One source of pride in the Mormon church is that we are led by apostles and have the same structure as the early church that Christ himself established on the earth. In the minds of most members, the LDS church is a replacement for Christ’s early church, which eventually fell away because of apostasy. However, this seems to be a fundamental misunderstanding due to generations of errors.
Apostle
In discussing apostles or apostolic authority it can be confusing because sometimes some words are used interchangeably when they really have distinct meanings. For instance, disciple and apostle can have the same meaning in specific contexts. However, outside of this specific context we can still assume they have the same meaning when they really don’t.
We can see this in Matthew 10 where the twelve apostles are also referred to as the twelve disciples. This logically makes sense because a disciple is a follower or student, while an apostle is a witness or teacher. Therefore, an apostle of Christ is part of the larger group of followers of Christ. This all makes sense in this context. However, if I chose 12 random disciples of Christ this of course doesn’t mean they are 12 apostles of Christ as well.
This can become more clear if we look at what the early apostles felt was a requirement to be an apostle of Jesus. After the death of Judas Iscariot, the apostles and disciples met together to select a new apostle as recorded in Acts 1. This was just after the resurrected Jesus had spent 40 days teaching them further.
In this meeting, Peter discussed why they needed a new apostle and then gave the requirements for who could be selected. Peter mentioned:
Wherefore of these men which have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection.
Acts 1:21-22
The requirements then, according to Peter, and the rest of the apostles, were that this specific person had to of been a disciple of Christ from the very start and a disciple of John the Baptist. This means they had to of been a witness to the entire ministry of Jesus. The specific person also had to of been a witness of Christ’s death. Lastly, this specific person also had to of been a witness of the resurrection of Jesus. A witness to one or two of these things wasn’t enough. The specific person had to of been a witness to all three: the life of Jesus, his death, and his resurrection.
According to the New Testament, this is what made the apostles unique. They were personal witnesses to the entire ministry of Jesus and learned his gospel directly from him. Many of the disciples were very similar in this regard, however the apostles were the ones chosen, by Jesus personally, to be witnesses of him directly. Many then taught of Jesus, however only twelve were chosen to go forth and be personal witnesses of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.
Book of Mormon
When reading the Book of Mormon, we assume so much based upon our current understanding. This can be a problem when really trying to understand what the scriptures are saying. This is also why many will point to obscure passages to justify certain beliefs. In their minds it all makes perfect sense. However, the text itself doesn’t support their understanding at all. You have to agree with them to see the scriptures their way, which of course is circular reasoning.
A good example of this is Christ’s visit to the Nephites in 3 Nephi. In 3 Nephi 12 we are told that Christ chose twelve individuals to have authority to baptize and teach his gospel. Of course, when reading this we immediately think of twelve apostles. However, this is not what the text says at all. In fact, these twelve individuals are never once referred to as apostles anywhere in the Book of Mormon. They are always called ministers or disciples. This may not seem like a big deal. However, it has profound implications for us today.
We can even see in 1 Nephi 12 that it appears the apostles, that Christ chose in the Old World, have authority over the 12 disciples that Christ chose in the New World. For instance, 1 Nephi 12:8-10 reads:
And the angel spake unto me, saying, “Behold the twelve disciples of the Lamb, who are chosen to minister unto thy seed.” And he said unto me, “Thou rememberest the twelve apostles of the Lamb? Behold they are they who shall judge the twelve tribes of Israel; wherefore, the twelve ministers of thy seed shall be judged of them; for ye are of the house of Israel. And these twelve ministers whom thou beholdest shall judge thy seed.”
1 Nephi 12:8-10
In this case, the angel speaking to Nephi mentioned that the twelve apostles of Christ have more authority than the twelve disciples chosen in the New World and have spiritual leadership over them. In turn, the twelve disciples then have spiritual leadership over Nephi’s posterity. A natural question would then be, are these twelve ministers even apostles at all as we typically think?
