Passing the Angels Who Stand As Sentinels

[Editor: This is the sixth article in a series of excerpts from Jeffrey M. Bradshaw’s new book, entitled “Temple Themes in the Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood.” Links to the full series are found at the end of this article. Color and black-and-white editions of the book are available on Amazon.com and at selected LDS Bookstores (including EbornBooks, BYU Bookstore, and the FAIR LDS Bookstore). An iBooks version is can be purchased from the Apple iBookstore, and a pdf version is available at www.templethemes.net]

“Passing the Angels Who Stand As Sentinels” (Part 1)

J. Kirk Richards, 1977-: Cherubim and the Flaming Sword, 2000[1]

Giving his own summary of temple ordinances, the Prophet Joseph Smith wrote that they concerned:[2]

… 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 fulness of those blessings which have been prepared for the Church of the Firstborn, and come up and abide in the presence of the Elohim in the eternal worlds.

Specific aspects of instruction in the endowment “pertaining to the Holy Priesthood” were described by Brigham Young in his description of the endowment:[3]

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.

Although this statement is frequently quoted in official Church publications,[4] the reference to “key words, the signs and tokens” is not explained. The sacred nature of these things prohibits any discussion of specific symbolism. However, it may be helpful for the modern reader to understand the general meaning of these terms in related contexts, which would have been much more familiar to those in Joseph Smith’s time than they are in our day.[5]

Before continuing, we observe that what matters in such tests for knowledge is not merely the requirement to remember the details of the instructions one has received, but, in addition, the expectation that one be sincerely engaged in the process of mastering the life lessons associated with them. Elder Dallin H. Oaks reminds us that, in the day of final judgment, it will not be enough to merely have gone through the outward motions of keeping the commandments and receiving the ordinances—the essential question will be what we have ourselves become during our period of probation.[6]

Hugh Nibley further elaborates, explaining that, for the same reason, the saving ordinances, as necessary as they are, in and of themselves “are mere forms. They do not exalt us; they merely prepare us to be ready in case we ever become eligible.”[7]In the end, our eligibility for entrance into the presence of God rests not only on the presumption that we have received the saving ordinances, but also on the results of the process of sanctification, being predicated on the righteous exercise of agency coupled with the atoning power of Jesus Christ.[8]

Key Words

“Key words ”have been associated with temples since very ancient times. Throughout the ancient Near East, including Jerusalem, “different temple gates had names indicating the blessing received when entering: ‘the gate of grace,’ ‘the gate of salvation,’ ‘the gate of life’ and so on,”^[9] as well as signifying “the fitness, through due preparation, which entrants should have in order to pass through [each one of] the gates.”^[10]

Nibley further explained: “The importance of knowing the names of things and giving those names when challenged is more than the mere idea of the password; it is… nothing less than… ‘the law which makes of the name a veritable attribute of the thing named.’”[11] In other words, to pass through each gate, one was expected not only to know something, but also to be something.

This same principle is at work in the sacrament prayer, where the Saints learn that they must not only “always remember” and be “willing to take upon [themselves] the name of Jesus Christ,”[12] but, in addition, must ultimately become ready to doso in actuality if they are to receive every blessing to which they are entitled.[13]

Each one who enters the celestial kingdom will receive a “white stone, whereon is a new name written, which no man knoweth save he that receiveth it. The new name is the key word.”[14] The “white stone mentioned in Revelation 2:17 will become a Urim and Thummim to each individual who receives one, whereby things pertaining to a higher order of kingdoms will be made known,”[15] just as the earth will become to its inhabitants “a Urim and Thummim… whereby all things pertaining to an inferior kingdom, or all kingdoms of a lower order, will be manifest.”[16]

Thus, by the same means that reveals to the saints what they are to become in “life eternal” through knowledge of God and Jesus Christ,[17] they will also recover a knowledge of who they were before the world was.

J. James Tissot, 1836-1902: Reconstruction of Jerusalem and the Temple of Herod Seen from the East, ca. 1886-1894[18]

In ancient times, the name of the Lord was invoked in as part of covenant-making. Indeed, Truman G. Madsen proposes that the idea that the “proper use of the name YHWH constitutes a covenant between Israel and her God” may be the reason behind the third of the Ten Commandments.[19] Thus, the commandment that one must not take the name of the Lord in vain is concerned with more than common profanity. More profoundly, it applies to those who do not keep the covenants by which they have bound themselves to God, thereby making a mockery of the One whose name was invoked at their making.[20]

In Jerusalem, the final “gate of the Lord, into which the righteous shall enter,”^[21] very likely referred to “the innermost temple gate,”^[22] where those “seeking the face of the God of Jacob”^[23] would find the fulfillment of their temple pilgrimage.This final gate was associated with the name of God Himself. The dedicatory prayer for Solomon’s temple stressed that it was not meant to be a residence for God, since He “lived in his ‘dwelling place in heaven’ but that the ‘name of God’ dwelt in the Temple.”[24]

The shout of the people at Christ’s triumphal entry becomes more understandable when translated as “Blessed is he who comes with [rather than in] the Name of the Lord.”[25] Consistent with this translation, such a cry could be taken as an acknowledgement of the Jesus’ role as the Messiah, the great High Priest, one who had the Divine Name sealed on His forehead[26] and could bring those who were prepared into the presence of God. Each “disciple” would then “be as his master,” and each “servant as his lord.”[27]

Exodus 28:36, 38: “A Plate of Pure Gold… upon Aaron’s Forehead”[28]

On the “plate of pure gold” that was to be worn upon the forehead of the high priest were engraved the words “Holiness to the Lord”—thus equating each worthy and authorized high priest with the temple itself. Paul taught this same principle to the Corinthian saints:[29]

Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?

… the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.

