I argue that a key indicator that JS was not simply seeking to restore biblical practice, but sought instead to restore doctrines and practices that he believed were MISSING from the Bible is the endowment. It’s clearly not in the Bible, though I argue Smith’s sources convinced him that Christians had an initiation rite that other evil early Christians had suppressed.

I note in chapter seven of my dissertation that the structure of the endowment is like the structure of the Eleusinian mysteries described under the entry on “mysteries” in the 1792 Encyclopedia Britannica (volume 12:577-97). Michael Quinn made this point in his Magic World View that I fleshed out in my dissertation (Quinn, first ed., 184-90).  

The discussion in my dissertation is a few pages (480-89) and I give a quick summary here. First I note that the similarities of the initiatory to the encyclopedia’s entry related to early Christian baptism on page 473. I also note that baptism entry quotes an scholars who links early Christian baptism to mystery rites (478-79). On page 482, I note the similarities of the mystery entry’s description of the “lesser mysteries” to the initiatory as well.

On page 485, I note the entry describing witnessing the creation, the description of which is similar to the creation in Plato’s Timaeus. In chapter six of my dissertation, I note how closely Abraham 3 follows portions of the Timaeus. On 486 I note the entry saying Eleusis would then follow the story of Greek heroes and how the endowment focuses on the original biblical hero, Adam. Eleusinian initiates are given signs, tokens, and warnings through penalties, and then enter God’s presence (488). The original endowment gave the initiates a kind of crown and the entry said the same was done at Eleusis. The entry quoted classical sources, including Plato, saying the mysteries were to help the initiate navigate the afterlife and Brigham Young said something similar about the endowment (489).