Patriarchal priesthood
order of priesthood in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The patriarchal priesthood (or Abrahamic priesthood) is associated with the patriarchal order found in Mormonism and is especially connected with celestial marriage.
In the largest Latter Day Saint denomination, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), the patriarchal priesthood is sometimes confused as one of the types or "orders" of priesthood, however, there are only two orders: the Aaronic priesthood and the Melchizedek priesthood; the patriarchal priesthood should also not be confused with the calling of the patriarch. Boyd K. Packer, an LDS Church apostle, has explained that the patriarchal priesthood is included in the Melchizedek priesthood:There are references to a patriarchal priesthood. The patriarchal order is not a third, separate priesthood. (See D&C 84:6–17; D&C 107:40–57.) Whatever relates to the patriarchal order is embraced in the Melchizedek Priesthood. "All other authorities or offices in the church are appendages to [the Melchizedek] priesthood." (D&C 107:5.) The patriarchal order is a part of the Melchizedek Priesthood which enables endowed and worthy men to preside over their posterity in time and eternity.
History
In Nauvoo, Illinois on August 27, 1843, while the Nauvoo Temple was being constructed, Joseph Smith, the first president of the restored Church of Christ, taught, using Hebrews 7 as background material, the "Three Grand Orders" of priesthood:
There are three grand orders of priesthood referred to here.
1st. The King of Shiloam (Salem) had power and authority over that of Abraham, holding the key and the power of endless life .... The Melchizedek Priesthood holds the right from the eternal God, and not by descent from father and mother; and that priesthood is as eternal as God Himself, having neither beginning of days nor end of life.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Patriarchal priesthood” as order of priesthood in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
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Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated May 15, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q4357552. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1843.
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This entry incorporates text from “Patriarchal priesthood” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.