John A. Widstoe, commenting on modern LDS temple ordinances, once said:

The endowment is so richly symbolic that only a fool would attempt to describe it; it is so packed full of revelations to those who exercise their strength to seek and see, that no human words can explain or make clear the possibilities that reside in the temple service.[1]

At the risk of being considered a fool, then, I am going to attempt to talk a bit about the temple today. As the Latter-day Saints, from the early years of our history, have sought to be a temple-centered people, much has been written on the topic of the House of God. As the temples of the Church and the rites performed therein are sacred to us, we do not speak or write so much on the topic of modern temples; however much time and effort has been spent on the part of latter-day saints in the study of ancient temples and the traditions that have sprung forth from them. Some of this interest may be attributable to the teachings of Joseph Smith himself and that of subsequent church leaders who have communicated the notion that what we learn and do in our modern temples has roots in or is parallel to temple practices that are as old as (or older than) the human race. For example, take the following quote from the late Elder Neal A. Maxwell of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. He stated:

According to the Prophet Joseph Smith, the crucial holy endowment was administered to Moses ‘on the mountaintop.’ President Joseph Fielding Smith expressed the belief that Peter, James, and John also received the holy endowment on a mountain, the Mount of Transfiguration. Nephi, too, was caught up to an exceedingly high mountain (see 1 Nephi 11:1) and was instructed not to write or speak of some of the things he experienced there (see 1 Nephi 14:25).[2]

Joseph Smith, in 1842, as he met in council with several other church leaders, instituted, or restored, a number of sacred ordinances that he indicated were to be performed in the temple after it was finished. The history states that Joseph was “instructing them in the principles and order of the Priesthood, attending to washings, anointings, endowments and the communication of keys pertaining to the Aaronic Priesthood, and so on to the highest order of the Melchizedek Priesthood, setting forth the order pertaining to the Ancient of Days, and all those plans and principles by which anyone is enabled to secure the fullness of those blessings which have been prepared for the Church of the First Born, and come up and abide in the presence of the Eloheim in the eternal worlds. In this council was instituted the ancient order of things for the first time in these last days.”[3] Joseph also indicated, on another occasion, that in building temples and performing priesthood ordinances therein, the saints were “strive[ing] to emulate the action of the ancient covenant fathers and patriarchs.”[4]

If we take into consideration statements such as these from modern-day prophets regarding the ancient roots of modern LDS temple practices, then we must weigh how this perspective should inform what we teach about the temple and how we prepare ourselves to receive its ordinances. A friend of mine recently called me, rather jokingly, “the king of finding the endowment in ancient texts.” I took that as a compliment, but I do realize that there is danger in being too eager to draw parallels between ancient practices and what we do today. Problems can arise when we take a practice or a tradition out of its ancient context and try to claim that this represents exactly the same thing we are doing today. However, when we cautiously take ancient elements that we know come from a similar framework, such as that of temple worship, or traditions that are derived from temple practices, for example, we have a more secure basis for comparison. Even if one takes the perspective that some aspects of the modern temple are meant to be “things hidden from before the foundation of the world,” and therefore we cannot expect ancient practices to line up perfectly with modern ones, there are so many parallels between what is done in LDS temples today and what we can find in ancient temple practice and tradition that it would be regrettable if we did not take advantage of what we can know about these similarities in order to attempt to gain insight into the whys and wherefores of our modern temple rites.

Together with building a foundation for understanding and believing statements regarding the antiquity of modern temple ordinances, studying ancient temples can also help those preparing to enter the temple to understand some possible reasons for what they are doing and why. As entering the temple for the first time can be a daunting and somewhat disorienting experience for some, this type of study may be helpful preparation. However, one’s preparation to enter, or to better understand, the temple must also go beyond this type of research in order to be ready to receive, as Elder Widtsoe stated, thy many “possibilities that reside in the temple service.”

In this presentation, I will suggest three ways in which this may be done:

1. Studying ancient texts/practices, including what we can know about ancient temple rituals and traditions from ancient sources and modern research;
2. Studying relevant Scriptures, which provide much of what we need to understand the narrative, covenants, and rituals of the Temple;
3. Then having a background of understanding and seeking to be ready to learn leads to the most important factor — receiving personal revelation.

This is an approach that has worked for me, personally, but might not be helpful for everyone. I put this forward as simply one possible way to help individuals prepare for and strengthen their testimony of modern LDS temple worship.

Studying Ancient Temples/Texts

Regarding the first point, one does not need to need to gain graduate degrees in ancient studies or learn a handful of dead languages in order to find some helpful insights regarding ancient temples. Although looking at the primary sources is always a good way to go, much excellent work has already been done on this topic.

