An Egyptian Endowment

A Summary of Hugh Nibley’s

The Message of the Joseph Smith Papyri:
An Egyptian Endowment
by Dr. Kelly Ogden
professor of the jerusalem center, israel

P erhaps the greatest assistance received by Joseph Smith

in re-instituting the temple ordinances on the earth was
the papyrus scrolls containing the Book of Abraham. These
scrolls may have contained, in addition to that portion recorded
in the Pearl of Great Price, information on the endowments.
Facsimile number two strongly indicates a direct connection.
Figure seven states: “Represents God sitting upon his throne,
revealing through the heavens the grand key words of the priest-
hood.” The next figure is interpreted but Joseph Smith refused
to reveal that interpretation, noting instead, “(it) contains writ-
ings that cannot be revealed unto the world: but is to be had in
the Holy Temple of God.” Obviously the Pearl of Great Price
only contains part of the original translation: additional parts
are found in the temple.
But what was information on the endowment doing in the
scrolls in the first place? To answer it should be remembered that
this material was Abraham’s in origin. The most important thing
in his life was his initiation into the priesthood and receiving a
fullness of the endowment. This came as no accident. Abraham
tells us, “I sought for the blessings of the fathers, and the right
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whereunto I should be ordained to administer the same.” (p. of

g. p. abr. 1:2) This is an interesting point for it shows that even
among the apostate idle worshippers (which Abraham’s father
was) there was knowledge about priesthood, and Abraham delib-
erately set out to get it, following the prescribed requirements.
This special knowledge had direct temple bearing, for Abraham
states that through it one could become “a father of many na-
tions.” Further he says, “I sought mine fathers concerning the
seed...” (Abraham 1:3, 4) This all ties into the eternal marriage
covenants, the crowning ordinance of the temple rite.
The Egyptians were highly interested in Abraham and his
record because Abraham had everything they wanted and could
not get, namely the priesthood. It is not surprising they would
cherish any information they could get from or about Abraham,
the priesthood and endowment. The papyrus’ importance to the
Egyptian priest (whose copy it was) can be seen from the fact
that it was placed in his sarcophagus. Only the most important
things to the individual were packed there. Since there is not a
lot of room in there, he had to be very selective about what he
chose to have the mortician pack. One can understand that the
priest wanted to hang on to (even in death) the sacred truths he
believed he had found. What can be said of this priest’s intel-
ligence can be said of the Egyptian intelligence in general.
The Egyptians were some of the most realistic and practical
people that ever lived on the earth. If something worked, and
worked well, they continued to use it for centuries. Their engi-
neering ability was perfected very early in their culture and then
used over and over with only slight modification or alteration.
The best evidence of their practicality is their art forms which
were made to last. Statues never have arms out-stretched: they
are held rigidly to the side with the stone between the arm and
the body left in place. This assured strength and permanancy. All
relief work is cut deep to last. Of course, that is what they had
in mind. It was supposed to endure for eons and it has.
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Being realists, the Egyptians recognized that mankind faces

only two main problems. Once these two were solved, all other
difficulties could be easily surmounted. What were these two
problems? First, how to stop dying. The Egyptians were really
bothered by the fact that people kept dying no matter how much
they wanted or how hard they tried to stay alive. The Egyptians
were intensely interested in how to gain immortality.
The second problem was closely related to it, and that was:
once you are dead, what are you going to do? Sitting around
on clouds strumming harps did not appeal to them. Nor did a
continual repetition of the vicissitudes and sorrows of earth life
hold any attraction. They felt the only way was to be as God—
grand, powerful, majestic. So they set out to find out how to do
it. Their ancient legends told of men who had been able to hold
in abeyance the forces of physical death, gain control over the
earth, and build a city in which the gods came down and dwelt.
This, of course, was an historical corruption of the achievements
of Enoch and the people of Zion.
One of the major reasons the Egyptians failed was because
they would recognize no god but their own and no priesthood
but their own—and they had neither, so they kept failing. Their
Pharoahs, who supposedly held the key of life, kept right on
dying. Nevertheless, the Egyptians kept right on trying the
old, worn-out ways, believing if they used what they had, more
would eventually be given.
So Egyptian life revolved around the temple, for there, it
was believed, the secret to eternal life was held. Their concern
for the after-life and ideas of eternal progression make their
theology closer to Mormonism than any other ancient people
except the Hebrews. But this is as it should be considering that
the very first Pharoah knew the truth and sought “to imitate
that order established by the fathers in the first generations
(after Noah).” (Abraham 1:26) He could not hold the priest-
hood, being Negro, but he and subsequent priests feigned claim
to it through Ham and deliberately set up a copy as closely as
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they could to the priesthood order of government and temple

