which participants partake of Fast offering is the term used in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to denote money or usable commodities donated to the church in order to help the needy Elder is a priesthood office in the Melchizedek Priesthood of denominations within the Latter Day Saint movement, including The Church of Jesus Christ The Melchizedek priesthood is the name of several priesthoods
Aaronic Priesthood in Protestant Christianity
In the book of Exodus, God ordained Aaron and his sons Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar to be priests for the Lord. According to the Law, only descendants of Aaron, or Aaronites, could be priests. It was their duty to make the daily sacrifices, fellowship offerings, grain offerings, et cetera at the Tabernacle or Tent of Meeting for the Hebrews. In effect, the priest's role was to intercede before God on behalf of the nation of Israel. Aaron was appointed the first High Priest, and it was his duty to enter the Most Holy Place of the Tabernacle once each year to make the sin offering for all of Israel. The priesthood was a hereditary office only the Aaronites could fill.
The Aaronic priesthood is considered defunct in Protestant Christianity. They believe it to be an office that is no longer required as the rite of animal sacrifice for remission of sins has, in their view, been replaced by the ultimate sacrifice of Christ. They believe that, having fulfilled the law, Christ was made the High Priest in the order of Melchizedek, the priest of God for Abraham, because he was a descendant of Judah and not Aaron. Melchizedek is an enigmatic figure twice mentioned in the Hebrew Tanakh and in the Christian Old Testament. They believe that Jesus Christ fulfilled the role of the priesthood in that he is the only intercessor before God.
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=2&chapter=28&version=31 | Exodus 28
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=3&version=31 | Leviticus 1
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=65&chapter=5&version=31 | Hebrews 5
Notes
- ^ ". . . concerned principally with church finances and administration. " From "Aaronic priesthood. " Encyclopædia Britannica. The Encyclopædia Britannica is a general English-language encyclopaedia published by Encyclopædia Britannica Inc 14 January 2007.
External links
- LDS.org - Aaronic Priesthood. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
- Aaronic Priesthood. LightPlanet > World Religion and Family Resources.
References
- Hartley, William G. , “From Men to Boys: LDS Aaronic Priesthood Offices, 1829–1996”, Journal of Mormon History 22 (1): 78–134, <http://content.lib.utah.edu/u?/jmh,18069>.
Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic