Ritual

  1. Matthew B. Brown. The Gate of Heaven. (American Fork, Utah: Covenant Communications, 1999)

    • Highly recommended. Discusses ritual, symbolism, and temples of the Old and New Testaments. Also contains an appendix that serves as a good introduction to the relationship between the Temple ordinances and Freemasonry.
    • Reviewed briefly in FARMS Review of Books and BYU Studies 39:2 (2000).
    • FAIR Bookstore, Deseret Book.
  2. Hugh Nibley. Mormonism and Early Christianity. (Provo, Utah: FARMS, 1987) Abbreviated MEC throughout this page.

  3. “Endowment.” –Elder Alma P. Burton. EM, 454-456.

  4. “Return to the Temple.” Hugh Nibley. TAC: 42-90.

    • Edited form of presentation made by Hugh Nibley to the Quorum of the Twelve and First Presidency in the Salt Lake City temple. Drawings.
    • Gospelink (subscription required)
    • Cf. Changes in the Temple #6 and Misc. #1.
  5. Stephen Ricks, “Oaths and Oath Taking in the Old Testament.” TTE: 43-54.

  6. Todd Compton, “The Handclasp and Embrace as Tokens of Recognition.”  BSAF 1:611-643.

  7. Lynn and Hope Hilton, “The Hand as a Cup in Ancient Temple Worship.” Presentation made at BYU symposium.

    • Also includes Anchor Bible Dictionary entry on “Incense Dish” as supporting information.
    • pdf copy
    • See also the commentary on Revelation 8:3-4 under Scriptural References
  8. “The Atonement of Jesus Christ.” –Hugh Nibley. Ensign, July-October 1990. Part 1. Part 2. Part 3. Part 4.

  9. Donald W. Parry, “Three Temple Entrance Hymns.” In Revelation, Reason, and Faith: Essays in Honor of Truman G. Madsen. Donald W. Parry, Daniel C. Peterson, and Stephen D. Ricks eds. (Provo, UT: FARMS, 2002):??.

    • Discusses Psalm 15, 24, and Isaiah 33 which function as an Israelite “Temple recommend” – interviews and moral requirements to enter the Israelite temple compound.
  10. Stephen Ricks and John J. Sroka, “King, Coronation, and Temple: Enthronement Ceremonies in History.” TAW, 236-271.

  11. John Tvedtnes, “Olive Oil: Symbol of the Holy Ghost.”   in The Allegory of the Olive Tree: The Olive, the Bible, and Jacob 5. Stephen D. Ricks, and John Welch, eds. (SLC: Deseret Book/FARMS, 1994): 427-459.

  12. Donald W. Parry, “Ritual Anointing with Olive Oil in Ancient Israelite Religion”  in The Allegory of the Olive Tree: The Olive, the Bible, and Jacob 5. Stephen D. Ricks, and John Welch, eds. (SLC: Deseret Book/FARMS, 1994): 262-290.

  13. Donald W. Parry, “Washings and Anointings.” EM: 1551

  14. Allen Claire Rozsa, “Temple Ordinances.” EM: 1444-45

  15. Bruce Porter, “Altar”  EM: 36-37.

  16. Matthew J. Grey, “Becoming as a Little Child: Elements of Ritual Rebirth in Ancient Judaism and Early Christianity.” Studia Antiqua: The Journal of the Student Society for Ancient Studies Vol. 1 Num. 1, Fall 2001. 63-85.

    • Discusses washing, anointing, clothing, and naming as early Christian and Jewish rituals of rebirth.
    • Available soon from their website.
  17. James Carroll and Elizabeth Siler, “Let My Prayer be Set Before Thee: The Burning of Incense in the Temple Cult of Ancient Israel.”  Studia Antiqua: The Journal of the Student Society for Ancient Studies Vol. 2, Num. 2 (Fall 2002):17-32.

  18. Mark J. Morrise,  “Simile Curses in the Ancient Near East, Old Testament, and Book of Mormon” JBMS 2:1 (Spring 1993): 124-138  Also in .pdf format.

  19. David Rolph Seely, “The Raised Hand of God as an Oath Gesture.” In A.B. Beck, A.H. Bartelt, P.R. Raabe , & C.A. Franke, Fortunate the Eyes that See: Essays in Honor of David Noel Freedman (Grand Rapids, MI, 1995): 411-421.

    • Seely discusses biblical passages in which one swears an oath by raising the right hand.
  20. “What is a covenant?” from my Temple Preparation FAQ

    • Discusses covenants in the scriptures and the rituals for making them, and draws comparisons to the temple ordinances.
  21. George S. Tate, “Prayer Circle.” – EM: 1120-21.

  22. Donald Parry, “Temple Worship and a Possible Reference to a Prayer Circle in Psalm 24.” BYU Studies 32:4 (1992): 57-62.

    • Summary.
    • Free pdf copy from BYU Studies.
    • Parry proposes to revocalize a word in Psalm 24:6 to read “the circle of those who seek you” instead of “the generation of those who seek you.” Psalm 24 is a Temple-related hymn. See the articles here.
  23. Marcus von Wellnitz, “The Catholic Liturgy and the Mormon Temple.” BYUS 21:1 (1981): 3-35.

    • A fascinating paper tracing the seeming remnant of early Christian temple ordinances into the ordinances of today’s Catholic church.
    • Direct PDF download (15 Mb) from BYU Studies, with pictures. (This is easier to read and download than the link above.
  24. William J. Hamblin, “Aspects of an Early Christian Initiation Ritual”-  BSAF  1:202-221.

  25. David Wiley, “The Forty-day teachings of Christ in the Books of Jeu and the Pistis Sophia: A Gnostic Endowment.”  Newly on-line again, here

    • David Wiley is Associate Professor of Instructional Psychology and Technology at Brigham Young University.
  26. John Tvedtnes, “Baptism for the Dead in Early Christianity.”  TTE:55-78.

  27. Matthew J. Grey. “Becoming as a Little Child: Elements of Ritual Rebirth in Ancient Judaism and Early Christianity.”  Studia Antiqua: The Journal of the Student Society for Ancient Studies Vol. 1 Num. 1, Fall 2001. 63-85. Available soon from their website.

    • Discusses washing, anointing, clothing, and naming as early Christian and Jewish rituals of rebirth
  28. John Tvedtnes. “Early Jewish and Christian Practices Related to the Temple.”  FAIR presentation

  29. William Hamblin, “Temple Motifs in Jewish Mysticism.” TAW: 440-476.

    • Examines the theme in early Jewish literature of ascending into heaven, bypassing the gatekeepers/sentinels, and entering God’s presence.
    • Gospelink (subscription required).
  30. Andrew Ehat. “‘Who Shall Ascend into the House of the Lord?’ Sesquicentennial Reflections of a Sacred Day: 4 May 1842”-  TAW:48-62. Gospelink (subscription required)

    -Discusses the restoration of the Endowment and the first day it was given, May 4, 1842, in the upper room of Joseph Smith’s red brick store.

  31. Andrew F. Ehat. Joseph Smith’s Introduction of Temple Ordinances and the 1844 Mormon Succession Question -  Master’s Thesis, BYU, 1982. 307 p.

    • Available in BYU Special Collections. Though slightly flawed due to the inclusion of some of the then-unknown Mark Hoffman Forgeries, this thesis is nevertheless a highly valuable resource. However,  Andrew Ehat has refused to circulate copies of his thesis and objected to the illegitimate copies available.
  32. Truman Madsen, “The Temple and the Atonement.”  TAW, 63-80.

 
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