Jesus himself even contrasted the twelve disciples with the twelve apostles that he personally chose. In Moroni 2, we are told that the twelve disciples were given authority to confer the Holy Ghost on others just like the apostles in the Old World. In this chapter, Jesus is not saying ‘because you are apostles’ you have this authority, he is saying instead you have this authority ‘like my apostles’. This is a critical distinction that we easily overlook. Moroni 2 reads:
The words of Christ, which he spake unto his disciples, the twelve whom he had chosen … ye shall give the Holy Ghost; and in my name shall ye give it, for thus do mine apostles.
Moroni 2:1-3
It seems then that the twelve disciples were given immense authority by Christ however this authority was under the umbrella of the apostles of old. The twelve disciples’ authority never once was equated with the apostle’s authority. In fact, it seems if the nations were able to communicate, at the time, then the twelve disciples would have been completely under the direction of the twelve apostles. This is an important point to keep in mind.
According to the scriptures then, Christ called a single set of twelve apostles to perform his work to Israel and the world. Those that he called among the Nephites had similar authority in some ways. They were though not apostles who were literal witnesses to the life and resurrection of Jesus. In fact, they saw Jesus just like everyone else did at the time. Teaching about Jesus is nowhere similar to knowing Jesus during his life, seeing him die, and then seeing him live again. This is what makes an apostle a special witness and not just another disciple.
Doctrine and Covenants
In reading the Doctrine and Covenants, we also have to be careful that we don’t read into the text what is not there. It also doesn’t help that, in many cases, Joseph changed the text to reflect his new understanding of things. It is actually one of these changes which complicates this very topic. It is easy to support a concept if you rewrite everything to match it.
In June 1829, Joseph received what is known today as D&C 18. In this section, Oliver Cowdrey and David Whitmer were asked to search out and find twelve disciples who would have a similar role to the twelve disciples in the Book of Mormon. They would declare Christ’s gospel and testify of him. It is also important to note that Oliver and David were two of three divine witnesses to the Book of Mormon. They had a very special role in the early church as we will later see.
This section however is notable for a variety of reasons. Just like in the Book of Mormon, these twelve individuals were called disciples and not apostles. This however was later changed, by Joseph, to reflect the new office of apostle. In this section, God also mentions that the church was to rely on what they were already given, which would be the Book of Mormon. This was sufficient for them. However, this was also changed to imply that this was just the start of what they should rely on.
To my knowledge, we don’t have the original manuscript for D&C 18. However, the first printing of that revelation included a summary of what the revelation described. In the 1833 Book of Commandments this summary states:
A Revelation to Joseph, Oliver and David, making known the calling of twelve disciples in these last days, and also, instructions relative to building up the church of Christ, according to the fulness of the gospel
Chapter XV heading, 1833 Book of Commandments
This summary is really clear and matches the text. However, for some reason Joseph felt the need to change it in the next printing of the section which was 1835. In this change, he changed the word disciples to now be apostles. The summary now read:
Revelation to Joseph Smith, jr. Oliver Cowdery and David Whitmer, making known the calling of twelve apostles in these last days, and also, instructions relative to building up the church of Christ, according to the fulness of the gospel
Section XLIII heading, 1835 Doctrine and Covenants
A single word change can be minor, however the elevation of these disciples to apostles has had irreversible effects upon the church. This change is also not the only change that Joseph made to this section. The next change is subtle and easily missed but has profound implications. The original text for D&C 18 clearly stated that the church should rely upon the written things that they already had, which would have been the Book of Mormon. This contained the fullness of the gospel and was initially used as a guide for the early church. This of course is incredibly problematic since the church, as we know it today, wasn’t even formally organized yet. The text originally stated:
Behold, I give unto you a commandment, that you rely upon the things which are written; for in them are all things written concerning my church, my gospel, and my rock. Wherefore, if you shall build up my church, my gospel, and my rock, the gates of hell shall not prevail against you.
D&C 18: 2-4, 1833 Book of Commandments
This is also very clear and unambiguous. The church was to rely on what they had already, as a model, since they had everything that they needed. This revelation however was altered to support the ever-changing church. The 1835 Doctrine and Covenants now read:
Behold I give unto you a commandment, that you rely upon the things which are written; for in them are all things written concerning the foundation of my church, my gospel and my rock; wherefore, if you shall build up my church upon the foundation of my gospel and my rock, the gates of hell shall not prevail against you.
