How did Book of Mormon characters get the priesthood when they weren't from the tribe of Levi?

Being of the tribe of Levi means you have claim to the priesthood. That doesn't mean no one else can have it. the levitical preisthood is also the lesser priesthood or the preparatory priesthood. The Melchisedek priesthood is the higher priesthood and levites don't have claim to it. But they can still be given it through ordination by those who righteously hold it.

Saying Levites are the only people who could have the priesthood is like saying that Christ couldn't either because he was of the tribe of Judah. Of course he can have it, we get it from Christ.

hope that helps. Have a good day! :)

The e book of Mormon would not say that the human beings had the Levitical priesthood after the order of Aaron. the recent testomony makes it sparkling that there is a much better priesthood, after the order of Melchizedek. This Melchisedec grew to become right into a severe Priest, and Abraham (who got here earlier Levi) paid tithes to Melchisedec. for sure the "characters" interior the e book of Mormon had the priesthood after the order of Melchisedec, which encompasses the Levitical priesthood. Heb. 7: 11 11 If for this reason perfection have been via the Levitical priesthood, (for basically it the human beings gained the regulation,) what greater want grew to become into there that yet another priest might desire to upward thrust after the order of Melchisedec, and not be called after the order of Aaron?

Book of Mormon characters are more of a 19th century morality play than "real life action figures of god", and anything historically sound or plausible is thrown out the window.

But this is interesting regarding the latter day saints new improved priesthood from http://home.teleport.com/~packham/101.htm

"It seems odd that Joseph Smith remembers very precisely the date of the visitation of the angel Moroni (or "Nephi" - September 21, 1823), but he is unable to remember the date for his 1820 vision of God and Christ ("early in the spring" PoGP, JS-H 1:14), nor an accurate date for the visitation by Peter, James and John, when they restored the Melchizedek priesthood. Mormon historians can only date that event as sometime in 1829 or early 1830.

The Book of Abraham says (1:26-27 and 1:20-22 ) that descendants of Ham cannot hold any priesthood, and that all Egyptians are descended from Ham. Until 1978 this was interpreted to ban anyone with even a single "drop" of Hamitic (*****) blood. Most Mormons claim that they are descended from Ephraim or Manasseh, sons of Joseph, based on their individual patriarchal blessings. Since the mother of those two sons was Asenath, the daughter of Potipherah, priest at On (Genesis 41:45, 50), who was undoubtedly Egyptian, it would appear then that no such Mormon was entitled to hold the priesthood (until 1978 at least, when the church chose to disregard this passage of scripture)."

This would invalidate all celestial marriges performed before that date, and certainly all the polygamist marriages. Oh, wait - Those where unlawful in the first place...

BTW Ivan - I'm happy as a clam and actually 'gruntled'. Please refrain from projecting your own insecurities on others. You appear to be whining when you do that.

There are different orders to the Priesthood. Those from the tribe of Levi held what's commonly called the Levitical Priesthood. Prophets (e.g., Moses, Lehi) generally held the Melchizedek Priesthood and had authority to officiate in other orders.

I don't recall an account of Lehi obtaining the Priesthood. He could have obtained it from one of the contemporary prophets (e.g., Jeremiah), or through an angel.

This is one of the several proofs that the Mormon priesthood is not valid.

All we know is that Lehi was from the tribe of Joseph, thru Manassah. But, we don't know what tribe his wife, Ishmael, or his wife was from.

Besides, God can bend His own rules in times of necessity, I would think.

When Jo Smith found the plates, I forget who came to confer the preisthood on him one day, I am sure a current Mormon can tell you the accure story, I have been out of the mix so long, I forget the actual story, but after God visited Jo Smith, some other Angels showed up, like maybe Moses or someone important like that, Maybe Aaron or Melcezdic (didn't spell his name right) and gave it to him.

They stole it from the Catholics......... No actually they re-established a NEW Religious Foundation in the Americas later to spread out and teach.

It's a very elaborate system. The best I've ever seen.

because they make the rules theirselves.