The Degree
description below is reprinted with the permission of the
Scottish Rite Journal.
Twenty-second Degree
Knight
Royal Axe, Prince Of Libanus
Jim Tresner, 33°,
Grand Cross
PO Box 70, Guthrie, Oklahoma 73044–0070
Original oil painting by Robert H. White,
32°
The
22° marks only the second appearance of the color purple in the
regalia of the Rite. Its symbolic meaning is the same as in the
13°, a mixture of spirituality and zeal. It sums up well the
basic theme of this Degree: that work is noble in and of itself and
that to work in a noble cause is to pray.
The apron
is white, lined and bordered in purple. On the body is embroidered a
round table on which are mathematical instruments and unrolled plans.
There are two likely symbolic meanings of the emblem. First, all who
truly labor are equal, no matter what the work nor whether it is
physical or mental. In this case, the round table symbolizes equality,
as did the round table of King Arthur.
A second
meaning is that God, the Creator, graciously allows us to share in His
creative spirit. In this case, the circular shape of the table
represents Deity, and the plans and mathematical instruments indicate
our creative efforts.
On the
flap of the apron is a three-headed serpent. The body of the serpent
represents idleness, while the three heads represent the vices which
are often the result of idleness—drunkenness, impurity, and
gaming. This is the second time in the Scottish Rite that the symbol of
a serpent with three heads has appeared. It also appears in the
19°, where the heads represent Error, Falsehood, and
Intolerance, and the serpent being chained represents the destruction
of those vices. Since the serpent does not appear on the regalia of the
19°, it was not mentioned in that Degree's essay.
The Order
of the 22nd Degree is a broad, rainbow-colored ribbon, lined with
purple. It may be worn as either a collar or a sash. The symbolism of
the rainbow is interesting here and probably operates on several levels
at once. The rainbow is closely connected with the story of Noah, of
course, and the initial of Noah's name appears on the Jewel of the
Degree, a golden axe, as one who made use of the cedars of Lebanon for
sacred purposes or at divine direction. The rainbow is also a symbol of
purity, since it appears only when the air has been washed and purified
by the rain. Also, it is a symbol of hope, as it appears after the
storm, and a symbol of the covenantal relationship between God and man,
deriving from the story of the Flood. A symbol of unity in diversity
because it is white light split into its component parts, it is also a
symbol of growth and development, as one moves from one color or state
of being to the next. And these seven significances compose only part
of the rainbow's rich symbolism!
The jewel
of the 22° is an axe of gold. In A Bridge to Light, Dr.
Hutchens, 33°, Grand Cross, tells us that the initials on the
top are those of Noah and Solomon. Those on the handle are the initials
of Libanus and Tsidunian. Those on one side of the blade are the
initials of Adoniram, Kuros, Darius, Zerubbabel, Nehemiah and Azra,
while those of the other side are the initials of Shem, Kham, Yapheth,
Moses, Aholiab, and Betselal. The men so memorialized are those who
used the cedars of Lebanon under divine guidance.
The
central idea of the Degree is the dignity of work and, hence, the
ignobility of idleness. The Scottish Rite teaches that each person has
a responsibility to be productive, not just in his own life but in the
lives of others. Work is not a curse from God; it is one of the
greatest blessings He has bestowed on us. When we work, when we are
productive, when we create something which was not in the world before,
when we find answers to problems, we are partaking in the creative
nature of God.
In a
beautiful passage, Pike shows that the axe is more noble than the
sword, for the sword can be and is used as a means of conquest and
subjugation. But in the hands of the pioneer, the axe becomes the
instrument for the spread of civilization. Thus the axe is far more
likely than the sword to be used as an agent of benefit to humanity.
The
Scottish Rite Mason who holds the 22° is pledged to the support
of civilization and culture and, above all, to work to assure those
goals. As Albert Pike wrote in Morals and Dogma (p. 350):
Masonry
seeks to ennoble common life. Its work is to go down into the obscure
and unsearched records of daily conduct and feeling; and to portray,
not the ordinary virtue of an extraordinary life; but the more
extraordinary virtue of ordinary life. What is done and borne in the
shades of privacy, in the hard and beaten path of daily care and toil,
full of uncelebrated sacrifices; in the suffering, and sometimes
insulted suffering, that wears to the world a cheerful brow; in the
long strife of the spirit, resisting pain, penury, and neglect, carried
on in the inmost depths of the heart;—what is done, and
borne, and wrought, and won there, is a higher glory and shall inherit
a brighter crown.
The
Scottish Rite Journal - January 2001
Jim Tresner
is Director of the Masonic Leadership Institute and Editor of The
Oklahoma Mason. A frequent contributor to the Scottish Rite Journal and
its book review editor, Illustrious Brother Tresner is also a volunteer
writer for The Oklahoma Scottish Rite Mason and a video script
consultant for the National Masonic Renewal Committee. He is the
Director of the Thirty-third Degree Conferral Team and Director of Work
at the Guthrie Scottish Rite Temple in Guthrie, Oklahoma, as well as a
life member of the Scottish Rite Research Society, author of the
popular anecdotal biography Albert Pike, The Man Beyond the Monument,
and a member of the steering committee of the Masonic Information
Center. Ill. Tresner was awarded the Grand Cross, the Scottish Rite's
highest honor, during the Supreme Council's October 1997 Biennial
Session.
