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nces early christians were persecuted for keeping their esoteric practices sacred and prohibiting non christians from witnessing them hippolytus ca a d 200 made a statement but if there is any other matter which ought to be told let the bishop impart it secretly to those who are communicated he shall not tell this to any but the faithful and only after they have first been communicated this is the white stone of which john said that there is a new name written upon it which no man knows except him who receives i clement of alexandria claimed to possess a secret tradition of knowledge greek gnosis handed down from the savior to the apostles and on to clement himself by way of certain of his teachers clement represents this secret discipline to which he gives the title of gnosis or gift of knowledge as having been conferred by our lord after his resurrection on james the just john and peter by whom it was communicated to the other apostles and that by these the treasure was committed to the seventy disciples of whom barnabas was one the secret discipline thus instituted by christ was familiar to those who had been his masters and preceptors ii the multitude professing christianity were therefore divided by them into the profane or those who were not yet admitted to the mysteries and the initiated or faithful and perfect and as none were permitted to be present at these mysteries as they were termed save those whose admission into the fellowship of the church was perfect and complete so likewise was it expected that as a matter of duty the most sacred silence should be observed in regard to everything connected with the celebration of them and nothing whatever relating thereto to be committed to the ears of the profane iii 40 days between christ s crucifixion and ascension in sophia jesu christi after he had risen from the dead when they came the twelve disciples and seven women who had followed him as disciples into galilee where they were now at a loss in regard to the true nature of the universe the plan of salvation the holy providence the excellency of the powers about all that the redeemer did with them the secrets of the holy plan of salvation then there appeared to them the redeemer iv instruction to adam in the apocalypse of adam it is related that mystical instruction was given by three heavenly messengers to adam jesuit scholar george macrae summarizes father adam explains how in the fall he and eve lost their glory and knowledge through the revelation imparted to adam by three heavenly visitors however this knowledge is passed on to seth and his seed an egyptian christian book the first book of adam and eve describes their posture in prayer then adam and eve raised their hands unto god praying and entreating him to drive satan away from them preliminary ordinances cyril of jerusalem gave the most complete description of preliminary ordinances initiatory rites translated into english in 1951 v even though cyril was a bishop in the roman church about 350 a d his views on the trinity and original sin are similar to lds today he wrote five catechetical kat i ket i kuhl lectures for the newly baptized as soon then as ye entered ye put off your tunic and this was an image of putting off the old man with his deeds ye were naked in this also imitating christ who was naked on the cross and by his nakedness put off from himself the principalities and powers and openly triumphed over them on the tree truly ye bore the likeness of the first formed adam in the garden and was not ashamed then ye were anointed with exorcised oil from the very hairs of your head to your feet and were made partakers of the good olive tree jesus christ vi the ointment is symbolically applied to thy forehead and thy other senses and while thy body is anointed with the visible ointment thy soul is sanctified by the holy and life giving spirit and ye were first anointed on the forehead then on your ears that ye might receive the ears which are quick to hear the divine mysteries then on the nostrils afterwards on your breast that having put on the breast plate of righteousness ye may stand against the wiles of the devil vii see http sacred texts com chr ecf 207 2070037 htm the initiate received a new name after the clothing viii the endowment male initiates wore mitre or priestly cap much as though a sphere were to be divided through the centre and one half thereof to be put upon the head it has no peak at the top nor does it cover the whole head as far as the hair extends but leaves about a third of the front part of the head uncovered it is attached by a band ix sacred vestments include a girdle or sash and a robe worn over the shoulders the robe is worn on different shoulders depending on the degree within the priesthood x all those who were admitted to the inner sights of the mysteries had a formula or pass word xi come not with thy wrists extended or thy fingers spread but make thy left hand a throne