03) PATRIARCHAL ORDER: What is the Patriarchal Order and does it pertain to families today?

Prophetic Statements

Brigham Young

#1

We understand that we are to be made kings and priests unto God; now if I be made the king and lawgiver to my family, and if I have many sons, I shall become the father of many fathers, for they will have sons, and their sons will have sons, and so on, from generation to generation, and, in this way, I may become the father of many fathers, or the king of many kings. This will constitute every man a prince, king, lord, or whatever the Father sees fit to confer upon us.  In this way we can become king of kings, and lord of lords, or father of fathers, or prince of princes, and this is the only course, for another man is not going to raise up a kingdom for you.  ¹

#2

Our doctrine is a Bible doctrine, a patriarchal doctrine, and is the doctrine of the gods of eternity, and of the heavens, and was revealed to our fathers on the earth, and will save the world at last. 2:187. ²

#3

This is a world in which we are to prove ourselves. The lifetime of man is a day of trial, wherein we may prove to God, in our darkness, in our weakness, and where the enemy reigns, that we are our Father’s friends, and that we receive light from him and are worthy to be leaders of our children—to become lords of lords, and kings of kings—to have perfect dominion over that portion of our families that will be crowned in the celestial kingdom with glory, immortality, and eternal lives. If we are crowned to become lords of lords and kings of kings, it will be to rule and reign over our own posterity pertaining to this flesh—these tabernacles—this commencement in our finite state of being. When I reign king of kings and lord of lords over my children, it will be when my first, second, third, fourth, and so on, son rises up and counts thousands and millions of his posterity, and is king over them; then I am a king of these kings. Our Father, who is Lord of all, will reign a King of kings and Lord of lords over all his children. ³

John Taylor

#1:

As a head of a family, I have a right to know these things; I have a right to know what influences are brought in and around my house, what spirits predominate there, and I have a right to know what a man’s religion is.

“But do you not allow liberty of conscience?” Yes. You can worship what you please—a donkey or a red dog—but you must not bring that worship into my house; I do not believe in your gods, I believe in the God of Israel, in the Holy Ghost, in the spirit of truth and intelligence, and all good principles; and if you want to worship your gods, worship them somewhere else, and if anybody else wants to worship them, they can do so: you can go on to one of those mountains and worship your gods, or if you are living in a house here, you can be a worshipper of Buddha if you please; but I do not want it in my house, and I do not want the spirit that you have—the spirit of those gods, visible or invisible; I do not want their teachings, spirit, nor influences.

. . . You may see people come here smiling and bowing, and very polite, and “won’t you let me take your daughter to a party?” No, nor yourself either, not unless I have a mind to; I will have a say in that, for I want to know who dances with my wives and daughters, and whether they have a reputation or not, and if they have a reputation, what kind of people they are. This I have a right to do in a social capacity, independent of all religion, and I mean to do it. ⁴

#2

THE PATRIARCHAL ORDER.C We find that after the days of Noah an order was introduced called the patriarchal order, in which every man managed his own family affairs. And prominent men among them were kings and priests unto God, and officiated in what is known among us as the priesthood of the Son of God, or the priesthood after the order of Melchizedek. Man began again to multiply on the face of the earth, and the heads of families became their kings and priests, that is, the fathers of their own people. And they were more or less under the influence and guidance of the Almighty.C JD, 17:207, October 7, 1874. ⁵

#3

But does not the patriarch stand in the same relationship to the church as Adam did to his family, and as Abraham and Jacob did to theirs? No. This is another mistake which is made by our junior, and one that may be very easily made inadvertently.Adam was the natural father of his posterity, who were his family and over whom he presided as patriarch, prophet, priest, and king. Both Abraham and Jacob stood in the same relationship to their families. But not so with Father Joseph Smith, Hyrum Smith, or William Smith. They were not the natural fathers of the church, and could not stand in the same capacity as Adam, Abraham, or Jacob; but inasmuch as there had been none to bless for generations past, according to the ancient order, they were ordained and set apart for the purpose of conferring patriarchal blessings, to hold the keys of this priesthood, and unlock the door, that had long been closed upon the human family: that blessings might again be conferred according to the ancient order, and those who were orphans; or had no father to bless them, might receive it through a patriarch who should act as proxy for their father, and that fathers might again be enabled to act as patriarchs to their families, and bless their children. For like all other ordinances in the church, this had been neglected and must needs be restored. ⁶