As there is so much good information out there, I will only comment on a few examples of things that I have learned that have helped build my testimony of Joseph Smith’s claims regarding the antiquity of our modern temple ordinances and also understand possible reasons for why we do some of the things we do there.

As a preface to this discussion, I would like to start with a couple of public explanations of the modern temple ordinances that have been given by church leaders in the past. John A. Widtsoe explained:

The endowment and the temple work as revealed by the Lord to the Prophet Joseph Smith . . . fall clearly into four distinct parts: the preparatory ordinances; the giving of instruction by lectures and representations; covenants; and, finally, tests of knowledge.[5]

Brigham Young gave an interesting explanation with a focus on different details:

Let me give you a definition in brief. Your endowment is to receive all those ordinances in the House of the Lord, which are necessary for you, after you have departed this life, to enable you to walk back to the presence of the Father, passing the angels who stand as sentinels, being able to give them the key words, the signs and tokens, pertaining to the Holy Priesthood, and gain your eternal exaltation in spite of earth and hell.[6]

As we look at ancient texts that were used in conjunction with ancient temple worship, or the traditions that sprang out of ancient temple theology and practice, we see many motifs similar to these. The peoples of the ancient Near East, the Hellenistic world, and elsewhere, were often particularly concerned with how to navigate the afterlife journey to secure for themselves a glorious and happy destiny.

The Egyptians are famous for their Book of the Dead, from the many texts and inscriptions known as the Pyramid and the Coffin Texts. Although these texts, the oldest of which are over 4000 years old, represent diverse time periods and a variety of Egyptian religious beliefs, there are some currents or traditions that remain quite stable. One is the idea, similar to Brigham Young’s statement, that after death, the individual would have to navigate through a series of gates guarded by gatekeepers along the path of their afterlife journey to reach the deity. LDS Egyptologist John Gee has noted, in a great piece called “The Keeper of the Gate,” that “the idea of having to pass the gatekeeper on the way to the sky extends back as far as we have any records of ascension to heaven.”[7]

The article cites Jan Assmann, who, commenting on the later Coffin Texts, indicated that:

The main purpose of this … genre of funerary literature is to ‘equip’ the dead with the necessary knowledge. . . describing. . . the [gates and portals]. . . the door-keepers and heralds. . . . The deceased must not only know the names of all these entities and every detail concerning their nature, he must also have full command of the words needed to face each and every one of them.[8]

Walter Federn and Mordechai Gilula demonstrated that these so-called “funerary texts” were actually used primarily not by the dead, but by the living. Federn explains that “many, if not all, of the Coffin Texts were primarily used in this life” and seem “to reflect a ceremony of admitting, after due initiation, a person into a ‘secret society,’ in which gods or at least superhuman beings were impersonated by humans.”[9] A number of scholars have demonstrated that the texts were likely to have been used in the initiation rituals of newly inducted priests in which mystical knowledge that was to be used in the afterlife was imparted. This knowledge was likely recited by priests as they entered their temple. The situations described in the texts may have been acted out by these temple priests. As Assmann states, “The path of the deceased to Osiris corresponds to the path of the priest on his way to the innermost sanctuary of the god. The path of the priest [in the temple] is furthermore sacramentally explained as an ascent to the heavens.”[10]

The idea of priests and/or kings and others having to pass through gates guarded by gatekeepers to enter into the temple is arguably found in the Old Testament as well. In a paper I gave last year at the Temple on Mount Zion Conference, sponsored by the Interpreter Foundation, I spoke about Psalm 24 and how we can find in that psalm what appears to be a dialogue between a group of individuals in a procession desiring to ascend to the temple and the guardians of the temple gates. The participants in the procession apparently have YHWH at their head and request for the gates/doors to be opened so that YHWH and company can enter. The guardians ask questions regarding the identity of the leader of the group that desires entry. Many scholars have divided up verses 7-10 of Psalm 24 into a hypothetical dialogue between the members of the procession and the guardians of the gates.

Procession: Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.

Guardians: Who is this King of glory?

Procession: YHWH strong and mighty, YHWH mighty in battle.

Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.

Guardians: Who is this King of glory?

Procession: YHWH of hosts, he is the King of glory.

