• About
  • Contents
  • Tag Cloud

Temple Study

Sustaining and Defending the LDS Temple

origin

The Greek Folk Dances: A Reprise

July 17, 2012 by Bryce Haymond 1 Comment
A Greek folk-dance group performs the horo in front of the Olympic Velodrome at the Olympic Complex in Athens during the Games of 2005. (Louisa Gouliamaki/AFP/Getty Images)

A Greek folk-dance group performs the horo in front of the Olympic Velodrome at the Olympic Complex in Athens, Greece, during the Games of 2005. (Louisa Gouliamaki/AFP/Getty Images)

Hugh Nibley once made this audacious claim: “All the arts and sciences began at the temple. Dance, music, architecture, sculpture, drama, and so forth – they all go back to the temple” ((Nibley, Hugh, and Gary P. Gillum. Of all Things!: Classic Quotations from Hugh Nibley. 2nd, rev. and expand ed. Salt Lake City, Utah; Provo, Utah: Deseret Book Co.; FARMS, 1993, 45)).  The more I learn, the more I am convinced of that statement.

My mind returns again to posts I’ve written in the past about subjects that do not cease to fascinate me.  Today I was reminded of a post in 2009, The Traditional Greek Folk Dances and their Ancient Roots.  The Greek dances are some of the most ancient dances in the world, and have been passed down by tradition to the present day where they maintain many of their archaic forms.   [Read more…]

Posted in: Practices Tagged: apron, art, BYU, cap, clothing, coat, crown, dance, greece, greek, hands, harold b. lee, hugh nibley, literature, music, origin, photos, poem, protection, rite, robe, robes, round dance, science, tree of life, white

The Seal of Melchizedek – Part 5

July 14, 2012 by Bryce Haymond 16 Comments
The seal of Melchizedek as seen on the entrance doors of the Salt Lake Temple

The seal of Melchizedek as seen on the entrance doors of the Salt Lake Temple. (Click for larger view)

(Continued from Part 4)

It’s been a long time coming, since September 2008 to be exact, and I’d like to finally complete this series of posts on the seal of Melchizedek.  It is probably one of the most trafficked series of posts on this website.  It’s drawn a lot of attention, and may have even been part of what compelled a BYU scholar, Alonzo L. Gaskill, to publish an article about it in The Religious Educator at BYU in 2010, which article I’d like to talk about.

But first, there are a few other artifacts related to the symbol that I’d like to share.  As I pointed out in Part 2, this seal is most prominently found as displayed in the mosaics and iconography in the basilicas of Ravenna, Italy.  Indeed, this is very likely where Hugh Nibley saw this symbol originally, as perhaps did Michael Lyon, and where he may have coined the name the “seal of Melchizedek.”  The symbol is shown on the altar cloths in these mosaics, shown next to Melchizedek, Abel, and Abraham, in making sacrificial offerings to God.  The altar cloth also shows gammadia in the corners, right-angle marks like the Greek letter gamma, which is also very interesting, and worthy of a study in and of itself.

To begin, I want to note again that to date I have not found any evidence for this symbol being called the “seal of Melchizedek” by any other scholar, historian, or historical figure in recorded history before Hugh Nibley and Michael Lyon.  That doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist, but it is likely a conception that began with the Latter-day Saints, making a logical connection between the symbol and the Biblical figure found adjacent to it in the mosaics. [Read more…]

Posted in: Artifacts, Scholarship Tagged: alonzo gaskill, altar, andrew skinner, BYU, catholic, circle, compass, daniel c. peterson, dome of the rock, earth, egypt, egyptian, fayum, gammadia, garments, heaven, hinduism, holy of holies, hugh nibley, jerusalem, joseph smith, margaret barker, markings, marks, masonry, melchizedek, new name, offerings, origin, painting, priesthood, prophet, representation, royal, sacrifice, salt lake temple, source, square, star, symbolism, symbols, veil

The Oxford Commencement as the Oldest Degree Ceremonies Extant: A Reprise

July 13, 2012 by Bryce Haymond 5 Comments

A degree ceremony at the University of Oxford, England

A couple days ago my mind returned to some posts I made back in the infancy of TempleStudy.com in 2008.  These posts were about the commencement exercises at Oxford University.  Now that seems quite odd, doesn’t it?  What would commencement exercises have anything to do with the temple?  Well let me tell you.  The Oxford commencement exercises as practiced today may be the oldest, longest-running, and relatively unaltered degree ceremonies still in existence, and their forms are still quite archaic, yet very familiar.  Yes, even older than Freemasonry.

Oxford University, in Oxford England, is the oldest university in the English-speaking world.  Indeed, its beginnings date back to the 11th century!  That’s old.  Furthermore, they claim that their commencement exercises, also called “degree ceremonies,” have remained unchanged for over 800 years.  That’s a long time.  Therefore, much of what is seen today in the forms of the Oxford commencement are totally unrecognizable to the modern world.  Undoubtedly even the graduates are likely baffled at the performances during the meeting.  No other university does it quite like they do.  On the other hand, much of what happens in the ceremony will be strikingly familiar to the endowed Latter-day Saint.

