On May 15, 1829, Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery claimed to have been ordained to the Aaronic Priesthood under the hands of John the Baptist; under the direction of Peter, James, and John who had been Apostles under Jesus. "He said this Aaronic Priesthood had not the power of laying on hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost, but that this should be conferred on us hereafter; and he commanded us to go and be baptized, and gave us directions that I should baptize Oliver Cowdery, and afterwards that he should baptize me. Accordingly we went and were baptized. I baptized him first, and afterwards he baptized me, after which I laid my hands upon his head and ordained him to the Aaronic Priesthood, and afterwards he laid his hands on me and ordained me to the same Priesthood-- for so we were commanded." (History of Church, vol. 1, p. 39)

Counter argument


• Priesthood not in Aaron’s lineage. Every priest and high priest within Israel was to be a male descendent of Aaron and his sons, with only the exception of those with physical deformities (Lev. 21:16-23). Since the main people of the Book of Mormon claimed descent from Joseph, it ignores this single God-given requirement for priesthood and holds faith, repentance and good works as the qualifying criteria for high priests (Alma 9:65,67; 10:2). The D&C also teaches that this priesthood can and should be obtained by an individual’s own initiative (D&C 83:6c).