The Anointing of David

David Larsen at Heavenly Ascents continues to provide excellent notes from his attendance at the Temple Studies Group Symposium in London last weekend.  Recently he posted his notes on Archimandrite Ephrem‘s presentation about the Holy Oil in the Orthodox Church.  Father Ephrem gave out a handout which included detailed notes on the anointing rite in the Orthodox Church, which includes this portion:

The one to be baptized is brought forward. The Priest takes some of the oil and makes the sign of the Cross on the forehead, breast and back of the candidate, saying: The servant of God, N., is anointed with the oil of gladness, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. As he signs their breast and back he says: For healing of soul and body. On the ears: For the hearing of faith. On the feet: For your feet to walk. On the hands: Your hands made me and fashioned me. And when the whole body has been anointed the Priest baptizes the person, holding them upright and facing East, as he says: The servant of God N. is baptized, in the name of the Father. Amen. And of the Son. Amen. And of the Holy Spirit. Amen. At each invocation the Priest immerses them and raises them again [three-fold immersion].

Check out David Larsen’s Heavenly Ascents blog for more details from Father Ephrem’s presentation.

Anointing Rite in the Orthodox Church

The Apotheosis of Washington (detail), Constantino Brumidi, 1865, United States Capitol Building rotunda.

I watched an interesting show last night, Secret America on Discovery, and learned some interesting things.  One of them was that there is a large fresco painted on the inside of the dome of the rotunda of the United States Capitol Building.  It is called “The Apotheosis of Washington” and was painted by an Italian Painter, Constantino Brumidi, in 1865 for the sum of $40,000.

What is interesting is what was painted in this profound location.  The apotheosis of Washington literally means the deification of President George Washington, or the exaltation of Washington to the status of a god.  Wikipedia describes:

The Apotheosis of Washington depicts George Washington ascending to the heavens and becoming a god (apotheosis). Washington, the first U.S. president and commander-in-chief of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, is allegorically represented, surrounded by figures from classical mythology. Washington is draped in purple, a royal color, with a rainbow arch at his feet, flanked by the goddess Victory (draped in green, using a horn) to his left and the goddess Liberty to his right. Liberty wears a red cap, symbolizing emancipation, from a Roman tradition where sons leaving the home would be given a red cap. She holds a fasces in her right hand and an open book in the other.

Wikipedia also describes the term apotheosis:

Apotheosis (from Greek ἀποθεόω, apotheoō “to deify”) refers to the exaltation of a subject to divine level. The term has meanings in theology, where it refers to a belief, and in art, where it refers to a genre.

In theology the term apotheosis refers to the idea that an individual, group, or locale has attained godlike stature. In art the term refers to the treatment of any subject (a figure, motif, convention or melody) in a particularly grand or exalted manner.

The full painting really is quite stunning.  You can see it here.  George Washington is depicted sitting in the clouds, amongst the gods, making gestures common in divine figures.  The Architect of the Capitol government webpage notes:

The word “apotheosis” in the title means literally the raising of a person to the rank of a god, or the glorification of a person as an ideal; George Washington was honored as a national icon in the nineteenth century.

It’s not only the Mormons who have thoughts about the divinization of mankind, but such a theme is even portrayed of our most beloved Founding Father and first President of our country, George Washington, in no less than oculus of the rotunda of the Capitol Building of the United States of America.

Another commenter notes:

This image of Washington, painted in 1865, reflects a vision of Washington that appealed to the American public just after his death. The “apotheosis” served as a powerful symbol of the immortalization of the country’s hero. Paintings and sculptures of Washington’s celestial rise were soon to be found in living rooms and civic halls across the country. The religious connotation was clear: here was a man so virtuous and beloved that he surely had ascended to heaven, escorted honorably by classical personifications of freedom and liberty. In effect, the public’s civic worship of Washington led to a nearly religious worship just after his death. Washington was suddenly deified.

It might be insightful to note that this painting was completed just 12 years before Elder Wilford Woodruff, President of the St. George Temple at the time and one of the Twelve Apostles, performed the exalting priesthood ordinances of the restored Gospel vicariously for our Founding Fathers, including George Washington.

