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

The Degree Rituals
The Twenty-fourth “American Indian” Degree
The ritual of the 24°, like that of the 23°, at least in any identifiable form,
was a latecomer to the Scottish Rite degree system. There was no predecessor
to the current degree ritual preserved as part of the Rite of Perfection rituals
in Henry Francken’s 1783 manuscript. The traditional title of the degree,
“Prince of the Tabernacle,” was mentioned in 1805 by Jean Frederick
Doszedardski in reference to a French degree, but no details of the ritual were
given. Killian Van Rensselaer’s 1845 manuscript provided signs and words
for the degree, indicating that the lesson was toleration, but nothing more.
Thus, up to the middle of the 19th century, the content of the 24° ritual is unknown.
Then, enter Albert Pike. Among the degree rituals he completed in 1855
was a ritual for the 24°. Pike’s source for this ritual remains a mystery. Ostensibly
set in the time of Moses, the ritual meandered through the centuries
in an anachronistic mélange of philosophical ideas. At times it bordered on
the occult, at times on Masonic symbolism, arriving at Pike’s doctrine of
equilibrium. There was no discernible theme. The lesson of the degree, in
essence, was God, country, and the pursuit of happiness. It was not Pike at his
best.
Nevertheless, perhaps not only for lack of something better, but simply
for lack of anything else, the Pike ritual was accepted for the 24° of this jurisdiction
after the Union of 1867. Moreover, this ritual continued in use, with
but a few minor changes, for the next 42 years.
Finally, in 1909, the Supreme Council withdrew the Pike ritual and approved
a new ritual featuring a dramatic allegory for the 24°. The primary
author of the new allegory was English-born Ill. John Lloyd Thomas, 33°,
who later was elected an Active Member for New York and appointed a member
of the Committee on Rituals. The Thomas Allegory depicted a fictitious
incident during the dedication of King Solomon’s Temple. A discussion on the
nature of God by representatives of various religions was disrupted by a voice
of skepticism. The disharmony ultimately was resolved by an eloquent declaration
of the universal faith of service to humanity.
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