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Scottish Rite Research Society

About Heredom:

Each year the Scottish Rite Research Society publishes a volume of insightful, scholarly, and thought-provoking articles on all aspects of Freemasonry, but with a general emphasis on the Scottish Rite. Past volumes include studies on biography, bibliography, the evolution and meaning of Masonic rituals, history, kabbalah, hermeticism, Masonic poetry, Prince Hall Affiliation, symbolism, and much more.

From the Editor

Here it is, another volume of Heredom. I hope the exceptional quality of the authors' efforts will be remembered long after the tardiness of the editor is forgotten. It has been a continuing source of pleasure to me that excellent original Masonic research is produced each year, and that much of it is published in Heredom.

The first two articles are a "matched pair:' Henrik Bogdan introduces the "high degrees;' and Alain Bernheim and Arturo de Hoyos focus in on the Rite of Strict Observance with the first translation into English of the rite's craft rituals. Wallace McLeod has graciously allowed us reprint his 1986 Prestonian Lecture, "The Old Charges:' It is the essential reference in this important area.

The next two articles analyze the sublime and ridiculous of fraternalism. Stephen Dafoe examines Masonic writing over nearly 300 years, while John Goldsmith tells the story of DeMoulin Brothers & Co., the company that brought us the mechanical goat for initiations and likely the expression, "riding the goat".

American Masons are familiar with stories of Masonic brotherhood during our Civil War. Michael Halleran provides the meticulous documentation that moves the stories from lodge tradition to verifiable historical events.

Andreas Rizopoulos surprises us with the politics swirling around the formation of lodges in Greece. It's almost seems impossible from the perspective of the twenty-first century fraternity.

We end with Olaf Kuhlke's comparison of Soren Kierkegaard's theology and philosophy with that of Freemasonry - a worthwhile exercise for the reader.

My good friend and brother, Rex R. Hutchens, will start editing Heredom with volume 15. I am confident the general quality will improve, and that, of course, is the only direction for the timeliness of publication!

Book-review

This Volume 14 of Heredom, the famous Transactions of the Scottish Rite Research Society contains eight remarkable papers. I wish to dwell upon the first two articles, because they deal with the High Degrees, a subject of the highest interest to me, even though all the articles are of a scholarly level.

Bogdan's paper is focused on the High Degrees of Freemasonry. In exploring the High Degrees, the author - quite rightly - makes a distinction between what is known as the Templars Degrees, on one hand and the Scottish Degrees on the other one. It has been established - Pierre Mollier, Alain Bernheim - that the Scottish Degrees come from London, whereas the Templar Degrees have French origins. Bogdan is a researcher at the Department of Religious Studies and Theology at Goteborg University, Sweden. He is the author of Western Esotericism and Ritual Initiation published by the State University of New York Press in 2007.

The second paper published is by Alain Bernheim - one of the most reliable Masonic historians in the world, currently, 2007, Wor.M. of Ars Macionica the Lodge of Research of the Regular Grand Lodge of Belgium - and by Arturo de Hoyos - Grand Archivist and Grand Historian of the Supreme Council, 33^o, S.J.
In the Introduction to the Rituals of the Rite of Strict Observance, the authors emphasize the influence upon the development of High Degrees Masonry of this German Rite. This valuable paper presents - Appendix 2 - for the first time, the first three degrees of the German Rite of Strict Observance translated into English.

This issue of Heredom is a "must" for the masonic researcher and should be present in every, both personal and Lodge as far as Grand Lodge masonic library.

This Volume 14 is the last one edited by Brent Morris, we all ought to him a big thank for having brought Heredom to a such high level but don't be depressed Brethren, now he is the managing director of the Scottish Rite Journal.

Bruno Virgilio Gazzo
editor, PS Review of FM