worship. The Egyptians realized the key to eternal life was in
the temple. There it was that man could find God, be taught
his ways, and learn the keywords which would break the bands
of mortality and give eternal life. The Pharoah was supposed
to know the divine incantation by which he and, after him, his
people could overcome death and ascend to the gods. Unfor-
tunately, the Pharoahs kept dying just like everyone else. The
Egyptians, however, had no alternative plan except, of course,
accepting the truth from the Hebrew prophets. But, then, who
wants to do that? So, they kept shoving their Pharoahs through
the temple hoping each time it would do some good.
The priests were the guardians of the keywords and other
formulas, as well as the ritual by which these were learned by the
Pharoahs. The Pharoah could receive them only in the temple,
and it was his job to learn them so well he could put the divine
incantation together at the veil and say the words which would
bring life to all Egypt.
The following “Egyptian endowments” come from the Egyp-
tian sacred writings known to us as the “Book of Breathings.”
Professor Hugh W. Nibley of Brigham Young University has
studied this book and associated material in depth. He has con-
cluded that, “If the Egyptian endowment was but an imitation,
it was still a good one, and we may be able to learn much from
it. . . (Hugh Nibley, The Message of the Joseph Smith Papyri:
An Egyptian Endowment (Deseret Book Co., Salt Lake City,
1975, p. xiii.)) The material below is extracted and condensed
from his work. For the covenience of the students who would
like to pursue this information further, this writer has noted the
page numbers in parentheses where the material is located in
Dr. Nibley’s work.
¢¢¢¢
The Egyptians understood the true purpose of temples. They
were the University of God in which men could be schooled in
eternal principles. Their early temples were the center of the
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study of the cosmos and the relationship of mankind thereto. It

was at the temple that the heavens were closest to the earth. The
temple was an earthly sanctuary but carefully oriented to the
celestial order, thereby becoming the connecting link between
man and deity. The two stately pylons which stood at the front
of each temple were so arranged that the sun would rise exactly
between them at the equinoxes. By this means the rites of the
temple were timed in perfect coordination with the motions of
the cosmos and at a set moment each year the temple basked
In the full splendor of the Sun’s celestial glory.
The purpose of the temple was to capture the Sun’s light
which the Egyptians believed was a source of knowledge and
power. So their structures were designed as scale models of the
universe and the pylons were made in such a way as to direct
the light inward and downward into the depths of the building.
Stone slabs were placed in such a way as to form narrow ap-
ertures through which the sunlight would pass along the walls
of the otherwise dark interior, in brilliant contrast of light and
darkness; illuminating marked off areas at set times, suggesting
God’s presence in a fallen world. (154) The Egyptians, being
Sun worshippers, believed that the Sun’s light was a source
of knowledge and power which, once understood, the initiate
could use to become deified. These universal principles by which
godhood would be obtained were revealed through the temple
ritual. (104, 153–54, 157)
Therefore, the Egyptians felt that the temple held the keys by
which they could learn the secrets of obtaining eternal life and
permanently secure it for themselves. However, it was not on
a merely individual basis. Their idea of progression after earth
life included the family and so provision was made to have the
initiate’s family sealed to him in the next world. (15–16, 88, 142)
In order to receive these blessings, the initiate had to obey
certain laws such as renouncing all bad passions and desires, con-
secrating himself to the work and show willingness to sacrifice
all things necessary. (124, 214) In this way, his own desires and
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deeds would be increasingly identified with that of God and