for the right as for that which is to receive a king and having hollowed thy palm receive the body of christ xii eucharist and baptism were part of esoteric ordinances in 2nd 3rd century christianity the prayer circle a prayer is offered by the officiator in behalf of those in the circle and the others attending which included the giving of thanks petition for blessing to be pronounced upon the eucharist and petition for the common peace of the churches for the welfare of the world for kings for soldiers and allies for the sick for the afflicted and in a word for all who stand in need of succor xiii the names of those to be prayed for were written on parchments which from being folded twice were called diptychs xiv in the stromata clement of alexandria in describing the prayer circle says so also we raise the head and lift the hands to heaven the first century odes of solomon explains that this posture was adopted in imitation of the savior on calvary i stretched forth my hands and sanctified my lord for the extension of my hands in his sign and my expansion is the upright tree 3rd nephi ch 19 jesus appeared to his 12 disciples and the multitude in the form of a prayer circle xv the veil in the gospel of philip the savior gave various seals and passwords necessary to ascend to the highest heaven here at the veil are imparted the secret seals and pass words which allow free passage through each of their spheres xvi in one narrative the primeval man is drawn up to heaven by celestial messengers the living spirit extended his right hand to primeval man the latter seized it and thus was drawn up out of the depths of the world of darkness he was returned to the paradise of light his celestial home where his kin awaited him xvii celestial marriage egyptian christians considered celestial marriage to be their most holy mystery the gospel of philip states that those who have united in the bridal chamber will no longer be separated xviii one receives them the male and female powers from the mirrored bridal chamber xix if anyone becomes a son of the bridal chamber he will receive the light xx the heavenly man has many more sons than the earthly man if the sons of adam are many although they die how much more the sons of the perfect man they who do not die but are always begotten xxi clement of alexandria believed that marriage and procreation are an intrinsic and positive part of god s plan for the human race in this way the human being becomes the image of god by cooperating in the creation of another human being the married man who must devote himself to the administration of a household is a more faithful reflection of god s own providential care xxii clement felt that marriage was good practice for life as a god xxiii the gospel of philip taught that the existence of the world depends on the mystery of marriage great is the mystery of marriage for without it the world would not have existed how the existence of the world depends on man and the existence of man on marriage xxiv rejection of esoteric ordinances part of the apostasy xxv various reasons for the rejection of esoteric ordinances during the fourth century nicene creed became antithetical to theosis and divinization emperor constantine xxv couldn t condone secrecy which might organize against state s authority 2nd century fragmentation of christian authority hellenism greek thought based on socrates rationalism roman intellectual fight against gnosticism esoteric resulted in the roman church s burning of the apocrypha rejection of jewish esoteric traditions xxv conclusion if joseph smith taught a number of esoteric doctrines that were unknown to have existed in the early church during his time but which research and uncovered documents during the 1950 to 1970 period now show were part of early christianity one has to conclude that he was inspired of god yale literary scholar harold bloom wrote a book called the american religion in which he writes of joseph smith i can only attribute to his genius or heavenly intervention his uncanny recovery of many elements in ancient jewish theurgy xxvi that had ceased to be available either to judaism or to christianity and that had survived only in esoteric traditions unlikely to have touched smith directly the church which joseph smith restored is the original church of christ as revealed in the many documents of the first three centuries after christ i hippolytus the apostolic tradition 23 14 in r p c hanson tradition in the early church london scm press 1962 32 http www probe org site c fdkeimnseog b 4226045 k 32e scripture_and_tradition_in_the_early_church htm ii johann l mosheim historical commentaries on the state of christianity 2 vols new york s converse 1854 375 376 http www archive org details historicalcommen185302mosh iii mosheim historical commentaries on the state of christianity vol 1 390 391 http www archive org details historicalcommen185302mosh iv the sophia jesu christi in nta 1 246 in one other gnostic document