Coronation Ceremony and its Religious Overtones

[halconero]

I'm something of a constitutional monarchist, and in particular Elizabeth II. Having a non-partisan Head of State has its purpose, and Orwell himself once remarked that he felt the institution was a bastion against fascism during the 1930's (he himself was a great critic of monarchy). Anyways, with Elizabeth growing older and the likelihood that within a number of years we'll have Charles (or perhaps William in certain scenarios) on the throne, I decided to take a peak at the coronation ceremony and was struck by the similarities between it and certain aspects of Mormonism. I'll just lay it out there for people to see and make their own inferences:

1. In preparation for the ceremony an altar is prepared with a Bible, ampulla of oil, and a spoon.

2. The archbishop and priests prepare themselves with mitre (ceremonial cap) and copes (robes)

3. When the King enters the Church sings Psalm 122:1-2 - "I was glad when they said unto me: We will go into the house of the Lord. Our feet shall stand in thy gates: O Jerusalem."

4. A series of oaths are administered to the King, with the responses being variations of "I am willing," "I will," and "I solemnly promise to do."

5. Returning to their seat, the King is presented with a Bible, and is told to be "mindful" of the "law and the Gospel of God." They are then given the Bible to remind them, and told that "Here is Wisdom; This is the royal Law; These are the lively Oracles of God." The King then returns the Bible after taking it, and it is placed again on the altar.

6. Incense is burned and epistles are read while the Archbishop raises his hands in prayer at the altar. Psalma 141:2 is read at this time.

7. Lots of prayers and singing of hymns. I read over this part, but nothing in particular stood out to me.

8. The Archbishop at the the end of these lays his hand on the container of the oil and says the following:

"O Lord and heavenly Father,
the exalter of the humble and the strength of thy chosen,
who by anointing with Oil didst of old
make and consecrate kings, priests, and prophets,
to teach and govern thy people Israel:
Bless and sanctify thy chosen servant ELIZABETH,
who by our office and ministry
is now to be anointed with this Oil,
Here the Archbishop is to lay his hand upon the Ampulla.
and consecrated Queen:
Strengthen her, O Lord, with the Holy Ghost the Comforter;
Confirm and stablish her with thy free and princely Spirit,
the Spirit of wisdom and government,
the Spirit of counsel and ghostly strength,
the Spirit of knowledge and true godliness,
and fill her, O Lord, with the Spirit of thy holy fear,
now and for ever;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen."

9.  The choir then sings Zadok the Priest from 1 Kings 1:39-40:

"Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anointed Solomon king;
and all the people rejoiced and said
God save the king,
Long live the king,
May the king live for ever. Amen. Hallelujah."

10. The monarch is disrobed and left in a simple white shift (Elizabeth II wore a plain white dress), and led to the altar.

11. Sitting in a chair, the Archbishop takes the oil and with the spoon begins to anoint various parts of the monarch with the following:

On the palms of both the hands, saying, 
Be thy Hands anointed with holy Oil.

On the breast, saying, 
Be thy Breast anointed with holy Oil.

On the crown of the head, saying, 
Be thy Head anointed with holy Oil:
as kings, priests, and prophets were anointed:

And as Solomon was anointed king
by Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet,
so be thou anointed, blessed, and consecrated King/Queen
over the Peoples, whom the Lord thy God
hath given thee to rule and govern,
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

12. The Archbishop then lays his hands on the King/Queen and says:

Our Lord Jesus Christ,
the Son of God,
who by his Father was anointed with the Oil of gladness
above his fellows,
by his holy Anointing pour down upon your Head and Heart
the blessing of the Holy Ghost,
and prosper the works of your Hands:
that by the assistance of his heavenly grace
you may govern and preserve
the Peoples committed to your charge
in wealth, peace, and godliness;
and after a long and glorious course
of ruling a temporal kingdom
wisely, justly, and religiously,
you may at last be made partaker of an eternal kingdom,
through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

13. The King/Queen is then presented with the "Majesty of Colombium Sindonis," a loose undergarment without sleeves, and then the Supertunica over top, a long flowing robe laced with national symbols and given a girdle to fasten it.

14. After returning to their seat, the Archbishop brings them the following symbols of the Kingly office:

- Spurs – “Hear our prayers, O Lord, we beseech thee, and so direct and support thy servant King/Queen _________,”

- Sword – “With this sword do justice, stop the growth of iniquity, protect the holy Church of God, help and defend widows and orphans, restore the things that are gone to decay, maintain the things that are restored, punish and reform what is amiss, and confirm what is in good order: that doing these things you may be glorious in all virtue; and so faithfully serve our Lord Jesus Christ in this life, that you may reign for ever with him in the life which is to come. Amen.”

- Armills – “Receive the Bracelets of sincerity and wisdom, both for tokens of the Lord’s protection embracing you on every side; and also for symbols and pledges…”

- Robe Royal & Stole Royal – “Receive this Imperial Robe, and the Lord God endue [endow] you with knowledge and wisdom, with majesty and power from on high; the Lord clothe you with the robe of righteousness, and with the garments of salvation. Amen.”