Lorenzo Snow

If a father, for instance, had a large, extensive family, his object would be to do them good, to promote their interest and happiness, to put into their hands power, knowing that they could not accomplish much alone, and that they would have to take or obtain assistance from that family.

The son that would take the deepest interest—that would devote himself the most faithfully to promote the designs of the father and head of that family, for the happiness and prosperity of the whole, would increase in power and influence faster than any other one; for the father would be disposed to put as much power and influence into his hands as it would be possible for him to receive, and as would be for the benefit of the family.

That would be the principle upon which ALL the members of that family would increase in knowledge, influence, and power above others. It would be by having the faculty, the feeling, and the disposition and desire to carry out the mind of the father, and that, too, for the benefit and exaltation of the whole family.

In order to do this, every particle of power, influence, and ability that a son holds, he should hold in subjection to the will of his father, be ever ready to carry out his commands; and his object and aim should be to obtain influence WITH his father; and then he would feel like holding everything that he obtained subject to the control of the father. No matter if he had obtained great temporal influence—no matter whether his influence be of an intellectual or spiritual character—no matter whether he obtained his influence by his knowledge of books, the study of science—whether he had obtained farms, or lands, or riches, or whether he had his influence by obedience to his father’s will, he would hold all at the control of his father, for the general good of the family. Just so far as he had this in him would he gain influence with his father and get the power upon him which it is absolutely necessary for him to possess. ⁷ (emphasis added)

Joseph F. Smith

#1

“… This patriarchal order has its divine spirit and purpose, and those who disregard it under one pretext or another are out of harmony with the spirit of God’s laws as they are ordained for recognition in the home. ⁸

#2

“There is no higher authority in matters relating to the family organization, and especially when that organization is presided over by one holding the higher Priesthood, than that of the father. The authority is time honored, and among the people of God in all dispensations it has been highly respected and often emphasized by the teachings of the prophets who were inspired of God. The patriarchal order is of divine origin and will continue throughout time and eternity. There is, then, a particular reason why men, women and children should understand this order and this authority in the households of the people of God, and seek to make it what God intended it to be, a qualification and preparation for the highest exaltation of his children. In the home the presiding authority is always vested in the father, and in all home affairs and family matters there is no other authority paramount.” ⁹

#3

“Wives and children should be taught to feel that the patriarchal order in the kingdom of God has been established for a wise and beneficent purpose, and should sustain the head of the household and encourage him in the discharge of his duties, and do all in their power to aid him in the exercise of the rights and privileges which God has bestowed upon the head of the home. …

“The necessity, then, of organizing the patriarchal order and authority of the home rests upon principle as well as upon the person who holds that authority, and among the Latter-day Saints family discipline, founded upon the law of the patriarchs, should be carefully cultivated, and fathers will then be able to remove many of the difficulties that now weaken their position in the home.” ¹⁰

#4

I desire … to impress upon the officers of the Church the necessity of consulting fathers in all things that pertain to the calling of their sons to the Priesthood, and to the labors of the Church, that the respect and veneration which children should show for parents may not be disturbed by the Church, nor overstepped by its officers. In this way harmony and good will are made to prevail; and the sanction of the families and the family life, on which the government of the Church is based and perpetuated, will thus be added to the calls of the holy Priesthood, insuring unity, strength and power in its every action. ¹¹

Ezra Taft Benson

#1

How did Adam bring his descendants into the presence of the Lord? The answer: Adam and his descendants entered into the priesthood order of God. Today we would say they went to the house of the Lord and received their blessings. The order of priesthood spoken of in the scriptures is sometimes referred to as the patriarchal order because it came down from father to son. But this order is otherwise described in modern revelation as an order of family government wherein a man and woman enter into a covenant with God just as did Adam and Eve to be sealed for eternity, to have posterity, and to do the will and work of God throughout their mortality. ¹²

