robe

The Egyptian Ankh, “Life! Health! Strength!” – Part 2

1 Comment

(Continued from Part 1, which has been updated)

As I mentioned in Part 1, the more interesting aspects of the Egyptian ankh are not necessarily what it means standing alone, but how the Egyptians used it in their texts and illustrations.

There are three principal ways that the Egyptians used the ankh symbol, by itself, in their drawings:

  1. Detail from Papyrus of Ani - a god leads the initiate towards the throne (click for larger view)Probably the most common depiction of the ankh is being clutched in the hand by the gods and goddesses on the upper loop portion of the symbol.  Wikipedia notes:

    The ankh appears frequently in Egyptian tomb paintings and other art, often at the fingertips of a god or goddess in images that represent the deities of the afterlife conferring the gift of life on the dead person’s mummy… ((http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ankh))

    In other words, the Egyptians believed that their gods “held” eternal life in their hands, and could bestow it upon certain persons at their pleasing.  Chevalier and Gheerbrant note:  [Read more…]

John Welch on Margaret Barker’s Temple Studies

7 Comments

John WelchThere is an interesting post at The T&T Clark Blog with a transcription of an address that BYU’s John Welch gave on March 5th in London at a conference about Margaret Barker’s latest book, Temple Themes in Christian Worship, and her scholarly work on temple subjects in ancient Christianity and Judaism. FARMS lists Welch as serving on the executive committee of the Biblical Law Section of the SBL, but in this review he also mentions that he has been selected as one of the organizers of a new section on Temple Studies in the SBL. I am not very familiar with the SBL, but this sounds like a fantastic leap forward in temple studies among biblical scholars.

Some highlights from this address are: [Read more…]

Priestly Initiations in the Testament of Levi

7 Comments

Detail from A Levite Priest holds up Holy Hands - James Tissot (1836-1902)

The Testament of Levi is one of the books in the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs, and is an apocryphal and pseudopigraphal work so we do not know its original author or source. The Testament of Levi, as we have it today, was composed in its final form in the second century B.C. It is also considered an apocalyptic work, relating visions similar to John’s book of Revelation. Fragments of this text have also been found among the Dead Sea Scrolls, lending more credibility to them than some of the other “testaments.”

One particularly interesting passage is about Levi’s vision of his priestly ordination in heaven, including washings, anointings, and investiture: [Read more…]

U.K. Coronation Ceremony as an Endowment

5 Comments

Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II on June 2, 1953

The sacred ceremonies in which new monarchs are crowned kings and queens in the United Kingdom have significant parallels to the LDS Mormon endowment. These traditions stem from ancient times in English history, and have remained relatively unchanged in form throughout ages. The most recent coronation ceremony was on June 2, 1953, when Queen Elizabeth II ascended to the throne. This ceremony took place in Westminster Abbey, a well-known ancient church in London, England, signifying that this was a religious ritual.

The reason for the parallels to the temple ordinances is clear. The LDS endowment is, likewise, a coronation ceremony in which members of the House of Israel (Church members) are promised to become kings and queens, priests and priestesses, and are given all the rights, privileges, knowledge, and wisdom necessary in order to make that promise a reality. By doing so, members of the House of Israel become one with Christ (John 17), and therefore receive all that Christ has been given, including a crown, a robe of righteousness, and a throne (Rev. 1:6; Rev. 2:10; Rev. 3:21). The endowment is ancient, being given to our first parents, Adam and Eve. Since that time it has gone through many stages of apostasy, corruption, assimilation, and adoption into many different forms and by many different people. But glimpses of the temple ordinances can still be seen in these practices.

There are several points of interest to take note of in the ceremony, summarized and listed below, when Queen Elizabeth II was initiated, anointed, and consecrated as the sovereign of the United Kingdom: ((The full ceremony can be read at http://www.oremus.org/liturgy/coronation/cor1953b.html)) [Read more…]

Talking about the Mormon Garment

5 Comments

There was an article published yesterday on Beehive Standard Weekly by Emerson Chase on the subject of “The Sacred Garment of Mormon Theology.” I think that the author is generally sincere in his object of attempting to combat the barrage of criticism and ridicule that the members of the LDS Church receive for what the world has nicknamed “Mormon underwear.” Chase gives an overview of the process by which a member of the Church becomes converted to the gospel, a process by which one continues to receive higher ordinances of the gospel until they come to the temple where they partake of the most solemn and binding covenants that man can make with God. These highest and most sacred covenants are symbolized by the wearing of the garment.  As Chase says:

In essence, the garment reflects the promise to each other [husband and wife] and to God to obey God’s laws for their own benefit, for the benefit of their marriage and ultimately for their families. . . .

The Mormon Garment is not worn in such a manner as to display the covenants made by the individual to the world. Where a pastor or preacher might wear a white collar or robe to indicate authority and covenants to God, Mormons are very personal with their commitments and wear the garment under their clothing. In short, it is a statement that the covenants established are between that person and God and the opinions of others don’t count. There is no show-and-tell because the covenants are sacred, and because of their personal nature, secret. It is somewhat like medical records or financial information. It is not something that is considered appropriate for public discourse or disclosure.

However, referring to his own counsel, where much direct discussion of the garment is not considered appropriate, and where the object of the address was to combat the criticism members receive because of it, I believe Chase may have been somewhat overzealous in explaining and describing the culture and idiosyncrasies which surround this sacred symbol of our worship.

We are told to “Trifle not with sacred things” (D&C 6:12). While it is entirely appropriate to talk generally about what the garment is for and what it means as a symbol of our promises to God, we must always maintain the utmost respect in our dialogue of such sacred subjects and not bring it to the level of humor, dating games, and how to spot a Mormon. Indeed, such talk can unknowingly fuel the fire of scoff from our detractors, instead of helping to extinguish it.

As Chase points out, the garment is used by Latter-day Saints similarly to the way other religious traditions have clergy that wear special robes or other unique identification as symbols of their solemn obligations to God. As these things are not treated lightly by other faiths, so should we be very careful and considerate in our discussions about the garment.