Craig C. Broyles, a Psalms scholar and professor at Trinity Western, speculates on some points of detail in this exchange:

…The name of God [is] used as a ‘password’ through the gates …

In the psalm’s closing sections (vv. 7-10) [YHWH] is celebrated under a new name [‘the king of glory] (‘new’ because it is apparently unknown to the respondents in vv. 8a, 10a’).[11]

The concept of passing through guardians of gates as one ascends to the heavenly temple can be found in Jewish literature many centuries later as well. The concept is found particularly explicit in a body of texts known as the Hekhalot literature (“hekhalot” meaning “palaces” or “temples,” referring to the various levels of heaven that one must travel through to reach the throne of God). Commenting on a text from the Jewish Hekhalot literature, James Davila, professor at the University of St Andrews, explains:

The Hekhalot Rabbati contains a long passage in which R. Nehuniah ben HaQanah instructs his disciples on how to undertake a heavenly ascent … The practitioner is to carry out ritual actions, recite divine names, give the proper passwords to the angels at each level of the ascent, and he will be welcomed in the divine throne room where he can take his place with the angels to recite the celestial liturgy before the throne of God…[12]

William Hamblin has commented on the same body of literature, further specifying that the names of divine beings constitute the passwords that are to be given. He states:

To move between the various sections or hekhalot of the celestial temple, the visionary initiate must pass through a series of doors or gates, each guarded by angels.

As the visionary ascends into heaven, he is often paralyzed with terror and confusion. He is able to progress from level to level only through the assistance of angelic guides who protect the visitor and explain what he is seeing. The assistance of the angels is not guaranteed, however. Some of the angels encountered in the ascent to the celestial temple oppose the admission of a mortal into the heavenly sanctuary. They will allow the visionary to pass only if he knows the proper passwords—often secret names of the angels—and has the proper tokens or seals. ‘All the different versions of the Hekhaloth lay great emphasis upon the knowledge of various seals (khotemoth) described as magical names either of the angels or of aspects of the godhead, that must be shown as passports to the gate-keepers at the entrances to the seven palaces.’[13]

Some have suggested that Jesus’ saying, in John 14:2, “In my Father’s house there are many mansions,” has some relationship to the traditions behind the hekhalot literature. As a side note, 2 Nephi 9:41 indicates that Jehovah, or Christ himself, is, ultimately, the guardian of the gate to heaven. Note the emphasis on knowing his name.

O then, my beloved brethren, come unto the Lord, the Holy One. Remember that his paths are righteous. Behold, the way for man is narrow, but it lieth in a straight course before him, and the keeper of the gate is the Holy One of Israel; and he employeth no servant there; and there is none other way save it be by the gate; for he cannot be deceived, for the Lord God is his name.

The motif of passing by guardians of the gates is known in early Christian literature as well. The apocryphal Christian text First Apocalypse of James (31:2 – 34:20) depicts Jesus sharing with his brother, James, what James must do after he is martyred in order to pass by the archons/powers that aggressively guard the way into heaven. There are specific ways that James is to identify himself when questioned by the angelic guards.

James, behold, I shall reveal to you your redemption. When you are seized, and you undergo these sufferings, a multitude (of archons) will arm themselves against you that they may seize you … Not only do they demand toll, but they also take away souls by theft. When you come into these powers, one of them who is their guard will say to you, “Who are you and where are you from?” You say to them, “I am a Son, and I am from the Father.” He will say to you, “What sort of son are you, and to what other do you belong?” You say to him, “I am from the Preexistent Father, and a son of the Preexistent One” … When he says to you, “Where will you go?” you are to say to him, “To the place from which I have come, there shall I return.” And if you say these things, you will escape their attack.

Another pseudepigraphal text from the early Christian period, the Ascension of Isaiah, describes the journey of the prophet Isaiah through the various levels of heaven. In the text (7:25), Isaiah explains how “the glory of my appearance was undergoing transformation as I ascended to each heaven in turn.” In essence, his appearance changed at each level of heaven in order to match the glory of that kingdom. Isaiah has an angelic guide who helps him pass through each gate. At the gate to the highest heaven, the guardian impedes Isaiah’s progress and he requires help from the Lord himself to pass through. When Isaiah reaches the highest heaven, he is allowed to view “the garments, and the thrones, and the crowns which are laid up for the righteous” (8:26). He undergoes a final transformation so that he becomes like an angel in appearance and can participate in the praise and worship of God along with the other heavenly beings.