- Orb – “Receive this Orb set under the Cross, and remember that the whole world is subject to the Power and Empire of Christ our Redeemer.”

- Queen’s Ring – “Receive the Ring of kingly dignity, and the seal of Catholic Faith: and as you are this day consecrated to be our Head and Prince, so may you continue stedfastly as the Defender of Christ’s Religion; that being rich in faith and blessed in all good works, you may reign with him who is the King of Kings, to whom be the glory for ever and ever. Amen.”

Sceptre

Rod with the Dove

Crown

15. The Princes and Princesses, and all Peers (Lords and Ladies of noble title) are then commanded to "put on their coronets and caps, and the King of Arms their crowns," in preparation for trumpets playing.

16. Blessings are promised:

“God crown you with a crown of glory and righteousness, that having a right faith and manifold fruit of good works, you may obtain the crown of an everlasting kingdom by the gift of him whose kingdom endureth forever. Amen.”

17. The Archbishop finalizes the ceremony by stating his own office:

“And the Lord God Almighty, whose ministers we are, and the stewards of his mysteries, establish your Throne in righteousness, that it may stand fast for evermore. Amen.”

18. The ceremony ends with the swearing of the attendees:

The Archbishop approaches the queen, kneels, places his hands between the Queen’s, and with everyone else repeating and audibly replacing his name with their own, says “I, Geoffrey, Archbishop of Canterbury will be faithful and true, and faith and truth will bear unto you, our Sovereign Lady, Queen of this Realm and Defender of the Faith, and unto your heirs and successors according to law. So help me God.” This same pattern follows with many of the clergy.

--------------------------------------

I've left out a TON of details, but I found these to be the most significant. Whenever the time comes, take a moment to watch the coronation and see for yourself.

[JLHPROF]

18 minutes ago, halconero said:

 

A direct degeneration from the temple endowment, just like masonry.

As are the robes of academia and the adjusting of the cap at graduation.
(And don't get me started on the ancient Asian "tai chi" grips and hold in a martial arts magazine I saw online that look sort of familiar).

For Joseph to have made up the endowment is such an impossibility.  There are elements of the endowment scattered in dozens of cultures, through all the centuries, bits and pieces of the endowment are everywhere.  It would be impossible for Joseph to have even known about most of them.
I have no doubt about the origin of the endowment being pure revelation.

And as a British Canadian I love the monarchy too!

Edited January 13, 2017 by JLHPROF

[Woody]

Makes our Inauguration ceremony look kinda pale in comparison, but we'll try to like it.

There's a fun old Peter Seller's movie, "Prisoner of Zenda", where the coronation ceremony is burlesqued. Deep psychological study. Well worth hunting for.

Now, when the Pope came here to Denver the Denver Post did a two page spread on his clothes. Hat, coat, pants, etc. The text said he's the only one allowed to wear white, which was a surprise to me... I think they meant the only Catholic priest allowed to. But there at his wrists was a little patch of cloth peeking out, with the caption "special garments under his other clothing."

[Woody]

1 hour ago, JLHPROF said:

There are elements of the endowment scattered in dozens of cultures, through all the centuries, bits and pieces of the endowment are everywhere.

Military and police dudes wear these funny hats, which are essentially a bag over the top of the head with a band around the edge; and a flat piece of cardboard or something inside. (Then they add a little brim to keep the sun out of their eyes.)

[halconero]

11 hours ago, JLHPROF said:

A direct degeneration from the temple endowment, just like masonry.

As are the robes of academia and the adjusting of the cap at graduation.
(And don't get me started on the ancient Asian "tai chi" grips and hold in a martial arts magazine I saw online that look sort of familiar).

For Joseph to have made up the endowment is such an impossibility.  There are elements of the endowment scattered in dozens of cultures, through all the centuries, bits and pieces of the endowment are everywhere.  It would be impossible for Joseph to have even known about most of them.
I have no doubt about the origin of the endowment being pure revelation.

And as a British Canadian I love the monarchy too!

Check out the process of becoming a Mandaen Priest. They're a Gnostic-Sethian sect orginating in Iraq and Syria, but have largely dispersed since 2003. They have three levels of priesthood, with entrance into the highest taking place via anointing, crowning, and becoming a representation of Adam. They are taught the "Great Secret" that the Heavenly Adam and the Heavenly Eve came down, formed the earth, and then became the Earthly Adam and the Earthly Eve. 

They also perform baptisms for the dead, take the sacrament with bread and water, and have other similar ceremonies.

[JLHPROF]

9 minutes ago, halconero said:

Check out the process of becoming a Mandaen Priest. They're a Gnostic-Sethian sect orginating in Iraq and Syria, but have largely dispersed since 2003. They have three levels of priesthood, with entrance into the highest taking place via anointing, crowning, and becoming a representation of Adam. They are taught the "Great Secret" that the Heavenly Adam and the Heavenly Eve came down, formed the earth, and then became the Earthly Adam and the Earthly Eve. 

They also perform baptisms for the dead, take the sacrament with bread and water, and have other similar ceremonies.

