Development of Masonic Ritual 1390-1843
Date: September 9, 2006
Instructor: Christian A. Ratliff
Type of Course: Lecture/Discussion
Length of Course: 9:30am - 12:30pm
Location: Deering Lodge, 102 Bishop Street, Portland
Course Description:
The history of Masonic ritual traces its evolution from a simple workman's degree designed to impress and frighten
apprentices being entered into the lodge to the high production sets and dramatics of the Scottish Rite degrees. The winding
staircase which connects these degree systems is of interest to almost any scholar of Freemasonry as it covers more than six
hundred years of Masonic history. The ritual contains, encoded within it, signs of the physical structure and organization of
the lodge system and so it is bound up with the history of Freemasonry itself. The makes a comprehensive study of the its
development almost impossible in a short time period. This class is, therefore, designed to give an overview of the history of
Masonic ritual and will arm each participant with the tools necessary to do further research into the area of interest to them.
The history of the ritual will include a study of the three major periods of Masonic ritual: constitutions, catechisms, and
lectures. The first period, the Gothic Constitutions, consisted of a ritual designed to frighten new apprentices and a book of
rules for the government of conduct while working on a job. The gild Passion plays common to this period would plant seeds
for a deeper ritual system, as we have today. Though many of these texts are lost to history, we will study the text families as
defined by noted Masonic historian, Wallace McLeod, and review the content of several of these texts. The rules set down
during this period continue to affect Freemasonry right up to the present day.
The second period, catechisms, is our first insight into the Masonic ritual system itself. These early rituals took the form of
long question and answer exchanges, which are quite similar to sections of our modern ritual. No Freemason in Maine would
find this line unfamiliar:
Are you a mason?
Yes, I am a Freemason.
How shall I know that?
By perfect signes and tokens and the first poynts of my Enterance.
The proficiency examinations, employed here in the United States, echo these traditional catechisms and preserve a centuries
old tradition. We will study a number of these catechism documents using the famous collection "The Early Masonic
Catechisms" by Knoop, Jones and Hamer. Their collection includes both handwritten copy and printed texts, which form the
first exposures.
Finally, the third period of Masonic ritual, the lectures, will receive a great deal of attention. The first lectures were the work
of a single individual: Bro. William Preston. His "Illustrations of Masonry" elevates the Masonic ritual to a new height of
philosophical illumination inspired by the Enlightenment. It is from our famous Bro. Preston in 1788 that we receive:
By geometry, therefore, we may curiously trace Nature, through her various windings, to her most concealed recesses. By it, we may discover the power, the wisdom, and the goodness of the Grand Artificer of the universe, and view with delight the proportions which connect this vast machine.
We are fortunate, to have Preston's own famous work to aid in our review of this material, as well as the transcription of our own M.W.
Bro. Thomas Smith Webb, author of the famous "Webb working."
The class winds down with a review of the exposures of the 19th century including those of Morgan, Richardson, and
Duncan. These give an insight into the state of Masonic ritual before the destruction of the Morgan Affair. Finally, the great
meeting of the Grand Lodges at Baltimore and the attempt to select a single common ritual system for the entire United States
will be the last topic of discussion.
When the class concludes you will leave with a sense of the periods of Masonic ritual over the last six hundred years.
Further, you will know which books can give you insight into the period which interests you. Then you can continue your own
Masonic education and bring light to others as you share with them the answers: "What does hail mean?" or "Where can I read
more about this whole Hiram thing?"
Texts being used by the Instructor:
- "The Early Masonic Catechisms" by Knoop, Jones, and Hamer (1943)
The eighteen catechisms detailed in this text make it invaluable for the historian of Masonic ritual. If you have never read this text, take pains to find it. - History and Evolution of Freemasonry" by
Delmar D. Darrah (1954)
This is a classic text which had aged a bit, but still covers all the basics. - "History
of Masonry" by George Thornburgh (1914)
This text includes an intriguing mention of a book called "The Ritual of Operative Freemasons" by Thomas Carr, M.D.. I hope to be able to read Carr's book at some point. I have not yet. - "Masonry Dissected" by
Samuel Pritchard (1730)
This is the text which first exposed the Master Mason degree and was a valuable resource to Freemasons evidenced by its numerous reprints. It also spawned the second rejoinder text titled, "The Perjur'd Free Mason Detected". Can you get better than this? - "The Old Gothic Constitutions" by Wallace McLeod (1985)
This text contains reprints of the Roberts (1722), Briscoe (1724), Cole (1729) and Dodd (1739) manuscripts, along with an excellent overview of the text families (including a great classification) by McLeod. This text contains one of my favorite commentaries. - "The Origins of Freemasonry" by David Stevenson (1988)
I have read one of Stevenson's other books titled "The First Freemasons", which I found to be a thrilling ride through the minutes and history of the early Scottish Lodges. This book is more focused on the people and events of early Scottish Masonry rather than particularly lodges. - "Richardson's
Monitor of Freemasonry" by Jabez Richardson
This post-Morgan exposure is essentially a copy of Morgan's own text, but this was the first ritual exposure I ever owned. It has a special place in my heart. - "Speculative Masonry" by A. S. MacBride, J.P. (1924)
This work remains quite useful despite its age, but it may be better to read Gould's work instead.
Course Instructor:
Bro. Christian Ratliff is a Blue Lodge enthusiast with membership in Deering Lodge No 183, Hiram Lodge No. 180 and Triangle Lodge No. 1. He has served as Worshipful Master of Deering Lodge, in 2002, and Triangle Lodge, in 2004, and been an active part of providing Masonic Monday, February 5, 2007 2:49 PMves there is nothing to particularly recommend him as an instructor other than his deep love of history, philosophy, theology and a willingness to read. He, like all of the brethren, is but a "rough ashlar."
Important Note
The Maine Masonic College complies with the Americans With Disabilities Act. If any conference participant is in need of reasonable accommodation, please forward a written request to the College Secretary for consideration at least one month prior to the activity.
The opinions expressed by Instructors and Regents of the Maine Masonic College do not represent an 'official' position of Freemasonry or of the Grand Lodge of Masons in Maine. No one person speaks for Freemasonry. Only the Grand Master can speak for Freemasonry within his own jurisdiction and then, only during his term of office.
This page last updated on Monday, February 5, 2007 2:49 PM
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