Thirty-Seven (1842)to hold the keys of all the spiritual blessings of the church—to have the
privilege of receiving the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, to have the
heavens opened unto them, to commune with the general assembly and
church of the Firstborn, and to enjoy the communion and presence of God the
Father, and Jesus the mediator of the new covenant.^23At no time did Joseph ever say that the “power and authority of the higher, or Melchizedek
Priesthood“^24 was exclusively limited to men. A woman had every right to the same
authority and priesthood as any man—something Joseph taught the women in private, but
which he could never help the men understand.
The Jewish and Christian scriptures hardly mention women in connection with
receiving or administering the ordinances of the priesthood. In fact, women are hardly
mentioned at all. However, the institution of the Jewish priesthood gives all the clues
needed to show that, in the beginning, the women were equally privileged to the rights
and powers of the “higher priesthood.” In no uncertain terms, Joseph (“the Lord”)
explained this perfectly to the people in a “revelation” received in September 1832,
identified as section 84 of the Doctrine & Covenants.
Joseph Addresses the True Nature of Priesthood Authority
In this important, but often overlooked, “revelation,” the clues are given about
the true nature of priesthood authority. First, the people are told that a “temple shall
be reared in this generation.”^25 Joseph began the revelation explaining that “an house
shall be built unto the Lord, and a cloud shall rest upon it, which cloud shall be even
the glory of the Lord, which shall fill the house.” Joseph’s original words that followed
were, “Therefore, in the ordinances thereof [meaning of the house], the power of
godliness is manifest.”^26
The council of the Church that approved the revelation for publication forced Joseph
to say a bit more about where the priesthood came from. One will notice that upon reading
the revelation, verse 6 is out of place as it begins, “And the sons of Moses, according to the
Holy Priesthood.” “And the sons of Moses,” meaning what? Here is the explanation. Verses
5 and 6 (D&C 84) read:
For verily this generation shall not all pass away until an house shall be
built unto the Lord, and a cloud shall rest upon it, which cloud shall be
even the glory of the Lord, which shall fill the house. And the sons of
Moses, according to the Holy Priesthood which he received under the
hand of his father-in-law, Jethro.^Verses 6 thru 19 are an interpolation that Joseph was forced to put in by the Church
council to give some idea of where the priesthood lineage came from, how it came to be, and
that it was significant to the salvation of the people. Why? Because of what Joseph said
about the priesthood and the Church in the rest of the revelation. The council realized that
the wording of the revelation given through Joseph left little room but to conclude that the
Lord condemned the entire Church!