#2

How did Adam bring his descendants into the presence of the Lord? The answer: Adam and his descendants entered into the priesthood order of God. Today we would say they went to the house of the Lord and received their blessings. The order of priesthood spoken of in the scriptures is sometimes referred to as the patriarchal order because it came down from father to son. But this order is otherwise described in modern revelation as an order of family governmentwherein a man and woman enter into a covenant with GodC just as did Adam and EveC to be sealed for eternity, to have posterity, and to do the will and work of God throughout their mortality. ¹³

#3

The Church was created in large measure to help the family, and long after the Church has performed its mission, the celestial patriarchal order will still be functioning. This is why President Joseph F. Smith said: “To be a successful father or a successful mother is greater than to be a successful general or a successful statesman,” and President David O. McKay added: “When one puts business or pleasure above his home, he, that moment, starts on the downgrade to soul weakness.” And this is why President Harold B. Lee said, “The Church must do more to help the home carry out its divine mission.” (God, Family, Country, p. 223.) ¹⁴

First Presidency

President John Taylor, in behalf of the Quorum of the Twelve

THE BLESSING OF CHILDREN.
We have nothing to say against a father blessing his children, the genius of the Priesthood being primarily patriarchal, with God himself the great Father of us all at the head. Indeed we claim that every man holding the Melchisedec Priesthood is a patriarch in his own home, with the right to bless all his children and grandchildren, even all the fruits of his loins. ¹⁵

Supporting Statements

Bruce R. McConkie

#1

Among the saints the family is the basic unit of the Church and of society, and its needs and preservation in righteousness take precedence over all other things. True family organization is patriarchal in nature; it is patterned after that organization which exists in heaven (Eph. 3:15); ¹⁶

#2

(3) The covenants] First to Abraham (Abra. 2:8-11; Gen. 12:1-3; 17:1-14; 23:15-18), then to Isaac (Gen. 26:2-5), and then to Jacob (Gen. 28:1-4, 10-15; 35:9-13) God gave the covenants of salvation, exaltation, and eternal increase through the patriarchal order. (D. & C. 132:29-37.) The blessings of these covenants were passed on to the whole house of Israel, the members of that chosen people thus becoming the children of the covenant. (3 Ne. 20:25 – 27.) These same blessings are now available to latter-day Israel, and are, in the main, received by them in the temples. ¹⁷

#3

See ADAM-GOD THEORY, ANCIENT OF DAYS, BIRTHRIGHT, CELESTIAL MARRIAGE, EXALTATION, ISRAEL, PATRIARCHAL ORDER. Those who shall hereafter rule and reign in eternity as exalted beings will form a patriarchal chain which will begin with Father Adam and spread out until every exalted person is linked in. Exaltation consists in the continuation of the family unit in eternity, and every family which so continues will find its proper place in the eternal organizational framework which the Almighty has ordained. None will be forgotten. Unworthy mortal links will be dropped in eternity, for there is no family in which all generations will attain exaltation; later generations of worthy families will be welded into the links formed by their ancestors who became worthy of a like exaltation with them. All those after the day of Abraham (of whatever literal lineage they may be) who so live as to be worthy of a place in this great patriarchal chain will be welded into Abraham’s lineage and shall rise up and bless him as their father. (Abra. 2:9-11.) ¹⁸

#4

As pertaining to mortality, the priesthood was first given to Adam. (Moses 6:67-68.) He stands at the head as the presiding high priest (under Christ) over all the earth for all ages. (Teachings, pp. 157-158.) This priesthood of the holy order continued with his worthy descendants until the day of Moses. (D. & C. 84:5-16; 107:41-53.) Through Moses the Lord attempted to set up the house of Israel as a kingdom of priests of the holy order, with each man and his family enjoying the full blessings of the patriarchal order and priesthood. (Ex. 19:5-6; Deut. 7:6.) ¹⁹