Following Robert Hall’s conclusions regarding the text, The Ascension of Isaiah presents us with the idea that each heaven is guarded by a gatekeeper and that these gatekeepers require a password for passage through the gate to the next heaven.  It also indicates that if the traveler does not know the password, and angel or the Lord himself can help him pass through. Only the Lord can ultimately allow passage through the gates of the highest heaven.  The reason that there are gatekeepers, Hall implies, is to prevent an individual from obtaining a glory for which he is not authorized.[14]

As a final example of this nature and a segue into the next topic, I return to John Gee’s study of the Keeper of the Gates where he looks at a Christian text from Egypt known as The First Book of Jeu. In this text, the resurrected Jesus appears to his apostles and instructs them in the mysteries and specifically regarding the manner of ascent to the realm of the Father. Gee explains that Jesus taught them how to travel through “the several treasuries (thesauros) [which were] defended by three guards (phylax) accompanied by twelve spears (proboloue) at the gates (pyle), all of which have names.” Jesus leads the apostles through these gates, instructing them on the procedure:

Hearken now to the layout of this treasury to which you come. Seal yourselves with this seal (sphragis) which is [a picture is drawn here]. This is its name: Zoxaezoz. Say it only once while this number (or stone, psephos) is in your hand: 600515; and say this name three times: ooieezazamaza and the guards and the orders and the veils will always withdraw themselves until you enter the place of their father and he will give you the mystery until you enter the mystery. This is the layout of this treasury and all of those who pertain to it.

Gee further explains:

After this grand tour, Jesus, at the entreaty of his disciples, gives them one seal, number, and procedure that will unlock all the gates to all the treasuries. Inside the seventh innermost treasury Jesus forms a circle with his disciples and, standing in the middle, sings a hymn of praise to God with the disciples antiphonally chanting “amen, amen, amen.” There the book ends.[15]

The idea of Jesus forming a circle with his apostles to pray or sing is found in a number of early Christian texts. For example, in the apocryphal Acts of John we read of the Savior gathering his apostles together before the Jews arrested him and leading them in a ritual act. The text recounts that Jesus “gathered all of us together and said: Before I am delivered up unto them let us sing an hymn to the Father, and so go forth to that which lieth before us. He bade us therefore make as it were a ring, holding one another’s hands, and himself standing in the middle he said: Answer Amen unto me. He began, then, to sing an hymn (or to chant) and to say: Glory be to thee, Father. And we, going about in a ring, answered him: Amen (Acts of John 94).

Significant work on this early Christian prayer circle, also known as the “ring-dance,” by Hugh Nibley and other LDS scholars. Some form of this ritual was passed down through the centuries from the earliest Christian churches, especially in the eastern branches. According to Clement of Alexandria, initiates into the Christian mysteries were to “perform a circle dance” in conjunction with certain sacraments (ordinances).[16] Gregory Thaumaturgus taught that Adam, now that he is resurrected, has been raised to heaven and has joined the angels in their circle dance around the throne of God. He further taught that “the heavenly kingdom is urgent to summon those who mind celestial things to join the divine service of the incorporeal circle dances.”[17] Many of the early Church Fathers spoke of this circle dance and often indicated that the angels and Saints perform this dance in Paradise, or in Heaven.[18] In his study of this body of literature, E. Louis Backman concluded that “If you are inducted into the Christian mysteries, then you must perform a ring-dance around the altar … not only with the other novitiates but also with the angels! For they are present and participate in the mystery.”[19]

It is apparent that the early Christians performed this ritual not only in imitation of the angels moving around the throne of God, but also after the manner of the planets moving in the heavens. The medieval Christian theologian Honorius of Autun wrote about how “In their ring dances they thought of the rotation of the firmament; in the clasping of their hands the union of the elements; in the sounds of song the harmony of the planets; in the gestures of the body the movements of the celestial bodies…”[20]

Rituals of this type have existed for thousands of years. Lois Ellfeldt comments on ancient Egyptian temple traditions, “Ranging around a fixed altar, which represented the sun, priests clad in brilliant costumes made signs for the zodiac with their hands, while turning rhythmically from east to west, following the course of the planets.”[21]

Now, we could go on for hours picking descriptions of ritual practices out of ancient texts that resemble our modern practices and these may help us to understand why we do some of the things we do and that there is some good precedent for doing them. However, what is more interesting to me is the idea that some ancient religious communities had many of these rites worked into a single or a series of dramatic performances that acted out an ascent to heaven. We have seen that with the discussion of the Egyptian priests performing the ascent to heaven within their temple complex and with the ascension through the gates and into the temple in Psalm 24. Scholars have suggested rituals like these in temple settings throughout the ancient world. I would like to discuss two further examples, one from Jewish sources and the other Christian.

The Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice are a series of hymns found among the Dead Sea Scrolls at Qumran and also at the Jewish fortress of Masada. The Songs manuscripts are very fragmentary, but are understood to contain descriptions of the various areas of the heavenly realm and details regarding the worship practices of the angelic beings there. In trying to understand the purpose of these texts, many scholars have come to the conclusion that they are meant to represent a ritual drama – a ritualized ascent to heaven.

