LDS Priesthood Unveiled Appendix 1away even that he hath. Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they
seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.^105Everything about the Jews’ religion was rebuked by Christ—including the laying on
of hands to give a person power and authority over another—and replaced with simple
mandates that incorporated all “the law and the prophets.”^106 Unfortunately, the early
Americans who accepted Mormonism and Joseph as their “Moses,” were seeing, but could
not see; and hearing, they did not hear; neither did they understand.
The True Origin of the Laying on of Hands
It was John the Beloved who explained many of the traditions of the Jews to Joseph
Smith, just as Jesus had taught John in private. Joseph learned more about the true history of
the Bible and Christianity than any other man upon earth. This transpired during his many
interviews and instructions with Moroni, John, and the Three Nephites. Joseph was taught
the real truth about how the tradition of the laying on of hands to confer blessings first
started among the ancient Hebrews.
The first mention of laying on of hands in the Old Testament is found in the story of
Jacob (Israel) blessing Joseph’s sons, Ephraim and Manasseh.^107 Before this time, as was the
case with Isaac blessing Jacob,^108 all blessings were spoken and granted simply by
acknowledgment of the one speaking the blessing and the one receiving it. Jacob was an old
man when he wanted to bless Joseph’s two youngest sons. Had he been able to see properly,
and had he known to whom he was speaking, Jacob would not have had to lay his hands
upon them to deliver the blessing that was customarily given to the oldest child. But
because “the eyes of Israel were dim for age, he could not see.”^109
To compensate for his poor eyesight, Israel had Joseph direct the boys towards him.
The record is not exact in what happened next, but it gives enough details to understand
why the Jews started to put their hands upon the head to confer blessings or authority.
Joseph placed the two boys in between their grandfather Israel’s knees. Ephraim, the
youngest, was on Israel’s right, and Manasseh, the elder of the two, was on his left. Once
Israel felt the boys, he put his hand first upon Ephraim’s head as any grandpa would
lovingly do to speak to a beloved grandson, and then began to speak the blessing usually
reserved for the eldest. This disturbed Joseph, who thought that his father did not realize he
was speaking to the younger of the two. In order to make the tradition correct, Joseph
“brought them out from between his knees,”^110 and attempted to put the older Manasseh on
Israel’s right. Israel corrected him and told Joseph that he knew what he was doing.^111
From this one story associated with Hebrew history and tradition, the laying on of
hands to confer priesthood blessings and authority evolved. John the Beloved smiles each
time he recounts how Jesus explained the tradition. Jesus told his disciples, with his gentle,
but vibrant sense of humor, “Now you see how the blind came to lead the blind.”
John the Beloved
When Joseph first explained all of this to Cowdery, Oliver became incredulous and
suspicious of the fact that Joseph had actually met with John the Beloved. To convince him
and avoid any further argument, Joseph gave Oliver another “revelation from God” (now
D&C, section 7).” In the heading of this “revelation,” it states that it “is a translated version of