Fritz Springmeier

ORIENTAL MA8ONRY. 77were anxious to preserve, among themselves, theknowledge which they had acquired."*107. "The Dionysia, or Mysteries of Bacchus, wereintimately connected with those of Ceres and perhaps,still more with Freemasonry; the rites came fromEgypt, and there, according to Plutarch Ceres, was theEgyptian Isia, and Bacchus was Osiris.108. "The Dionysian artificers or architects werean association of scientific men, who were incorporatedby command of the Kings of Pergamus into a corporatebody, some three hundred years B. C. Theyhad the city of Teos given to them. The members ofthis association which was intimately connected withthe Dionysian mysteries, were distinguished from theuninitiated inhabitants of Teos, by their Science, andby words and signs by which they could recognizetheir Brethren of the Order. Like Freemasons theywere divided into Lodges which were characterizedby different names.109. "Such is the nature of that association ofarchitects, who erected those splendid edifices in Ionia,whose ruins even afford us instructions, while they exciteour surprise. If it be possible to prove the identityof any two societies, from the coincidence of theirexternal forms, we are authorized to conclude that theFraternity of the Ionian architects and the Fraternityof Freemasons, are exactly the same; and as theformer practiced the mysteries of Bacchus and Ceres,several of which we have shown to be similar to themysteries of Masonry, we may safely affirm, that, in* M. Lawrie.MASONRY IS CLAIMED TO BE THEPAGAN MYSTERY RELIGIONS BYMASONS.