| 65 Peter, James, and John were present, either when the instruction was given to ordain or when the ordination actually took place. The only historical account of their appearance is in the epistle quoted from above, and the place of that appearance is definitely given as between Harmony, Susquehanna County (Pennsylvania), and Colesville, Broome County (New York) while the place of instruction concerning ordination, as also the ordination itself, was at Fayette, Seneca County (New York). It is not safe then to write historically that Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery were ever ordained literally under the hands of Peter, James, and John. He who does so writes recklessly and without sufficient evidence upon which to base his conclusion.
The words of the revelation, "by whom I have ordained you," do not furnish the proof; to claim that they do would be putting a strained construction on the word "ordained." To be sure, if they did lay their hands on them it would have been an ordination, but there are other meanings to the word "ordained," and hence to say they ordained, is no evidence they did so by the imposition of their own hands. Webster defines ordain:-
"1. To set in order; to arrange according to rule; to regulate; to set; to establish.
"2. To regulate, or establish. by appointment, decree, or law; to constitute; to decree; to appoint; to institute.
"3. To set apart for an office; to appoint.
"4. (Eccl.) To invest with ministerial or sacerdotal functions; to introduce into the office of the Christian ministry, by the laying on of hands, or other forms; to set apart by the ceremony of ordination."
Hence Peter, James, and John could have ordained holding and exercising the power to direct, set in order, arrange, regulate, establish, appoint, decree, enact, or institute, etc. In the absence of any evidence that Peter, James, and John ordained according to Webster's fourth definition, we are not justified as historians in saying that Joseph and Oliver were so ordained. It is fair to presume that they
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