Ancient Mystic Oriental Masonry

^[103] 166. "Taking the rules of their Order 'and of the Christians in equal division, they (the Kabalists) began to draw a parallel between the books of Moses and the records of the Magi, and formed from all this material a new Brotherhood into which they imported certain rules that could exist together with those of the Christians. During the Crusades there were several orders of widely different views; and among numerous others in the year 1118, the Knights of the Temple, with whom the Magi joined themselves, and to whom they imparted their principles and mysteries. The fall of the Templars and the entire demolition of the Order by the Council held in Vienna in 1311, is due to the fact that all the knowledge which we may consider as part of the Wisdom of the ancient Magi, and also the Natural Sciences, had at this time begun to be lost. There is one section of Freemasons which finds in Freemasonry the restoration of the Order of the Knights Templars, and the systems of the Great German Lodge and that of the Swedish Brothers are certainly pre-eminently connected with the former. According to this system, and in especial according to all the various systems which obtain in this particular Order, Freemasonry is a Mystical conception of the principal doctrines of Christianity, the slain Master no other than the Christ! And here the question fairly arises, had the teachings of the Christ in truth Mysteries, unsearchable, incomprehensible doctrines, which were only to be made comprehensible to a small number of especially chosen disciples, and were not the Essenes (the Rosicrucians) that body ^[104] among whom He had learned those Mysteries?* For the Essenes (Rosicrucians) demanded of those initiated, moderation, justice, avoidance of injury, love of Truth and detestation of evil; holy water belonged to the Ritual of admission to their highest grade, and John said ' Repent and be baptized. ' Christ, who led the blameless life, suffered himself to be baptized. Does not this lead us to the almost certain conclusion that Christ, and even more John, were initiated members of the Essenes?** Were sufficient documents available to prove the historic truth of this statement, it would be perfectly obvious why John (the Baptist), who bled for Truth and Goodness, should have been chosen as the Patron of the present Order and of nearly all that precede it. The keeping of John the Baptist's Day as a Festival by the Freemasons is adduced in confirmation of this idea that the Freemasons had for over six hundred years identified themselves with the ' Johannrittern, ' and St. John the Baptist had been chosen Patron of both Orders. And as it is certain that much of the ritual of the form of Reception means something quite other than that which has been substituted latterly, it may very easily be that there is some truth in this assertion. For it is just as little true that the Freemasons identified themselves six hundred years ago with the 'Johannrittern' as that they now crown the Master, Hiram, in the Lodge in real earnest. Christ, as has been said above, founded no secret society, and yet He ^[105] gave out His teachings only by degrees as regard its inner Significance, for He said, 'I have many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. ' After His death the pure doctrine was falsified by additions, but yet it may be possible that its pristine purity and simplicity may have been preserved, and where else than in some kind of Order? In the early Christian Church there was a disciplina arcani, and in this manner were the Mysteries transmitted among the few, and even in the time of the Crusades there were still living descendants of the Essenes. The Order of Knights of the Temple was founded in the year 1113 by Gottfried von St. Omar, Hugo de Paiens, and seven others whose names are not known. They consecrated themselves to the service of God according to the form of the Canonicorum Regularium, and took solemn vows before the Bishop of Jerusalem. Baldwin the Second, in consideration of the office of these seven servants of God, lent them a house near the Temple of Solomon. They bound themselves with certain Essenes (Rosicrucians) who formed a secret society consisting of virtuous Christians and true seekers after Truth in Nature, and learned also their secrets. That the Templars had Mysteries in their keeping is beyond contention. The Order had secret ceremonies of admission, glorified in possessing such, and for this reason several of its members endured martyrdom. The Order of Knights Templars contained many of the best and most far-seeing minds among the parents of Freemasonry; and, as is well known, there were whole branches of Freemasonry specially devoted to ^[106] the restoration of the Templars. And the Johannine and other systems taught this descent, even before the 'Strict Observance' became generally known, which insisted on the restoration of the Templars as the highest aim of the Mysteries. If we consider closely the similarity between the customs of both Orders we shall find that the Reception and other ceremonies of the Order of Freemasonry relates to that of the Knights of the Temple exactly in so far as to enable us to say with positiveness that the Freemasons preserve in their midst the Mysteries of the Templars and transmit them. That the Templars possessed secrets is witnessed by the evidence in their procedure r the Freemasons claim the like procedure for themselves, for from grade to grade the Aspirant is told that later he shall experience yet more. More what? Also a secret. Nine Brothers founded the Order of the Templars; the chief and hieroglyphic number of the Freemasons in three times three. The Templars held Divine Service in places which were interdicted. By the strictest observances they reserved these for themselves (or set these aside), they appealed to the rights of their forefathers."