CHAPTER I.
Divine Authority.
"Priest" Defined.—The English word "Priest" is generally derived from the New Testament term "presbyter" (Elder), which means "to preside." Aristotle's definition of "Priest" is, "presiding over things relating to the gods." Similar to this is Paul's understanding of the term, as expressed in Heb. 5:1: "Every high priest taken from among men is constituted on the behalf of men, with respect to their concerns with God, that he may present both gifts and sacrifices for sins." In Arabic, the word denotes to prophesy, to foretell, as a soothsayer, also to act as a mediator or middle person in any business. In the earliest families of the race of Shem, the offices of priest and prophet were united, so that the word originally meant both. The Hebrew idiom kept one part of the idea, and the Arabic another. The primary meaning of the Hebrew word is regarded to be the rendering of honorable and dignified service, like that of ministers of state to their sovereign.
Meaning of "Priesthood."—"Priesthood" is the office or character of a priest. The term also denotes the execution of that office, and signifies a class of priests, or the order of men set apart for sacred offices—priests collectively.
So much for human wisdom, and what it has gleaned upon this subject from the literary fields of the past.
To the Latter-day Saints, who owe most of their knowledge concerning it to modern revelation, "Priesthood" means divine authority, conferred upon men chosen of God to officiate in his name and in his stead. It also signifies the men bearing that authority, the possession of which constitutes them legal representatives of the Almighty. "No man taketh this honor unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron." (Hebrews 5:4.)
Necessity for a Priesthood.—The necessity for a priesthood is as obvious as the necessity for a gospel. The laws of God, like the laws of man, require officers and a government to administer them. God cannot be everywhere in person. He is omnipresent by his Spirit, his power, his authority, and his influence. But in person, being in the form of man, he is subject to certain limitations, imposed by eternal law and the very nature of things. There are some things that even the Omnipotent cannot do. I speak it with all reverence, and for a good purpose—the teaching of the truth in plainness. For instance, he cannot make something out of nothing, though many pious people ascribe to him that power—the power to perform the impossible and absurd. He cannot be in two or more places, at precisely one and the same time—not in person. Therefore, to carry on his work throughout the universe, he must have agents to represent him, and this is the fundamental fact underlying the necessity for a Priesthood and a Church organization.
President Smith's Definition.—When we speak of Priesthood we mean God's authority, and the men holding that authority, to administer the laws and ordinances of the gospel. Let me cite here some remarks made by President Joseph F. Smith, at a general conference of the Church. Said he:
"What is Priesthood? It is nothing more nor less than the power of God delegated to man, by which man can act in the earth for the salvation of the human family, in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost; and act legitimately in assuming that authority—an authority that has been given in this day in which we live, by ministering angels and spirits from above, direct from the presence of Almighty God, who have come to the earth and administered the priesthood to the children of men. * * * It is the same power and priesthood that was committed to the disciples of Christ while he was upon the earth; that whatever should be bound on earth should be bound in heaven, and whatever should be loosed on earth should be loosed in heaven."
The Principle of Representation.—Inherent in the Priesthood is the principle of representation. Priesthood, as President Smith affirms, is the delegated authority of God, and so plenary and far-reaching are its powers, that when those holding that authority are in the line of their duty, and have the spirit of their calling, their official acts and utterances are as valid as if God himself were personally present, doing and saying what his servants do and say for him.