J. James Tissot, 1836-1902: The Ark of the Covenant, ca. 1896-1902[30]

Signs and Tokens

The use of “signs” and “tokens” as symbols, connected with covenants made in temples and used as aids in sacred teaching, also goes back to the earliest times.[31] For example, the raised hand is a long-recognized sign of oath-taking,[32] and the Ark of the Covenant in the Tabernacle contained various tangible “tokens of the covenant”[33] relating to the priesthood, including the golden pot that had manna, Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tablets of the law.

As a related example, Elder Joseph Fielding Smith, then an apostle, wrote about the tangible symbols of sacred realities that are incorporated in our weekly worship. He said that in partaking of the emblems of the sacrament that are distributed to the congregation by priesthood officiators “there is the token that we subscribe fully to the obligations”[34] of the sacrament prayer.

By way of analogy to a possible function of the items within Ark of the Covenant—items that related to the higher priesthood—consider the Greek Eleusinian Mysteries,[35] which endured over a period of nearly two thousand years. These rites were said to consist of legomena(= things recited), deiknymena(= things shown), and dromena(= things performed).

A sacred casket contained the tokens of the god, which were used to teach initiates about the meaning of the rites. At the culmination of the process, the initiate was examined about his knowledge of these tokens. “Having passed the tests of the tokens and their passwords,the initiate would have been admitted to the presence of the god.”[36]

E. S. Drower, 1879-1972: The Kushta, 1956[37]

Tokens could also be expressed in the form of handclasps.[38] For example, Nibley notes that according to the Manichaean religion, “the right hand was used for bidding farewell to our heavenly parents upon leaving our primeval home and [was] the greeting with which we shall be received when we return to it.”[39] Likewise, the Mandaeans still continue a ritual practice in which the kushta, a ceremonial handclasp, is given three times, each one of which, according to Elizabeth Drower, “seems to mark the completion… of a stage in a ceremony.”[40] At the moment of glorious resurrection, Mandaean scripture records that a final kushta will also take place, albeit in a different form:[41]

Sitil [Seth], the son of Adam... was brought to the Watch house [where] Silmais, the treasurer, holds the nails of glory in the hand, and carries the key of the kushta of both arms.[42] They opened the gate of the treasure house for him, lifted the great veil of safety upward before him, introduced him, and showed him that Vine [i.e., the Tree of Life],[43] its inner glory... Sitil, son of Adam, spoke: “On this [same] way, the Path and Ascent which I have climbed, truthful, believing, faithful and perfect men should also ascend and come, when they leave their bodies [i.e., at death].”

In the context of this discussion, what the terms “sign” and “token” have in common is the fact that they are “earthly symbols of realities that prevail throughout the universe.”[44] They point to meanings beyond themselves—meanings that can be revealed in our “minding true things by what their mock’ries be.”[45]

Moreover, citing Book of Mormon examples, Calabro concludes that in some cases the “gesture [can stand] for the covenant in that it signals membership in the covenant group.”[46] Beyond these basic similarities, the meanings of the terms “sign” and “token” in temple contexts differ somewhat, as explained with reference to ancient practices by Hugh Nibley:[47]

As you approach the camp surrounding the temple, you signify your intent with a reassuring sign, a signum, visible from a distance, calling attention to yourself as Adam does in his prayer and demonstrating your peaceful intent.[48] Upon reaching the gate, you present your token, a tangible object (compare… digit, dactyl, or a solid handclasp).[49]All these serve as a tesserahospitalis [i.e., a symbol of mutual hospitality], admitting one to a closed group or a party, or a club, guild meeting, etc. It is presented to the doorkeeper, a herald trained in such matters: “The Holy One of Israel is the Keeper of the Gate, and he employs no servant there!” Most important, “he cannot be deceived.”[50] The token recognized, you pronounce your name to the doorkeeper in a low voice, a whisper, for it is a special name agreed on between you and your host and should not be picked up and used by anyone else.[51]

Links to all of the articles in this series-

Part 1 “Why Do We Participate in Temple Ordinances?”

Part 2 “A Christ-Centered View”

Part 3 “Knowledge as the Principle of Salvation”

Part 4 “How Are We Physically and Spiritually Reborn in the Temple?”

Part 5 “What is the Endowment?”

Part 6  “Passing the Angels Who Stand as Sentinels”

Part 7  “The Meaning of the Atonement”

Part 8 “Becoming the ‘Seed of Abraham”’: The Sealing and Healing Power of Elijah

Part 9: “The Church and Kingdom”: Becoming Priests and Kings

Part 10: “The Elect of God”: What Does It Mean to Have One’s “Calling and Election Made Sure?”

Part 11: “All That My Father Hath Shall Be Given Unto Him”: Receiving the Kingdom

Part 12: The Second Comforter: “The Father Teacheth Him”

Part 13: “Weary Him Until He Blesses You” 

Part 14: "What are the Three Degrees Within the Celestial Kingdom?"

References

Attridge, Harold W., and Helmut Koester, eds. Hebrews: A Commentary on the Epistle to the Hebrews. Hermeneia—A Critical and Historical Commentary on the Bible, ed.Frank Moore Cross, Klaus Baltzer, Paul D. Hanson, S. Dean McBride, Jr. and Roland E. Murphy. Philadelphia, PA: Fortress Press, 1989.

Barker, Margaret.The Revelation of Jesus Christ: Which God Gave to Him to Show to His Servants What Must Soon Take Place (Revelation 1.1). Edinburgh, Scotland: T&T Clark, 2000.

———. The Hidden Tradition of the Kingdom of God. London, England: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge (SPCK), 2007.

Bednar, David A. "Honorably hold a name and standing." Ensign 39, May 2009, 97-100.

Bradshaw, Jeffrey M. Ancient and Modern Perspectives on the Book of Moses. In God's Image and Likeness 1. Salt Lake City, UT: Eborn Publishing, 2010.

———. "The Ezekiel Mural at Dura Europos: A tangible witness of Philo's Jewish mysteries?" BYU Studies49, no. 1 (2010): 4-49.

