Historical Precedents of the Endowment Part 1: The Greco-Roman Mysteries

How the Mystery Schools of antiquity parallel the initiatic ritual, esoterism, and narrative drama of the Endowment

The Temple of Demeter, Naxos, Greece. From the book Harmsworth History of the World, published 1908

Does the Endowment seem unusual to you? I’ll admit that my fist experience with it left me confused. Discovering ancient parallels of the Endowment has helped me to understand and appreciate it more fully. I was surprised to learn that the rituals of the temple are similar to ancient Greco-Roman traditions. Read on to learn about the history of sacred rites throughout time....

Growing up as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, my religion seemed fairly straight forward…until I received my Endowment. Before the Endowment, all of the ordinances of the Church followed a clear scriptural tradition (baptism, the sacrament, priesthood ordination, etc.). In contrast, my first experience with the Endowment was unlike anything I had ever expected. I found myself immersed in an arcane and cryptic ritual that was beyond my comprehension. That was 15 years ago, and I am still trying to wrap my mind around the challenging, beautiful, and profound mystery that I experienced in the temple. The Endowment felt right to me, but I had trouble accepting it intellectually. I needed my mind to reach the same conclusion that my heart had.

One of the first questions that I had following my Endowment was “Where did this come from?” I wanted to find a historical precedent. The narrative of the Endowment suggests that it is an ancient practice, so I was curious where and when it had existed before.

As I prayed for guidance and studied this question, I stared to find elements of the Endowment in scripture, history, and philosophy. Finding these connections has helped me put the temple rituals in context and to appreciate their meaning. I hope that my findings can help you to understand the Endowment as well.

What are the Greco-Roman Mysteries?

Even though the Endowment seems completely different from modern practices, it is surprisingly similar to certain ancient traditions. In fact, it would have fit right in with the Greco-Roman Mysteries that flourished from about 1000 BC to 300 AD. The term “mysteries” is used to refer to schools of religion that taught a secret doctrine through rituals and symbolism. The Greco-Roman mysteries are also known as the Mystery Schools, the Mystery Cults, and the Ancient Mysteries. Although there were many different mystery schools in ancient Greece and Rome, they all had similar ritual practices, and historians believe that they derived from a common source. These Mysteries all shared the following aspects:

1. Esoteric teachings
2. A requirement of worthiness/purification
3. A mythological narrative
4. Rites of initiation
5. Oaths of secrecy
6. A goal of deification/apotheosis (obtaining godhood)

All of these elements of the Mystery Schools require some explanation, so I will briefly elaborate on each one. You will see that all six of these attributes apply to the Endowment as well.

Esoteric teachings:

In societies where the mystery schools existed, a two-tiered religion was practiced. The first tier consisted of public rituals and teachings that were exoteric, or available to everyone. The second tier consisted of the rituals and teachings of the mystery schools. These practices were esoteric, meaning that they were only known to a select few. This two-tiered approach to religion is virtually unknown in the modern world, but it can be found in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Most of the Church’s teachings and traditions are exoteric, but the ordinances of the temple constitute the esoteric portion.

A requirement of worthiness/purification:

The ancient mysteries were not available to all members of society; they were restricted to those who were considered worthy of them. Candidates for the Mysteries could not be guilty of murder, and they would sometimes go through ritual purifications before their initiations. [1] In some cases, they were even put through tests in order to prove themselves qualified. [2]

A Mythological narrative:

Like the Endowment, the Ancient Mysteries had a dramatized story line. This narrative was taken from mythology and usually featured a descent of some sort, followed by a search, followed by an ascent. In this way, the narratives of the Mystery Schools parallel the Endowment narrative which features a fall, a search for truth, and an eventual redemption.

Rites of initiation:

Those who were received into the Greco-Roman Mysteries had no knowledge of what they would experience beforehand. They went in to the ritual blindly, trusting their guides. Because they were entering into a practice that was completely new to them, those who were admitted for the first time were referred to as initiates. The intiatic experience is one that is never forgotten; it starts with fear and awe and ends with a new perspective and a sense of belonging. Anyone who has experienced it will relate.

Oaths of secrecy:

In order to preserve the sacredness of the Mysteries, initiates were required to swear oaths of secrecy. These oaths were taken seriously; those who violated them could be tried and executed! Not surprisingly, most initiates were true to their oaths, and as a result, the exact nature of the rituals has been lost in time.