The Apotheosis of Washington

Woodcut. Author unknown. From "The book of pictures and parables, fables." Oxford University. 1859.

One of our readers, Walt, emailed me a link to a fable that is intriguing.  It is entitled “The Wolf, The Goat, And The Kid,” and was originally penned by the popular 17th century French poet and fabulist Jean de la Fontaine.

THE WOLF, THE GOAT, AND THE KID
by Jean de la Fontaine

As went the goat her pendent dugs to fill,
And browse the herbage of a distant hill,
She latched her door, and bid,
With matron care, her kid; --
‘My daughter, as you live,
This portal don’t undo
To any creature who
This watchword does not give:
“Deuce take the wolf and all his race!”‘
The wolf was passing near the place
By chance, and heard the words with pleasure,
And laid them up as useful treasure;
And, hardly need we mention,
Escaped the goat’s attention.
No sooner did he see
The matron off, than he,
With hypocritic tone and face,
Cried out before the place,
‘Deuce take the wolf and all his race!’
Not doubting thus to gain admission.
The kid, not void of all suspicion,
Peer’d through a crack, and cried,
‘Show me white paw before
You ask me to undo the door.’
The wolf could not, if he had died,
For wolves have no connection
With paws of that complexion.
So, much surprised, our gormandizer
Retired to fast till he was wiser.

How would the kid have been undone
Had she but trusted to the word
The wolf by chance had overheard!
Two sureties better are than one;
And caution’s worth its cost,
Though sometimes seeming lost.

Comments?

The Wolf, The Goat, And The Kid

Genesis 8

Noah's Thanksoffering (c.1803) by Joseph Anton Koch. (click image for larger view)

This morning I was listening to the ABC News report on the incoming hurricane Ike, which is heading straight towards the Galveston/Houston area of Texas, and the forecast of widespread destruction that it is provoking.  The news anchor was reporting from Galveston Island, Texas, where the brunt of the storm is said to be bearing down quickly.  The reporter ended his news clip by saying that there was a rainbow directly over Galveston Island.

It is destructive times like these that cause us to reflect on God, and His place in our world.  It seems like cruel irony that the rainbow was placed as a sign of the covenant that God made with man that He would not flood the earth again.  But then again, that was surely a deliberate decision, that each time we witness these horrific natural events like hurricanes we remember God is still there, and that He knows our trials and tribulations (cf. Hel. 12:3).  Yes, even “if the billowing surge conspire against thee; if fierce winds become thine enemy; if the heavens gather blackness, and all the elements combine to hedge up the way; and above all, if the very jaws of hell shall gape open the mouth wide after thee, know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good” (D&C 122:7).  Events like these turn us back to God, and remind us to worship Him who is the Creator of heaven and earth.  It is only by obeying God’s commandments and enduring trying times such as these that we can “triumph over all [our] foes” (D&C 121:7-8): 

8 ¶ And God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying,
9 And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you;
10 And with every living creature that is with you, of the fowl, of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth with you; from all that go out of the ark, to every beast of the earth.
11 And I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth.
12 And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations:
13 I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth.
14 And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud:
15 And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.
16 And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.
17 And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth. (Gen. 9:8-17)

This is a very insightful passage of scripture.  What we have here is a covenant pattern, with ritual enactments which bind the covenant.  God establishes a covenant with man, with a promise, and signs that covenant with a physical/visual token (Hebrew ‘owth [H226], also means sign, distinguishing mark, or ensign; perhaps related to our English word oath) by the setting of the rainbow in the sky in remembrance of that covenant.  Both God and man could look upon that token, the rainbow, and remember the covenant that they had made (v. 16).  It is also interesting that Ezekiel uses the rainbow to describe the glory and presence of the Lord (Ezek. 1:28).