Brown, Matthew B. Exploring the Connection Between Mormons and Masons. American Fork, UT: Covenant Communications, 2009.

Calabro, David. "'Stretch forth thy hand and prophesy': The symbolic use of hand gestures in the Book of Mormon and other Latter-day Saint scripture." Presented at the Laura F. Willes Center Book of Mormon Conference, Provo, UT, September, 2010.

———. "Body symbolism in Latter-day Saint Scripture." Presented at the Expound Symposium, Provo, UT, May 14, 2011.

———. "'When you spread your palms, I will heid my eyes': The symbolism of body gestures in Isaiah." Studia Antiqua: A Student Journal for the Study of the Ancient World 9, no. 1 (Spring 2011): 16-32. 9-1.pdf. (accessed March 12, 2012).

Compton, Todd M. "The whole token: Mystery symbolism in classical recognition drama (Typescript of article provided by the author)." Epoché: UCLA Journal for the History of Religions13 (1985): 1-81.

———. "The handclasp and embrace as tokens of recognition." In By Study and Also by Faith: Essays in Honor of Hugh W. Nibley, edited by John M. Lundquist and Stephen D. Ricks. 2 vols. Vol. 1, 611-42. Salt Lake City, UT: Deseret Book, 1990.

Cyril of Jerusalem. ca. 347. "Five Catechetical Lectures to the Newly Baptized on the Mysteries." In Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, edited by Philip Schaff and Henry Wace. 14 vols. Vol. 7, 144-57. New York City, NY: The Christian Literature Company, 1894. Reprint, Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1994.

Dolkart, Judith F., ed. James Tissot, The Life of Christ: The Complete Set of 350 Watercolors. New York City, NY: Merrell Publishers and the Brooklyn Museum, 2009.

Drower, E. S. Water into Wine: A Study of Ritual Idiom in the Middle East. London, England: John Murray, 1956.

Eaton, John H. The Psalms: A Historical and Spiritual Commentary with an Introduction and New Translation. London, England: T&T Clark, 2003.

Faulconer, James E. "Self-image, self-love, and salvation." Latter-day Digest 2, June 1993, 7-26. (accessed August 10, 2007).

Gardner, Iain, ed. The Kephalaia of the Teacher: The Edited Coptic Manichaean Texts in Translation with Commentary. Nag Hammadi and Manichaean Studies 37, ed.James M. Robinson and H. J. Klimkeit. Leiden, The Netherlands: E. J. Brill, 1995.

Hamblin, William J., and David Rolph Seely. Solomon's Temple: Myth and History. London, England: Thames & Hudson, 2007.

Haywood, Harry LeRoy. Symbolical Masonry: An Interpretation of the Three Degrees. New York City, NY: George H. Doran, 1923. (accessed October 17, 2011).

Hilton, Lynn M. 1981. "The hand as a cup in ancient religious worship." In Discovering Lehi: New Evidence of Lehi and Nephi in Arabia, edited by Lynn M. Hilton and Hope A. Hilton, 171-77. Springfield, UT: Cedar Fort Incorporated, 1996.

Hymns of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City, UT: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1985.

Kay, Dennis. Shakespeare: His Life, Work, and Era. New York City, NY: William Morrow, 1992.

Lidzbarski, Mark, ed. Ginza: Der Schatz oder das Grosse Buch der Mandäer. Quellen der Religionsgeschichte, der Reihenfolge des Erscheinens 13:4. Göttingen and Leipzig, Germany: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, J. C. Hinrichs'sche, 1925.

Madsen, Truman G."'Putting on the names': A Jewish-Christian legacy." In By Study and Also by Faith: Essays in Honor of Hugh W. Nibley, edited by John M. Lundquist and Stephen D. Ricks. 2 vols. Vol. 1, 458-81. Salt Lake City, UT: Deseret Book, 1990.

———. 1994. "The temple and the mysteries of godliness." In The Temple: Where Heaven Meets Earth, 25-37. Salt Lake City, UT: Deseret Book, 2008.

Mowinckel, Sigmund. 1962. The Psalms in Israel's Worship. 2 vols. The Biblical Resource Series, ed. Astrid B. Beck and David Noel Freedman. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2004.

Nibley, Hugh W. "On the sacred and the symbolic." In Temples of the Ancient World, edited by Donald W. Parry, 535-621. Salt Lake City, UT: Deseret Book, 1994. Reprint, Nibley, Hugh W. “On the Sacred and the Symbolic.” In Eloquent Witness: Nibley on Himself, Others, and the Temple, edited by Stephen D. Ricks. The Collected Works of Hugh Nibley 17, 340-419. Salt Lake City, UT: Deseret Book, 2008.

———. "Abraham's temple drama." In The Temple in Time and Eternity, edited by Donald W. Parry and Stephen D. Ricks, 1-42. Provo, UT: The Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, Brigham Young University, 1999. Reprint, Nibley, Hugh W. “Abraham's temple drama.” In Eloquent Witness: Nibley on Himself, Others, and the Temple, edited by Stephen D. Ricks. The Collected Works of Hugh Nibley 17, 445-482. Salt Lake City, UT: Deseret Book, 2008.

———. 1967. "Apocryphal writings and the teachings of the Dead Sea Scrolls." In Temple and Cosmos: Beyond This Ignorant Present, edited by Don E. Norton. The Collected Works of Hugh Nibley 12, 264-335. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1992.

———. 1975. "The meaning of the temple." In Temple and Cosmos: Beyond This Ignorant Present, edited by Don E.Norton.The Collected Works of Hugh Nibley 12, 1-41. Salt Lake City, UT: Deseret Book, 1992.

———. 1975. The Message of the Joseph Smith Papyri: An Egyptian Endowment. 2nd ed. Salt Lake City, UT: Deseret Book, 2005.

