Introduction

The Plat of Zion refers to the buildings 4, 5 and 6 as the “Holy Evangelical House, for the High Priesthood of the Holy Order of God”. Being in the first division of 12 houses, it is served by the high priests, who are of the Melchizedek order. As seen in the scriptural analysis below, and in the definition of key terms that define their work, high priests were involved in social services, such as health, nutrition, recreation, education and life planning. Accordingly, the community designates the three houses as follows:

4. Health and Nutrition

5. Life Planning

6. Recreation and the Arts.

The high priest has a set of characteristics that are then used to explain their roles in the community. The high priest is an evangelist, a patriarch, and a baptizer. An evangelist is the bearer of good news. The biblical evangelists – the writers of the Gospel, bore the news of Jesus’ life and his resurrection, the foundations of the Christian faith. When the formation of the community is considered, the evangelist is the bearer of news on how participants can improve their capabilities – through education, and how they can live their lives in accordance to what the community teaches in its various bylaws and principles, which can be equated to life planning.

The plat of Zion’s language is Early Modern English, which William Tyndale also used in the first translation of the Bible from Greek and Hebrew into English. In Tyndale’s time, the state and religion were not separate. Religion was a way of life, with faith playing a decisive factor in how people lived socially, conducted business and were governed. It is this rationale that informs the allocation of Life Planning to the Community Public Service, and in particular, to the high priest, who bears information on how this can be done.  

In a non-hierarchal environment, the patriarch is not simply the head of a family, a tribe or other social groupings. Such an office gives the holder a responsibility to serve the community by guiding them, teaching them and giving them practical skills with which to live their lives while in the community. The patriarch’s primary responsibility to the community is to give patriarchal blessings. They are considered gifts of knowledge and strength, with which a participant is better equipped to handle challenges and opportunities, which they will encounter. The Patriarchal blessings forecast the circumstances in which the participant will operate, considering the make-up of the community, as well as the characteristics of the participant – their skills level and business, for instance.

Holders of the Melchizedek priesthood, including the elders, high priests and bishops conduct a full baptism in the LDS movement. Through baptism, an individual becomes a member of the community. The process does not only involve the event itself, but is a series of steps through which the potential entrant is vetted, and prepared for a new life. In the context of the community, the elders perform their part in the entry process, leasing to the participant the assets required to live and work in the community, and ensuring that their financial status measures up to what the community needs.

Scriptural references

The high priest is expected to be a person of the highest moral character, lacking anything that would suggest they are not worthy to serve God. Leviticus 21:10 says that “And he that is the high priest among his brethren, upon whose head the anointing oil was poured, and that is consecrated to put on the garments, shall not uncover his head, nor rend his clothes.” Verse 12 “Neither shall he go out of the sanctuary, nor profane the sanctuary of his God; for the crown of the anointing oil of his God is upon him: I am the Lord.” The verse helps illustrate the important role of the high priest, as the anointed of God. He is to maintain impeccable moral and physical integrity.

According to Moses in Deuteronomy 33:10, the high priests “…shall teach Jacob thy judgments, and Israel thy law: they shall put incense before thee, and whole burnt sacrifice upon thine altar.” The high priests are therefore expected to be the providers of education among the community, providing knowledge, and educating the people on the laws, and how to keep them. Their role as teachers is further illustrated in Leviticus 10:10-11, which states of high priests, “And that ye may put difference between holy and unholy, and between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean; and that ye may teach the children of Israel all the statutes which the Lord hath spoken unto them by the hand of Moses”.

In the period just before Jesus’ crucifixion, Caiaphas, the high priest, has the role of deciding Jesus’ fate – Mathew 26:3-4 “then assembled together the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders of the people, unto the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, and consulted that they might take Jesus by subtilty, and kill him”.

The Gospel of John also discusses the role of the high priest, with Caiaphas having a major influence on the proceedings leading up to the crucifixion of Christ. In 18:14, “Now Caiaphas was he, which gave counsel to the Jews, that it was expedient that one man should die for the people.” the verse helps to show that the high priests, besides being interpreters and teachers of the law, were also seen as important guides in religion and counseling the community.

St Paul in Hebrews 4:14-15 alludes to the status of Jesus Christ as a high priest, saying that “Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. We have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.” Hebrews 2:17 also describes the role of a high priest, in reference to Jesus, “Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people”. The high priest is an exceptional human being, who is able to cure the people of their illnesses. He undertakes great pains to be qualified for this and required high levels of discipline to succeed in his noble mission.

The Book of Mormon constantly highlights the role of high priests as teachers. For instance, Alma 13:1 states that, “And again, my brethren, I would cite your minds forward to the time when the Lord God gave these commandments unto his children; and I would that ye should remember that the Lord God ordained priests, after his holy order, which was after the order of his Son, to teach these things unto the people”. The high priest is called to serve God, by teaching commandments to the people.

