The Nauvoo Endowment Companies, 1845-1846: A Documentary History Rating :
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful.
Great References with Wonderful Gems
By networking consultant
This is a great text. It is a wonderful reference of the activities within the Nauvoo Temple the only months of operations. It helps to show and document the development of the sacred space in the temply by Brigham Young, as well as occasionally gives insights into the Endowment activities through journal entries of discourses provided in the temple periodically. Although, they are few and far between, they are gems - which most members of the Church would benefit from. A quick read if you skim through the list names contained within the entries, but worth having.
9 of 15 people found the following review helpful.Useful Primary Source Materials on the History of the Mormon Temple Endowment
By Roger D. Launius
This book deals with efforts by Mormon officials after the death of Joseph Smith in Nauvoo, Illinois, in 1844 to ensure that temple endowments were administered to as many of believers in the Mormon religion as possible. It strings together in chronological order many accounts of temple work among the Mormons during 1845 and 1846. The washings and anointings, the eternal marriage ceremonies; the ritual passage from the Garden of Eden through the telestial, terrestrial, and celestial glories; the adoptions; and other endowments depicted in these primary accounts suggest the evolution of the rituals even after the death of Joseph Smith and the promulgation of this aspect of Mormon theology among the rank and file in the church. The haste with which these endowments were undertaken is revealing. On one day, February 6, 1846, 512 people in eight different companies went through the Nauvoo temple. The intention of making these ceremonies available to as many of the Latter-day Saints as possible prior to departing the city was apparent from these actions. This helped to standardize the practice among those who went west with Brigham Young.
What is most remarkable about this book from my perspective is the hierarchies created in the rituals in which men were endowed to become kings and gods and women are to become queens and priestesses. The Mormon temple concept as it emerged in Nauvoo with its secrecy, ritualistic washings and anointings, incantations, preoccupation with Old Testament images, and elaborate rites provided for eternal exaltation where faithful Mormons would "inherit thrones, kingdoms, principalities, and powers, dominions, all heights and depths" implies that others must be subservient (Doctrine and Covenants, section 132:20). The temple rituals as documented here always mandated a second-class position for women beneath their priesthood-holding husbands, but women of the faith would be above all others. Did this set of ideas emerge ambivalently over time or was it deliberately fostered by status anxiety or other more subtle factors?
"The Nauvoo Endowment Companies" is a useful addition to the literature of Mormon Nauvoo.
12 of 20 people found the following review helpful.
A glimpse into daily Mormon life over a hundred and fifty years ago
By Midwest Book Review
The Nauvoo Endowment Companies 1845-1846: A Documentary History is a compilation of the original, scribed documentation of all activities and events that took place inside the Nauvoo temple of the Latter-day Saints (Mormons) the two months in which it was in operation, December 1845 - February 1846. Since it is a primary source, The Nauvoo Endowment Companies is of paramount insight to historians, particularly those studying the role of women in Christianity in general and Mormonism in particular, as the Mormon beliefs concerning female subservience and male dominance ("Adam, being full of integrity and not disposed to follow the woman nor listen to her, was permitted to receive... the priesthood") is clearly spelled out. The role of church that purported obedience to the law of the land yet demanded converts to swear vengeance against the murderers of Joseph and Hyrum Smith, the trials of its often persecuted followers, and the descriptions of ceremonies and events including live dancing offer a glimpse into daily Mormon life over a hundred and fifty years ago. Genealogists will find the documentation of sealings, including polygamous unions, particularly valuable. A superb, in-depth reference, though the fine interpretation of often dry records and methodical documents is almost entirely left up to the reader.
Product Description
For the two months the Nauvoo temple was in operation (December 1845-February 1846), scribes carefully documented all activities and events taking place inside, including lectures on portions of the ceremonies that were acted out as a play and the significance of sealing rituals. Their narratives begin with the lighting of fires and hauling of water each morning at 3:00 a.m. in preparation for the day's events.
Historians, biographers, and genealogists will find the (federal marshals searching the building to serve arrest warrants, for instance), as well as the names of initiates and dates of ordinances, to be significant. For general readers, this documentary history also offers evidence of the great sacrifices on the part of the first Mormons, who were anxious to make themselves right before God, strengthen family ties, and unite their community.
Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #705525 in Books
- Published on: 2005-07-18
- Original language:English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 9.37" h x6.14" w x.0" l,2.65 pounds
- Binding: Hardcover
- 688 pages
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