Was it only a one-way covenant?  Absolutely not.  There is no such thing; covenants are by definition two-way agreements, which is clear in this scripture (see verses 9, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 17).  The above passage comes directly after Noah and his family had left the ark and Noah built up an altar and offered burnt sacrifices upon it (Gen. 8:20).  Noah was proclaiming his allegiance to God, and his remembrance of the ultimate sacrifice of His Only Begotten Son, and that he would follow God’s commandments by offering sacrifices and burnt offerings (cf. Moses 5:6-8).  These sacrifices were the sign or token of Noah’s promise before God.  Only after Noah offers his sacrifice does God make several reciprocal promises to Noah and his family, followed by God’s token of the covenant in the rainbow:

21 And the Lord smelled a sweet savour; and the Lord said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.
22 While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease. (Gen. 8:21-22)
1 And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.
2 And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered.
3 Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things.
4 But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat.
5 And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man's brother will I require the life of man.
6 Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.
7 And you, be ye fruitful, and multiply; bring forth abundantly in the earth, and multiply therein. (Gen. 9:1-7)

You’ll notice that the blessings and stipulations of the covenant include promised land, posterity, and health, the same as the covenant that God made later with Abraham (Abr. 2:6-11), Isaac (Gen. 26: 1-4, 24), and Jacob (Gen. 28; Gen. 35: 9-13; Gen. 48: 3-4).  You’ll also notice that these blessings are a reversal of the consequences of the Fall of Adam and Eve.  For instance, Adam and Eve were told that the ground would be cursed for their sake (Gen. 3:17).  Here Noah is told that the ground is no more cursed (Gen. 8:21).  The commandment and blessing to be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth is the same command Adam and Eve received before the Fall (Gen. 1:28).

A modern prophet in this dispensation has reemphasized the two-way nature of the covenant that God made with Noah, and the sign and token of the rainbow. The Prophet Joseph Smith taught:

I have asked of the Lord concerning His coming; and while asking the Lord, He gave a sign and said, “In the days of Noah I set a bow in the heavens as a sign and token that in any year that the bow should be seen the Lord would not come; but there should be seed time and harvest during that year: but whenever you see the bow withdrawn, it shall be a token that there shall be famine, pestilence, and great distress among the nations, and that the coming of the Messiah is not far distant.”

But I will take the responsibility upon myself to prophesy in the name of the Lord, that Christ will not come this year, as Father Miller has prophesied, for we have seen the bow… (HC 6:254; March 10, 1844)

The Lord deals with this people as a tender parent with a child, communicating light and intelligence and the knowledge of his ways as they can bear it. The inhabitants of the earth are asleep: they know not the day of their visitation. The Lord hath set the bow in the cloud for a sign that while it shall be seen, seed time and harvest, summer and winter shall not fail; but when it shall disappear, woe to that generation, for behold the end cometh quickly. (HC 5:402; May 21, 1843)

If man does not remember God, and his oblations to Him, then the covenant will be broken.  Does God make such covenants with man today?  I testify that He does, and only in His temple, the house of the Lord.

The singer/songwriter Kirby once wrote a song entitled “Hurricane Rainbow”:

A rainbow bent down
And touched that hurricane hole
Her multi-colored majesty
Made me again – remember when
That big wind she blew
And turned our world to gray
And if it weren't for you
I may not be – here today

A furious wind howls
And the angry waves pound
But we're alright – since we saw
A rainbow come down

Way up in the states they say
This whole island got blown away
Oh how dem newsboys love dat stuff
Rooftops fly – cows sail by
Well sure we lost a few rooftops
Boats were ravaged on the rocks
But that lunatic was way too slow
To blow away – this rainbow

Oh a furious wind howls
And the angry waves pound
But we're alright – since we saw
A rainbow come down

Yes we're alright – since we saw
A rainbow come down

The Rainbow – A Token of the Covenant

Detail from a 6th century mosaic in the Basilica of San Vitale, Ravenna, Italy.

