Council of Kadosh, Degree Descriptions
The Degree
description below is reprinted with the permission of the
Scottish Rite Journal.
Twenty-seventh Degree
Knight Commander of the Temple
Jim Tresner, 33°, Grand
Cross
P.O.
Box 70, Guthrie, Oklahoma 73044-0070
Original oil painting by Robert H. White,
32°
This is
one of the most powerful works of theatre among all the Degrees of the
Rite. The primary story is found in the Rubric*
of the Degree and concerns Constans, a
young squire who wants to become a knight. He is left alone to keep
vigil over his arms and told to "let no consideration tempt thee to
forsake thine vigil and leave this spot. If thou shouldst do so, thou
shall be proven foresworn."
In a scene
which reminds the viewer of T. S. Eliot's Murder in the
Cathedral, although written long before Eliot's 1935 work,
Constans is confronted with three temptations which represent (a) life
with sensual pleasure but without any faith or spiritual component; (b)
life based on the practical, economic realities of the world, in which
everything becomes relative and there are no permanent spiritual
values; and (c) life based on spiritual values only, without any true
human experience or content.
After
struggle, Constans overcomes these temptations, but then is confronted
not with a temptation but with a choice in reality. The city is
attacked, and the invaders enter. The defenders are losing the battle.
Constans is a young, highly trained fighting man. If he goes to the
battle, he may make a major difference in the lives of many people,
but, by leaving his vigil, he will do so at the cost of his personal
honor, and he will lose all hope of ever becoming a knight. Torn by
agony, not knowing what God's will is, he. . . . Should you have
forgotten the outcome of this dilemma, you will have to revisit the
Degree to get what Paul Harvey would term "the rest of the story."
The apron
of the Degree (see facing page) is of scarlet lambskin, bordered and
edged in black. The flap is white. On the flap is the jewel of the
Degree, a black Teutonic cross (a cross with arms of equal length,
ending with a crossbar). On that is a Teutonic cross of gold, double
potent (which is to say, having two crossbars at the end of the arm).
In the center is a shield with a black, double-headed eagle. On top of
the cross is a device of heraldry called a chief—in
this case, a sort of blue cloud.
In the
center of the apron is a black key, surrounded by a laurel wreath. The
order or mark of distinction of the Degree is of white watered silk,
with a red border, worn as a collar. Two gold Teutonic crosses are
embroidered on the collar, and the jewel of the Degree hangs from the
point. A second jewel of the Degree is described in the ritual as a
gold triangle, bearing a word upon it in enamel.
As in
earlier Degrees, scarlet represents zeal and determination. Black
designates sorrow, death, and martyrdom. Green represents life and, in
the form of the laurel wreath, honor. White represents purity-that
purity of intention which was required of the knight. But it may
possibly also represent transcendence, the condition of the knight who
has met and overcome the enemy (in Masonic terms, one who has subdued
his animal nature and made it subservient to his spiritual essence).
Though we
are told very little about it, the key is interesting. It may be that
the black color is intended to represent a key made of iron. We have
seen keys as symbols before, most notably in the 4° where a key
of ivory appears. In the ritual organization of the meeting room of the
27°, we are told that the key and a sword are placed, crossed,
upon the central table amid other symbols of the Degree, such as the
traditional working tools. It is very rare in Scottish Rite symbolism
to cross a sword with anything except another sword. Possibly this
crossing is an allusion to the obligations of the Templars, which
included both the use of force to defend pilgrims and a vow of secrecy.
Possibly, if we draw upon some of the earlier symbolism of the key in
the Rite, it is a suggestion that a Knight is to use force moderated
and directed by thought and reason.
The laurel
wreath has its usual meanings of honor and valor, but here it takes on
an additional meaning of union, reminding you that men who have
accepted you as a Brother are entitled to wear the laurel wreath by
virtue of their actions and their lives.
While
circles do not play an important part in the regalia of this Degree,
they appear strongly in the ritual setting of the chamber. The room is
circular, or made to appear so with red and black hangings; light comes
from circular chandeliers and from lighted globes. These symbolize
unity and brotherhood.
This
Degree, the first of the truly chivalric Degrees, alerts you that new
and higher things will be expected of you. For a person of intellectual
self-honesty, the going gets rough here, but the potential for personal
growth opens wider than ever.
The Scottish Rite Journal -
November 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.