A goal of deification:

There seems to be one objective of the Ancient Mysteries: achieving godhood. One scholar has stated that the mysteries served “to elevate man above the human sphere into the divine and to assure his redemption by making him a god and so conferring immortality upon him.” [3] Plato, an initiate of the Mysteries, made a similar statement in his dialogue Phaedo: “Our mysteries had a very real meaning: he that has been purified and initiated shall dwell with the gods.”

Now that we have covered the six attributes common to all of the Mystery Schools, let’s have a look at the particulars of some of these schools. We will cover the three most prominent Mysteries: the Eleusinian Mysteries, The Mysteries of Isis and Osiris, and the Mithraic Mysteries. Each of these schools has individual aspects that parallel the Endowment.

The Eleusinian Mysteries:

Persephone, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, 1870

This was the most widespread, and perhaps the oldest, of all the Mysteries. It is named for the city Eleusis where it originated. The central narrative of these rites is the story of Demeter and Persephone. In this myth, Demeter, the goddess of agriculture, has a daughter, Persephone, who is abducted by Hades, god of the underworld. Demeter searches for her daughter and eventually discovers her in the underworld. With the support of Zeus, Demeter reclaims her daughter and brings her home. However, there is an ancient rule that those who eat the food of the underworld must remain there for eternity. Persephone had eaten four pomegranate seeds in the underworld, and as a result, she is required to return to the underworld for four months each year. During this time, Demeter mourns the absence of her daughter and neglects to bless the land with fertility. Hence, the myth provides an etiology for the seasons.

What does this have to do with the Endowment? First, there is a clear parallel between Persephone and Eve, with both receiving a curse for eating forbidden fruit. Furthermore, the Persephone myth has a similar structure to the Endowment narrative. The Eleusinian Mysteries divided the story into three parts: descent into the underworld, the search for Persephone, and ascent to the upper world. [1] These three parts bear similarity to the fall of man, the search for truth, and the redemption that constitute the Endowment drama.

There are some other traditions associated with the Eleusinian Mysteries that are surprisingly similar to the Endowment. According to the scholar Manly P. Hall, the initiate would begin the ceremonies in a dark chamber and would be led through rooms of increasing brightness. The ritual concluded in a brilliantly lit chamber. [4] Hall also described the ceremonial clothing of the ritual. At the beginning of the ritual, the candidate would be dressed in clothing made of animal skins, and later in the ritual, he would wear a consecrated robe. [5] I will not elaborate on the connection between these practices and LDS temple rituals because the similarities will be apparent to those who have been Endowed.

The Mysteries of Isis and Osiris:

Statuette, Egypt, circa 800 BC, depicting Horus, Osiris, and Isis

Although the Mysteries of Isis and Osiris feature Egyptian deities, they are only known to have existed in Greece. The Mysteries could have originated in Egypt and been adopted by Greeks, but it is also possible that the Greeks adapted the Eleusinian Mysteries to the Isis/Osiris mythology. The narrative is about how the god Osiris was murdered by his jealous brother Set who dismembered his body and scattered the pieces. Isis, the wife of Osiris, collected all the pieces of his body and put them back together. She was able to resurrect Osiris, and he rained as god of the dead forever after. In the Mystery Schools of Isis and Osiris, the initiate plays the part of Osiris and goes through a symbolic death and resurrection. [6] This is meant to symbolize the start of a new life, similar to baptism.

The Osiris myth may seem completely different from the Persephone narrative, but it bears some thematic similarities. There is a descent (the murder of Osiris), a search (Isis seeking the body of Osiris), and an ascent (the resurrection of Osiris). The death of Osiris can be seen as a parallel to the fall of Adam because the fall was a spiritual death (note that God said that Adam and Eve would die if they ate the fruit).

The Mithraic Mysteries:

Tauroctony, circa 150 AD

The Mysteries of Mithras are the latest of the Greco-Roman Mysteries; they flourished among Roman soldiers between the 1st and 4th centuries AD. Although Mithras is a Persian god, the place where these Mysteries originated is unknown. Temples dedicated to the practice of the Mithraic Mysteries, known as mithraea, have been found all over the Roman Empire. The narrative of the Mithraic rites has been lost in time, so we can only make assumptions based on the symbolic images left behind. The central iconography of this cult, known as the tauroctony, depicts Mithras slaying a bull, surrounded by animals such as a dog, a snake, and a scorpion. The meaning of this image is not known, but it seems to employ astrological symbolism; the bull, scorpion, dog, and snake are all prominent constellations. The constellation Taurus (the bull) is associated with the vernal equinox, so the slaying of the bull may represent a sacrifice that restores life to the barren earth. [7] In this way, Mithraism may echo the seasonal theme of the Persephone myth. This interpretation of the tauroctony also parallels the principle of sacrifice as taught in the Endowment.

