Three Ways to Learn More About the Aaronic Priesthood Restoration

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By Christine Rappleye, Church News

It was 192 years ago this month when Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery prayed together in a sugar maple grove on May 15, 1829, near what was then known as Harmony, Pennsylvania.

Joseph had been working on the translation of the Book of Mormon and had several different scribes. When Oliver arrived with Joseph’s brother Samuel, Oliver soon became a full-time scribe.

They had reached the book of 3 Nephi in which the resurrected Jesus Christ visits the ancient Americas and teaches about baptism. Their prayer on that day in mid-May was about the authority to baptize, Joseph shared in his account in Joseph Smith—History 1:68–75.

“A messenger of light descended in a cloud of light,” Joseph recorded. John the Baptist conferred the Aaronic Priesthood on them, which included the authority to baptize. That same day, Joseph and Oliver baptized each other in the Susquehanna River, then ordained each other. (See also “How the Aaronic Priesthood Was Restored”)

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Here are three resources where you can learn more about the priesthood:

1. “The Priesthood Restored: A Joseph Smith Papers Podcast”

The restoration of the Aaronic Priesthood is one of the topics of this six-episode podcast released earlier this year with host Spencer McBride, a historian and documentary editor for the Joseph Smith Papers.

The podcast explores the context and events of the restoration of the priesthood and the development of the priesthood’s organization and structure over time.

2. Learn More About the Priesthood Restoration Site

The homes of Joseph and Emma and Emma’s parents were reconstructed by the Church and dedicated in 2015. A visitors’ center and monuments commemorating the restoration of the Aaronic Priesthood are also part of the Priesthood Restoration Site.

Earlier this year, photographer Kenneth Mays shared about two dozen images he has taken from past visits to the site.

During the pandemic, missionaries at the Church’s historic sites began offering virtual tours that will continue to be available when sites reopen for in-person tours.

3. Women and the Priesthood

In the last few years, President Russell M. Nelson and other leaders have encouraged women to study more about the priesthood, or power of God, and what it means to them.

The Church News joined with the Relief Society, Young Women and Primary General presidencies and advisory councils, as well as other faithful Latter-day Saint women and men, to create a series of articles sharing personal stories, experiences and thoughts about priesthood power.

Church News New Series Focuses on Women and Leaders Sharing What Priesthood Power Means to Them

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