Håkan Ulfgard describes his view of their function: “They may have been intended to convey to the earthly worshippers the experience of being present at the continuous heavenly liturgy before the throne of God.”[22]

James Davila explained, “The [the heavenly temple] was understood to be staffed by angels, but the participants in this weekly cultic drama must necessarily have taken on the roles of these angelic priests and so have undergone a process of temporary transformation or angelification on some level.”[23]

This “cultic drama” may have been a part of the initiation of new priests within the community and likely involved the taking of oaths and the making or renewing of covenants. Judith Newman observes that this ceremony would have “included the yearly evaluation of members and initiation of new members into the Yaḥad (community).” “The initiate,” she says, “was required to swear an oath . . . to turn toward the torah of Moses.”[24] The initiates, or individuals exalted to participate in the angelic liturgy, are thus examined and covenant that they will obey God’s revealed teachings. This concept is very similar to the passage in another Qumran text (1QHa XII) in which the speaker refers to a group of followers that have “gathered together” for the covenant and whom the speaker has “examined.”[25]

The thirteenth and last song of the series describes the participants, apparently located in the celestial holy of holies, as they perform their ritual duties while wearing their priestly vestments. These priestly garments are described using the language of Exodus 28, including the ephod (apron) and breastplate. Crispin Fletcher-Louis cites evidence “that the Qumran community believed the garments of Exodus 28 should be worn simultaneously by more than one priest.”[26] The worshippers who participate in this celestial liturgy are clothed in heavenly garments and divinely commissioned to share this revealed knowledge with others.[27]

The Epistle to the Hebrews in the New Testament possibly represents another example of a dramatized ascent to heaven. Hebrews is structured around the ideas of Jesus Christ’s high priesthood after the order of Melchizedek, his ascension into heaven, and his enthronement in the celestial sanctuary. The author of the epistle elaborates on the idea that the followers of Christ, because of his exaltation, are, in like manner, now able to enter the heavenly sanctuary. The exact function and use of the epistle have long been debated by scholars. Harold Attridge believed it to have been originally presented as an “oratorical” performance.[28] Scott Mackie refers to it as a “mystical drama.”[29] Similarly, a number of scholars in recent years, including Crispin Fletcher-Louis, John Dunnill, Luke Timothy Johnson, and Silviu Bunta, have described Hebrews as a symbolic, participatory liturgy that moves worshippers from the earthly realm to the celestial sphere.[30] In other words, the epistle, or at least parts of it, was plausibly meant to have been performed, or acted out—with a series of events set in the heavenly temple, which would be dramatically brought to life through the use of visually oriented literary practices such as dramatized “narrative with speaking actors,” visual imagery, cues, and commands—including directions to “behold,” “gaze upon,” “draw near,” and “enter.” The community is provided access to the heavenly temple by Jesus, their High Priest—they are exhorted to boldly “enter” the heavenly sanctuary and “draw near” to God’s throne (4:14–16; 10:19–25).

According to Mackie, all of this would have been performed by actors or described in a way that the participants could vividly imagine themselves as being in the heavenly temple. I would also note here that Hebrews 6:13–18 indicates that the participants were the recipients of promises, or covenants, from God that are associated with the Abrahamic covenant. Verses 19–20 of Hebrews 6 tell of the hope that the community holds dear: “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the [veil], where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek” (NIV).

Summarizing his findings regarding this ritualized ascent, Mackie concludes, “Hebrews depicts Jesus’ exaltation as involving an ascent, as he ‘passed through the heavens’ (4:14; see also 1:6; 7:26) and ‘entered into heaven itself ’ (9:24). He is also said to be ‘leading . . . many children’ into the same ‘glory’ he possesses (2:10). Most importantly, the two key entry exhortations, 4:14–16 and 10:19–23, both commend an act of entry that follows and imitates Jesus’ own heavenly ascent (4:14) and passage ‘through the curtain’ (10:20). Therefore, a mystical, heavenly ascent of the whole community would appear to be envisaged.”[31]

Scriptures

We have demonstrated how research into ancient temples and related traditions can help our understanding of modern LDS temple practices, and I would now like to touch on how we can use the Scriptures to deepen our understanding of what we are learning and experiencing in the temple.

