THE ENDOWMENT OF THE PROPHET JOSEPH SMITH ON JANUARY 21, 1836 THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE ORDINANCE OF WASHING AND ANOINTING FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THIS ERA MARKED THE BEGINNING OF TEMPLE ORDINANCES FOR THE DISPENSATION OF THE FULNESS OF TIMES THIS TRANSCRIPTION DIRECTLY FROM THE PROPHET’S PERSONAL DIARY SHOWS THAT THE ACCOUNT IN THE HISTORY OF THE CHURCH IS FAITHFUL TO THE ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPTS T hurs day, 21. At about 3, Isaac and Jacob,— all of the gospel, who would have received it, if oclock P.M I dismissed the School and presidency laid their hands upon me they had been permited to tarry, shall the presidency; retired to the loft of the and pronounced upon my head many be heirs of the celestial kingdom of printing office, where we attended to prophesies, and blessings, many of God— also all that shall die henseforth, the ordinance of washing our bodies in whic h I shall not notice at this time, with<out> a knowledge of it, who pure water, we also perfumed our but as Paul said, so say I, let us come would have received it, with all their bodies and our heads, in the name of to vissions and revelations, the— hearts, shall be heirs of that kingdom, the Lord at early candlelight, I meet for I the Lord <will> judge all men [Note: Here commences the first part with the presidency, at the west school according to their works according to of the Vision the Prophet Joseph room in the Chapel to attend to the the desires of their hearts— and again received on this occasion which ordinance of annointing our heads with I also beheld the Terrestial kingdom I c orresponds to LDS D&C 137 (not in holy oil— also the councils of Zion also beheld that all children who die the CC D&C, but this part is repro- Kirtland and Zion, meet in the two before they arive to the years of duc ed in The History of the adjoining rooms, who waited in prayer accountability, are saved in the celestial Reorganized Church ).] while we attended to the ordinance,— kingdom of heaven— I took the oil in my <left> right hand, The heavens were opened upon us [Note: The History of the Church father Smith being seated before me and I beheld the celestial kingdom of continues the vis ion in detail not and the rest of the presidency encircled God, and the glory thereof, whether in included in LDS D&C 137:] him round about,— we then streched the body or out I cannot tell,— I saw our right hands to heaven and blessed the transcendant beauty of the gate I saw the 12, apostles of the Lamb, the oil and concecrated it in the name that enters, through which the heirs of who are now upon the earth who hold of Jesus Christ— we then laid our that king dom will enter, which was like the keys of this last ministry, in foreign hands on, our aged fath[er] Smith, and unto circling flames of fire, also the lands, standing together in a circle invoked, the blessings of heaven,— I blasing throne of God, whereon was much fatiegued, with their clothes then annointed his head with the seated the Father and the Son,— I tattered and feet swolen, with their concecrated oil, and sealed many saw the beautiful streets of that eyes cast downward, and Jesus blessings upon his <him,> head, the kingdom, which had the appearance of <standing> in their midst, and they did presidency then in turn, laid their hands being paved with gold— I saw father not behold him, he the Saviour looked upon his head, begenning at the eldest, Adam, and Abraham and Michael and upon them and wept— I also beheld untill they had all laid their hands on my father and mother, my brother Elder McLellen [William E. McLellin] him, and pronounced such blessings, Alvin [Smith] that has long since slept, in the south, standing upon a hill upon his head as the Lord put into their and marvled how it was that he had surrounded with a vas t multitude, hearts— all blessing him to be our obtained this an inheritance <in> this preac hing to them, and a lame man patraark [patriarch], and <to> annoint <that> kingdom, seeing that he had standing before him, supported by his our [p. 135] heads, and attend to all departed this life, before the Lord crutches, he threw them dow n at his duties that pertain to this <that> <had> s et his hand to gather Israel w ord, and leaped as an heart [hart] by office.