The Degree Rituals The Supreme Council, 33 ... - Scottish Rite, NMJ

The Degree Rituals
What’s in a Name?
Notwithstanding extensive changes in the form and substance of degree
rituals over the years, the titles of the degrees remained relatively constant
from the early 19th century. This resulted in the traditional titles of many of
the degrees, however grandiloquent, becoming increasingly arcane, obscure,
and irrelevant to the ritual. In 1979 the Committee on Rituals considered the
increasing inconsistency between the titles and the rituals of various of the degrees,
but determined that degree titles were mandated by the Constitutions
of the Supreme Council. Thus, the traditional degree titles were left in place.
There the matter rested for nearly a quarter century. In the meantime, the
transfer of the four Old Testament degree rituals from the Consistory to the
Lodge of Perfection and their replacement by entirely new rituals had made
the anomaly of degree titles more difficult to overlook. In 2003 the committee
revisited the question of degree titles that bore no relevance to the subject
matter of the ritual. Prime cases in point were the 6°, “Intimate Secretary,” the
ritual of which now was based on the biblical story of Moses and the brazen
serpent, and the 25°, “Knight of the Brazen Serpent,” now with a ritual based
on the life of Benjamin Franklin. Appropriate changes in the titles of the 6°,
9°, 24°, 25°, and 27° were recommended and approved, together with pertinent
enabling amendments to the Constitutions. In subsequent years similar
changes were made in the titles of the 4°, 12°, 23°, 26°, 30°, and 31°, as well
as abbreviations of the titles for the 10° and 15°.
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