(Continued from Part 1)

As you might have imagined, the first thing I did when my parents told me the story of the “seal of Melchizedek” on the San Diego temple, and of the connection with Hugh Nibley, I immediately did some searches to see if I could find if it was referenced in LDS literature.  The only reference I found was an image caption in the article “Sacred Vestments” in the book Temple and Cosmos:

Another Ravenna mosaic, c. A.D. 520, shows the priest-king Melchizedek in a purple cloak, offering bread and wine at the altar (Genesis 14:18-20).  The white altar cloth is decorated with two sets of gammadia, as well as the so-called “seal of Melchizedek,” two interlocked squares in gold.  Abel offers his lamb as Abraham gently pushes Isaac forward.  The hand of God reaches down to this sacred meeting through the red veils adorned with golden gammadia on either side.  The theme is the great sacrifice of Christ, which brings together the righteous prophets from the past as well as the four corners of the present world, thereby uniting all time and space. (Nibley, “Sacred Vestments,” Temple and Cosmos, 109.)

The drawing of the mosaic by Michael Lyon shown in Temple and Cosmos is from a basilica in Ravenna, Italy, called Sant’Apollinare in Classe.  This is the best color photograph of this mosaic I could find: 

The three sacrifices of the Old Testament. Abel, Melchisedec and Abraham (6th-7th century). Mosaic. Ravenna. Basilica of Sant'Apollinare in Classe, apse, right side. (Hamblin & Seely, Solomon's Temple, 111) (click for larger view)

You can clearly see the 8-pointed star symbol in the center of the altar cloth.  This mosaic depicts Melchizedek in a purple cloak administering bread and wine on the altar as the high priest in the temple.  God’s authorization of the event is manifest by His hand reaching down through the clouds.  On the left Abel offers a lamb to be sacrificed, and on the right Abraham offers Isaac, both shadows of the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus Christ.  It is also interesting to note, as Nibley did, that there are gammadia symbols (shaped like the Greek letter gamma) both on the altar cloth and two veils in this scene.  The mosaic dates from the 6th century.  Click the image to the right for a larger view.

There is much detail work inside the star symbol that is hard to discern.  It appears as though there are two interlocking squares with two or three more concentric circles inside of them.  I would be interested to find a more detailed closeup photo of this mosaic if anyone can find one.  SuperStock has some high resolution versions available here; unfortunately since they are rights-managed stock photos the cheapest I could figure to purchase it would be $150.

Scenes from Abraham's life: Abel and Melchizedek bringing their offerings to the altar (538-545 A.D.), Basilica of St. Vitale, Ravenna, presbytery, left wall, central lunette. (click for larger view)

There is also another iteration of this symbol on an altar cloth in a different mosaic in Ravenna, Italy.  It is located in the Basilica of San Vitale.  I was able to find a very high-res photograph of this mosaic.  Click the image on the right to see the larger version.  In this scene, again we see Abel offering his lamb, and Melchizedek offering the bread on the altar.  Behind Abel is an Adamic-type sanctuary, and behind Melchizedek is the temple of Jerusalem.  The hand of God again is seen coming down through the clouds to accept the offering.  You can see the 8-pointed star symbol, but it is also very evident that there are two interlocking squares that make up the symbol, with two concentric circles inside of them (see the closeup at the beginning of this post).

After conversing with some LDS scholars at BYU and elsewhere, these are the only two concrete artifacts which we’ve been able to find which might link Melchizedek with the symbol of the 8-pointed, two interlocking square, star.

Moreover, so far we have been unable to find any non-LDS scholars who have referred to this symbol as the “seal of Melchizedek” (although Michael Lyon believes he may have once seen it referenced by that name in a Catholic commentary on symbols).  However, there is other supporting evidence for a possible link between Melchizedek and the symbol, as I will share in the forthcoming posts, including my phone conversation with the design architect of the San Diego Temple.

Nibley once commented on the difficulty of being certain about the origin or meaning behind these symbols, and we would do well to keep his remarks in mind as we explore these things:

These things do get around. They become lost; they become simply designs; nobody understands what they are; nobody understands any more the meaning of the words. Thus we speculate as we try to reconstruct them. (Nibley, “Sacred Vestments,” Temple and Cosmos, 111.)

(Continued in Part 3)

The Seal of Melchizedek – Part 2

San Diego California Temple exterior (click for larger view)

A week ago my parents took a trip down to California to see my younger brother dance with the BYU Ballroom Dance Team at the Embassy Ball in Irvine, California.  As part of their trip they had the chance to do some fun things, like go to Disneyland.  Whenever they are on a vacation during the sabbath, however, they try to do things appropriate for that day, such as visit any nearby temples.  The San Diego California Temple was only about 80 miles away, and so they made their way down I-5 last Sunday afternoon to see it.