D&C 18: 2-4, 1835 Doctrine and Covenants
The church now was just going to use the Book of Mormon essentially as a suggestion instead of as a guide. This is very subtle, but has had an immense effect upon the church today. Now the church could change things as they saw fit and just use everything previously mentioned as a foundation.
In the revelation itself, it mentions nothing about a new set of twelve apostles or apostolic authority. All it mentions is twelve individuals who want to devote their lives to God and get his authority to baptize. We mentally want to equate a group of 12 people with apostles who have a special divine connection with God. However, this is not what the text states at all. A group of 12 people is symbolic of the 12 tribes of Israel. It doesn’t have to mean people who regularly visit Heaven for their weekly meeting with God like we generally assume. The revelation itself mentions:
And now behold, there are others which are called to declare my gospel, both unto Gentile and unto Jew: Yea, even unto twelve: And the twelve shall be my disciples, and they shall take upon them my name: And the twelve are they which shall desire to take upon them my name, with full purpose of heart: And if they desire to take upon them my name, with full purpose of heart, they are called to go into all the world to preach my gospel unto every creature: And they are they which are ordained of me to baptize in my name, according to that which is written; and you have that which is written before you: Wherefore you must perform it according to the words which are written.
D&C 18:26-30, 1833 Book of Commandments
This language is exactly like what we saw in the Book of Mormon. Twelve individuals, called disciples, were chosen to deliver the message of Christ to the people. They were given authority to baptize and teach correct principles and nothing more. However, today this is taken to a completely different level than what it originally was. The text itself also mentioned that the twelve disciples were to rely upon what was already written. The only things which were already written, in June 1829, were some very early revelations and the Book of Mormon which mentions nothing like we assume today.
On February 14th, 1835, the twelve disciples, who the church called apostles, were finally chosen by the three witnesses to the Book of Mormon. However, curiously enough the three witnesses are the ones who ordained the apostles to their new power and authority. In the understanding of the LDS church today, this shouldn’t have been possible since the three witnesses didn’t have the apostolic authority themselves. However, this is how they chose to do it in 1835. The record reads:
The Three special witnesses of the Book of Mormon being present, that part of the revelation given in Fayette N.Y. June 1829 relative to the chooseing of twelve apostles, was taken into consideration, and it was ascertained that the time had come when they should be chosen … These were ordained under the hands of the Three Witnesses and great blessings were pronounced upon the head of each one
Meeting minutes, February 14, 1835
By this time in the church, the concept of Twelve apostles was firmly established and the earlier revelations were altered to reflect this new understanding. Subsequent revelations then freely adopted this terminology and continued to develop the authority and power for those apostles.
Conclusion
In looking at the Bible and Book of Mormon, it seems there was a major distinction between the twelve chosen by Christ in Jerusalem and those chosen in the New World. There were absolutely some similarities, however it also appears there were huge differences in power and authority as well. The apostles chosen were those who were literal witnesses to Christ, while the disciples chosen were righteous men who wanted to devote themselves to the service of others.
In the Doctrine and Covenants it also appears that the three witnesses, to the Book of Mormon, were to choose twelve disciples to act as messengers of Christ. There is no indication that these were to be considered apostles in the same way as Christ’s Jerusalem apostles were. In addition, the church was to rely on the Book of Mormon for the fulness of the gospel. The Book of Mormon doesn’t mention anything about apostolic authority. However, it does mention elders, priests, and teachers which the church originally modelled themselves after. These revelations however were changed to be quite open ended, allowing the church to go from very specific requirements to very flexible in the end.
By 1835, when the twelve disciples, called apostles, were chosen, then the church was already beginning to go far beyond their original roots. This began a fundamental transformation of the simple church into the rigid hierarchy that we know today. After the death of Joseph, this also led to the twelve apostles being chosen to lead the church. This never should have even been a choice for the people, however because of earlier mistakes then it seemed like the most logical one to make at the time.
