Apostle (Latter Day Saints)

Last updated

In the Latter Day Saint movement, an apostle is a "special witness of the name of Jesus Christ who is sent to teach the principles of salvation to others." [1] In many Latter Day Saint churches, an apostle is a priesthood office of high authority within the church hierarchy. In many churches, apostles may be members of the Quorum of the Twelve and First Presidency of the church. In most Latter Day Saint churches, modern-day apostles are considered to have the same status and authority as the Biblical apostles.

Contents

In the Latter Day Saint tradition, apostles and prophets are believed to be the foundation of the church, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone. [2] The "Articles of Faith", written by Joseph Smith, mentions apostles:

"We believe in the same organization that existed in the Primitive Church, namely, apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists, and so forth."

History

Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery were both designated apostles by 1830. [3] The founding articles and covenants of the Church of Christ stated an "apostle is an elder" and, as such, had the same responsibilities as an elder, though an apostle's primary responsibility was preaching. [4] Other church members with proselytizing responsibilities were also referred to as apostles. [5] A June 1829 revelation appointed Cowdery and David Whitmer to designate twelve apostles. [6]

Subsequently, the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles was organized February 14, 1835, with the selection of twelve men. [7] After the appointment of a quorum of apostles, the term became increasingly restricted to members of that quorum, but members of the quorums of the seventy were also sometimes referred to as apostles. [8]

Apostles in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

The First Presidency and the Twelve Apostles in September 1898. First Presidency and Twelve Apostles 1898.jpg
The First Presidency and the Twelve Apostles in September 1898.

In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), apostle is the highest priesthood office of the Melchizedek priesthood. The President of the Church is always an apostle, as are the members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. In practice, counselors in the First Presidency are almost always apostles as well. There are usually at least twelve apostles in the LDS Church, though at times there has been as many as 21.

Some apostles have been ordained to that office without being included within the Quorum of the Twelve. Alvin R. Dyer, for example, was ordained an apostle in 1967; although he served as a counselor in the First Presidency between 1968 and 1970, upon the death of David O. McKay, he returned to his previous position as an Assistant to the Quorum of the Twelve. Joseph Angell Young was ordained an apostle in 1864 but was never a member of either the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles or the First Presidency. Joseph F. Smith, Brigham Young, Jr., and Sylvester Q. Cannon had each been ordained as apostles before eventually being called into the Quorum of the Twelve.

Due to a precedent established after the succession crisis which occurred after the death of Joseph Smith, the senior apostle, the President of the Quorum of the Twelve, becomes the new President of the Church upon the death of his predecessor. On these occasions, it is at the next church general conference that the president of the Quorum of the Twelve is formally sustained by the members of the church as the "prophet, seer, and revelator" and president of the church. The next most senior apostle becomes president of the Quorum of the Twelve.

Following their calling to the apostleship, members of the Quorum are sustained in general conference as apostles and prophets, seers, and revelators. This procedure also takes place at other meetings of church members such as ward and stake conferences. Each member of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve is sustained by name.

Usually, the president of the church ordains a new apostle, although any other apostle may ordain a person to the priesthood office. If the president of the church is unable due to infirmity to ordain a new apostle, the ordination is usually performed by an apostle who is a member of the First Presidency or by the president of the Quorum of the Twelve.

The Bible Dictionary of the LDS Church defines apostle as meaning "one sent forth" and elaborates as follows:

[Apostle] was the title Jesus gave (Luke 6:13) to the twelve whom he chose and ordained (John 15:16) to be his closest disciples during his ministry on earth, and whom he sent forth to represent him after his ascension into heaven. The calling of an apostle is to be a special witness of the name of Jesus Christ in all the world, particularly of his divinity and of his bodily resurrection from the dead (Acts 1:22; D&C 107:23). Twelve men with this high calling constitute an administrative council in the work of the ministry. When a vacancy occurred with the death of Judas Iscariot, Matthias was divinely appointed to that special office as a member of the council (Acts 1:15–26). Today twelve men with this same divine calling and ordination constitute the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The title was also applied to others who, though not of the number of the original twelve, yet were called to serve as special witnesses of the Lord. Paul repeatedly spoke of himself as an apostle (Rom. 1:1; 1 Cor. 1:1; 1 Cor. 9:1; Gal. 1:1). He applied the titles to James, the Lord's brother (Gal. 1:19), and also to Barnabas (1 Cor. 9:5–6; cf. Acts 14:4,14). The New Testament does not inform us whether these three brethren also served in the council of the Twelve as vacancies occurred therein, or whether they were apostles strictly in the sense of being special witnesses for the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus is referred to as an apostle in Heb. 3:1–2, a designation meaning that he is the personal and select representative of the Father. [9]

