Freemasonry and the Origins of Latter-day Saint Temple Ordinances

Paperback illustrations are B&W.

Though many previous histories of Freemasonry in the early days of the Church have appeared over the decades, the focus of this book is much narrower: how Freemasonry relates to the origins of the Latter-day Saint temple ordinances. That seems to be the central question about Freemasonry for most Church members, but it has never received a thorough and systematic treatment.

As is well known, there are elements of the Nauvoo temple ordinances—for example, some of the signs and tokens and related language—that are almost identical in form to those used in Masonic rites. Since modern Freemasonry is largely an 18th century creation, similarities like these seem to undermine Joseph Smith’s claims that the temple ordinances are ancient, going back to the foundation of the world.

In this book, I discuss why divine revelation and Joseph Smith’s participation in Freemasonry are not competing explanations for the origins of temple ordinances. Rather they are, along with other important elements such as the revelations he received during his Bible translation project, complementary parts of the same interwoven process. On the one hand, the Prophet’s awareness of temple- and priesthood-related matters spurred his interest in learning more about certain aspects of the Bible and Freemasonry and his encounters with Freemasonry and the Bible served as a catalyst to prayerful inquiries about temple-related topics. The full suite of temple ordinances first shared with the Saints in Nauvoo constitute the answers that came to those prayers.

It is striking that whatever elements Joseph Smith may have borrowed from Freemasonry, he seems to have used his prophetic gifts to bring them closer in line with ancient precedents. There is relatively little in the ordinances that does not have a plausible counterpart in antiquity. And more will surely be found as time goes on.

The second half of the book provides a detailed comparative analysis. What is new here is the attempt to look systematically at each of the elements of the temple ordinances one-by-one in light of precedents in the Bible, ancient sources, and Freemasonry. In contrast to exposés of the temple ordinances and Freemasonry, I avoid direct discussion of confidential aspects of the rituals themselves. My hope is that presenting the temple ordinances in the context of the Bible and ancient traditions—and with an eye to relevant perspectives from Freemasonry—will make the comparisons more rich and meaningful.