Ancient Mystic Oriental Masonry

157."The association was, as is always the custom with innovations, in the beginning somewhat dark and involved; it was saddled with various meanings and names, which it would be useless to repeat here, but which were all of short duration, so that the first ones called it the association of Magi and its members the ^[100] Magi Brotherhood and associates. And this first association was formed in the year 1115 and lasted till the year 1117, though it underwent changes from time to time. The Crusaders had given rise to many societies and orders amongst the profane, and associations had sprung up which had quite differing objects."*

158.Says Baron Hans Ecker von Eckhoffen, in his treatise, when writing of the Asiatische Brueder: " These writings date from 1510; showing that a body of Mystics was known at that period; these Knights of Asia also called themselves the Knights of St. John, and it is a curious fact to notice that one of the Masonic records which has caused an infinity of discussion, and also of dissension, amongst Masons, is the celebrated ' Cologne Record,' which is dated 1535, and in which an Order of St. John is noticed. This Charter has been a veritable bone of contention between materialistic and Mystic Masons, and much polemical literature has been published on the subject. The Mystics hold (and rightly so) it to be true on external and internal evidences; while the materialists reject it, as they reject all such evidence.

159."In the record there is the name of Philip Melancthon — the friend and co-worker of Martin Luther — who appears as a Brother in the Order of Freemasons. This document bears witness also that a secret society was known in various parts of the world, which existed before 1440 under the name of the 'Brotherhood of St. John' and since then, and up to

^[101] 1535, under the title, the 'St. John's Order of Freemasonry,' or 'Masonic Brotherhood.'

160."This Society (the present Masonic body) was reformed and re-arranged in the year 1717, the generally accepted modern date of the Materialistic and non-mystic Masons. It became more atheistic in its views, and more democratic in its tendencies.

161."Amongst other deeply interesting matter, the 'Charter of Cologne' contains the following passage:

162." ' The Brotherhood, or the order of Freemason Brothers, bound together according to St. John's Holy rules, traces its origin neither from the Templars nor from any other spiritual or temporal Knightly Order, but it is older than all similar Orders, and has existed in Palestine and Greece, as well as in various parts of the Roman Empire. Before the Crusades our Brotherhood arose; at a time when in consequence of the strife between the sects teaching Christian morals, a small number of the initiated — entrusted with the true teaching of virtue, and the sensible exposition of the secret teaching — separated themselves from the mass. '

163."According to the record, the following reason was given for the adoption of the name: The Masters of this confederation were called the St. John's Brethren, as they had chosen John the Baptist, the forerunner of the Light of the World, as their original and example."