I would like to start with some comments from President Harold B. Lee regarding scriptural answers to questions about the temple. He related the following at an address at BYU:

One of the anxieties I have about our people today arises out of an experience I have had with every company of missionaries.  Before they leave for their missions I am assigned to go over to the temple [with them and] … after the first session for their endowments, they are permitted for an hour or so to ask questions about the temple ordinances and matters they might not have understood.  For this period–a very soul-searching experience–we discuss very intimately, in a place where we can discuss without betraying the sacredness of what we have been taught in the temple that day.  We always say to them repeatedly as we have finished, “I want you to notice that all the answers I have given have been given from out of the scriptures.  I wouldn’t dare attempt to make an answer to your questions anywhere else but from the scriptures or from the statements of a president of the Church; which, to us as they give inspired utterances, are scripture.” …  Inquiries about the teachings of the gospel of Jesus Christ should be answered, whenever possible, from the scriptures.[32]

There is much that we can learn about and prepare for the teachings of the temple from the Scriptures. Studying topics such as the Pre-Mortal Existence, the Creation, the Fall, the Atonement, God’s history of making covenants with his people, the Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood, the New and Everlasting Covenant, and so on, can provide this scriptural foundation for what we learn in the House of God. Many insights can be gained through a careful study of the Psalms, Hebrews, the Book of Moses, various sections of the Doctrine and Covenants, and elsewhere.

In the Book of Moses, we can find the covenants of the temple laid out in narrative form. I would mention that President Ezra Taft Benson outlined the covenants made in the temple to a general audience at BYU as including “the law of obedience and sacrifice, the law of the gospel, the law of chastity, and the law of consecration.”[33] As Jeff Bradshaw has outlined recently, we can find references to ritual acts and themes related to all of these covenants in chapters 5 to 7 of the Book of Moses.[34] If we consider scriptural gems like the Book of Moses to be, in a sense, temple texts, then we open our minds to be taught principles that will prepare us to better understand the temple.

Revelation

Having a background of understanding based in study of the available resources, especially the revealed word of God, leads us to the most important factor for understanding our modern temple ordinances and having a positive, uplifting experience in the temple — that is being ready to receive personal revelation.

Going back to the words of John Widtsoe from the beginning of my presentation, I want to look at that quote in greater detail. He said:

The endowment is so richly symbolic that only a fool would attempt to describe it; it is so packed full of revelations to those who exercise their strength to seek and see, that no human words can explain or make clear the possibilities that reside in the temple service. The endowment which was given by revelation can best be understood by revelation; and to those who seek most vigorously, with pure hearts, will the revelation be greatest….

In temple worship, as in all else, we probably gain understanding according to our different knowledge and capacity; but I believe that we can increase in knowledge and enlarge our capacity, and in that way receive greater gifts from God. I would therefore urge upon you that we teach those who go into the temples to do so with a strong desire to have God’s will revealed to them…[35]

On another occasion, Widtsoe noted, poignantly, that:

…One man may explain or show a symbol to another, and this is a common, everyday practice, but no man can reveal to another the sublime, deep inner meaning of those symbols presented in the House of the Lord, for it is an individual manner, and every man must seek and obtain it for himself, and that alone, with God’s help only.  Nor can one acquire this knowledge outside the House of the Lord, for there we must go to commune with him about these vital things.  …  No man, however intellectual, can know these things, but by the revelations of God, and that in temples only.[36]

We are taught that the House of the Lord is to be a place of revelation. The temple has always been a place of revelation. Understanding the rites and teachings of the temple goes beyond a comprehension of the symbolism, of parallels to ancient practices, and a familiarity with scriptural references. The temple is a place for God to reveal his mysteries directly to our minds and touch the “eyes of our understanding” to see beyond what we are capable of seeing on our own.

The studying of ancient practices can help us to understand that there is some great precedent for our modern ritual system or for what we do in the temple, and this should help us to feel that the actions we are going through are not so odd and that they have an important purpose. By studying relevant Scriptures, we can come to a greater understanding, in varying contexts, of some of the many eternal truths that we are taught in the House of God. And if we go to the temple prepared to seek and find revelation from our Father in Heaven, then we can be ready to have the sacred “mysteries of godliness” opened unto us. With all of these elements in place, we are constrained to praise the Lord for the temple worship that he restored through the prophet Joseph Smith.

Q&A

Q 1: If we are under covenant to live the Law of Consecration, why are we not living it as a Church?

A 1: That is a good question, and probably above my paygrade to attempt to answer, but I believe that everything has its own time, and the Lord gives us laws that He would like us to live, and at times I believe we aren’t ready to do so. But when we are able to keep those covenants that we do have, then the Lord is willing to give us more. That’s my thought.

Q 2: In your opinion is Lehi’s tent a representation of the temple?

A 2: That is a great question that has never crossed my mind. I would imagine, you know, that as in today’s world as we are looking to live the gospel, we try to make our homes like the temple, and so it wouldn’t be so far-fetched for Lehi’s tent to have been, for him, a temple. But that is a very interesting thought.