———. 1999. "Temples Everywhere." Insights: The Newsletter of the Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies (FARMS) at Brigham Young University 25, no. 1 (2005): 10-16. Reprint, Nibley, Hugh W. “Temples everywhere.” In Eloquent Witness: Nibley on Himself, Others, and the Temple, edited by Stephen D. Ricks. The Collected Works of Hugh Nibley 17, 483-500. Salt Lake City, UT: Deseret Book, 2008.

Nuttall, A. D. Shakespeare the Thinker. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2007.

Oaks, Dallin H. "Taking upon us the name of Jesus Christ." Ensign 15, May 1985, 80-83.

———. "The challenge to become." Ensign 30, November 2000, 32-34.

Parry, Donald W. "Temple worship and a possible reference to a prayer circle in Psalm 24." BYU Studies 32, no. 4 (1992): 57-62.

Ryen, Jon Olav. The Tree in the Lightworld: A Study in the Mandaean Vine Motif. Oslo, Norway: Unipub/Oslo Academic Press (Faculty of Humanities, University of Oslo), 2006.

Seely, David Rolph. "The raised hand of God as an oath gesture." In Fortunate the Eyes that See: Essays in Honor of David Noel Freedman in Celebration of His Seventieth Birthday, edited by Astrid B. Beck, Andrew H. Bartelt, Paul R. Raabe and Chris A. Franke, 411-21. Grand Rapids, MI: Willam B. Eerdmans, 1995.

Shakespeare, William. 1599. "The Life of Henry the Fifth." In The Riverside Shakespeare, edited by G. Blakemore Evans, 930-75. Boston, MA: Houghton-Mifflin Company, 1974.

———. ca. 1595. "Love's Labor's Lost." In The Riverside Shakespeare, edited by G. Blakemore Evans, 174-217. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1974.

———. ca. 1598. "The Taming of the Shrew." In The Riverside Shakespeare, edited by G. Blakemore Evans, 106-42. Boston, MA: Houghton-Mifflin Company, 1974.

Simpson, J. A., and E. S. C. Weiner. 1989. The Compact Oxford English Dictionary. 2nd ed. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press, 2004.

Smith, Joseph Fielding, Jr. Doctrines of Salvation: Sermons and Writings of Joseph Fielding Smith. Salt Lake City, UT: Bookcraft, 1954-1956.

Smith, Joseph, Jr. 1938. Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith. Salt Lake City, UT: Deseret Book, 1969.

Tissot, J. James. The Old Testament: Three Hundred and Ninety-Six Compositions Illustrating the Old Testament, Parts 1 and 2. 2 vols. Paris, France: M. de Brunhoff, 1904.

Webster, Noah. An American Dictionary of the English Language. New York City, NY, 1828. Reprint, Chesapeake, VA: Foundation for American Christian Education, 1968.

Widtsoe, John A. "Work for the Dead (Extract from Rational Theology, the textbook for the Melchizedek Priesthood Classes of the Church for 1915)." The Utah Genealogical and Historical Magazine 6 (1915): 33-35.  (accessed February 20, 2012).

Young, Brigham. 1853. "Necessity of building temples; the endowment (Oration delivered in the South-East Cornerstone of the Temple at Great Salt Lake City, after the First Presidency and the Patriarch had laid the Stone, 6 April 1853)." In Journal of Discourses. 26 vols. Vol. 2, 29-33. Liverpool and London, England: Latter-day Saints Book Depot, 1853-1886. Reprint, Salt Lake City, UT: Bookcraft, 1966.

———. 1941. Discourses of Brigham Young. Salt Lake City, UT: Deseret Book, 1977. Click here to see the Endnotes

[Editor: This is the sixth article in a series of excerpts from Jeffrey M. Bradshaw’s new book, entitled “Temple Themes in the Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood.” Links to the full series are found at the end of this article. Color and black-and-white editions of the book are available on Amazon.com and at selected LDS Bookstores (including EbornBooks, BYU Bookstore, and the FAIR LDS Bookstore). An iBooks version is can be purchased from the Apple iBookstore, and a pdf version is available at www.templethemes.net]

“Passing the Angels Who Stand As Sentinels” (Part 1)

J. Kirk Richards, 1977-: Cherubim and the Flaming Sword, 2000[1]

Giving his own summary of temple ordinances, the Prophet Joseph Smith wrote that they concerned:[2]

… 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 fulness of those blessings which have been prepared for the Church of the Firstborn, and come up and abide in the presence of the Elohim in the eternal worlds.

Specific aspects of instruction in the endowment “pertaining to the Holy Priesthood” were described by Brigham Young in his description of the endowment:[3]

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.

Although this statement is frequently quoted in official Church publications,[4] the reference to “key words, the signs and tokens” is not explained. The sacred nature of these things prohibits any discussion of specific symbolism. However, it may be helpful for the modern reader to understand the general meaning of these terms in related contexts, which would have been much more familiar to those in Joseph Smith’s time than they are in our day.[5]

Before continuing, we observe that what matters in such tests for knowledge is not merely the requirement to remember the details of the instructions one has received, but, in addition, the expectation that one be sincerely engaged in the process of mastering the life lessons associated with them. Elder Dallin H. Oaks reminds us that, in the day of final judgment, it will not be enough to merely have gone through the outward motions of keeping the commandments and receiving the ordinances—the essential question will be what we have ourselves become during our period of probation.[6]

Hugh Nibley further elaborates, explaining that, for the same reason, the saving ordinances, as necessary as they are, in and of themselves “are mere forms. They do not exalt us; they merely prepare us to be ready in case we ever become eligible.”[7]In the end, our eligibility for entrance into the presence of God rests not only on the presumption that we have received the saving ordinances, but also on the results of the process of sanctification, being predicated on the righteous exercise of agency coupled with the atoning power of Jesus Christ.[8]

Key Words

“Key words ”have been associated with temples since very ancient times. Throughout the ancient Near East, including Jerusalem, “different temple gates had names indicating the blessing received when entering: ‘the gate of grace,’ ‘the gate of salvation,’ ‘the gate of life’ and so on,”^[9] as well as signifying “the fitness, through due preparation, which entrants should have in order to pass through [each one of] the gates.”^[10]

Nibley further explained: “The importance of knowing the names of things and giving those names when challenged is more than the mere idea of the password; it is… nothing less than… ‘the law which makes of the name a veritable attribute of the thing named.’”[11] In other words, to pass through each gate, one was expected not only to know something, but also to be something.

