The priesthood of
God was restored to the earth near Harmony (now
Oakland), Pennsylvania, in 1829. Joseph and Emma Smith had
moved here in December 1827 to escape persecution.
Here Joseph began translating the plates that had been
delivered to him by the angel Moroni. Martin Harris
came from New York and served as a scribe to the Prophet for
the first 116 pages of the translation from April to
June 1828. Those pages were lost due to disobedience
and were never retranslated.
In early April
1829, Oliver Cowdery came to meet the Prophet and soon
became his new scribe. During the translation, Joseph and
Oliver went into the woods and prayed for guidance on
the subject of baptism. In reply, the resurrected John
the Baptist visited them on May 15, 1829, and ordained
them to the Aaronic
Priesthood. He then commanded Joseph and
Oliver to baptize each other in the nearby Susquehanna
River.
Most of the
Book of
Mormon was translated at Harmony. Here, the Lord
also gave the Prophet 15 revelations later published
in the Doctrine and
Covenants.
Joseph and Emma
moved from Harmony in August 1830. The home they lived in
burned down in 1919. From 1947 to 1959, the Church acquired
the land where Joseph and Emma lived and about 6 acres
of riverfront property where the Aaronic Priesthood
was restored.
Book of Mormon
One of the standard works of the Church. An account of God's dealings with the people of the American continents from about 2,200 years before the birth of Jesus Christ to 421 years after the death of Jesus Christ. It was translated from gold plates by Joseph Smith and contains the fulness of the gospel (Gospel Principles, 377).
Aaronic Priesthood
The Aaronic Priesthood deals with the temporal and outward ordinances of the law and the gospel. It holds the keys of the ministering of angels, of the gospel of repentance, and of baptism. The Aaronic Priesthood was restored to the earth in this dispensation on May 15, 1829. John the Baptist conferred it on Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery on the banks of the Susquehanna River, near Harmony, Pennsylvania (The Guide to the Scriptures, "Aaronic Priesthood," 7–8).
Doctrine and Covenants
A collection of latter-day divine revelations and inspired declarations. The Lord gave these to Joseph Smith and several of his successors for the establishment and regulation of the kingdom of God on the earth in the last days. The Doctrine and Covenants is one of the standard works of scripture in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, along with the Bible, the Book of Mormon, and the Pearl of Great Price (The Guide to the Scriptures, "Doctrine and Covenants," 68).
