Thirty-Seven (1842)didn’t last long in that either. Bennett was not an ignorant man. He was well educated and a
good writer, who left a legacy of publications. However, from the day he turned on Joseph and
eventually killed him, Bennett never again found any personal peace.
The First Presentation of the Temple Endowment
As already indicated in the Introduction, Joseph invited only nine men and one
woman (Eliza R. Snow) to participate in the first presentation of the Endowment; however,
they were not chosen to view it, but to learn it so that they could play the characters in its
future presentation to the Saints. Joseph and Hyrum played the parts of Elohim/Narrator
and Jehovah, respectively. William Law played Michael/Adam and Eliza R. Snow played
the part of Eve; Newel K. Whitney, George Miller, and William Marks played the roles of
Peter, James, and John, respectively; and James Adams played Lucifer.
Three of the Twelve Apostles were invited to be observers so that they could
report to the Twelve what they had learned. These three were Brigham Young, Heber C.
Kimball, and Willard Richards. Most importantly, they were chosen because Joseph
knew that someday the mantle of delivering this last and greatest stumbling block to the
people would fall upon their shoulders.
The day before their dress rehearsal, Joseph and Emma arranged the room where the
Endowment would be performed, with some tapestries and other things pertinent to the
presentation of the endowment. The actors were each given a script of their different parts.
They would read each part as Joseph instructed them. After briefing the actors, Joseph
began the Endowment by explaining that the things they were going to read and act out
were symbolic in nature and referred to greater truths that could only be ascertained
through the Holy Spirit. As LDS history reports it:
the communications I made to this council were of things spiritual, and to be
received only by the spiritual minded: and there was nothing made known to
these men but what will be made known to all the Saints of the last days, as
soon as they are prepared to receive, and a proper place is prepared to
communicate them, even to the weakest of Saints.^60These actors spent two full days going over the presentation of the Endowment, with
the absence of only James Adams on the second day. Adams was a judge from Springfield,
but also an appointed General in the Nauvoo Legion. His commanding officer, John C.
Bennett, had previously complained that Joseph Smith, Jr., the Commander-in-Chief, had
lost his mind by inventing a secret ritual that he would reveal to no other. When Adams, a
good friend of Joseph, inquired of him as to what Bennett was referring, Joseph invited him
to come down from Springfield for the unveiling of the presentation and to take an active
part playing the character of Lucifer. After the first day, Adams left satisfied that his friend,
commander, and prophet had not lost his mind.
Details of the Endowment Play—What the Onlookers Saw and Did Not See
The nine men and one woman who were present at the unveiling of the presentation
of the Endowment saw the Holy Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Ghost) presented as the
characters Elohim (the Hebrew plural form of gods), Jehovah, and Michael. They saw this