This same principle is at work in the sacrament prayer, where the Saints learn that they must not only “always remember” and be “willing to take upon [themselves] the name of Jesus Christ,”[12] but, in addition, must ultimately become ready to doso in actuality if they are to receive every blessing to which they are entitled.[13]

Each one who enters the celestial kingdom will receive a “white stone, whereon is a new name written, which no man knoweth save he that receiveth it. The new name is the key word.”[14] The “white stone mentioned in Revelation 2:17 will become a Urim and Thummim to each individual who receives one, whereby things pertaining to a higher order of kingdoms will be made known,”[15] just as the earth will become to its inhabitants “a Urim and Thummim… whereby all things pertaining to an inferior kingdom, or all kingdoms of a lower order, will be manifest.”[16]

Thus, by the same means that reveals to the saints what they are to become in “life eternal” through knowledge of God and Jesus Christ,[17] they will also recover a knowledge of who they were before the world was.

J. James Tissot, 1836-1902: Reconstruction of Jerusalem and the Temple of Herod Seen from the East, ca. 1886-1894[18]

In ancient times, the name of the Lord was invoked in as part of covenant-making. Indeed, Truman G. Madsen proposes that the idea that the “proper use of the name YHWH constitutes a covenant between Israel and her God” may be the reason behind the third of the Ten Commandments.[19] Thus, the commandment that one must not take the name of the Lord in vain is concerned with more than common profanity. More profoundly, it applies to those who do not keep the covenants by which they have bound themselves to God, thereby making a mockery of the One whose name was invoked at their making.[20]

In Jerusalem, the final “gate of the Lord, into which the righteous shall enter,”^[21] very likely referred to “the innermost temple gate,”^[22] where those “seeking the face of the God of Jacob”^[23] would find the fulfillment of their temple pilgrimage.This final gate was associated with the name of God Himself. The dedicatory prayer for Solomon’s temple stressed that it was not meant to be a residence for God, since He “lived in his ‘dwelling place in heaven’ but that the ‘name of God’ dwelt in the Temple.”[24]

The shout of the people at Christ’s triumphal entry becomes more understandable when translated as “Blessed is he who comes with [rather than in] the Name of the Lord.”[25] Consistent with this translation, such a cry could be taken as an acknowledgement of the Jesus’ role as the Messiah, the great High Priest, one who had the Divine Name sealed on His forehead[26] and could bring those who were prepared into the presence of God. Each “disciple” would then “be as his master,” and each “servant as his lord.”[27]

Exodus 28:36, 38: “A Plate of Pure Gold… upon Aaron’s Forehead”[28]

On the “plate of pure gold” that was to be worn upon the forehead of the high priest were engraved the words “Holiness to the Lord”—thus equating each worthy and authorized high priest with the temple itself. Paul taught this same principle to the Corinthian saints:[29]

Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?

… the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.

J. James Tissot, 1836-1902: The Ark of the Covenant, ca. 1896-1902[30]

Signs and Tokens

The use of “signs” and “tokens” as symbols, connected with covenants made in temples and used as aids in sacred teaching, also goes back to the earliest times.[31] For example, the raised hand is a long-recognized sign of oath-taking,[32] and the Ark of the Covenant in the Tabernacle contained various tangible “tokens of the covenant”[33] relating to the priesthood, including the golden pot that had manna, Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tablets of the law.

As a related example, Elder Joseph Fielding Smith, then an apostle, wrote about the tangible symbols of sacred realities that are incorporated in our weekly worship. He said that in partaking of the emblems of the sacrament that are distributed to the congregation by priesthood officiators “there is the token that we subscribe fully to the obligations”[34] of the sacrament prayer.

By way of analogy to a possible function of the items within Ark of the Covenant—items that related to the higher priesthood—consider the Greek Eleusinian Mysteries,[35] which endured over a period of nearly two thousand years. These rites were said to consist of legomena(= things recited), deiknymena(= things shown), and dromena(= things performed).

A sacred casket contained the tokens of the god, which were used to teach initiates about the meaning of the rites. At the culmination of the process, the initiate was examined about his knowledge of these tokens. “Having passed the tests of the tokens and their passwords,the initiate would have been admitted to the presence of the god.”[36]

E. S. Drower, 1879-1972: The Kushta, 1956[37]

Tokens could also be expressed in the form of handclasps.[38] For example, Nibley notes that according to the Manichaean religion, “the right hand was used for bidding farewell to our heavenly parents upon leaving our primeval home and [was] the greeting with which we shall be received when we return to it.”[39] Likewise, the Mandaeans still continue a ritual practice in which the kushta, a ceremonial handclasp, is given three times, each one of which, according to Elizabeth Drower, “seems to mark the completion… of a stage in a ceremony.”[40] At the moment of glorious resurrection, Mandaean scripture records that a final kushta will also take place, albeit in a different form:[41]

Sitil [Seth], the son of Adam... was brought to the Watch house [where] Silmais, the treasurer, holds the nails of glory in the hand, and carries the key of the kushta of both arms.[42] They opened the gate of the treasure house for him, lifted the great veil of safety upward before him, introduced him, and showed him that Vine [i.e., the Tree of Life],[43] its inner glory... Sitil, son of Adam, spoke: “On this [same] way, the Path and Ascent which I have climbed, truthful, believing, faithful and perfect men should also ascend and come, when they leave their bodies [i.e., at death].”