There are some features of the Mithraic Mysteries that will sound familiar to those who have received their Endowment. For example, members of this Mystery School called themselves syndexioi, meaning “those united by the handshake.” [2] This suggests that ceremonial grips may have played a part in their ritual. Another familiar feature of these Mysteries is the use of catechisms, or scripted questions and answers. As part of the ritual, the initiate would be asked a series of questions and would give memorized responses.

Why would the Endowment be similar to pagan rituals?

It might seem strange to compare the Endowment to the pagan Mysteries, but there are some explanations as to why they would be similar. The first explanation is that the Old Testament Patriarchs, Adam, Enoch, Noah, etc., received sacred rituals from God and taught them to their children. Even after some of the posterity of Noah turned to the worship of other gods, they retained the rituals and adapted them to their religions. As a result, the ancient rites exist in various forms throughout all humanity. The Greco-Roman Mysteries are just one example of the imitations of the original Endowment.

The Egyptian Connection

There is actually a scriptural example of a pagan nation modeling its practices after the priesthood of Adam. In the Book of Abraham, we read that the first pharaoh of Egypt, who was Noah’s great grand son, set up a kingdom after the order of the Patriarchs:

“Pharaoh, being a righteous man, established his kingdom and judged his people wisely and justly all his days, seeking earnestly to imitate that order established by the fathers in the first generations, in the days of the first patriarchal reign, even in the reign of Adam, and also of Noah.” (Abraham 1:26)

The Book of Abraham provides further evidence of an Egyptian Endowment. When Joseph translated this book from Egyptian papyri, he included three vignettes and gave an interpretation of their meaning. The second of these vignettes, labeled Facsimile 2, contains an image that is described as, “God, sitting upon his throne, clothed with power and authority; with a crown of eternal light upon his head; representing also the grand Key-words of the Holy Priesthood, as revealed to Adam in the Garden of Eden, as also to Seth, Noah, Melchizedek, Abraham, and all to whom the Priesthood was revealed.” The phrase “grand Key-words of the Holy Priesthood” perfectly describes the esoteric knowledge that one receives in the Endowment.

Facsimile 2 from the Book of Abraham

What does this have to do with the Greco-Roman Mysteries? The ancient Greeks actually believed that their Mysteries began in ancient Egypt. Herodotus, a 5th century BC Greek historian, wrote that the first Mysteries were those of Isis and Osiris in Egypt. [6] There is no historical evidence of Egyptian Mysteries that predate the Greco-Roman Mysteries, but it is possible that the Greeks had a true understanding of the origin of their Mystery Schools.

Truth revealed to Pagans?

The other explanation for similarities between the Endowment and the Greco-Roman Mysteries is that God revealed the truth to worthy pagans. Some may think that God only reveals His truth to His “chosen” people, but I believe that this is a misconception. In fact, the Book of Mormon states that God gives light to all who are righteous, be they Jewish, Christian, or heathen:

“…he inviteth them all to come unto him and partake of his goodness; and he denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female; and he remembereth the heathen; and all are alike unto God, both Jew and Gentile.” (2 Nephi 26:33)

“Now my brethren, we see that God is mindful of every people, whatsoever land they may be in; yea, he numbereth his people, and his bowels of mercy are over all the earth.” (Alma 26:37)

“Behold, the Lord esteemeth all flesh in one; he that is righteous is favored of God.” (1 Nephi 17:35)

It is clear from these scriptures that God doesn’t favor the Israelites on account of their lineage, and He doesn’t curse the gentiles on account of the culture they were born into. All who are righteous are favored by God, even if they know Him by a different name.

Esoteric doctrine in the scriptures

The secrecy of the Endowment may be prefigured in the Ancient Mysteries, but are there any scriptural examples of secret teachings? Actually, there are references to an esoteric doctrine in the Bible and Book of Mormon. This doctrine is referred to as “the mysteries of God,” “the mysteries of Godliness,” or “the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven.” The teachings referred to as “mysteries" are never elaborated on, but they are described as being restricted to the diligent seeker. In the following examples, you will see that the scriptural use of the word “mystery” is similar to its use in the context of the Mystery Schools. In both cases, “mysteries” can be understood to mean esoteric doctrines reserved for the faithful and taught through allegory and symbolism:

“For he that diligently seeketh shall find; and the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto them, by the power of the Holy Ghost, as well in these times as in times of old, and as well in times of old as in times to come; wherefore, the course of the Lord is one eternal round.” (1 Nephi 10:19)

This scripture makes two important points: 1) the mysteries of God are available to all who diligently seek regardless of their race, religion, or nationality, and 2) the mysteries extend throughout eternity; God reveals them in every age.