Q 3: Are there any other churches that practice these ancient ritualistic practices other than the LDS church?

A 3: That’s a great question as well, that we could spend a whole presentation on. You know, as with many things, I believe there are many temple traditions that have trickled down throughout Christianity. I think if you especially look at the Eastern Orthodox churches, they have been very good at preserving some of these ancient temple traditions and, you know, if you have a look at their beliefs and their texts I think you can see a lot of these things. I believe as Latter-day saints we’re blessed to have had the temple restored, and we can go to temples and enjoy these ordinances. But a lot of Christians do hold on to things that do stem from the temple tradition.

There are a lot of questions, and I thank you for that. {pause} I’m sorry if I’m skipping your questions. I believe we do have a limited time here.

Q 4: I’ve heard that the words “He who has ears to hear, let him hear” was a reference to endowed members in the New Testament. Do you have an opinion on this?

A 4: I do believe that we see a lot of references in the New Testament to teachings that Jesus wanted to keep in a closed circle. There are things that, for example, on the Mount of Transfiguration, were revealed to Peter, James, and John, and He doesn’t want them to talk about those things, at least not immediately, to others. And so the specific phrase “He who has ears to hear, let him hear,” I haven’t heard of that connected to endowed members, but certainly I believe that refers to Jesus, making reference to people who understand deeper teachings, or have a deeper understanding of His teachings than maybe some who were hearing it more superficially. So, we’d have to speculate on that, but, there may definitely be some connection there.

Q 5: Is there evidence that Adam received the endowment? Noah? Enoch?

A 5: There are references as I said in my presentation, to Joseph Smith claiming the antiquity of certain ordinances, anyways, and that, these go back to the beginning of time. And some of them, in their essential elements, are unchanging. And so I don’t know that we could say that there’s evidence that Adam had this, at least outside evidence, but in many texts that we see, we see the authors trying to connect this ascent to heaven and different ordinances to some of these ancient figures. And so, if you go out and look at the texts, you can see those connections being made, but that’s about as much as we have besides modern revelation.

Q 6: Could you please give again the citation of the Dead Sea Scrolls fragment mentioned in conjunction with The Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice?

A 6: Well, there are different fragments, again. There are ones found at Qumran, and there are other fragments found at Masada, so this was kind of a widespread thing. But if you do any kind of search on the Internet for the Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice, it’ll bring up the various texts that you can look at there.

So, again, sorry to not get to all the questions, but thank you very much for letting me be here.

[Transcriber’s note: The question and answer transcript has been lightly edited for clarity.]

Notes

[1] John A. Widtsoe, “Temple Worship,” The Utah Genealogical and Historical Magazine (April 1921), 63-64.

[2] Neal A. Maxwell, Lord Increase Our Faith (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1994), 78.

[3] Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 237.

[4] Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 182.

[5] John A. Widtsoe, “Temple Worship,” The Utah Genealogical and Historical Magazine 12 [April 1921]: 58.

[6] Discourses of Brigham Young (Deseret Book Co., 1941), 416.

[7] John Gee, “The Keeper of the Gate,” in The Temple in Time and Eternity (FARMS, 1999), accessed online at http://publications.maxwellinstitute.byu.edu/fullscreen/?pub=1086&index=10 (online version has no page numbers).

[8] Jan Assmann, “Death and Initiation in the Funerary Religion of Ancient Egypt,” in Religion and Philosophy in Ancient Egypt (New Haven, Conn.: Yale Egyptological Seminar, 1989), 143, as cited in Gee, “The Keeper.”

[9] Walter Federn, “The ‘Transformations’ in the Coffin Texts: A New Approach,” Journal of Near Eastern Studies 19/4 (1960): 250, as cited in Gee, “The Keeper.”

[10] Assmann, “Death and Initiation,” 149, as cited in Gee, “The Keeper.”

[11] Craig C. Broyles, “Psalms concerning the Liturgies of Temple Entry,” The Book of Psalms: Composition and Reception, eds. Peter W. Flint and Patrick D. Miller (Leiden: Brill, 2005), 252.

[12] James R. Davila, “Exploring the Mystical Background of the Dead Sea Scrolls,” in The Oxford Handbook of the Dead Sea Scrolls, eds. Timothy H. Lim and John J. Collins (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2010), 444.

[13] William J. Hamblin, “Temple Motifs in Jewish Mysticism,” in Temples of the Ancient World (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book and FARMS, 1994), 440-477 at 452.