#5

Those mortal Israelites who are faithful in all things, who obey the full law of the gospel, will continue on as members of the house of Israel in a future eternity, there ruling as kings and priests forever in the patriarchal chain. ²⁰

#6

Administration of church affairs is necessarily on a different basis in our day, but the most important part of the patriarchal order is preserved for worthy members of the Church. Those married in the temple in the new and everlasting covenant of marriage become inheritors of all the blessings of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and all the patriarchs and thereby enter into the patriarchal order. If the participating parties abide in the eternal marriage covenant, they shall reap the full blessings of patriarchal heirship in eternity where the patriarchal order will be the order of government and rule. ²¹

#7

See CELESTIAL MARRIAGE, FAMILY ORGANIZATIONS, FAMILY REUNIONS, HOME, PATRIARCHAL CHAIN, PATRIARCHAL ORDER, TRIBES OF ISRAEL. Among the saints the family is the basic unit of the Church and of society, and its needs and preservation in righteousness take precedence over all other things. True family organization is patriarchal in nature; it is patterned after that organization which exists in heaven (Eph. 3:15); it always consists of a husband and wife who have entered into the new and everlasting covenant of marriage; and if the couple so united are blessed with children, they too become members of the family. ²²

#8

Celestial marriage is an “order of the priesthood.” It is the patriarchal order that opens the door to a continuation of the family unit in eternity. Those who enter this order of matrimony, “meaning the new and everlasting covenant of marriage” (D&C 131:2), and who are true and faithful, will have “a continuation of the seeds forever and ever.” They will have a “continuation of the lives” in the realms ahead. Their reward will be “eternal lives,” meaning endless lives or eternal increase. (D&C 132:19-24.) Thus Joseph Smith said: “Except a man and his wife enter into an everlasting covenant and be married for eternity, while in this probation, by the power and authority of the Holy Priesthood, they will cease to increase when they die; that is, they will not have any children after the resurrection. But those who are married by the power and authority of the priesthood in this life,” and who are true and faithful in all things, “and continue without committing the sin against the Holy Ghost, will continue to increase and have children in the celestial glory.” (Teachings, pp. 300-301.)²³

#9

When we receive the Melchizedek Priesthood, we enter into a covenant with the Lord. It is the covenant of exaltation. In it, we promise to magnify our callings in the priesthood, to keep the commandments, “to give diligent heed to the words of eternal life,” to “live by every word that proceedeth forth from the mouth of God,” and to enter the patriarchal order which leads to a continuation of the family unit in the realms ahead. In return, the Lord covenants and promises that we shall inherit eternal life. Of those who keep their part of the covenant, he says: “[They] are sanctified by the Spirit unto the renewing of their bodies.” That is, they are born again; they become alive in Christ; they are new creatures of the Holy Ghost; they become the sons of God and thus joint-heirs with Christ. “They become the sons of Moses and of Aaron and the seed of Abraham, and the church and kingdom, and the elect of God.” They become heirs of the promises made to the fathers, the promises made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that their seed after them would have the right to the gospel and the priesthood and eternal life. ²⁴

#10

In setting forth as much as can, with propriety, be spoken outside of the temple, the Lord says that “the fulness of the priesthood” is received only in the temple itself. This fulness is received through washings, anointings, solemn assemblies, oracles in holy places, conversations, ordinances, endowments, and sealings. (D&C 124:40.) It is in the temple that we enter into the patriarchal order, the order of priesthood that bears the name “the new and everlasting covenant of marriage.” ²⁵

#11

The Church of the Firstborn is the church among exalted beings in the highest heaven of the celestial world. It is the church among those for whom the family unit continues in eternity. In a sense it is the inner circle within the Lord’s church on earth. It is composed of those who have entered into that patriarchal order which is called the new and everlasting covenant of marriage. As baptism admits repentant souls to membership in the earthly church, so celestial marriage opens the door to membership in the heavenly church. ²⁶