The following scripture is from the prophet Alma when he was teaching Zeezrom in Ammonihah. Zeezrom asked Alma a question about the resurrection, and instead of answering it, Alma says the following:

“It is given unto many to know the mysteries of God; nevertheless they are laid under a strict command that they shall not impart only according to the portion of his word which he doth grant unto the children of men, according to the heed and diligence which they give unto him. And therefore, he that will harden his heart, the same receiveth the lesser portion of the word; and he that will not harden his heart, to him is given the greater portion of the word, until it is given unto him to know the mysteries of God until he know them in full. And they that will harden their hearts, to them is given the lesser portion of the word until they know nothing concerning his mysteries; and then they are taken captive by the devil, and led by his will down to destruction. Now this is what is meant by the chains of hell.” (Alma 12:9-11)

In short, Alma is telling Zeezrom that he can’t answer his question because the mysteries are reserved for the worthy, and Zeezrom hasn’t proven himself yet.

The final example come from Jesus. He was known to teach the multitudes in open-ended parables and then to explain the meaning of these parables to His most devoted followers. His disciples questioned Him about this practice, as follows:

“And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.” (Matthew 13:10-11)

This passage clearly demonstrates that Jesus intended some doctrines for the masses (exoteric), and He reserved other doctrines for His closest followers (esoteric). Another important message in this scripture is that esoteric truths are often hidden in allegory (parables).

A New Testament initiation rite

In addition to examples of esoteric doctrine in the scriptures, there is at least one example of an initiation rite. It is the story of when Jesus washes His disciples’ feet in John chapter 13. I was always taught that Jesus washed the Apostle’s feet as an object lesson in service, but parts of the story didn’t fit this interpretation. For example, Peter refused to have his feet washed, and Jesus told him that it was mandatory. Pay close attention to the dialogue between the two: 

“Then cometh he to Simon Peter: and Peter saith unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet? Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter. Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me.” (John 13:6-8)

You will see that the washing of the feet has all the hallmarks of an initiation rite:

1. The disciples had no prior knowledge of the ritual
2. It meaning wasn’t explained to the initiates until after the event
3. It was mandatory in order to be part of Jesus’ inner circle

If Jesus’ washing of the Apostles’ feet was merely an object lesson, why would Jesus have insisted that it was mandatory? That isn’t the way that service is usually given! Read the full account in John 13 for yourself, and reach your own conclusion. Bear in mind that the version of the story that we have in the Bible is probably the exoteric version of an esoteric event. In other words, much of the information has probably been withheld.

The Endowment: an initiation into the Mysteries

In the October 2018 General Conference, President Nelson encouraged us to attend the temple often, stating, “These sacred temple rites are ancient. To me that antiquity is thrilling and another evidence of their authenticity.” [8] In the same spirit, I rejoice to know that the Endowment has ancient origins. When I received my Endowment 15 years ago, I had no idea that I was participating in a ritual similar to those experienced by Socrates, Plato, and other distinguished figures of the past. I was, in a sense, being initiated into the Ancient Mysteries. Knowing that I am part eof such an extraordinary legacy is awe-awe-inspiring, and I hope to always live in a way that honors the sacredness of the Endowment.

To be continued

All of the similarities between the Greco-Roman Mysteries and LDS temple ceremonies suggest that the one may have influenced the other. But how would Joseph Smith have known about these ancient traditions? The link between Joseph and the Mysteries is Freemasonry. This may sound far-fetched, but many scholars believe that Masonic rituals were based on the Mystery Schools. To find out more about the connections between Freemasonry and the Endowment, see Part 2 of this series.

References:

1. Wikipedia contributors. "Eleusinian Mysteries." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 17 Oct. 2018. Web. 13 Nov. 2018.
2. Wikipedia contributors. "Mithraism." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 10 Nov. 2018. Web. 13 Nov. 2018.
3. Nilsson, Martin P. Greek Popular Religion "The Religion of Eleusis" New York: Columbia University Press, 1947. pages 42–64
4. Hall, Manly P. The Secret Teachings of All Ages. Germany: Jazzybee Verlag, 2014. page 1632
5. Hall, page 1661
6. Wikipedia contributors. "Mysteries of Isis." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 19 Oct. 2018. Web. 13 Nov. 2018.
7. Hall, page 1186
8. Nelson, Russell M. “Becoming Exemplary Latter-day Saints.” October 2018 General Conference, Sunday Afternoon Session