A educated guess when the Melchizedek priesthood was restored.

[Guest Doctrine]

Some say from May 15 thru may 31 what day would you place it on.

sam smith was baptized may 25 so now there could be 6 day to choose from.

what idea are out there?

[pam]

Who is Sam Smith?

[pam]

The Aaronic Priesthood was restored on May 15th. The only thing we know is that the Melchizedek was restored soon after that. There is no known date.

[pam]

Who is Sam Smith?

Never mind I think you are referring to Joseph's brother Samuel. Just threw me off because I always knew it as Samuel...didn't think about the name Sam. :)

[MarginOfError]

https://www.lds.org/ensign/1979/06/dating-the-restoration-of-the-melchizedek-priesthood?lang=eng

It appears it was sometime between May 15 and June 14, 1829.

It would not have necessarily have been restored before Samuel's baptism, as the keys to baptism are contained in the Aaronic priesthood.

Most of the conclusions about the restoration of the Melchizedek priesthood depend on an assumption that Joseph Smith understood and envisioned the organization of the priesthood as we see it today. Such was not the case, however. The claim that the Melchizedek priesthood was restored between May 15 and June 14 somewhat depends on the interpretation of the word 'apostle.' At the time, Smith hadn't yet organized the priesthood into quorums. He would not introduce high priests and apostles as separate quorums in the priesthood until the Kirtland years. So that conclusion isn't rock solid, but given the language, it does seem reasonable.

The majority of people I've heard talk about the restoration usually speak of it as having been restored in June or 1829, but that may be purely cultural.

[rameumptom]

Many LDS scholars believe the MP was restored sometime in June, probably near the middle of the month.

The church wasn't organized until almost a year later, when Joseph and Oliver were set apart as First and Second Elders, and were noted to be apostles (as in those "sent" and as witnesses, not as in today's Quorum of 12).

Laying on of hands for the gift of the HG did not become fully apparent until D&C 20, which was given at the time of the Church's organizaiton. There were some who were baptized previous to April 6, 1830, but I have not seen any evidence that most of them (if any besides Joseph and Oliver) had yet received the Gift of the Holy Ghost.

[Guest Doctrine]

All good answers I think from may 25 thru may 31 mainly because the sunday school manual says "some weeks later" the mph was restored. the reson i dont think before the 25 is because of the baptism of samuel since there is no recored of the holy ghost given after baptism.

keep the guess coming they are all great. right now im looking for journals from this time line to see if there are any clues.

[Wingnut]

All good answers I think from may 25 thru may 31 mainly because the sunday school manual says "some weeks later" the mph was restored. the reson i dont think before the 25 is because of the baptism of samuel since there is no recored of the holy ghost given after baptism.

keep the guess coming they are all great. right now im looking for journals from this time line to see if there are any clues.

"some weeks later" could mean anything from 2-12 weeks, or even more.

[MarginOfError]

All good answers I think from may 25 thru may 31 mainly because the sunday school manual says "some weeks later" the mph was restored. the reson i dont think before the 25 is because of the baptism of samuel since there is no recored of the holy ghost given after baptism.

keep the guess coming they are all great. right now im looking for journals from this time line to see if there are any clues.

I would advise against trying to tie the restoration of the Melchizedek priesthood to recorded events of confirmation. Baptism and confirmation were not commonly done together until after the Church was organized.

[pam]

I second what MOE says. Just because people were baptized doesn't mean they were confirmed. Some were not confirmed till much much later.

[Guest Doctrine]

Good advice. but here is my guess May 31 1829- june 1 1829

why? these are days a few weeks later and the time they were traviling to escape persucusion.

That approximate time interval comes from an account by Erastus Snow, which can be found in the Journal of Discourses, 23:183.

In due course of time, as we read in the history which he [Joseph Smith] has left, Peter, James and John appeared to him it was at a period when they were being pursued by their enemies and they had to travel all night, and in the dawn of the coming day when they were weary and worn who should appear to them but Peter, James and John, for the purpose of conferring upon them the Apostleship, the keys of which they themselves had held while upon the earth, which had been bestowed upon them by the Savior

Edited February 16, 2013 by Doctrine

[Suzie]

I think it's quite possible (based on church history and Oliver Cowdery's confusing testimony about it that perhaps the restoration of the Melchizedek Priesthood didn't take place as a single event but rather several events leading to the conferral of the high priesthood.

There is no really records of angel visitations or the visitation of Peter, James and John in any diary until the mid-1830's. As a matter of fact, Oliver and Joseph took approximately five years from the time the Church speculates the conferral took place to talk about the visitation to the saints. Joseph made mention of the visit of the three apostles in 1838 but 10 years later Oliver, talks about "the" holy angel being the person who conferred them the Priesthood. I know anti-Mormons use this to try to portrait Joseph and Oliver as liars but in my opinion it shows the possibility that again, the restoration was done in phases. Perhaps, the phases taking place between 1829-1831 including the visitation and confirmation done by an angel as recorded by Cowdery and the final conferral taking place around 1830-1831.