the apocalypse of adam it is related that originally such mystical instruction was given by three heavenly messengers to adam jesuit scholar george macrae summarizes father adam explains how in the fall he and eve lost their glory and knowledge through the revelation imparted to adam by three heavenly visitors however this knowledge is passed on to seth and his seed macrae g w introduction to the apocalypse of adam in robinson ed the nag hammadi library in english 256 v cyril of jerusalem bishop and theologian http elvis rowan edu kilroy jek 03 18 html vi cyril of jerusalem catechetical lecture 20 in npnf series 2 7 146 148 translated into english in 1951 vii cyril of jerusalem catechetical lecture 21 in npnf series 2 7 148 151 see http sacred texts com chr ecf 207 2070037 htm viii arthur mccormack christian initiation new york hawthorn books 1969 65 ix jerome letter to fabiola quoted in marriott vestiarum christianum 13 14 x wellnitz the catholic liturgy and the mormon temple 20 xi hatch the influence of greek ideas and usages upon the christian church 298 xii cyril of jerusalem catechetical lecture 23 21 in npnf series 2 7 156 see http sacred texts com chr ecf 207 2070037 htm xiii cyril of jerusalem catechetical lecture 23 4 8 in npnf series 2 7 153 154 see http sacred texts com chr ecf 207 2070037 htm xiv cyril of jerusalem catechetical lecture 23 9 10 in npnf seies 2 7 154 155 see http sacred texts com chr ecf 207 2070037 htm xv book of mormon 3rd nephi chapter 19 http scriptures lds org en 3_ne 19 xvi gospel of philip http wesley nnu edu biblical_studies noncanon gospels gosphil htm xvii widergren mani and manichaeism 52 cf compton t m the handclasp and embrace as tokens of recognition xviii the gospel of philip in robinson ed the nag hammadi library in english 142 translated into english in 1977 xix ibid p 139 http wesley nnu edu biblical_studies noncanon gospels gosphil htm xx ibid p 151 http wesley nnu edu biblical_studies noncanon gospels gosphil htm xxi ibid p 135 http wesley nnu edu biblical_studies noncanon gospels gosphil htm xxii david g hunter marriage in the early church minneapolis fortress press 1992 15 xxiii wagner after the apostles 180 xxiv the gospel of philip p 139 http wesley nnu edu biblical_studies noncanon gospels gosphil htm xxv constantine s reign as roman emperor a d 306 337 dramatically changed the direction of christianity though in ways far different from those portrayed in the da vinci code this grew out of his strategy for unifying his empire by creating a catholic meaning universal church that would blend elements from many religions into one while constantine supposedly converted to christianity in 312 he wasn t baptized until on his deathbed 25 years later in the intervening years he had his wife and eldest son murdered and from all appearances he continued as a worshipper of the sun god long after his supposed conversion he had coins minted with a portrait of himself on one side and a depiction of his companion the unconquered sol sun on the other the christianity constantine endorsed was already considerably different from that practiced by jesus christ and the apostles the emperor accelerated the change by his own hatred of jews and religious practices he considered jewish for example at the council of nicea a d 325 church authorities essentially replaced the biblical passover with easter a popular holiday rooted in ancient springtime fertility celebrations endorsing this change constantine announced it appeared an unworthy thing that in the celebration of this most holy feast easter we should follow the practice of the jews who have impiously defiled their hands with enormous sin and are therefore deservedly afflicted with blindness of soul let us then have nothing in common with the detestable jewish crowd eusebius life of constantine 3 18 19 nicene and post nicene fathers 1979 second series vol 1 pp 524 525 constantine s affection for sun worship had earlier led him to endorse sunday the first day of the week and a day dedicated to honoring the sun as a weekly day of rest in the roman empire this created considerable hardship on those jews and true christians who continued to keep the biblical sabbath on the seventh day of the week a century later the council of laodicea would essentially outlaw sabbath keeping and christian observance of the old testament holy days constantine s merging religious practices produced a corrupted christianity that meshed paganism with biblical elements for example the followers of isis adored a madonna nursing her holy child many christians did not make a clear distinction between this sun cult mithraism and their own they held their services on sunday knelt towards the east and had their nativity feast on 25 december the birthday of the sun at the winter solstice did the empire surrender to christianity or did christianity prostitute itself to the empire when we consider the vast differences between the mainstream christianity of today and the or...