#12

In the Nauvoo Temple — as will be the case in due course in the temple in Missouri — the saints were to receive “the fulness of the priesthood” through celestial marriage, which is the patriarchal order. ²⁷

#13

22. As unto the Lord] In the patriarchal order of celestial marriage, the husband is the eternal and everlasting head of the wife; he is the Lord’s agent and representative, holding the fullness of the holy Melchizedek Priesthood; accordingly, he is the proper recipient of respect from his eternal companion, “Even as Sara obeyed Abraham, calling him lord.” (1 Pet. 3:6.) And Abraham — acting in the true spirit of Christ, and setting the pattern for all who should thereafter enter into that same order of enduring matrimony — showered like appreciation and respect upon Sarah. ²⁸

#14

In these early days the church government itself was also patriarchal in nature. From Adam to the flood the presiding church officer was always both a high priest and a patriarch, and the office descended from father to son. This order of priesthood itself was called the patriarchal order. (Doctrines of Salvation, vol. 3, pp. 80-87, 101-106, 160-172; Teachings, p. 319.) ²⁹

#15

Why have temples? They are built by the tithing and sacrifice of the Lords people; they are dedicated and given to him; they become his earthly houses; in them the mysteries of the kingdom are revealed; in them the pure in heart see God; in them men are sealed up unto eternal lifeC all to the end that man may become as his Maker, and live and reign forever in the heavenly Jerusalem, as part of the general assembly and Church of the Firstborn, where God and Christ are the judge of all. Of temples the Lord says: “Therein are the keys of the holy priesthood ordained, that You may receive honor and glory.” In them, he says, his saints shall receive washings, anointings, baptisms, revelations, oracles, conversations, statutes, judgments, endowments, and sealings. In them are held solemn assemblies. In them the fulness of the priesthood is received and the patriarchal order conferred upon men. In them the family unit is made eternal. Because of them life eternal is available. With temples men can be exalted; without them there is no exaltation. (D&C 124:28-40; 131: 1-4; 132:1-33.) ³⁰

#16

All things center in the family, and the family is the center of all things. Salvation itself is a family affair and consists of the continuation of the family unit in eternity. God himself is exalted and omnipotent because he is a Father, and his kingdoms and dominions are composed of his children over whom he rules in equity and justice forever. The whole system of salvation, of revelation, of religion, of worshipC all that comes from Deity for the benefit of manC is tied into a divine patriarchal system. If any of us gain the fulness of reward in our Father’s kingdom, it will be because we enter into family relationships that are eternal in nature; it will be because we have perfected our own patriarchal family units. These concepts are part of the very foundation upon which true religion rests. ³¹

#17

There are many great patriarchal fathers to whom all the faithful look. Chief among them are Adam, Noah, and Abraham. Adam is the first man, the first mortal flesh upon the earth, the Presiding High Priest over all the earth, the head of the mortal and immortal patriarchal chains. He stands next to Christ in the eternal hierarchy. All men on earth are Adam’s seed as mortals. Those who gain exaltation and live in the family unit in celestial glory shall live and reign as his immortal children, being thus subject to him forever. Noah is in the same position. He stands next to Adam in priestly power and authority; he is the father of all mortals and will stand preeminent above all who have lived since his day and who gain exaltation. His position in the patriarchal chain of exalted beings will be above that of all who have lived since the flood. ³²

#18

40. Salvation, which is eternal life, consists in the continuation of the family unit in the highest heaven of the celestial world. (D. & C. 131:1-4; 132:1-32.) In that blessed realm a perfect patriarchal order will exist with Adam at the head and every saved person in his proper genealogical place. Hence, the salvation of the saints of all ages and dispensations is tied together. In this sense, those who lived in the first dispensation cannot be perfect without those in the last. The perfected families of all ages will take their places in the great patriarchal chain of saved beings. Thus in his great epistle on salvation for the dead, the Prophet Joseph Smith wrote concerning the ancestors of the Latter-day Saints who died without a knowledge of the gospel: “These are principles in relation to the dead and the living that cannot be lightly passed over, as pertaining to our salvation. For their salvation is necessary and essential to our salvation, as Paul says concerning the fathers — that they without us cannot be made perfect — neither can we without our dead be made perfect.” (D. & C. 128:15). ³³