— I then took the seat, and <the second time> and had not been the mighty power of God father annoint[ed] my head, and sealed baptized for the remission of sins— Also Eldr Brigham Young standing in a upon me, the blessings , of Moses, to Thus said came the voice <of the Lord strange land, in the far southwest, in a lead Israel in the latter days, even as un>to me saying all who have [p. 136] desert place, upon a rock in the mids t moses led them <him> in days of died with[out] a knowledge of this of about a dozen men of colour, who, old,— also the blessings of Abraham appeared hostile [p. 137] He was for we all communed with the and arrived at the gate of the celestial preaching to them in their own toung, h[e]avenly host’s,— and I saw in my c ity; there Father Adam stood and and the angel of God standing above vision all of the presidency in the opened the gate to them, and as they his head with a drawn sword in his Celistial Kingdom of God, and, many entered he embraced them one by one hand protecting him, but he did not see others who were present and kissed them. He then led them to it,— and I finally saw the 12, in the Our meeting was opened by singing the throne of God, and then the Savior celestial kingdom of God,— I also and prayer offered up by the head of embraced each one of them and kissed beheld the redemption of Zion, and each quorum, and closed by singing them, and crowned each one of them many things w hich the toung of man, and invoking the benediction of heaven in the presence of God. He saw that cannot discribe in full,— Many of my with uplifted hands, and retired they all had beautiful heads of hair and brethren who received this ordinance between one and 2, oclock in the all looked alike. The impression this with me, saw glorious visions also,— morning [p. 139] vision left on Brother Joseph’s mind angels ministered unto them, as well as was of so acute a nature, that he never my self, and the power of the highest [History of the Church, 2: 379–81 could refrain from weeping while rested upon, us the house was filled (italics added); History of the Reor- rehearsing it. with the glory of God, and we shouted ganized Church of Jesus Christ of “. [Following the Endowment of Hosanah to the God and the Lamb Latter Day Saints, 2:16–17, selectively the Solemn Assembly of 28–29 and I am mistaken, concerning my quoted and omits the part of the vision 29–30 Marc h 1836] [spiritual receiving the holy anointing first after regarding the Twelve.] manifestations] continued several days father Smith, we received <it> in turn and was attended by a marvelous spirit according to our age, (that is the of prophecy. Every man’s mouth was presidency,) full of prophesying, and for a number “AND I FINALLY SAW THE TWELVE My Scribe also recieved his anoint- of days or weeks our time was spent in IN THE CELESTIAL KINGDOM OF ing <with us> and saw in a vision the visiting from hous e to house, GOD”—APOSTLE HEBER C. armies of heaven protecting the Saints administering bread and wine, and KIMBALL’S EXPLANATION OF THIS in their return to Zion— <& many pronouncing blessings upon each other PROFOUND SENTENCE IN things that I saw> to that degree, that from the external JOSEPH SMITH’S DIARY The Bishop of Kirtland with his appearanc es one would have supposed counsellors and the Bishop of Zion with that the last days had truly come, in “During this time [when the his counsellors, were present with us, which the Spirit of the Lord was Endowment ordinances first com- and received their, annointing under the poured out upon all flesh, as far as the menced in January 1836 in the Kirtland hands of father Smith and confirmed Church was concerned, for the sons Temple] many great and marvelous by the presidency and the glories of and daughters of Zion were full of visions were seen, one of which I will heaven was unfolded to them also— prophesying. In this prophesying great mention which Joseph the Prophet had We then invited the counsellors of blessings were pronounced upon the concerning the Twelve. His anxiety Kirtland and Zion and Kirtland into our faithful.” w as and had been very great for their room, and President Hyrum [p. 138] welfare, when the following vision was Smith annointed the head of the Orson F. Whitney, Life of Heber C. manifested to him, as near as I can president of the counsellors in Kirtland Kimball (1945), 93–94. recollect: and President D[avid] Whitmer the “He saw the Twelve going forth, head of the president, of the coun- and they appeared to be in a far distant sellors of Zion— land.