godhood. All movement in the temple is toward this goal. The
closer one approaches deity by penetrating deeper and deeper
into the temple the higher the law he must be willing to live.
Thus, there is a continual narrowing of the gap between his
nature and that of God until in the holy of holies they actually
merge. (92, 161) The one word which most nearly expressed
what the temple was about was “sensen” (~~) i.e. breathing. But
the Egyptian verb “to breathe” meant much more than merely
taking a breath. It was indicative of the most intimate and close
association between parties—e.g. to join the company of and
become one with the gods, i.e. to fuse or have an indwelling
relationship with them. (9, 92) Thus the temple was the house
of power and life. Knowledge was the secret of controlling the
power and gaining eternal life. (155)
Before the initiate could enter the temple he had to go
through a purification ritual in an annex outside of the temple.
This ritual consisted of two parts. (98–99) First, the ceremonial
cleansing from abominations so the initiate would not pollute
the temple. (93) Further, the ceremony insured that each part
of the body, by virtue of remaining 1) pure and 2) intact, would
never again lose its proper function. (106) The areas washed
and blessed were: the eyes to see, the ears to hear, the mouth to
speak, the legs to walk, the mind to think and remember, and the
groin to procreate. (111) The whole was symbolic of a rebirth
and a partaking of godly power or a reuniting of the body with
power forever. (67, 106)
The second part of the ritual was the coronation by which
one was anointed a priest and king. This was a very sacred part
of the ceremony. (98–99) Again various parts of the body were
particularly noted. Oil or ointment were placed on the head,
cranium, eye brows, ears, lips, shoulders, arms, heart (breast),
stomach, buttocks, thighs, legs, feet and toes, in that order. (112)
Once this was complete the candidate received a white cer-
emonial garment, thus showing he was properly cleansed and
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empowered to be instructed in the mysteries of becoming a

god. (93) Along with this he received a new name. This he had
to remember in order to live hereafter. The name was guarded,
for to possess knowledge of another’s name was to have some
power over him. This applied even to the gods, for to grasp the
meaning of the name was to understand the nature of the be-
ing. (141) Once this was accomplished, the initiate entered into
the temple proper. The ceremony was not static but progressed
from room to room, the order being ever deeper penetration
into the temple and its teachings. (115) The first area of the
temple was the hall of the two Ma’ats. Ma’at was a female deity
who symbolized every principle of social order and the entire
concept of godhead. The presence of Ma’at is necessary at the
moment one enters the temple to guarantee that one is a bona-
fide candidate for eternal glory and is qualified to enter the holy
place. For Ma’at’s presence signifies all is correct and in order,
the equivalent of a temple recommend. (116­–17)
The first part of the temple ritual took the form of a mystery
play complete with stage, props and actors. In the hall of Geb
and Shu the creation of earth and man was enacted. (126) The
characters involved in the creation were Thoth and Atum but
these are working under the direction of a higher god to whom
they must continually report their progress. (132) It is Atum
who has the key role in the play. In the heavens he is known as
the god Re, but when he descends to Earth his name is changed.
Its meaning is: Creator, collective sum of all other beings, all
embracing. More extended it means: sum, totality—the com-
bining of all preexistent beings into one archetype who then
represents all beings who come after. Scholars have noted his
close identity with Adam. (133–34)
The creator of the man Atum is Ptah but again he is only an
agent working under the direction of an even greater god known
as Amon. He is the supreme god, source of all power. He is also
the hidden one, the one with whom the fallen world cannot as-
sociate. (134) Atum is created asleep, Ptah and Amon awaken
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him by giving him the breath of life. (148) He is instructed then