They enjoyed their visit at this unique temple, but by and large the most interesting thing that they experienced there that day was a story that the service missionaries told them who serve there.  Apparently there are many tourists that stop by the temple (not surprising since the temple looms directly over the nearby freeway), and walk right into the temple to visit it.  Unfortunately, they don’t know that you have to be a member of the Church and have a temple recommend to enter into a temple.  Consequently, the authorities there have put service missionaries by the entrance to the temple to talk with tourists, teach them about the purposes of the temple, show them pictures, give them literature, etc.

My parents stopped by to talk with these service missionaries, and they recounted to them something very interesting about the design of the temple.  This is how my father explained it:

The story the missionary told us is a simple one.  As we stood there looking at the temple, Brother Williams-or Williamson, the missionary, told us that he heard an interesting story about the symbol that appears all over the temple.  He said the architect, who is a current temple sealer, gave a fireside not too long ago.  He said that the symbol that appears all over the temple in the stone, the glass, even the fence surrounding the temple, was just an architectural design.  He said he thought it would be nice to have a recurring design that ties the temple together.  He worked on the simple design, for about six months, toying with different designs.  He finally decided on the design, two interlocking squares turned 45 degrees from each other- sometimes containing a circle in the center, sometimes not.  He put it in almost every stone wall, every glass window, and even the ornamental iron fence around the temple grounds (I'll send you the pictures).  I think the missionary said that someone (I don't know if it was a general authority or someone else from SLC) asked the architect at the temple open house where he got the design and what it means.  The architect said that it was just an architectural design and didn't mean anything.  The person said something like, “Oh I think there is more to it than that.”  The person came back to SLC and some time later the word came back that the design was known as the seal of Melchizedek.  I asked the missionary who it was in SLC that told them it was the seal of Melchizedek.  He said it was Hugh Nibley.  He said the architect said that if it is the seal of Melchizedek it would have saved him a lot of time if the Lord had just revealed it to him instead of the tinkering that he did to come up with it.  I didn’t get the impression that the architect felt like he had received it by revelation, at least not the version the missionary told us last Sunday.  Nothing was mentioned about any dream.  Of course, the missionary that told us the story was just retelling it from hearing it at a fireside.  He may have missed some of the fine points of the story.

My parents were fascinated by this, and spent some time around the temple taking pictures wherever they saw this symbol used.  My father has sent me the pictures he took, and I will include some of them below, showing this interesting detail, which is quite ubiquitous in the temple design.  Immediately after leaving the temple, they called me on their cell to tell me the story, knowing I would be interested.  And, of course, I was.

But if you know me, hearing this brief story was not enough.  I wanted to know details.  I wanted to know the source of the story.  I wanted to know if the story was true.  I wanted to know if Hugh Nibley had really said such a thing.  I wanted to know if this symbol, the “seal of Melchizedek,” was known in the academic world.  I wanted to hear or read the story direct from the architect.  I wanted to know if the use of this symbol in the temple design might have been more than just happenstance.  I’ll let you know what I found out in the ensuing parts of this series.  Stay tuned.

See the pictures below.

(Continued in Part 2)

The Seal of Melchizedek – Part 1

I first happened upon a depiction of The Last Judgment by Giotto in the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua, Veneto, Italy. This artwork was completed about in about 1305. The scene is a typical judgment, with Christ in the center, the saved on his right, and the damned on his left. One commenter adds some interesting insight into his posture:

The seven virtues and seven vices are sometimes shown in opposition. In the Scrovegni chapel, the Last Judgement shows God with his right hand palm up towards the saved, and along the right wall are the seven virtues. His left hand is palm down towards the damned, and along the left wall are the seven vices, each opposite its corresponding virtue.

Another commenter says:

Giotto has filled the entrance wall of the chapel with a great scene of the Last Judgment. Christ’s left hand, palm down, condemns the damned to the horrors of Hell. His right hand, palm up, beckons the blessed to join him in heaven-and with them a hopeful Enrico Scrovegni.

