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

The Degree Rituals
pelican, the cubic stone, the three pillars of faith, hope, and charity, the mystic
letters “I.N.R.I.”, and use of Jesus of Nazareth as the exemplar. Where the
Francken ritual differed most radically from the modern ritual was in the stipulation
that only Christians could be admitted to the degree.
The 18° ritual approved by the Supreme Council in 1870 reinforced and
perpetuated the original Christian emphasis of the degree. This circumstance
was not without its critics, however. For one, Albert Pike, Sovereign Grand
Commander of the Southern Jurisdiction and a renowned Masonic ritualist in
his own right, objected to the 18° ritual of the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction
as a “strictly Christian degree.” The rebuttal to Pike was that he was an innovator,
who had changed the ritual of the 18° to transform what always had
been a Christian degree into a universal degree.
The issue never was completely resolved, as some voices continued to advocate
a ritual with a more universal message, that is to say, acceptable to all
monotheistic faiths. This point of view finally gained concessions in the ritual
of 1942, further refined in 1964, which made widespread changes to rephrase
or delete overtly Christian dialogue and included a new prologue that emphasized
the universal character of the degree. However, as it does to this
day, the ritual retained Christian symbols, the beatitudes, “The Story of the
Cross,” the mystic letters, and Jesus of Nazareth as the exemplar of the degree.
Another refinement toward a more universal ritual was made in 1987,
when the name “Jesus” replaced “Christ” in the prologue.
In 1990-91, and again in 2007, the Committee on Ritualistic Matters expressed
concern that the universalist philosophy of Scottish Rite Masonry
was being compromised by local Valleys embellishing presentations of the
18° with non-ritualistic, unauthorized Christian sermons, prayers, and hymns.
As to the ritual itself, however, the 18° remains in equipoise between traditionalists
and universalists. In effect, it has retained its Christian character
but has been purged of theology and dogma.
Aside from issues of Masonic philosophy, the ritual of the 18° has been
impacted by the redefining changes made in the 17°. As previously explained,
the 17° Ritual of 1957, based on the Book of Revelation, had been presented
in conjunction with and as a prelude to the 18°. The decision to withdraw
that ritual in 1994 prompted a revision of the 18° ritual to incorporate introductory
material formerly communicated as part of the 17°. This resulted in
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