introduced to the lady whom he calls the mother of all. (151)
The next stage of the ritual takes place in a beautiful garden.
Here they pause and partake of refreshments. The garden is the
home of the Ished tree. When they eat of its fruit their nature
is changed. Things are not as they were before. (176) To further
complicate things the female companion has altercations with a
serpent. It represents corruption and destruction. For its deeds
in trying to defeat the woman by preaching false doctrine, it is
deprived of its arms and legs symbolizing that it will never be
able to rise in full power and might again and its vulnerable head
is made easy prey for the foot of man. (179–80)
All parties are then forced to take a long and dangerous jour-
ney. Fire and sword keep the serpent from the garden but not
the man. He must eventually overcome all things and return
to that blissful state and when he does return there will be no
serpent to ruin the tranquility. (181–98)
As the party passes from room to room they symbolically
undergo a change of nature. This is dramatized by changing the
costume along the way. (165) As the initiate and his company
begin the long and dangerous journey back to glory they don
special clothing for protection for their eternal life is in danger.
Knowledge is revealed to them along the way by divine beings
sent from the gods. Atum becomes the guide and all must follow
him. (190, 194) The purpose is to overcome the adversary which
is done by escaping his power and by cleansing themselves of
all legal and moral problems. (209–10)
Transition from one stage to another is done by passing
through narrow gates which represent rebirth. Also the pro-
gression was shown by mounting steps, thus symbolically going
from a lower level of order to a higher. However, the initiate
was not allowed to go through the gate unless certain formulas,
creeds, and passwords were known. (212) The initiate was able
to escape the power of evil by using different names along the
way which act as code word. (215–17) It is during this stage of
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the endowment that a puzzling practice was engaged in. This

was the ritual wounding or blows struck upon the body of the
candidate. These served to remind him that he was in real danger
of losing his life unless he was careful. However, so sacred was
this that what goes along with it, and to promise that he would
not do certain things. These were: not to be light-minded, speak
evil, steal, be contentious, hard hearted, or impure, etc. (218–220)
The climax of the ritual was the divine embrace when the
initiate was clasped to the breast of Amon. This part of the
ceremony was weighed with meaning and was the goal of all
the consecration. (241) It represented the acceptance back of
the candidate and through it there was an infusing of power by
which he was joined to the sun-god Re and received everlasting
dominion. (243–44) It was not a sign of affection but of com-
munion between two beings. (243) It symbolized indissoluble
togetherness, an enduring relationship between God and man
and the actual binding of the two. (244)
The embrace also had the feature of being a recognition rite.
The candidate was expected to give to the priest certain pass-
words in response to certain questions put to him. In part of the
ritual a certain formula was exchanged which had to be repeated
back exactly. This formula is not written out anywhere but it
is shown by use of three symbols: Ankh, Was, and Djed. These
however do give a clue to what it was all about. Ankh is the na-
vel string and is associated with health and life. Was represents
power, dominion, and lordship while Djed is associated with the
backbone and represents life, durability, stability and protection.
This last ceremony took place at a veil. Not a small one but a
large theatrical type. It symbolized the separation between time
and eternity and was believed to open up on an uninterrupted
passage devoid of all obstacles—eternal progression. (245) The
veil had four elements associated with it which are also on the
garments worn by the initiate and both followed the same pat-
tern. (246–47)
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Once the candidate had received the embrace he could he

united with the gods in their realm. So the veil was parted and
he stepped through. The ceremony ended in a blaze of glory, for
the candidate stepped out into a court onto which was reflected
from a pyramid the full power of the sun thus symbolizing the
joining of the candidate with Re. (147, 253)
Perhaps one last point should here be noted for the consid-
eration of the reader. No one actually went through the temple
in the sense of going in one door and out another for all leave
by the same door they entered. The ancients realized there was
only one path but it lead in two directions—forward or backward.
The temple stood on the path, gave knowledge, strength and
power by which one could face the trials back in the real world
and eventually gain exaltation. (258)