The Kirtland Temple
Explore the Kirtland Temple and the witnesses recorded there.
Doctrine and Covenants 110:1–10
Read “The Kirtland Temple” in Church History →Study the testimony of Peter, James, and John’s ministry to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery. Read their accounts, explore the questions that remain, and consider what the Lord teaches about serving in His name.
Priesthood authority and the call to serve
Doctrine and Covenants 27:12–13 names Peter, James, and John and connects their ministry with apostolic authority and keys. Doctrine and Covenants 128:20 remembers their voices in the wilderness between Harmony and Colesville, along the Susquehanna River.
Begin with those witnesses and the questions they actually answer. The opening picture shows a priesthood blessing today. The historical account below traces a different moment: the restoration of authority through Peter, James, and John. The surviving sources do not establish a precise date for the conferral.
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Read the witnesses carefully
Books and notes rest together on a quiet desk. Take time with the witnesses: notice when each account was written, whose words it preserves, and what it helps you understand.
Peter, James, and John: authority and unfolding understanding
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Authority to serve in Christ’s name
Beside the river, Joseph and Oliver receive a solemn charge. Their later accounts remember Peter, James, and John as heavenly messengers. Read those accounts alongside the Lord’s teaching about gentle influence: authority in His name calls for persuasion, patience, and love.
Read Doctrine and Covenants 27:12–13 Read Doctrine and Covenants 121:41–42
Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery testified that Peter, James, and John conferred greater priesthood authority upon them. The Church's historical account explains that surviving sources do not establish the exact date. The surviving accounts do not establish who came first in receiving this ministry. Estimates differ, and the restoration should not be assigned a precise day simply to complete a timeline. Many detailed accounts were written later; earlier references are less specific. Study the evidence and the dating question.
A ministry received by both men
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Joseph receives the apostles’ ministry
Joseph bows his head as Peter, James, and John place their hands upon him. The scene invites a closer look at the testimony that these messengers conferred priesthood authority in Jesus Christ’s name.
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Oliver receives the apostles’ ministry
Oliver kneels beneath the three apostles’ hands while Joseph stands nearby. Oliver’s later accounts remember receiving greater priesthood authority.
Explore the evidence: the place, the date, and unfolding understanding
Joseph's 1842 letter, now Doctrine and Covenants 128:20, places their voices in the wilderness between Harmony and Colesville, along the Susquehanna. Doctrine and Covenants 27:12–13 connects these messengers with apostolic authority and the keys of ministry. These passages preserve the central claim without providing a complete scene description.
Understanding also developed over time. The Church's account follows later revelations that clarified priesthood offices and terminology, and subsequent restoration of keys and temple ordinances. It presents the restoration as a sequence of events rather than a single moment containing every later organizational detail. Keeping these developments in view helps us read early records in their own setting.
Read Doctrine and Covenants 121:41–42 alongside this history. How should patience, gentleness, and sincere love shape the use of authority? The invitation is to serve people, not merely admire an office. Continue with careful source study or return to the artwork gallery.
Read the scriptures in context
Read Doctrine and Covenants 107:1–8 for the later explanation of the two priesthoods, the name associated with Melchizedek, and the presiding and spiritual responsibilities described there. Then return to the earlier historical account. A later explanation can clarify a teaching without proving that every term or organizational detail was already expressed in the same way in the earliest accounts.
Doctrine and Covenants 84:19–22 connects priesthood ordinances with the power of godliness and coming to know God. Study these verses within the revelation’s wider treatment of priesthood and covenant rather than treating authority as a personal distinction.
Preparing the table
Careful hands prepare the sacrament table. Consider how ordinances turn our attention toward Jesus Christ.
Doctrine and Covenants 20:75–79
Read “Preparing the table” in Jesus Christ in the Restoration and Today →Keep a short record of what each source contributes: the testimony of the messengers, the named place, the later explanation of offices, and the spiritual purpose of ordinances. Leave an unanswered date as unanswered.
Church video
The Melchizedek Priesthood and the Keys
President Dallin H. Oaks explains priesthood authority and keys in the Church and at home. Listen for how authority serves God’s children and how its blessings reach women and men.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Priesthood and temple blessings for all God’s children
Priesthood and temple blessings are sacred to Latter-day Saints. This history also touches the lives of Black women, men, and families who sought those blessings while racial restrictions were in place. Their faith, service, and experiences deserve thoughtful attention.
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He lifts His hands to bless
Near Bethany, Jesus lifts His hands and blesses His disciples. His departure leaves them worshipping and rejoicing.
Continue with a dedicated study of the Church’s historical accounts, the 1978 revelation, and its teachings about the equal worth of every child of God. Read the sources, remember the people, and take time with your questions.
Continue with a person or part of the history
- The historical restrictions and the limits of the record
- Elijah Able: a life of faith and service
- Jane Manning James: devotion and a desire for temple blessings
- Families and believers across nations
- The 1978 revelation: prayer and sacred confirmation
- Equal worth, temple blessings, and our care for one another
Authority and a life of service
Doctrine and Covenants 121:34–46 places the exercise of priesthood within a demanding moral teaching. Persuasion, long-suffering, gentleness, meekness, love unfeigned, kindness, and pure knowledge are part of the passage’s language. Read its warnings as well as its promises.
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Go and show yourselves
Ten men call to Jesus from a distance. He sees them and sends them to show themselves to the priests, and they are cleansed as they go.
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Come to Him and drink
On the feast's last day, Jesus stands and calls the thirsty to come to Him. John connects His promise with the gift of the Spirit.
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Sent two and two
Jesus sends disciples ahead of Him in pairs. Their service begins with His direction and a shared journey.
These verses do not excuse pressure or mistreatment in the name of authority. They invite examination of how people are actually treated. In daily relationships, listening patiently and serving without seeking control are useful places to begin reflecting on the passage.
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Listen with patience
Two men sit together in a garden, one speaking while the other listens. How might patience and gentleness shape the way we serve someone?
Church video
The Restoration of the Priesthood Authority and Organization
Matthew C. Godfrey and Spencer McBride discuss how Church leaders’ understanding of priesthood developed after authority was restored. Follow their account of changes in organization and duties.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Pause and reflect
These questions are optional invitations for personal study. Take time with one before moving to the next.
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That they may be one
Jesus prays for those who will believe through His disciples' words. His prayer reaches toward a unity grounded in the Father and the Son.
Separate witness from reconstruction
Which questions do the scriptural and historical sources answer? Which remain open? Keep those questions beside you as you compare the witnesses.
Read across time
Compare the earlier witness with a later explanation of priesthood. What becomes clearer? What should you avoid projecting backward into the earlier account?
Read His words together
Bring your own questions to the Savior’s words. Explore a study of reading scripture together.
Examine the way authority is used
Choose one quality named in the passage on gentle influence. What would it change in a conversation where you are tempted to insist, hurry, or control?
Official sources for further study
Continue with the Church’s historical account and its documentary notes. Notice the dates of the records and follow the linked sources when a detail raises a question.
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Study the Aaronic Priesthood
Read the related testimony while keeping the distinct accounts and responsibilities in view.
The restored Church of Jesus Christ
Connect priesthood, scripture, ordinances, and the purpose of the Church.
Return to Church History
Explore the wider history and its original sources.
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Welcome those who come
Jesus teaches the people to welcome those who come among them and to pray for them. His ministry teaches people to welcome one another.