 The Book of Mormon in Mosiah tells of the high standards required before one could be consecrated to be a high priest. Once designated a high priest, Mosiah 23: 18-19 describes their roles, “Therefore they did watch over their people, and did nourish them with things pertaining to righteousness. And it came to pass that they began to prosper exceedingly in the land, and they called the land Helam”. The verse depicts the high priests as the people entrusted with ensuring that the community was well taken care of. The high priests would have been expected to handle education, but also entertainment, arts, religious activities and other social preoccupations necessary to realize a prosperous community.

Doctrines and Covenants (77:11) talks of the high priest as being “…those who are sealed…, ordained unto the holy order of God, to administer the everlasting gospel; for they are they who are ordained out of every nation, kindred, tongue, and people, by the angels to whom is given power over the nations of the earth, to bring as many as will come to the church of the Firstborn”. The high priest is to administer the everlasting gospel, which can be seen as authority to preside over the three agencies in the District Bureau. They are to teach the people of the gospel, hence their role as educators in the community.

The role of the high priest is to teach, and as D&C 77:11 says, to administer the everlasting gospel. D&C 121 aptly describes the roles of the high priest presidency – it is not a position of power. Rather, it is one of service, “No power or influence can or ought to be maintained by virtue of the priesthood, only by persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned; By kindness, and pure knowledge, which shall greatly enlarge the soul without hypocrisy, and without guile—” (D&C 121:41-42).

Married high Priests who have attained a certain age may become patriarchs. Peter considers David as a patriarch (Acts 2:29). Through Jesus, he gave his blessings to future generations, redeeming them through his death and resurrection.

A patriarch is also referred to as an evangelist, a bearer of good news. D&C 124:91-92 describe the appointment and ordination of Hyrum Smith as a patriarch, “that from henceforth he shall hold the keys of the patriarchal blessings upon the heads of all my people”. The blessings given by the patriarch involve advice about the future, laws to follow, and the opportunities and rewards, which will accompany observance of the prescribed advice and rules.

Jesus was a bearer of good news and a high priest. St Paul, in his epistle to the Hebrews, describes Jesus 4:14, as “…a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.” Hebrews 7:17 confirms his priesthood after the order of Melchizedek, “For he testifieth, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec”. In the period just before his baptism, Jesus read a verse in Isaiah 61:1-2, “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn”.

In the context of baptism, the high priest will give knowledge – through patriarchal blessings and education, which will enable them to be free in the community, and lead better lives of social and economic prosperity.

Main terms

Term/ Phrase	Origin	original meaning	contextual meaning in community
high priest	Origin of “priest” – presbyter (Latin) for “elder”. The term “high priest” is Jewish in origin, referring to the head of the priesthood in post-exilic times until the destruction of the temple	In the LDS, a high priest confers spiritual blessings on the members  of the church, evangelizes and teaches	As the official who confers advice, education and gives practical advice on how to navigate through the community system, so that one can then be successful, the high priest is in charge of education issues, life planning and activities – enabling art, religion among other social activities[1].
Evangelist	Euangelizesthai from Ecclesiastical Greek – roughly translates into “one who comes bearing good tidings”.	One who proclaims the gospel of Christ. In specific LDS usage, a patriarch who is able to give spiritual blessings and advice to the flock[2].	An evangelist is the bearer of important information to the participants, which can improve their lives (education). The information can also be used for life planning and to identify opportunities that are present for them.
Patriarch	Patriarkhēs (from Patria – family, and arkhes – ruling) – Greek, meaning the (male) head of a family, household or a tribe.	a member of the high priesthood, who is able to give a patriarchal blessing owing to their experience and record	those who are to give patriarchal blessings, which generally involves giving participants information on how they are to plan their lives, get an education, and exploit the system to be successful in the community.
patriarchal blessings	derived from patriarch, blessings (blētsian in old English, meaning to consecrate)	Blessings given to young members of the church as they start their mission. The blessing involves life advice and how God’s favor can be obtained through righteous living	Services offered by the social services department which center on providing practical information to the participants, on the laws, rules and other standards of behavior needed to succeed. It also involves giving them advice on how they can succeed in the system.

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[1] Among others, Alma 13:6 describes the roles of the high priests, including teaching the commandments that the righteous ought to live by, “And thus being called by this holy calling, and ordained unto the high priesthood of the holy order of God, to teach his commandments unto the children of men, that they also might enter into his rest”. This is also seen in D&C 107:12, “The high priest and elder are to administer in spiritual things, agreeable to the covenants and commandments of the church; and they have a right to officiate in all these offices of the church when there are no higher authorities present”.

[2] Evangelists in the early church, including Mathew, Mark, Luke, and John, as well as Philip and Timothy were instrumental in the spread of the faith. This corresponds with the role of the department in the community, where the high priest also plays a role in the “baptism” of participants into the community.