This same pattern seems to repeat itself in many such depictions of Christ. The later famous depiction of The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci is said to have imitated Giotto’s posture of Christ, except with the palms reversed:

Understanding this, Jesus is not only at the center of infinity and providing his body and blood to the people, but he is infinite and universal in his body position. Leonardo references here Giotto's painting of The Last Judgment, in which Jesus extends his arms with one palm up and one palm down. In doing so, Leonardo affirms Christ's role as the viewer's means of salvation.

It is interesting that Christ has his hand down in the direction of the betrayer Judas Iscariot.

Another commenter on the scene of Leonardo’s The Last Supper said:

The mystical symbolism is repeated again in the hands of Jesus, positioned left palm up and right palm down, gestures which in the Renaissance symbolism of the Christian Kabbalists represented the pillars of the kabbalistic tree of life, Mildness and Severity- and the sephirot Geburah and Chesed- justice and mercy. The balance between these sephirah is Tiphareth, symbolized by the Seal of Solomon. (In Freemasonry, the square and compass shares similar symbolism).

A woodcut from the Middle Ages shows the same posture, with this commentary:

From the right side of Jesus’ head comes the lily of mercy and from the left the sword of vengeance; his right hand, similarly, is held palm up for the saved and his left palm down for the damned.

There are many more examples of Christ in this posture, including The Last Judgment by Hieronymus Bosch (ca. 1482).

The Last Judgment depicted by Maso di Banco in Santa Croce, Florence, depicts the same.  Jane Long refers to this position thus:

The seated figure of Christ floats above a rocky landscape in a mandorla and makes the customary judging gestures – right palm up to accept the saved, left palm down to reject the damned.

An interesting variation in these examples is that some depict the right hand not only with palm up, but with the right arm upraised also.  The Last Judgment by Michelangelo in the Sistine Chapel is a famous example.  The Tympanum (West Portal) of The Last Judgment to the Church of Ste. Foy at Conques, France, also shows Christ with a raised right arm towards the saved, and a lowered left hand towards the damned.  One particularly nice example of this variation is The Last Judgment by Master of the Bambino Vispo (ca. 1422).

This posture again appears in Hans Memling‘s depiction of The Last Judgment (ca. 1467-1471).

It is also interesting that this posture is also found in other cultures and traditions, particularly in the mudra gestures of Buddhism.

So it would seem that in addition to the incense filled hand found in ancient Israel, the palm up/palm down symbolism does have a place in Christianity, especially in Christian art.  The palm up seems to depict blessing, receiving, mildness, mercy, and salvation, while the palm down seems to depict damnation, severity, justice, judgment, rejection, condemnation, and sin.  At least that is what the Christians in the Middle Ages and Renaissance might have believed.

Palm up/Palm down in Middle Ages & Renaissance Christian Art

Today in priesthood we talked about chapter 7 in the Joseph Smith manual. It is about “Baptism and the Gift of the Holy Ghost.” One thing that struck me as I read the chapter is the number of times that Joseph referred to baptism and some of the other principles and ordinances as signs:

God has set many signs on the earth, as well as in the heavens…

Upon the same principle do I contend that baptism is a sign ordained of God, for the believer in Christ to take upon himself in order to enter into the kingdom of God…

It is a sign and a commandment which God has set for man to enter into His kingdom. Those who seek to enter in any other way will seek in vain; for God will not receive them, neither will the angels acknowledge their works as accepted, for they have not obeyed the ordinances, nor attended to the signs which God ordained for the salvation of man, to prepare him for, and give him a title to, a celestial glory…

Baptism is a sign to God, to angels, and to heaven that we do the will of God, and there is no other way beneath the heavens whereby God hath ordained for man to come to Him to be saved…

The Lord says do so and so, and I will bless you. There are certain key words and signs belonging to the Priesthood which must be observed in order to obtain the blessing. The sign [taught by] Peter was to repent and be baptized for the remission of sins, with the promise of the gift of the Holy Ghost…

…but he could not receive the gift of the Holy Ghost until after he was baptized. Had he not taken this sign or ordinance upon him, the Holy Ghost which convinced him of the truth of God, would have left him.