Bruce R. McConkie also describes each elder and member of the church as an apostle:

Every elder in the Church is or should be an apostle; that is, as a minister of the Lord and as a recipient of personal revelation from the Holy Ghost, every elder has the call to bear witness of the truth on all proper occasions. Indeed, every member should have apostolic insight and revelation, and is under obligation to raise the warning voice. (D&C 88:81; Mosiah 18:9) [1]

McConkie also explained the meaning of the word "in the ordained sense":

an apostle is one who is ordained to the office of the Melchizedek Priesthood. Ordinarily those so ordained are also set apart as members of the Council of the Twelve and are given all of the keys of the kingdom of God on earth. This apostleship carries the responsibility of proclaiming the gospel in all the world and also of administering the affairs of the Church. Christ "chose twelve, whom also he named apostles" (Luke 6:13), and upon their shoulders the burden of the kingdom rested after he ascended to his Father (1 Cor. 12:28.) The original Twelve in latter-days were selected by revelation by the Three Witnesses to the Book of Mormon (D&C 18:26–47.) [1]

See also

Related Research Articles

In Mormonism, the Melchizedek priesthood, also referred to as the high priesthood of the holy order of God or the Holy Priesthood, after the Order of the Son of God, is the greater of the two orders of priesthood, the other being the Aaronic priesthood.

Among many churches in the Latter Day Saint movement, the First Presidency is the highest presiding or governing body. Present-day denominations of the movement led by a First Presidency include the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Community of Christ, Remnant Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and the Righteous Branch of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (LDS Church)</span> Governing body of LDS Church

In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles is one of the governing bodies in the church hierarchy. Members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles are apostles, with the calling to be prophets, seers, and revelators, evangelical ambassadors, and special witnesses of Jesus Christ.

In the Latter Day Saint movement, priesthood is the power and authority of God given to man, including the authority to perform ordinances and to act as a leader in the church. A group of priesthood holders is referred to as a quorum.

In the Latter Day Saint movement, the President of the Church is generally considered to be the highest office of the church. It was the office held by Joseph Smith, founder of the movement, and the office assumed by many of Smith's claimed successors, such as Brigham Young, Joseph Smith III, Sidney Rigdon, and James Strang. Several other titles have been associated with this office, including First Elder of the church, Presiding High Priest, President of the High Priesthood, Trustee-in-Trust for the church, Prophet, Seer, Revelator, and Translator. Joseph Smith was known by all of these titles in his lifetime.

Seventy is a priesthood office in the Melchizedek priesthood of several denominations within the Latter Day Saint movement, including the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Traditionally, a Latter Day Saint holding this priesthood office is a "traveling minister" and an "especial witness" of Jesus Christ, charged with the mission of preaching the gospel to the entire world under the direction of the Twelve Apostles. Latter Day Saints teach that the office of seventy was anciently conferred upon the seventy disciples mentioned in the Gospel of Luke 10:1-2. Multiple individuals holding the office of seventy are referred to collectively as "seventies".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bruce R. McConkie</span> American religious leader (1915–1985)

Bruce Redd McConkie was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1972 until his death. McConkie was a member of the First Council of the Seventy of the LDS Church from 1946 until his calling to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Succession crisis (Latter Day Saints)</span> Event in Latter Day Saint history

The succession crisis in the Latter Day Saint movement occurred after the killing of the movement's founder, Joseph Smith, on June 27, 1844.

A Rigdonite is a member of the Latter Day Saint movement who accepts Sidney Rigdon as the successor in the church presidency to the movement's founder, Joseph Smith Jr. The early history of the Rigdonite movement is shared with the history of the Latter Day Saint movement, but as of the 1844 succession crisis becomes distinct. Sidney Rigdon and other church leaders, including Brigham Young and James J. Strang, presented themselves as leaders of the movement and established rival church organizations. Rigdon's group was initially headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was known at one point as the Church of Jesus Christ of the Children of Zion, and its adherents are referred to as Rigdonites, or sometimes "Pennsylvania Latter Day Saints" or "Pennsylvania Mormons." The only surviving organization that traces its succession back to Rigdon's organizations is The Church of Jesus Christ, founded by a group of Rigdon's followers led by William Bickerton.