In 1906 a fellow by the name of Joseph Wells published a study about these ceremonies at Oxford, which I dug into quite a bit, and found quite a treasure trove of interesting parallels to modern LDS temple worship.  Of course, I only point out the Oxford side of the coin.  Why do these ceremonies have such interesting elements?  Perhaps it was when Joseph Smith took his spring vacation to Oxford in early 1842 and witnessed the ceremonies first-hand, and thought there were some good things in there, ripe for borrowing.  Joking aside, the origination of the forms of the Oxford ceremonies is up for investigation.  I only took a passing look into what they are like today.

Here are the links to my original posts in 2008:

Part 1, Introduction – http://www.templestudy.com/2008/06/27/the-degree-ceremonies-of-oxford-university-part-1/
Part 2, Wells study – http://www.templestudy.com/2008/06/29/the-degree-ceremonies-of-oxford-university-part-2/
Part 3, YouTube videos – http://www.templestudy.com/2008/06/30/the-degree-ceremonies-of-oxford-university-part-3/
Part 4, Wells continued – http://www.templestudy.com/2008/07/01/the-degree-ceremonies-of-oxford-university-part-4/

I’m interested in hearing thoughts about where these exercises may have come from.  Please let us know your comments.

P.S.  The matriculation ceremonies at some universities also offer some peculiarities, as seen in this clip with Julia Roberts in the movie Mona Lisa Smile.

Posted in: Practices Tagged: cap, ceremony, college, commencement, degrees, graduation, joseph smith, matriculation, origin, oxford, reprise, temple worship, university, videos, youtube

Alethiology – How to Know the Truth?

June 29, 2012 by Bryce Haymond 8 Comments

I posted this originally as a comment on a blog post over at Times & Seasons, by David Earl Bohn.  I thought I’d share it here:

I understand David Bohn. Scholarship in general does not represent an unassailable uncontested platonic absolute truth, no matter the source from whence it comes. It may be trying to get at the truth, from many different angles, but it can’t quite reach the destination, ever. How close it gets is entirely subjective in each person absorbing it, depending on their experience and resulting perspective.

Truth is like an opaque cloth bag with an object inside, but no opening. You can poke, prod, twist, squeeze, kick, hike, spin, sit on, stretch, slam, or feel it through the bag for eternity, but you won’t know for certain what is inside that bag until you take it out, or ask who put it in there (which still involves some doubt, because now you must judge that individual). You may have an excellent idea, but no certainty. What is its color, for example? No one will ever know, while its still inside the bag.

In terms of religion, I would argue that God is inside the bag, and in Mormon-speak that bag’s the veil. He may also have been the one that put Himself there, or know who did. And this for a reason, perhaps only He knows (another bag). Some day the veil will drop, and we will Know Him.

Alethiology, or the study of the nature of truth (related to epistemology, the study of knowledge its acquisition), would be a good topic to bring up in these discussions. How do we come to a knowledge of truth, in whatever degree? Scholarship certainly helps, but is not an end all. It provides evidence, up for the taking in a never-ending discussion and debate to determine its truthfulness.

Of course, some “truth” is more “simple” than other truth. The fact that I drove a car to work today is pretty incontestable, you’d think. But was it really a “car”? Did I really “drive” it, or can my Utah driving even be considered by that term?  Was it even in the past tense, “drove” (to God it was likely the present)?  Can a rusted out 1993 Honda Civic with malfunctioning speedometer, odometer, A/C, radio, steering fuel leak, and tail lights still be considered an automobile? Is what I do at “work” really work, or is it unrelated blogging on an online Mormon forum?

This is part of the reason I’ve stopped blogging, as of recent. Too distracting from the truth in my work, but often worth it for the truth in the subject matter. Which is more true? Which should be true? Which would I like to be true?

Back to work…

I need a sabbatical all of the sudden.  I feel completely overcome (literally trembling right now) by the creative muse which seems to have engulfed me.  I don’t know where it is coming from, but this isn’t standard Bryce.  And I’m not talking only about what’s been happening in this Maxwell Institute debate.  It’s flowing like a fire hose into all areas of my every day life, from my work, to my home life, my children, my hobbies, my calling, my wife, my language.  Where is it coming from?  I feel incredibly sharp, and quick.  Words are coming to me that I haven’t ever before envisioned or had slip from my tongue.  It’s an amazingly transcendent feeling, which I can’t fully explain.  Maybe I can, but maybe not right now.

Another time when I felt so inspired was when I spouted a sonnet, “A Reply to Sonnet 18.”  I don’t write sonnets folks.  I leave that up to my wife!  See also my post on the hymn “Oh Say, What is Truth?”

Ok, now!

