by Walter D. Bowen

Section 107 is one of the most important statements in latter-day scripture on the divisions, offices, quorums, and councils of the priesthood. Section 107 establishes an orderly arrangement of lay priesthood responsibilities at several levels. It was first published as Chapter iii in the 1835 edition of the Doctrine and Covenants and was entitled "On Priesthood." Over the years it has been accepted as a major document and has been viewed as a wise and effective charter on priesthood keys and offices. It is the foundation of the priesthood administration of the Church (see Organization).

On March 28, 1835, in Kirtland, Ohio, the recently organized Quorum of the Twelve Apostles met in preparation for their mission to the eastern United States. Feeling a sense of inadequacy in their new callings as special witnesses for Christ, the quorum drafted a letter to the Prophet Joseph Smith requesting a revelation on their behalf: "The time when we are about to separate is near; and when we shall meet again, God only knows; we therefore feel to ask of him whom we have acknowledged to be our Prophet and Seer, that he inquire of God for us, and obtain a revelation, (if consistent) that we may look upon it when we are separated, that our hearts may be comforted" (HC 2:209-210).

Joseph "inquired of the Lord" and received section 107:1-57. The document distinguishes the Melchizedek Priesthood from the Aaronic Priesthood and defines which offices fall under each: The First Presidency, and under it the Twelve apostles, high priests, and elders, officiate in the Melchizedek Priesthood and function in all "spiritual things" (verses 1-12, 18-19, 21-26); the bishop, with his counselors, serves in the Aaronic Priesthood, which administers the "outward ordinances" of the Church, including baptism (verses 13-17, 20). The First Presidency presides over the Church; the Twelve are "special witnesses of the name of Christ in all the world" (verse 23); and the seventy are called to preach the gospel abroad (verse 25).

The principles of priesthood organization established by this revelation combine democratic and hierarchic elements. "Of necessity there are presidents" over the several offices (verse 21), but every decision of one of the three governing quorums of the Church "must be by the unanimous voice of the same" (verse 27), made "in all righteousness, in holiness, and lowliness of heart" (verse 30). These quorums—the First Presidency, the Quorum of the Twelve, and the Quorums of the Seventy—are "equal in authority" but function under the priesthood keys of the First Presidency, or of the Quorum of the Twelve when the presidency is dissolved on the death of the President (verse 22-26). The revelation also traces the lineage of the patriarchal priesthood in ancient times from Adam to Noah (verses 39-57).

With few exceptions, verses 58-100 were excerpted from an earlier revelation and vision that Joseph Smith had received. It declared that the President of the High Priesthood is "to preside over the whole Church,…like unto Moses" (verse 91), and defined the duties, presidencies, and membership limits for quorums of elders, priests, teachers, and deacons. It also specified the duties of the bishop as a judge in Zion and gave the procedures for trying the conduct of a general officer of the Church.

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Bibliography

Cook, Lyndon W. The Revelations of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pp. 215-16, 326-29. Provo, Utah, 1981.

Encyclopedia of Mormonism, Vol. 1, Doctrine and Covenants Section 107

Copyright © 1992 by Macmillan Publishing Company