Revelation in "verbal form"

Re: revelations on the temple ceremonies

On March 24, 1950, in a confidential conversation with apostle John A. Widtsoe he referred to the "revelation for there must have been a revelation on it "concerning the temple ceremonials. He said further, that "the revelation was kept "in verbal form", was "kept verbal," until the opening of the St. George temple. At the ceremonies in that temple Brigham Young told them, 'you have got a number of things wrong,—they must must be corrected.'" The implication was that Brigham Young <then> recited for the workers the ceremonials as they were used in the Nauvoo Temple, although I was not told in the conversation just how the errors were corrected, and I did not press the point. The misunderstanding I obtained was that the ceremonials were reduced to writing either by Brigham Young or under his instruction and dictation.

The phrasings established there in the St. George temple remained as the pattern until about 1922, when a special committee was set up to reverse them somewhat. The committee was John A. Widtsoe, David O. McKay, Joseph Fielding Smith and (Samuel F.?) Richards. Certain changes were made in the phrasings,—such as toning down the language of certain oaths having to do with "tearing the bowls out" etc., etc., and substituting phrasings which "make the ceremonials symbolize [an portray ?] The various ways in which life may be taken." He used the word "symbolize."

Some very brief conversation was had on the concept that if one undertakes certain promises and responsibilities he would value them, and would prefer to yield life rather than not keep them.

The ceremonials are now kept <(1950)> in a primary or basic or standard written form in master records which are kept in the Temple [the Salt Lake Temple, I take it] in the sole keeping of the President of the Temple, "in the temple archives."

The individual parts are given in written form to the individual workers who have given parts to play, in order to keep the ceremonials from varying and changing. But only the President of the Temple has access to the full archive.

There have been "three stages in the formation of the temple ceremonials", then: (1) the Nauvoo period in which "The revelations of the ceremonies was kept verbal," (2) the St. George temple period in which the ceremonials were reduced to writing and in a pattern which conformed to Brigham Young's ideas of how the memories of the workers should be corrected, <and of what the ceremonials were in the Nauvoo temple, i.e., to make the ceremonials conform to what they were in the Nauvoo temple.> (3) the 1922-23 revision at the hands of the special committee appointed for that purpose.