John A. Widtsoe

#1

The family is the ultimate unit of the organized Church. It represents the patriarchal order, which is the order of heaven. All members of this unit should be conscious of the family needs, and should regularly and unitedly petition the Lord for His blessings. Unless this is done, family ties are weakened, and the blessings of the Lord may be withheld. A happier understanding prevails among families who pray together. Therefore, every effort should me made to engage the family regularly in prayer. ³⁴

#2

A patriarchal blessing is also a constant reminder of the patriarchal form of organization and government, emphasizing the importance of the family, which prevailed in the early days of the world. The father, holding the holy Priesthood, was then the legislator, judge, and governor of his family, each father presiding over his own family; and the oldest, over the group of families of common descent. Thus, every family as it increased became a tribe, kingdom, or nation, under the presidency of the living father of them all. It is the ideal form of government, wherever the Priesthood prevails, and it appears to be the form of organization in the world to come. ³⁵

Monte S. Nyman

Abraham also sought for the priesthood of the “fathers concerning the seed” or the Patriarchal Priesthood (Abr.1:2-4). This priesthood was also given unto him (Abr. 1:16-19)and “rightly belongs to the literal descendants of the chosen seed, to whom the promises were made” (D&C 107:40). This priesthood, which is a part of the Melchizedek, has two main functions. One function is the sealing together of families through patriarchal lineage and is obtained through the temple ordinancesTPJS 308, 322-23). The second function is shown through the Prophet Joseph Smith’s teachings: ³⁶

Archibald F. Bennett

The order of God’s government, both in time and in eternity, is patriarchal; that is, it is a fatherly government. Each father who is raised from the dead and made a partaker of the celestial glory in its fulness, will hold lawful jurisdiction over his own children, and over all the families which spring from them to all generations, for ever and ever. ³⁷

Encyclopedia of Mormonism

#1

Revelations to the Prophet Joseph Smith supplement those of the New Testament to indicate that the Church of the Firstborn consists of those who have the inheritance of the Firstborn and become joint-heirs with Christ in receiving all that the Father has (Rom. 8:14-17; D&C 84:33-38; see Heirs of God). The Lord said, “If you keep my commandments you shall receive of his fullness, and be glorified in me as I am in the Father; Y IY am the Firstborn; Y And all those who are begotten through me are partakers of the glory of the same, and are the Church of the Firstborn” (D&C 93:20-22). The Church of the Firstborn is the divine patriarchal order in its eternal form. Building the priesthood family order on this earth by receiving sealings in the temple is a preparation and foundation for this blessing in eternity (see Gospel of Abraham).³⁸

#2

The patriarchal order is, in the words of Elder James E. Talmage, a condition where “woman shares with man the blessings of the Priesthood,” where husband and wife minister, “seeing and understanding alike, and cooperating to the full in the government of their family kingdom” (Young Woman’s Journal 25 [Oct. 1914]:602-603). A man cannot hold this priesthood without a wife, and a woman cannot share the blessings of this priesthood without a husband, sealed in the temple. ³⁹

#3

2.The patriarchal order of the priesthood is the right of worthy priesthood-holding fathers to preside over their descendants through all ages; it includes the ordinances and blessings of the fulness of the priesthood shared by husbands and wives who are sealed in the temple (see Sealing: Temple Sealings). ⁴⁰

#4

To Latter-day Saints, the patriarchal order of the priesthood is the organizing power and principle of celestial family life. It is the ultimate and ideal form of government. It answers the query of Elder Parley P. Pratt: “Who can endure to be forever banished and separated from father, mother, wife, children and every kindred affection and from every family tie?” (Pratt, Utah Genealogical and Historical Magazine 23 [Apr. 1932]:59). ⁴¹

