Ancient Mystic Oriental Masonry

Degrees of the Mystic Oriental Rite

^[17] Grand Master of the Secret Manuscript.

It came to pass when the temple was completed that Solomon hesitated to dedicate it for two reasons:

First. On account of the death of Hiram Abiff.

Second. On account of the fact that with the death of the Widow's Son, the Master's Word and the secret manner of using it had been lost. Therefore, Solomon in his extremity called a secret council at low-twelve in the secret crypt under the Sanctum Sanctorum.

This secret Council consisted of Solomon, King of Israel, Hiram, King of Tyre, Zadok, the High Priest, Benaiah, Captain of the Guards.

After Solomon had deplored the loss of Hiram Abiff, and with him the Master's Word and the Secret manner of using it, Hiram, King of Tyre, arose and reminded King Solomon that Nathan, the Prophet, was still alive and might render some assistance in his present calamity. Solomon, therefore, ordered Benaiah, Captain of the Guards, to search out and bring before him Nathan, the Prophet. ^[18] Benaiah, having ascertained that Nathan the Prophet was at the house of Abiathar, a former High Priest under King David, repaired to the place, but found that Nathan had died of old age but a very-short time before his arrival; he thereupon set about to return and discovering a stranger wandering near the Secret Crypt, he thereupon took him into his custody and brought him before the Secret Council. The stranger proved to be Abdemon, a very wise man and a subject of Hiram, King of Tyre. Upon examination it was found that he had been initiated as an Entered Apprentice, Passed to the degree of a Fellow Craft, and raised to the Sublime Degree of a Master Mason by Seisan, a Scribe, who had journeyed into the country of the Tyrians, so that the Secrets of Masonry preceded Hiram, King of Tyre, into his own Dominions.

Abdemon, being a Master Mason, and being recognized as a very learned and crafty man by King Hiram, was at length admitted to the Secret Council after giving into the hands of King Solomon a Manuscript that had been given to him in a wonderful and mysterious manner by an Egyptian during the time he was held in confinement by the Secret Council. Solomon was so pleased with the manuscript that he then and there admitted Abdemon as a member of the Secret Council, which was then sitting. Abdemon in his turn felt himself so highly honored that he begged leave and received permission to journey into the land of Egypt and be initiated into the secrets of the Initiates of the Great Pyramid, and in turn ^[19] promised to journey back into the land of the Israelites and disclose to the Secret Council what he had learned. Abdemon was successful in his efforts and the following degrees were instituted to preserve the knowledge which Abdemon gained in the land of Egypt and his journey and initiation in the Great Stone Pyramid.

Second. " The King 's Pioneer. "

Third. " Degree of Master of the Secret Cavern. "

After resting for three days at the well of Beersheba, Ameni, the Singer, the Horoscopus and Ab-demon, under the escort of the King's Pioneer, journeyed by easy stages to Mount Serbal, where the parties took refuge in a natural cave where Abdemon received his final instructions before his initiation into the Degree of the Pyramid

During the course of the journey Ameni disclosed many hidden Mysteries to Abdemon concerning initiation and why it was impossible to make these disclosures to the multitude in general.

Among the things which Ameni communicated to Abdemon on their journey, the following is the most important, for said he: