The Levitical Priesthood

In the Doctrine and Covenants we read, “There are, in the church, two priesthoods, namely, the Melchizedek and Aaronic, including the Levitical Priesthood….  But there are two divisions or grand heads—one is the Melchizedek Priesthood, and the other is the Aaronic or Levitical Priesthood.”  Later in the section we read that priests are “of the Levitical order” (D&C 107:1, 6, 10).  We know that the tribe of Levi were those who held the Priesthood in the House of Israel, and Aaron was a part of that tribe and a leader among them.  So what exactly is the Levitical Priesthood, and is it synonymous with the Aaronic Priesthood?  These verses seem to suggest that on the one hand they the same (“Aaronic or Levitical Priesthood”) while on the other hand the Levitical is some kind of subset of the Aaronic (“Aaronic, including the Levitical Priesthood”). 

               The Bible Dictionary gives some clarification on the question and seems to confirm that the two are, well, sort of the same thing but not quite.  “The terms Aaronic and Levitical are sometimes used synonymously, although there are some specific differences in the offices existing within the Levitical Priesthood. For example, the lesser priesthood was conferred only upon men of the tribe of Levi. However, within the tribe, only Aaron and his sons could hold the office of priest. And, still further, from the firstborn of Aaron’s sons (after Aaron) was selected the high priest (or president of the priests). Thus Aaron and his sons after him had greater offices in the Levitical Priesthood than did the other Levites.”  The Doctrine and Covenants reference companion suggests a similar superiority of the Aaronic over the Levitical Priesthood: “A distinction may be made between the Aaronic Priesthood and the Levitical Priesthood in that all worthy members of the tribe of Levi could function in certain duties in the ‘Levitical,’ while only Aaron and his descendants held the right to preside in that priesthood.”  So it was the Levites who held this lesser priesthood, and Aaron and his sons were among them and acted in a presiding role over all of the Priesthood holders.  We can perhaps say that although the two terms generally mean the same thing, the Aaronic Priesthood is the more all-encompassing term and includes the ability to preside.  Of the four offices in the Aaronic Priesthood—deacon, teacher, priest, and bishop—perhaps the Levitical Priesthood doesn’t include the bishop which is supposed to be conferred strictly upon a descendant of Aaron: “The second priesthood is called the Priesthood of Aaron, because it was conferred upon Aaron and his seed, throughout all their generations….  The bishopric is the presidency of this priesthood, and holds the keys or authority of the same.  No man has a legal right to this office, to hold the keys of this priesthood, except he be a literal descendant of Aaron” (D&C 107:13-16).  The most important point, though, is that the Aaronic Priesthood as held today by young men is real and a powerful force for good: “The power and authority of the lesser, or Aaronic Priesthood, is to hold the keys of the ministering of angels, and to administer in outward ordinances, the letter of the gospel, the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins” (D&C 107:20).