I think this is enlightening. All of the ordinances and covenants of the gospel include (and are) signs. Signs are physical actions which demonstrate to God that we have, indeed, entered into the covenants that we say we have. We can’t just say we’ve made a covenant with God with our lips (which is what God said in the First Vision was occurring in the world – “they draw near to me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me” (JS-H 1:19). Whenever true covenants are made with God, established physical signs have accompanied them.

The sign of baptism is the physical action of being immersed in the water. The sign of receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost is the laying on of hands, as is ordination to the priesthood. The sign of the sacrament is the blessing, administering, and partaking of the emblems or symbols of Christ’s flesh and blood. The sign of blessing the sick or afflicted is the anointing with consecrated oil and the laying on of hands. The sign of the sealing ordinance in the temple is kneeling at the altar with your spouse and other sacred actions. The signs of the covenants of the endowment are likewise recognizable to those who have participated in them.

Because these signs always are physical, perhaps that is one of the reasons that a disembodied spirit cannot perform them alone. They must be done vicariously, or by proxy, by a living person, one who can perform these signs with a physical body in behalf of the dead.

Ordinances as Signs

Tian Tan Buddha

I was reading a blog of a friend of mine, Dave Stoker, over at Thoughts of a Seeker when I noticed a photograph of a statue he used in a post. This statue, that he identified as the Tian Tan Buddha, was intriguing to me because of its unique posture that I had not before recognized in Eastern art. Dave informs us that these arm and hand gestures are quite universal in historical depictions of Buddha, and are known as mudras. He further says that this particular statue is the largest outdoor seated Buddha in the world, completed in 1993 in Hong Kong.

Tian Tan, I have come to find out, is Mandarin for “Temple of Heaven,” or more literally “Altar of Heaven,” and is the same name given to a Taoist temple in Beijing. The term mudra is Sanskrit for “seal” or “seal of authenticity.” Wikipedia further defines the mudra:

A mudrā (Sanskrit: मुद्रा, lit. “seal”) is a symbolic or ritual gesture in Hinduism and Buddhism. While some mudrās involve the entire body, most are performed with the hands and fingers. Mudrā (Sanskrit) is a ‘spiritual gesture’ and energetic ‘seal of authenticity’ employed in the iconography and sadhana of Dharmic Traditions and Taoic Traditions; particularly those influenced by Tantra, Shinto and Shamanism.

Nitin Kumar gives a description of the mudras which is enlightening as to its use and meaning in traditional Buddhism:

Mudras are a non-verbal mode of communication and self-expression, consisting of hand gestures and finger-postures. They are symbolic sign based finger patterns taking the place, but retaining the efficacy of the spoken word, and are used to evoke in the mind ideas symbolizing divine powers or the deities themselves. The composition of a mudra is based on certain movements of the fingers; in other words, they constitute a highly stylized form of gestureal communication. It is an external expression of ‘inner resolve’, suggesting that such non-verbal communications are more powerful than the spoken word.

The mudra gestures connect the Buddhist worshipper with the divine:

They indicate to the faithful in a simple way the nature and the function of the deities represented. Mudras are thus gestures which symbolize divine manifestation. They are also used by monks in their spiritual exercises of ritual meditation and concentration, and are believed to generate forces that invoke the deity.

Such mudras extend beyond ritual into the arts:

But a mudra is used not only to illustrate and emphasize the meaning of an esoteric ritual. It also gives significance to a sculptural image, a dance movement, or a meditative pose, intensifying their potency. In its highest form, it is a magical art of symbolical gestures through which the invisible forces may operate on the earthly sphere.

Again, such symbolic gestures invoke the deity, or literally bring the worshipper into divine presence:

This contact between the various elements creates conditions favorable for the presence of the deity at rites performed for securing some desired object or benefit. That is, mudras induce the deity to be near the worshipper.