[14] Robert Hall, “Isaiah’s Ascent to See the Beloved: An Ancient Jewish Source for the Ascension of Isaiah,” JBL 113:3 (Autumn, 1994), 463-484, at 482.

[15] Gee, “Keeper of the Gate.” http://publications.maxwellinstitute.byu.edu/fullscreen/?pub=1086&index=10

[16] Clement of Alexandria, Exhortation to the Heathen 12

[17] Homily 1 [on the Annunciation], attributed to St. Gregory Thaumaturgus, 240 A.D.

[18] St Methodius, Symposium 6:5; St. Gregory Thaumaturgus, Homily 1; St. Gregory Nazianzen, Oration 8:23; St. Gregory the Great, Gospel Homily 37 (Latin); St. Anastasius of Sinai, In Hexaemeron 12; St John of Damascus, Barlam and Ioasaph 12:108.

[19] E. Louis Backman, Religious Dances in the Christian Church and in Popular Medicine (London: Allen & Unwin, 1952), 19.

[20] Honorius of Autun, as quoted in Margaret Fisk Taylor, A Time to Dance: Symbolic Movement in Worship (Philadelphia: United Church Press, 1967), 90.

[21] Lois Ellfeldt, Dance, From Magic to Art (Dubuque, IA: W.C. Brown, Co., 1976), 55.

[22] Håkan Ulfgard, “The Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice and the Heavenly Scene of the Book of Revelation,” in Northern Lights on the Dead Sea Scrolls: Proceedings of the Nordic Qumran Network 2003–2006, ed. Anders K. Petersen et al. (Leiden: Brill, 2009), 255–56.

[23] Davila, “Exploring the Mystical Background,” 443.

[24] Judith H. Newman, “Priestly Prophets at Qumran: Summoning Sinai through the Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice,” in The Significance of Sinai: Traditions about Sinai and Divine Revelation in Judaism and Christianity, ed. George J. Brooke, Hinday Najman, and Loren T. Stuckenbruck (Leiden: Brill, 2008), 61.

[25] See David J. Larsen, “Angels among Us: The Use of Old Testament Passages as Inspiration for Temple Themes in the Dead Sea Scrolls,” Studies in the Bible and Antiquity 5 (2013): 91–110, at 108.

[26] Crispin H. T. Fletcher-Louis, All the Glory of Adam: Liturgical Anthropology in the Dead Sea Scrolls (Leiden: Brill, 2002), 358.

[27] Larsen, “Angels among Us,” 108-109.

[28] Harold Attridge, “Paraenesis in a Homily (λὀγος παρακλἠσεως): The Possible Location of, and Socialization in, the ‘Epistle to the Hebrews,’” Semeia 50 (1990): 217.

[29] Scott D. Mackie, “Heavenly Sanctuary Mysticism in the Epistle to the Hebrews,” The Journal of Theological Studies 62 (April 2011): 78.

[30] See Scott D. Mackie, Eschatology and Exhortation in the Epistle to the Hebrews (Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2007), 170–71; John Dunnill, Covenant and Sacrifice in the Letter to the Hebrews (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1992), 261; Luke Timothy Johnson, “The Scriptural World of Hebrews,” Interpretation 57 (July 2003): 238; Crispin Fletcher-Louis, All the Glory of Adam: Liturgical Anthropology in the Dead Sea Scrolls (Leiden: Brill, 2002), xii; and Silviu Bunta, “The Convergence of Adamic and Merkabah Traditions in the Christology of Hebrews,” paper presented at the 2010 SBL Annual Meeting, Atlanta, November 21, 2010.

[31] Mackie, “Heavenly Sanctuary Mysticism,” 98. This section of the paper borrows from my previously published article, David J. Larsen, “Enoch and the City of Zion: Can an Entire Community Ascend to Heaven?” BYU Studies 53:1 (2014), 25-37.

[32] Harold B. Lee, Address.  In Genealogical Devotional Addresses–1970.  Fifth Annual Priesthood Genealogical Seminar, Brigham Young University, August 3-7, 1970.  (Provo, UT: Brigham Young University Press, 1970), 27.

[33] Ezra T. Benson, “A Vision and a Hope for the Youth of Zion,” address given at Brigham Young University, April 12, 1977.

[34] See, e.g., Jeffrey M. Bradshaw, Temple Themes in the Book of Moses (Salt Lake City: Eborn Publishing, 2010), 206.

[35] John A. Widtsoe, “Temple Worship,” The Utah Genealogical and Historical Magazine, (April 1921), 63-64, emphasis added.

[36] John A. Widtsoe, Power From on High (Salt Lake City: Genealogical Society, 1937), 48-49.