In the context of this discussion, what the terms “sign” and “token” have in common is the fact that they are “earthly symbols of realities that prevail throughout the universe.”[44] They point to meanings beyond themselves—meanings that can be revealed in our “minding true things by what their mock’ries be.”[45]

Moreover, citing Book of Mormon examples, Calabro concludes that in some cases the “gesture [can stand] for the covenant in that it signals membership in the covenant group.”[46] Beyond these basic similarities, the meanings of the terms “sign” and “token” in temple contexts differ somewhat, as explained with reference to ancient practices by Hugh Nibley:[47]

As you approach the camp surrounding the temple, you signify your intent with a reassuring sign, a signum, visible from a distance, calling attention to yourself as Adam does in his prayer and demonstrating your peaceful intent.[48] Upon reaching the gate, you present your token, a tangible object (compare… digit, dactyl, or a solid handclasp).[49]All these serve as a tesserahospitalis [i.e., a symbol of mutual hospitality], admitting one to a closed group or a party, or a club, guild meeting, etc. It is presented to the doorkeeper, a herald trained in such matters: “The Holy One of Israel is the Keeper of the Gate, and he employs no servant there!” Most important, “he cannot be deceived.”[50] The token recognized, you pronounce your name to the doorkeeper in a low voice, a whisper, for it is a special name agreed on between you and your host and should not be picked up and used by anyone else.[51]

Links to all of the articles in this series-

Part 1 “Why Do We Participate in Temple Ordinances?”

Part 2 “A Christ-Centered View”

Part 3 “Knowledge as the Principle of Salvation”

Part 4 “How Are We Physically and Spiritually Reborn in the Temple?”

Part 5 “What is the Endowment?”

Part 6  “Passing the Angels Who Stand as Sentinels”

Part 7  “The Meaning of the Atonement”

Part 8 “Becoming the ‘Seed of Abraham”’: The Sealing and Healing Power of Elijah

Part 9: “The Church and Kingdom”: Becoming Priests and Kings

Part 10: “The Elect of God”: What Does It Mean to Have One’s “Calling and Election Made Sure?”

Part 11: “All That My Father Hath Shall Be Given Unto Him”: Receiving the Kingdom

Part 12: The Second Comforter: “The Father Teacheth Him”

Part 13: “Weary Him Until He Blesses You” 

Part 14: "What are the Three Degrees Within the Celestial Kingdom?"

References

Attridge, Harold W., and Helmut Koester, eds. Hebrews: A Commentary on the Epistle to the Hebrews. Hermeneia—A Critical and Historical Commentary on the Bible, ed.Frank Moore Cross, Klaus Baltzer, Paul D. Hanson, S. Dean McBride, Jr. and Roland E. Murphy. Philadelphia, PA: Fortress Press, 1989.

Barker, Margaret.The Revelation of Jesus Christ: Which God Gave to Him to Show to His Servants What Must Soon Take Place (Revelation 1.1). Edinburgh, Scotland: T&T Clark, 2000.

———. The Hidden Tradition of the Kingdom of God. London, England: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge (SPCK), 2007.

Bednar, David A. "Honorably hold a name and standing." Ensign 39, May 2009, 97-100.

Bradshaw, Jeffrey M. Ancient and Modern Perspectives on the Book of Moses. In God's Image and Likeness 1. Salt Lake City, UT: Eborn Publishing, 2010.

———. "The Ezekiel Mural at Dura Europos: A tangible witness of Philo's Jewish mysteries?" BYU Studies49, no. 1 (2010): 4-49.

Brown, Matthew B. Exploring the Connection Between Mormons and Masons. American Fork, UT: Covenant Communications, 2009.

Calabro, David. "'Stretch forth thy hand and prophesy': The symbolic use of hand gestures in the Book of Mormon and other Latter-day Saint scripture." Presented at the Laura F. Willes Center Book of Mormon Conference, Provo, UT, September, 2010.

———. "Body symbolism in Latter-day Saint Scripture." Presented at the Expound Symposium, Provo, UT, May 14, 2011.

———. "'When you spread your palms, I will heid my eyes': The symbolism of body gestures in Isaiah." Studia Antiqua: A Student Journal for the Study of the Ancient World 9, no. 1 (Spring 2011): 16-32. 9-1.pdf. (accessed March 12, 2012).

Compton, Todd M. "The whole token: Mystery symbolism in classical recognition drama (Typescript of article provided by the author)." Epoché: UCLA Journal for the History of Religions13 (1985): 1-81.

———. "The handclasp and embrace as tokens of recognition." In By Study and Also by Faith: Essays in Honor of Hugh W. Nibley, edited by John M. Lundquist and Stephen D. Ricks. 2 vols. Vol. 1, 611-42. Salt Lake City, UT: Deseret Book, 1990.

Cyril of Jerusalem. ca. 347. "Five Catechetical Lectures to the Newly Baptized on the Mysteries." In Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, edited by Philip Schaff and Henry Wace. 14 vols. Vol. 7, 144-57. New York City, NY: The Christian Literature Company, 1894. Reprint, Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1994.

Dolkart, Judith F., ed. James Tissot, The Life of Christ: The Complete Set of 350 Watercolors. New York City, NY: Merrell Publishers and the Brooklyn Museum, 2009.

Drower, E. S. Water into Wine: A Study of Ritual Idiom in the Middle East. London, England: John Murray, 1956.

Eaton, John H. The Psalms: A Historical and Spiritual Commentary with an Introduction and New Translation. London, England: T&T Clark, 2003.

Faulconer, James E. "Self-image, self-love, and salvation." Latter-day Digest 2, June 1993, 7-26. (accessed August 10, 2007).

Gardner, Iain, ed. The Kephalaia of the Teacher: The Edited Coptic Manichaean Texts in Translation with Commentary. Nag Hammadi and Manichaean Studies 37, ed.James M. Robinson and H. J. Klimkeit. Leiden, The Netherlands: E. J. Brill, 1995.