Gautam Buddha

The most universal mudras found in Buddhism have been given names. The specific mudras made in the Tian Tan Buddha statue are very common among Buddha representations. The gesture given by the right hand is called the Abhaya mudra, or the seal of “no fear,” and is described thus:

. . . this mudra symbolizes protection, peace, and the dispelling of fear. It is made with the right hand raised to shoulder height, the arm crooked, the palm of the hand facing outward, and the fingers upright and joined . . .

This mudra, which initially appears to be a natural gesture, was probably used from prehistoric times as a sign of good intentions – the hand raised and unarmed proposes friendship, or at least peace; since antiquity, it was also a gesture asserting power, as with the magna manus of the Roman Emperors who legislated and gave peace at the same time.

Kumar also tells of an interesting traditional Buddhist legend which incorporates the use of the Abhaya mudra:

Devadatta, a cousin of the Buddha, through jealousy caused a schism to be caused among the disciples of Buddha. As Devadatta’s pride increased, he attempted to murder the Buddha. One of his schemes involved loosing a rampaging elephant into the Buddha’s path. But as the elephant approached him, Buddha displayed the Abhaya mudra, which immediately calmed the animal.

The mudra made by the left hand is called the Varada mudra, or the seal of “welcome” or “favour.” It signifies “offering, welcome, charity, giving, compassion and sincerity”. This mudra is described thus:

It is nearly always made with the left hand, and can be made with the arm hanging naturally at the side of the body, the palm of the open hand facing forward, and the fingers extended.

It is also noted that this mudra is the “accomplishment of the wish to devote oneself to human salvation”. This mudra is rarely used alone, but is almost always accompanied by a mudra of the right hand, most often the Abhaya mudra.

Kumar continues to describe the mudras as “an archetypal posture of performed occult significance,” the performance of which is “total, at once subtle but powerful”. Through such practices, he says,

we learn to integrate our dissipated thoughts and actions, so that life becomes a graceful flow of energy and understanding. Our whole being can then become a mudra, a gesture of life within, reflecting into our external life.

As Hugh Nibley has noted, these type of practices are “not for a moment to be equated with the true and celestial order of things,” but “we may be able to learn much from [them]”.

Mudra Ritual Gestures in Eastern Religion

Bush taking the oath of office

Since today is Presidents Day, I thought it would be appropriate to take a look at the inauguration of the President of the United States into office. It is rightly called an oath of office or presidential oath. Wikipedia defines such an oath:

An oath of office is an oath or affirmation a person takes before undertaking the duties of an office, usually a position in government or within a religious body, although such oaths are sometimes required of officers of other organizations. Such oaths are often required by the laws of the state, religious body, or other organization before the person may actually exercise the powers of the office or any religious body. It may be administered at an inauguration, coronation, enthronement, or other ceremony connected with the taking up of office itself, or it may be administered privately. In some cases may be administered privately and then repeated during a public ceremony.

Some oaths of office are a statement of loyalty to a constitution or other legal text or to a person or other office-holder (e.g., an oath to support the constitution of the state, or of loyalty to the king). Under the laws of a state it may be considered treason or a high crime to betray a sworn oath of office.

The actual formal act of taking this oath consists of the President raising their right arm to the square, following the lead of the officiator or Chief Justice of the United States who wears the formal ceremonial regalia, the President also usually extends and places their left hand on the Bible or other sacred object, and repeats the oath after the officiator as follows:

I, [insert the name of the one taking the oath], do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States so help me God.

This mandatory oath is specifically delineated in the Constitution of the United States, Article II, Section 1, Clause 8. The words “so help me God” and the act of putting the hand on the Bible indicate a sacred witness of the action, thus sealing or making the nature of the oath binding under the witness of God Himself. Often the Bible is opened to a specific verse. Indeed, after taking this oath President Abraham Lincoln noted that his act was “registered in heaven.” The breaking of such an oath is considered an act of treason or high crime, the penalty of which is determined by a high court.

Here is a link to photos of several Presidents taking this oath. Here is a link to photos of other government leaders around the world taking similar oaths. Below is a video of the last 13 Presidents of the United States taking this singular oath of office, noting that each time it is considered a highly solemn, sacred and respected moment:

The Presidential Oath of Office