Inside front cover: The Twelve Apostles, 1835, by Del Parson, 24″ by 24″, oil on canvas, 1979.
On 14 February 1835, Joseph Smith called a conference of all priesthood brethren living “within a reasonable distance” of Kirtland. At this meeting, the Quorum of the Twelve was called according to a revelation given several years earlier. (See D&C 18.) The members, most of whom participated in Zion’s Camp, included Lyman E. Johnson, Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, Orson Hyde, David W. Patten, Luke S. Johnson, William E. McLellin, John F. Boynton, Orson Pratt, William Smith, Thomas B. Marsh, and Parley P. Pratt. Seniority was determined by age, making 35-year-old Thomas B. Marsh president of the quorum.
Inside back cover: Lay Priesthood, by Del Parson, 24″ by 18″, oil on canvas, 1979.
Peter, James, and John restored the keys of the Melchizedek Priesthood to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery in 1829. Since that time, worthy adult male members of the Church have received that priesthood and its accompanying powers and blessings by the laying on of hands.