Lecture Before the Veil (1877-1990)

Brigham Young

Brigham Young taught that Adam was God, the physical Father of
Jesus Christ, and that he took Mary as his wife. This was
believed by Mormon leaders. For example, Mormon Apostle Abraham
H. Cannon wrote in his Journal about his father, Apostle George
Q. Cannon:

"He (George Q.) believes that Jesus Christ is Jehovah, and that
Adam is His Father and our God: that under certain unknown
conditions the benefits of the Savior's atonement extend to our
entire solar system. . . . He asked me what I understood
concerning Mary conceiving the Savior; and as I found no answer,
he asked what was to prevent Father Adam from visiting and
overshadowing the mother of Jesus. Then said I: "he must have
been a resurrected Being." "Yes," said he, "and though Christ is
said to have been the first fruits of them that slept, yet the
Savior said he did nothing but what He had seen His Father do,
for He had power to lay down His life and take it up again.
Adam, though made of dust, was made, as President Young said, of
the dust of another planet than this." I was very much
instructed by the conversation and this days services." (Source:
BYU Library, Special Collections; June 23, 1889.)

In 1877 Brigham Young caused L. John Nuttall, his private

secretary, to transcribe the endowment ceremony in a book now in
the LDS Archives in Salt Lake City. Fortunately, Elder Nuttall
also transcribed part of the temple ritual's "lecture at the
veil" into his own personal diary (Journal 2: December 1876 -
August 1877), which is in the BYU Special Collections, in Provo,
Utah. The "lecture" reveals that Brigham Young's "Adam-God
Doctrine" was taught in the temple ceremonies:

MEMORANDA
---***---

In January 1877, shortly after the lower portion of the St.

George Temple was dedicated, President Brigham Young, in
following up in the Endowments written, became convinced that it
was necessary to have the formula of the Endowments written, and
he gave directions to have the same put in writing.

Shortly afterwards he explained what the Lecture at the Veil

should portray, and for this purpose appointed a day when he
would personally deliver the Lecture at the Veil. Elder J.D.T.
McAllister and L. John Nuttall prepared writing material, and as
the President spoke they took down his words. Elder Nuttall put
the same into form and the writing was submitted to President
Young on the same evening at his office in residence at St.
George. He there made such changes as he deemed proper, and when
he finally passed upon it said: This is the Lecture at the Veil
to be observed in the Temple.

A copy of the Lecture is kept at the St. George Temple, in which

President Young refers to Adam in his creation &c.
/s/ L. John Nuttall
For Presidents W. Woodruff
Geo. Q. Cannon
Jos. F. Smith
June 3, 1892
Salt Lake City (Source: L. John Nuttall Papers; BYU Special
Collections, Mss 188, Letterpress copy book #4, p. 290.) Here
follows Brigham Young's early "lecture at the veil," excerpted
from Elder Nuttall's Journal:

In the creation the Gods entered into an agreement about forming

this earth. & putting Michael or Adam upon it. these things of
which I have been speaking are what are termed the mysteries of
godliness but they will enable you to understand the expression
of Jesus made while in Jerusalem. This is life eternal that they
might know thee the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou
hast sent. We were once acquainited [acquainted] with the Gods &
lived with them but we had the privilige of taking upon us flesh
that the spirit might have a house to dwell in. we did so and
forgot all and came into the world not recollecting anything of
which we had previously learned. We have heard a great deal
about Adam and Eve. how they were formed &c some think he was
made like an adobie and the Lord breathed into him the breath of
life. for we read "from dust thou art and unto dust shalt thou
return" Well he was made of the dust of the earth but not of
this earth. he was made just the same way you and I are made but
on another earth. Adam was an immortal being when he came. on
this earth he had lived on an earth similar to ours he had
received the Priesthood and the Keys thereof. and had been
faithful in all things and gained his resurrection and his
exaltation and was crowned with glory immortality and eternal
lives and was numbered with the Gods for such he became through
his faithfulness. and had begotten all the spirit that was to
come to this earth. and Eve our common Mother who is the mother
of all living bore those spirits in the celestial world. and
when this earth was organized by Elohim. Jehovah & Michael who
is Adam our common Father. Adam & Eve had the privilege to
continue the work of Progression. consequently came to this
earth and commenced the great work of forming tabernacles for
those spirits to dwell in. and when Adam and those that assisted
him had completed this Kingdom our earth he came to it. and
slept and forgot all and became like an Infant child. it is said
by Moses the historian that the Lord caused a deep sleep to come
upon Adam and took from his side a rib and formed the woman that
Adam called Eve-this should be interpreted that the Man Adam
like all other Men had the seed within him to propagate his
species. but not the Woman. she conceives the seed but she does
not produce it. consequently she was taken from the side or
bowels of her father. this explains the mystery of Moses's dark
sayings in regard to Adam and Eve. Adam & Eve when they were
placed on this earth were immortal beings with flesh. bones and
sinews. but upon partaking of the fruits of the earth while in
the garden and cultivating the ground their bodies became
changed from immortal to mortal beings with the blood coursing
through their veins as the action of life. Adam was not under
transgression until after he partook of the forbidden fruit that
was nesesary that they might be together that man might be. the
woman was found in transgression not the Man- Now in the law of
Sacrifice we have the promise of a Savior and man had the
privilege and showed forth his obedience by offering of the
first fruits of the earth and the firstlings of the flocks- this
as a showing that Jesus would come and shed his blood
[Four lines without any writing on them.]
Father Adam's oldest son (Jesus the Saviour) who is the heir of
the family is Father Adams first begotten in the spirit World.
who according to the flesh is the only begotten as it is
written. (In his divinity he having gone back into the spirit
World. and come in the spirit [glory] to Mary and she conceived
for when Adam and Eve got through with their Work in this earth.
they did not lay their bodies down in the dust, but returned to
the spirit World from whence they came.

I felt myself much blessed in being permitted to associate with

such men and hear such instructions as they savored of life to
me-

(Source: Journal of L. John Nuttall; BYU Special Collections;

Pres. Brigham Young; delivered in St. George; Wed., Feb. 7,
1877. This was the first draft of the Lecture at the Veil.
Brother L. John Nuttall was the private secretary to President
Brigham Young until his (Brigham's) death in 1877. He then
became the private secretary to President John Taylor
(1879-1887) and again to President Wilford Woodruff (1887-1892):