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I'm looking for resources on the history of temple rituals. Specifically I would like to know when people started to do the endowment for more than just themselves. I would also like to know what the rituals were like in the 1850's.

It appears to me that everyone did their own endowment ONLY until the first Utah temple was completed in the 1880's. Prior to that the only proxy work that was done was baptism and marital sealings...oh, and adoption sealings, I think.
It seems likely that except for those who performed the endowment ritual (leaders of the church) that a person only was exposed to initiatory and endowment one time in their life.

I would like to know what the wording of the initiatory and endowment were in the 1850's and find journal entries from people (especially women) who experienced it. I've read a couple from the Nauvoo era, but really am looking for what was happening in Utah in the Endowment House.

I need to know what the marriage sealing ritual was like, too. Especially for plural wives.

Many of you have read a lot more books on Mormon history than I have so I figured I'd check here and see if anyone knew of any great resources on this topic that I could read.

THANK YOU!!!

Has anyone read The Mysteries of Godliness by David John Buerger? It looks pretty good.

http://www.amazon.com/Mysteries-Godline ... roduct_top

Or this one: Development of LDS Temple Worship, 1846-2000: A Documentary History

http://www.amazon.com/Development-LDS-T ... roduct_top

just me wrote:I'm looking for resources on the history of temple rituals. Specifically I would like to know when people started to do the endowment for more than just themselves. I would also like to know what the rituals were like in the 1850's.

It appears to me that everyone did their own endowment ONLY until the first Utah temple was completed in the 1880's. Prior to that the only proxy work that was done was baptism and marital sealings...oh, and adoption sealings, I think.
It seems likely that except for those who performed the endowment ritual (leaders of the church) that a person only was exposed to initiatory and endowment one time in their life.

I would like to know what the wording of the initiatory and endowment were in the 1850's and find journal entries from people (especially women) who experienced it. I've read a couple from the Nauvoo era, but really am looking for what was happening in Utah in the Endowment House.

I need to know what the marriage sealing ritual was like, too. Especially for plural wives.

Many of you have read a lot more books on Mormon history than I have so I figured I'd check here and see if anyone knew of any great resources on this topic that I could read.

THANK YOU!!!

Adjunct to this, you may consider listening to George Miller's 4-part "Mormonism and Masonry" found at mormonexpression.com. It doesn't specifically cover exact wordings or plurality of marriage, but it does have a wealth of information about the influence of Masonic tradition on the temple endowment ceremony, celestial kingdom, and priesthood. I mention this because George also gives bibliographic information.

I think this is a must-listen-to for anyone who is about to study the temple ceremony seriously. Warning: the podcast is information-dense. George knows his stuff and shares everything he can, but it can be hard to soak it all in.

H.

Thanks, bb. I'll have to find time to listen to that.

I am really interested in what the experience was like for a woman going through the rituals. That might prove difficult for me to get my hands on. Sadly.

There were girls who went through the temple rituals as young as 12 years old and I really want to get a feel of what that would have been like for them.