I will have to do that.
The elements that coalesced into Joseph's Nauvoo endowment are so far spread and so little known in his day that they could only have come by revelation.
It is one of my strongest testimonies of the restored gospel.
If the endowment were merely a copy of masonry with a few tweaks it would be different.  But it is found in so many cultures, and lands, and histories, many of which Joseph would never have even heard of in his day, to bring them together into a coherent ordinance is nothing short of divinely inspired.

I love Nibley's Temple and Cosmos work, showing duplicates of the veil in other cultures, the use of gammadia in early Christianity.
Looking at the Zoroastrian religion and their sacred clothing, or so many others.
 

Edited January 14, 2017 by JLHPROF

[halconero]

19 minutes ago, JLHPROF said:

I will have to do that.
The elements that coalesced into Joseph's Nauvoo endowment are so far spread and so little known in his day that they could only have come by revelation.
It is one of my strongest testimonies of the restored gospel.
If the endowment were merely a copy of masonry with a few tweaks it would be different.  But it is found in so many cultures, and lands, and histories, many of which Joseph would never have even heard of in his day, to bring them together into a coherent ordinance is nothing short of divinely inspired.

I love Nibley's Temple and Cosmos work, showing duplicates of the veil in other cultures, the use of gammadia in early Christianity.
Looking at the Zoroastrian religion and their sacred clothing, or so many others.
 

Here's a good PDF on them:

http://khazarzar.skeptik.net/books/mandaean/adam.pdf

This is a good summary of their beliefs:

1. A supreme formless Entity, the expression of which in time and space is creation of spiritual, etheric, and material worlds and beings. Production of these is delegated by It to a creator or creators who originated in It. The cosmos is created by Archetypal Man, who produces it in similitude to his own shape.

2. Dualism: a cosmic Father and Mother, Light and Darkness, Right and Left, syzygy in cosmic and microcosmic form.

3. As a feature of this dualism, counter-types, a world of ideas.

4. The soul is portrayed as an exile, a captive; its home and origin are the supreme Entity, to which the soul eventually returns.

5. Planets and stars influence fate and human beings, and are also places of detention after death.

6. A saviour spirit or saviour spirits which assist the soul on the journey through life and after it to 'worlds of light.'

7. A cult-language of symbol and metaphor. Ideas and qualities are personified.

8. 'Mysteries', i.e. sacraments to aid and purify the soul, to ensure rebirth into a spiritual body, and ascent from the world of matter. These are often adaptations of existing seasonal and traditional rites to which an esoteric interpretation is attached. In the case of the Naṣoreans this interpretation is based upon the Creation story, especially on the Divine Man, Adam, as crowned and anointed King-priest.

9. Great secrecy is enjoined upon initiates; full explanation of 1, 2, and 8 being reserved for those considered able to understand and preserve the gnosis.

10. Mandaeans believe in marriage and procreation, and in the importance of leading an ethical and moral lifestyle in this world. They also place a high priority upon family life. Consequently, Mandaeans do not practice celibacy or asceticism. Mandaeans will, however, abstain from strong drink and red meat. While they agree with other gnostic sects that the world is a prison governed by the planetary archons, they do not view it as a cruel and inhospitable one.

I agree with you completely. Either Joseph was who he said he was, or he was not only a liar, but the world's most Una knowledge archaeologist, anthropologist, theoretical physicist, and historian without even realizing it.

Edited January 14, 2017 by halconero

[Robert F. Smith]

On 1/13/2017 at 11:10 AM, halconero said:

..................................................................................................

10. The monarch is disrobed and left in a simple white shift (Elizabeth II wore a plain white dress), and led to the altar.

11. Sitting in a chair, the Archbishop takes the oil and with the spoon begins to anoint various parts of the monarch with the following:

On the palms of both the hands, saying, 
Be thy Hands anointed with holy Oil.

On the breast, saying, 
Be thy Breast anointed with holy Oil.

On the crown of the head, saying, 
Be thy Head anointed with holy Oil:
as kings, priests, and prophets were anointed:

--------------------------------------

I've left out a TON of details, but I found these to be the most significant. Whenever the time comes, take a moment to watch the coronation and see for yourself.

I watched it on live television in 1953 as Elizabeth Windsor became Elizabeth II.  The anointing of her breasts was hidden from view.  The orb with cross you listed was the orbis terrarum (minutum mundum), which is a symbol of kingship and model of the Earth on a small scale -- over which she had dominion.  The same basic regalia and anointing were displayed at the coronation of Elizabeth I in the PBS-TV Masterpiece Theatre presentation of “The Virgin Queen” (BBC Power/ Boston: WGBH, 2005), while her Welsh father, Henry VIII, had himself painted as the Welsh King Arthur holding orbis terrarum and Excalibur (see Michael Wood’s “Arthur: The Once & Future King,” in his In Search of Myths & Heroes , broadcast on PBS-TV Nov 2005).  Of course, Excalibur is symbolically the same as the Sword of Laban as a holy relic.

See http://www.oremus.org/liturgy/coronation/cor1953b.html  (“Form and Order for Service”)

Edited January 14, 2017 by Robert F. Smith