Council of Kadosh, Degree Descriptions
The Degree
description below is reprinted with the permission of the
Scottish Rite Journal.
Twenty-fifth Degree
Knight of the Brazen
Serpent
Jim Tresner,
33°, Grand Cross
P.O. Box 70, Guthrie, Oklahoma 73044–0070
Original oil painting by Robert H. White,
32°
The symbolism of the regalia of the
25° is some of the richest in the Scottish Rite. The apron
(image right) is white, lined and bordered with black. Both sides of
the apron are of symbolic significance. On the white side or front of
the apron are gold stars arranged in constellations to represent the
Pleiades, the Hyades, Orion, and Capella.
In the middle is a rayed equilateral triangle, and in the center is the
name of Deity in Phoenician characters. To the right and left of the
triangle is a larger star, each with the letter A
over the star. The letters identify the stars as, respectively,
Aldebarán and Antares. Beneath the triangle is a gold star
with the letter F signifying the star Fomalhaut.
On the flap of the apron is a serpent or
dragon, coiled into a circle and holding its tail in its mouth. The
symbol is known as the Ouroboros. It is a symbol of time, or eternity,
and of the great cycles of time in which we all live. Within the circle
formed by the Ouroboros is a golden scarab beetle, symbol of
immortality. Over this is a gold star, and the letter R for the star
Regulus.
On the back of the apron are silver stars
representing the constellations of Perseus, Scorpio, and Ursa Major.
Two cordons form a part of the regalia of the
25°. One is a broad crimson ribbon. On it are embroidered the
names: Osiris, Ahura, Osarsiph, Moses. Following the last name is the
embroidered figure of a bull. A disc is on his head as well as the
horns with a crescent between them. This cordon is worn from left to
right.
Over it, worn from right to left, is a cordon
of similar size, but of white watered silk rather than crimson.
Embroidered on the white ribbon, in gold, are the names Isis and Ceres.
Under the name Ceres is embroidered the head of a dog, with a crescent
above its head. On the right breast, on the left breast, and at the
point at which the white cordon crosses the crimson cordon, gold stars
are embroidered. Under the star over the right breast (which is on the
white cordon) is the letter A for the star Aldebarán. Under
the star over the left breast (crimson ribbon) is the letter A for the
star Antares. Under the star on the white ribbon, where it crosses the
crimson ribbon, is the letter F for the star Fomalhaut.1
Finally, on the crimson cordon is the word Geburah
(Hebrew for valor) while on the white cordon is the word Aun
(Hebrew for force or strength). Read together, they suggest the
generative and productive power of nature.
The jewel of the Degree is in the form of an
Ankh, i.e., a Tau-shaped cross with a loop or circle on top. On the
upright of the cross are engraved the Hebrew words which translate
“He has suffered” or “He has been
wounded.” On the cross bar is the word Nakhustan
(also spelled Nehushtan), the name given in the
Bible to the brazen serpent erected by Moses (2 Kings 18:4, Numbers
21:6–9). A serpent is coiled around the ring at the top of
the Ankh.
The primary legend of the Degree comes from
an account of the Exodus. The people had started to complain to God
about the length of the journey and the fact that there was nothing but
manna to eat. God sent serpents among the people, and those who were
bitten soon died. The people repented, and God spoke to Moses, telling
him to make a serpent of brass and set it on a pole. Then, all that had
been bitten and looked upon the serpent of brass lived. Thus, the
serpent coiled around the handle of the Ankh symbolizes healing and
spiritual grace.
There are many complex meanings in the
constellations and stars selected for special emphasis on the regalia,
but on a fundamental level, their meaning is that there is significance
and a plan to the universe. God’s purposes move with
certainty, and we need never fear being lost in a hostile or
indifferent world.
The names on the cordons include the names of
many of the gods and goddesses who appear in the ancient vegetation
myths, stories which usually centered around a goddess and her lover
who must die each year in order for the earth to bring forth a harvest.
Many of these myths took their inspiration from the yearly journey of
the sun toward the shortest day and its reemergence after three days in
the movement toward spring.
The
Degree reminds us that men have found many ways to tell the great
truths of spiritual and human experience. Some may seem primitive or
childish to us today, but there is wisdom in the wonder of a child even
as there is wisdom in the sayings of the sages.
The
Scottish Rite Journal - February 2002
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.