Hamblin, William J., and David Rolph Seely. Solomon's Temple: Myth and History. London, England: Thames & Hudson, 2007.

Haywood, Harry LeRoy. Symbolical Masonry: An Interpretation of the Three Degrees. New York City, NY: George H. Doran, 1923. (accessed October 17, 2011).

Hilton, Lynn M. 1981. "The hand as a cup in ancient religious worship." In Discovering Lehi: New Evidence of Lehi and Nephi in Arabia, edited by Lynn M. Hilton and Hope A. Hilton, 171-77. Springfield, UT: Cedar Fort Incorporated, 1996.

Hymns of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City, UT: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1985.

Kay, Dennis. Shakespeare: His Life, Work, and Era. New York City, NY: William Morrow, 1992.

Lidzbarski, Mark, ed. Ginza: Der Schatz oder das Grosse Buch der Mandäer. Quellen der Religionsgeschichte, der Reihenfolge des Erscheinens 13:4. Göttingen and Leipzig, Germany: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, J. C. Hinrichs'sche, 1925.

Madsen, Truman G."'Putting on the names': A Jewish-Christian legacy." In By Study and Also by Faith: Essays in Honor of Hugh W. Nibley, edited by John M. Lundquist and Stephen D. Ricks. 2 vols. Vol. 1, 458-81. Salt Lake City, UT: Deseret Book, 1990.

———. 1994. "The temple and the mysteries of godliness." In The Temple: Where Heaven Meets Earth, 25-37. Salt Lake City, UT: Deseret Book, 2008.

Mowinckel, Sigmund. 1962. The Psalms in Israel's Worship. 2 vols. The Biblical Resource Series, ed. Astrid B. Beck and David Noel Freedman. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2004.

Nibley, Hugh W. "On the sacred and the symbolic." In Temples of the Ancient World, edited by Donald W. Parry, 535-621. Salt Lake City, UT: Deseret Book, 1994. Reprint, Nibley, Hugh W. “On the Sacred and the Symbolic.” In Eloquent Witness: Nibley on Himself, Others, and the Temple, edited by Stephen D. Ricks. The Collected Works of Hugh Nibley 17, 340-419. Salt Lake City, UT: Deseret Book, 2008.

———. "Abraham's temple drama." In The Temple in Time and Eternity, edited by Donald W. Parry and Stephen D. Ricks, 1-42. Provo, UT: The Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, Brigham Young University, 1999. Reprint, Nibley, Hugh W. “Abraham's temple drama.” In Eloquent Witness: Nibley on Himself, Others, and the Temple, edited by Stephen D. Ricks. The Collected Works of Hugh Nibley 17, 445-482. Salt Lake City, UT: Deseret Book, 2008.

———. 1967. "Apocryphal writings and the teachings of the Dead Sea Scrolls." In Temple and Cosmos: Beyond This Ignorant Present, edited by Don E. Norton. The Collected Works of Hugh Nibley 12, 264-335. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1992.

———. 1975. "The meaning of the temple." In Temple and Cosmos: Beyond This Ignorant Present, edited by Don E.Norton.The Collected Works of Hugh Nibley 12, 1-41. Salt Lake City, UT: Deseret Book, 1992.

———. 1975. The Message of the Joseph Smith Papyri: An Egyptian Endowment. 2nd ed. Salt Lake City, UT: Deseret Book, 2005.

———. 1999. "Temples Everywhere." Insights: The Newsletter of the Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies (FARMS) at Brigham Young University 25, no. 1 (2005): 10-16. Reprint, Nibley, Hugh W. “Temples everywhere.” In Eloquent Witness: Nibley on Himself, Others, and the Temple, edited by Stephen D. Ricks. The Collected Works of Hugh Nibley 17, 483-500. Salt Lake City, UT: Deseret Book, 2008.

Nuttall, A. D. Shakespeare the Thinker. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2007.

Oaks, Dallin H. "Taking upon us the name of Jesus Christ." Ensign 15, May 1985, 80-83.

———. "The challenge to become." Ensign 30, November 2000, 32-34.

Parry, Donald W. "Temple worship and a possible reference to a prayer circle in Psalm 24." BYU Studies 32, no. 4 (1992): 57-62.

Ryen, Jon Olav. The Tree in the Lightworld: A Study in the Mandaean Vine Motif. Oslo, Norway: Unipub/Oslo Academic Press (Faculty of Humanities, University of Oslo), 2006.

Seely, David Rolph. "The raised hand of God as an oath gesture." In Fortunate the Eyes that See: Essays in Honor of David Noel Freedman in Celebration of His Seventieth Birthday, edited by Astrid B. Beck, Andrew H. Bartelt, Paul R. Raabe and Chris A. Franke, 411-21. Grand Rapids, MI: Willam B. Eerdmans, 1995.

Shakespeare, William. 1599. "The Life of Henry the Fifth." In The Riverside Shakespeare, edited by G. Blakemore Evans, 930-75. Boston, MA: Houghton-Mifflin Company, 1974.

———. ca. 1595. "Love's Labor's Lost." In The Riverside Shakespeare, edited by G. Blakemore Evans, 174-217. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1974.

———. ca. 1598. "The Taming of the Shrew." In The Riverside Shakespeare, edited by G. Blakemore Evans, 106-42. Boston, MA: Houghton-Mifflin Company, 1974.

Simpson, J. A., and E. S. C. Weiner. 1989. The Compact Oxford English Dictionary. 2nd ed. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press, 2004.

Smith, Joseph Fielding, Jr. Doctrines of Salvation: Sermons and Writings of Joseph Fielding Smith. Salt Lake City, UT: Bookcraft, 1954-1956.

Smith, Joseph, Jr. 1938. Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith. Salt Lake City, UT: Deseret Book, 1969.