#5

Central to LDS theology is the belief that men and women existed as spirit offspring of heavenly parents in a premortal life. Latter-day Saints view life on earth as a time to prepare to meet God (Alma 12:24) and strive toward becoming like him (Matt. 5:48; 3 Ne. 12:48). Becoming like God is dependent to a large extent on entering into “celestial marriage” for “time and all eternity,” for eventually all exalted beings shall have entered into this highest patriarchal order of the priesthood. Latter-day Saints believe that the marital and family bond can continue in the post-earth life, and indeed is necessary for eternal life, or life in the Celestial Kingdom with God the Father; Mother in Heaven; Jesus Christ, and other glorified beings.⁴²

1. Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, selected and arranged by John A. Widtsoe [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1954], p. 195; Journal of Discourses 3:265-266
2. Discourses of Brigham Young, p.6
3. JOD, 8:61
4. John Taylor, “Divine Government, Etc.“, Journal of Discourses, vol. 11, pp. 51-59, January 18, 1865.
5. John Taylor, The Gospel Kingdom, p.139
6. John Taylor, The Gospel Kingdom, p.148
7. Lorenzo Snow, “Filial Duty—Consecration, Etc.”, Journal of Discourses, vol. 5, pp. 63-66, April 9, 1857. emphasis added
8. Joseph F. Smith, Gospel Doctrine (Deseret Book Company, 1968). pp. 287.
9. Joseph F. Smith, Gospel Doctrine (Deseret Book Company, 1968). pp. 286–87.
10. Smith, op. cit. pp. 287–88.
11. Gospel Doctrine, 162–63.
12. Ezra Taft Benson, Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, p.257.
13. Ezra Taft Benson, Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, p.257
14. Ezra Taft Benson, Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, p.491
15. Published Message of acting First Presidency, i.e. John Taylor and the Quorum of the Twelve; James R. Clark, Messages of the First Presidency, Vol.2, p.311; Millenial Star, April 1878, No. 15, p. 235; Deseret News
16. Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon doctrine
17. Bruce R. McConkie, Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, Vol.2, p.276
18. Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, p.558 PATRIARCHAL CHAIN
19. Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, p.477 MELCHIZEDEK PRIESTHOOD
20. Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, p.389 ISRAEL
21. Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, p.559 PATRIARCHAL ORDER
22. Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, p.273 FAMILY
23. Bruce R. McConkie, A New Witness for the Articles of Faith, p.312
24. Bruce R. McConkie, A New Witness for the Articles of Faith, p.312 – p.313
25. Bruce R. McConkie, A New Witness for the Articles of Faith, p.315
26. Bruce R. McConkie, A New Witness for the Articles of Faith, p.337
27. Bruce R. McConkie, A New Witness for the Articles of Faith, p.602
28. Bruce R. McConkie, Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, Vol.2, p.519
29. Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, p.559 PATRIARCHAL ORDER
30. Bruce R. McConkie, The Mortal Messiah, Vol.1, p.99
31. Bruce R. McConkie, The Mortal Messiah, Vol.1, p.214
32. Bruce R. McConkie, A New Witness for the Articles of Faith, p.503
33. Bruce R. McConkie, Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, Vol.3, p.221
34. John A. Widtsoe, Evidences and Reconciliations, p.317
35. John A. Widtsoe, Evidences and Reconciliations, p.324 – p.325
36. Monte S. Nyman, “The Covenant of Abraham,” in The Pearl of Great Price: Revelations from God, ed. H. Donl Peterson and Charles D. Tate Jr. (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 1989), 155–70.
37. Archibald F. Bennett, Saviors on Mount Zion, p.195
38. Encyclopedia of Mormonism, Vol.1, CHURCH OF THE FIRSTBORN
39. Encyclopedia of Mormonism, Vol.3, PATRIARCHAL ORDER OF THE PRIESTHOOD
40. Encyclopedia of Mormonism, Vol.3, PRIESTHOOD
41. Encyclopedia of Mormonism, Vol.3, PATRIARCHAL ORDER OF THE PRIESTHOOD
42. Encyclopedia of Mormonism, Vol.2, MARRIAGE