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 idea of a quorum was established by Joseph Smith early in the history of the movement, and during his lifetime it has included several church-wide quorums, including the First Presidency, the Presiding High Council, the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, the Anointed Quorum, and the Quorum of the Seventy, as well as numerous local quorums for each congregation. The Council of Fifty, or General Council, was not part of the church, but a quorum-like body designed as a forerunner to establishing a theocratic government.

In most denominations of the Latter Day Saint movement, a high priest is an office of the priesthood within the Melchizedek priesthood. High priests are typically more experienced leaders within the priesthood. The term derives in part from the Epistle to the Hebrews, which describes Jesus as "a high priest after the order of Melchizedek". Movement founder Joseph Smith ordained the first high priests on June 3, 1831.

In Mormonism, revelation is communication from God to man. Latter Day Saints teach that the Latter Day Saint movement began with a revelation from God, which began a process of restoring the gospel of Jesus Christ to the earth. Latter Day Saints also teach that revelation is the foundation of the church established by Jesus Christ and that it remains an essential element of his true church today. Continuous revelation provides individual Latter Day Saints with a "testimony", described by Richard Bushman as "one of the most potent words in the Mormon lexicon".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First Presidency (LDS Church)</span> Highest ecclesiastical body in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

The First Presidency, also called the Quorum of the Presidency of the Church or simply the Presidency, is the presiding governing body of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is composed of the President of the Church and his counselors. The First Presidency currently consists of Russell M. Nelson and his two counselors: Dallin H. Oaks and Henry B. Eyring.

In the Latter Day Saint movement, the Quorum of the Twelve is one of the governing bodies of the church hierarchy organized by the movement's founder Joseph Smith and patterned after the Apostles of Jesus. Members are called Apostles, with a special calling to be evangelistic ambassadors to the world.

Assistant President of the Church was a position in the leadership hierarchy in the early days of the Latter Day Saint church founded by Joseph Smith. The Assistant President was the second-highest authority in the church and was a member of the church's governing First Presidency. As President of the Church, Smith appointed two men to serve in the position of Assistant President. After Smith's death, most Latter Day Saint denominations discontinued the position of Assistant President of the Church.

In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Council of the Church may be the chief governing body of the church which holds the power to make the final decision on any spiritual matter that will affect any member of the church. Its existence and status are uncertain, and the body has not been formally convened since the presidency of John Taylor. The Council of the Church is sometimes confused with the Common Council of the Church.

In the Latter Day Saint movement, the Common Council of the Church is a body of the church that has the power to discipline or remove the President of the Church or one of his counselors in the First Presidency due to misbehavior. Its existence and status are uncertain and controversial, and the body has only been formally convened twice, once to try Joseph Smith in 1834 and once in 1844 when Sidney Rigdon was excommunicated in absentia. The Common Council of the Church is sometimes confused with the Council of the Church.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">President of the Church (LDS Church)</span> Highest office of the LDS church

The President of the Church is the highest office of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It was the office held by Joseph Smith, the church's founder. The church's president is its leader and the head of the First Presidency, its highest governing body. Latter-day Saints consider the president of the church to be a "prophet, seer, and revelator" and refer to him as "the Prophet", a title that was originally given to Smith. When the name of the president is used by adherents, it is usually prefaced by the title "President". Russell M. Nelson has been the president since January 14, 2018.

Apostolic succession in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the process of transition to a new church president when the preceding one has died.

References

  1. 1 2 3 McConkie, Bruce R. (1979). Mormon Doctrine . Deseret Book. pp. 46–47. ISBN   0-88494-062-4.
  2. ↑ Ephesians 2:20.
  3. ↑ Revelation, 6 April 1830.
  4. ↑ Articles and Covenants, ca. Apr. 1830; Revelation, 22–23 September 1832 Archived January 5, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
  5. ↑ Definition of "apostle," Joseph Smith Papers (accessed 23 October 2012) Archived March 10, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
  6. ↑ Revelation, June 1829—B Archived January 5, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
  7. ↑ Minutes, 14–15 February 1835
  8. ↑ Joseph Smith, Journal, 28 December 1835 and 27 March 1836
  9. ↑ Bible Dictionary. Salt Lake City, Utah: LDS Church. 1979. p. 612.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.