Tissot, J. James. The Old Testament: Three Hundred and Ninety-Six Compositions Illustrating the Old Testament, Parts 1 and 2. 2 vols. Paris, France: M. de Brunhoff, 1904.

Webster, Noah. An American Dictionary of the English Language. New York City, NY, 1828. Reprint, Chesapeake, VA: Foundation for American Christian Education, 1968.

Widtsoe, John A. "Work for the Dead (Extract from Rational Theology, the textbook for the Melchizedek Priesthood Classes of the Church for 1915)." The Utah Genealogical and Historical Magazine 6 (1915): 33-35.  (accessed February 20, 2012).

Young, Brigham. 1853. "Necessity of building temples; the endowment (Oration delivered in the South-East Cornerstone of the Temple at Great Salt Lake City, after the First Presidency and the Patriarch had laid the Stone, 6 April 1853)." In Journal of Discourses. 26 vols. Vol. 2, 29-33. Liverpool and London, England: Latter-day Saints Book Depot, 1853-1886. Reprint, Salt Lake City, UT: Bookcraft, 1966.

———. 1941. Discourses of Brigham Young. Salt Lake City, UT: Deseret Book, 1977. Click here to see the Endnotes

[Editor: This is the sixth article in a series of excerpts from Jeffrey M. Bradshaw’s new book, entitled “Temple Themes in the Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood.” Links to the full series are found at the end of this article. Color and black-and-white editions of the book are available on Amazon.com and at selected LDS Bookstores (including EbornBooks, BYU Bookstore, and the FAIR LDS Bookstore). An iBooks version is can be purchased from the Apple iBookstore, and a pdf version is available at www.templethemes.net]

“Passing the Angels Who Stand As Sentinels” (Part 1)

J. Kirk Richards, 1977-: Cherubim and the Flaming Sword, 2000[1]

Giving his own summary of temple ordinances, the Prophet Joseph Smith wrote that they concerned:[2]

… 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 fulness of those blessings which have been prepared for the Church of the Firstborn, and come up and abide in the presence of the Elohim in the eternal worlds.

Specific aspects of instruction in the endowment “pertaining to the Holy Priesthood” were described by Brigham Young in his description of the endowment:[3]

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.

Although this statement is frequently quoted in official Church publications,[4] the reference to “key words, the signs and tokens” is not explained. The sacred nature of these things prohibits any discussion of specific symbolism. However, it may be helpful for the modern reader to understand the general meaning of these terms in related contexts, which would have been much more familiar to those in Joseph Smith’s time than they are in our day.[5]

Before continuing, we observe that what matters in such tests for knowledge is not merely the requirement to remember the details of the instructions one has received, but, in addition, the expectation that one be sincerely engaged in the process of mastering the life lessons associated with them. Elder Dallin H. Oaks reminds us that, in the day of final judgment, it will not be enough to merely have gone through the outward motions of keeping the commandments and receiving the ordinances—the essential question will be what we have ourselves become during our period of probation.[6]

Hugh Nibley further elaborates, explaining that, for the same reason, the saving ordinances, as necessary as they are, in and of themselves “are mere forms. They do not exalt us; they merely prepare us to be ready in case we ever become eligible.”[7]In the end, our eligibility for entrance into the presence of God rests not only on the presumption that we have received the saving ordinances, but also on the results of the process of sanctification, being predicated on the righteous exercise of agency coupled with the atoning power of Jesus Christ.[8]

Key Words

“Key words ”have been associated with temples since very ancient times. Throughout the ancient Near East, including Jerusalem, “different temple gates had names indicating the blessing received when entering: ‘the gate of grace,’ ‘the gate of salvation,’ ‘the gate of life’ and so on,”^[9] as well as signifying “the fitness, through due preparation, which entrants should have in order to pass through [each one of] the gates.”^[10]

Nibley further explained: “The importance of knowing the names of things and giving those names when challenged is more than the mere idea of the password; it is… nothing less than… ‘the law which makes of the name a veritable attribute of the thing named.’”[11] In other words, to pass through each gate, one was expected not only to know something, but also to be something.

This same principle is at work in the sacrament prayer, where the Saints learn that they must not only “always remember” and be “willing to take upon [themselves] the name of Jesus Christ,”[12] but, in addition, must ultimately become ready to doso in actuality if they are to receive every blessing to which they are entitled.[13]

Each one who enters the celestial kingdom will receive a “white stone, whereon is a new name written, which no man knoweth save he that receiveth it. The new name is the key word.”[14] The “white stone mentioned in Revelation 2:17 will become a Urim and Thummim to each individual who receives one, whereby things pertaining to a higher order of kingdoms will be made known,”[15] just as the earth will become to its inhabitants “a Urim and Thummim… whereby all things pertaining to an inferior kingdom, or all kingdoms of a lower order, will be manifest.”[16]

Thus, by the same means that reveals to the saints what they are to become in “life eternal” through knowledge of God and Jesus Christ,[17] they will also recover a knowledge of who they were before the world was.

J. James Tissot, 1836-1902: Reconstruction of Jerusalem and the Temple of Herod Seen from the East, ca. 1886-1894[18]

In ancient times, the name of the Lord was invoked in as part of covenant-making. Indeed, Truman G. Madsen proposes that the idea that the “proper use of the name YHWH constitutes a covenant between Israel and her God” may be the reason behind the third of the Ten Commandments.[19] Thus, the commandment that one must not take the name of the Lord in vain is concerned with more than common profanity. More profoundly, it applies to those who do not keep the covenants by which they have bound themselves to God, thereby making a mockery of the One whose name was invoked at their making.[20]

In Jerusalem, the final “gate of the Lord, into which the righteous shall enter,”^[21] very likely referred to “the innermost temple gate,”^[22] where those “seeking the face of the God of Jacob”^[23] would find the fulfillment of their temple pilgrimage.

0 Comments