An apostolic authority diagram,
showing the line of authority of each Church President

 

 

  • Joseph Smith received the Melchizedek Priesthood and was ordained an apostle by Peter, James, and John (D&C 27:12), and Peter, James, and John were ordained apostles by Jesus Christ himself (Mark 3:14-15).

  • The lines on the diagram represent ordination to the office of Apostle in the Melchizedek Priesthood, connecting the apostle who ordained and the apostle who was ordained.

  • The names of the Presidents of the Church are highlighted in this color.

 

  • The date of apostolic ordination is under the apostle's name.

  • The Three Witnesses (Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer, and Martin Harris) were called by revelation (D&C 18:37-41) to choose the original Twelve Apostles, and on 14 Feb 1835 they were blessed by the laying on of hands of the First Presidency (Joseph Smith, Sidney Rigdon, and Frederick G. Williams) to choose and ordain the Twelve Apostles.

 

 

                                                  Jesus Christ

                                                       |

                                                       |

                                            Peter, James, and John

                                                       |

                                                       |

                                                 Joseph Smith

                                                  (May 1829)

                                                       |

                                                       |

                                              The Three Witnesses

                                                 (14 Feb 1835)

                                                       |

                                  _____________________|______________________

                                 |                                            |

                          Heber C Kimball                               Brigham Young

                           (14 Feb 1835)                                (14 Feb 1835)

                                 |                                            |

                           ______|______     _________________________________|________________

                          |             |   |              |                  |                |

                    Lorenzo Snow     John Taylor   Wilford Woodruff    Joseph F Smith    George Q Cannon

                   (12 Feb 1849)    (19 Dec 1838)   (26 Apr 1839)      (01 Jul 1866)      (26 Aug 1860)

                                                                              |                |

                                     _________________________________________|                |

                                    |                  |                   |                   |

                           George Albert Smith   David O McKay   Joseph Fielding Smith   Heber J Grant

                              (08 Oct 1903)      (09 Apr 1906)       (07 Apr 1910)       (16 Oct 1882)

                                                       |                                       |

                _______________________________________|          _____________________________|____

               |               |                 |               |                |                 |

       Howard W Hunter  Gordon B Hinckley  Thomas S Monson   Harold B Lee  Spencer W Kimball  Ezra Taft Benson

        (15 Oct 1959)     (05 Oct 1961)     (10 Oct 1963)   (10 Apr 1941)    (07 Oct 1943)     (07 Oct 1943)

 

 

(Note:  As can be seen above, the only presidents of the Church that were not ordained to the apostleship by another president

 of the Church were Lorenzo Snow and Heber J Grant.  We can consider that Joseph Smith was ordained an apostle by another

 president of the Church when we realize that Peter held the position of President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Former-day Saints.)

 

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