The Creative gift, where does it go?
From the mountains on down, through the rivers flow
Flow through my head, without end
Out of my fingers, without pen
I don’t know, and can’t explain
That which so engulfs me again
The Spirit bloweth where it listeth
To and fro, it  won’t ceaseth
Overcome with thought, I imagine
I’ve been here before, my King!

Posted in: Scholarship, Tidbits Tagged: alethiology, analogy, blogging, comment, discussion, eternity, experience, metaphor, online, origin, religion, scholar, scholars, source, true, truth, veil

More Details about Ancient Metal Plates from the BBC

March 29, 2011 by Bryce Haymond 10 Comments
One of the codices in the collection of metal plates discovered in Jordan

One of the codices in the collection of metal plates discovered in Jordan

UPDATE: See the latest updates about this discovery at Jordanian Lead Plates: Authentic or Forgery?
—
A few days ago we wrote about an interesting discovery of ancient sealed metal plates that were found within the last few years in Jordan, and are starting to create a stir among archeologists. The BBC News religious affairs correspondent Robert Pigott just published more interesting details, and photos, of the plates, in a report entitled “Jordan battles to regain ‘priceless’ Christian relics“. The BBC also includes a set of 7 more detailed photos here.

Some additional details include:   [Read more…]

Posted in: Artifacts Tagged: archaeology, collection, early christian, holy of holies, jerusalem, Jewish, margaret barker, origin, photos, sealed, symbols, worthiness
1 2 Next »

About TempleStudy.com

This blog is dedicated to the exemplary LDS (Mormon) scholar Dr. Hugh Nibley, whose landmark temple studies have strengthened the faith of many. Read more on About page. Email me. Click on the widget in the lower-right corner of the window to chat with me.

Support TempleStudy.com

Recent Comments

  • Miguel David Gedo on The Black Robes of a False Priesthood
  • ellen north on Pondering the Temple Experience Through Scripture
  • Corey on Who were the Shepherds in the Christmas Story?
  • Lori allred on Creed Haymond Story of the Word of Wisdom, in His Own Words
  • Aleta G on Homeward Bound: Interpretations of Marta Keen Thompson’s Music

Recent Posts

  • ThyMindOMan.com – Exploring the Mind’s Relationship to God
  • Videos of 2014 Temple on Mount Zion Conference Now Available for Free Viewing
  • Gratitude Precedes Zion
  • Official Church Video on Temple Garments and Robes
  • The Temple on Mount Zion 2014 Conference

Categories

  • Announcements
  • Artifacts
  • Church History
  • Favorites
  • General Authorities
  • Practices
  • Scholarship
  • Temples Today
  • Texts
  • Tidbits
  • Uncategorized

Archives

  • April 2017
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • February 2014
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • June 2012
  • December 2011
  • October 2011
  • April 2011
  • March 2011
  • February 2011
  • January 2011
  • June 2010
  • May 2010
  • April 2010
  • March 2010
  • February 2010
  • January 2010
  • December 2009
  • November 2009
  • October 2009
  • September 2009
  • August 2009
  • July 2009
  • June 2009
  • May 2009
  • April 2009
  • March 2009
  • February 2009
  • January 2009
  • December 2008
  • November 2008
  • October 2008
  • September 2008
  • August 2008
  • July 2008
  • June 2008
  • May 2008
  • April 2008
  • March 2008
  • February 2008
  • January 2008

Blogroll

  • Adventures in Mormonism
  • Believe All Things
  • Free Temple Photos Blog
  • Heavenly Ascents
  • Latter-Day Commentary
  • LDS Temples Photo Blog
  • Leen Ritmeyer – Archeological Design
  • Lehi’s Library
  • Millennial Star
  • Mormanity
  • Mormon Insights
  • Mormon Mysticism
  • Pronaos
  • Sacred Symbolic
  • Strong Reasons
  • Temple Photos Blog
  • The Seer Stone
  • Things Unutterable
  • Visions of the Kingdom

Links

  • Barry Bickmore: Temple in Early Christianity
  • Bruce Porter’s Temple Articles
  • BYU Students of the Ancient Near East (SANE)
  • FAIR Wiki
  • FAIRLDS: Mormon Research
  • FARMS: Mormon Scholarship
  • Jeff Lindsay: Temples and Masonry
  • Jesus Christ
  • LDS Church News
  • LDS Church Temples
  • LDS Temple Fine Art – Robert Boyd
  • LDS Temple Photography – Aaron Barker
  • LDS Toolbar.com
  • LDS Toolbar.net
  • LDS.org
  • LDS.org Temples
  • Mormon Church Temples
  • Mormon Conferences
  • Mormon Monastery
  • Mormon Temple Ceremony
  • Mormon Temple Ceremony
  • Mormon.org
  • Temple Prints Fine Art Photography
  • Temple Studies Group
  • The Temple Institute

Copyright © 2023 Temple Study.

Omega WordPress Theme by ThemeHall