phaedrus ut Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 (edited) "A new two-page, handwritten note offers evidence of who ordained Able to the priesthood, the exact date of that ordination, as well as a variety of other tantalizing details. It is, in fact, a rush of new information about Able, his ancestry, a bit about his wife, Mary Ann, and mostly about his ritual relationship to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It was found in the Joseph F. Smith papers and has been verified to have been written by Smith." Keepapitchinin, The Mormon History Blog offers more details on the discovery. http://www.keepapitchinin.org/2019/01/18/guest-post-newly-discovered-document-provides-dramatic-details-about-elijah-able-and-the-priesthood/ The basics are that Elijah Abel was ordained and Elder by Ambrose Palmer, on 25 January 1836, he received a ministerial certificate and license from Joseph Smith himself, he received his washings & anointings in the Kirtland Temple, and was later ordained a Seventy. The new documents also show Joseph F. Smith was dishonest in 1908 when he said that Joseph Smith declared Abel's ordination "null and void" when he was one of the few people who knew the exact opposite was true. Phaedrus Edited January 30, 2019 by phaedrus ut 2 Link to comment
CA Steve Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 Quite interesting. Also this comment from someone named Kurt in the comments section is very interesting. Quote This cements Elijah Abels’ patrilineal lineage as being anglo and places the african descent on the matrilineal line, something that was only previously suspected. In various census records EA is listed as “mulatto” but there is nothing to suggest where the mixing occurred. Joseph Smith Sr.’s patriarchal blessing upon EA identifies him as an “orphan” and EA had only done vicarious temple work for his mother, not his father, by which people have inferred EA is the product of a male slave owner and female slave. The question in my mind, a question that will likely never be answered given the paucity of the historical record, is whether Joseph Smith Jr. saw EA as being entitled to the Priesthood because EA’s father was fully anglo. If the rite to the Priesthood is patrilineal, which the Scriptures unequivocally forward, then EA was entitled to the Priesthood, despite having african heritage on his mother’s side. If JSJr understood this, but BY and JFS didnt, then that would be the source of confusion between them with respect to EA’s ordination and activity in the Church. Broader society labels EA “black” but his father is entirely anglo, so he is entitled to the PH, so JSJr endorses the ordination, but it raises hackles among those who espouse the Ham/Canaan Priesthood ban given the broader adoption of the “one drop” rule. Link to comment
Jeanne Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 Very interesting..thank you. Link to comment
Calm Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 Discussed here: http://www.mormondialogue.org/topic/71498-new-elijah-able-info/?tab=comments#comment-1209882969 Link to comment
phaedrus ut Posted January 30, 2019 Author Share Posted January 30, 2019 14 minutes ago, Calm said: Discussed here: http://www.mormondialogue.org/topic/71498-new-elijah-able-info/?tab=comments#comment-1209882969 Dag nabbit. I clicked back a couple pages and even did a search and didn't find a duplicate. Link to comment
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