THE KNIGHTS OF ST. JOHN

When the armies of the First Crusade captured Jerusalem in 1099 A.D., the Christian community of that city greatly expanded and the small Hospital of St. John was hard pressed to provide for their needs.

Gerard, the Master of the Hospital, completely reorganized his establishment. He secured larger quarters and recruited additional members. Many of the crusaders made substantial  contributions to the hospital. New regulations were adopted to govern the organization and these were based on the Augustinian rule for a monastic society. The rules of government were complete down to precise instructions for treatment of the sick. The members took vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, and adopted a black robe for their habit. The insignia of their order was a white fishtailed cross of eight points to be worn on the left breast. On February 15, 1113, Pope Paschal II placed the Order under his personal protection and the organization prospered.

Raymond du Puy succeeded Gerard as Master in 1118. He also conceived of the need for military defenses against their warlike Moslem neighbors. Securing the approval of King Baldwin II, and of the Patriarch of Jerusalem, the Hospital developed a military arm in order to defend itself against the heathens and soon rivaled the Templar Order in feats of bravery and skill.  In later years, while the Templars defended the right in battle, the Hospitallers maintained the left of the line.

However, until the end of their active existence as a fighting force on the Island of Malta in 1798, their initial concern and attention was directed toward their function as a hospital.  When the Order of St. John assumed its military role, Raymond du Puy added a regulation for their conduct which included the following admonition, "... and to practice all of the other moral and religious virtues; so that, inflamed with charity, they shall not fear to take the sword in hand, and to expose themselves with prudence, temperance  and energy, to every kind of danger, for the defense of Jesus Christ and of the sacred cross, in the cause of justice and in that of the widow and orphans" . The Chivalric Freemason of today has subscribed to these identical sentiments. In 1187, Jerusalem was captured by the Saracens and in May 1291, the remnants of the Christian armies were finally driven from Acre, the last stronghold of the Crusaders in the Holy Land.

The headquarters of the Knights of St. John was moved to Margate, where they had maintained a hospital, and later to Acre, the last stronghold of the Christian forces in the Holy Land. Finally, in May 1291, the remnants of the Christian armies were driven from Acre.  The Hospitallers, and the Templars took ship to Cyprus where they remained for a number of years.  The Teutonic Knights, composed exclusively of German Nobles, went to Prussia and were given all lands to the east they could conquer from the Infidels.

The Knights of St. John secured reinforcements and financial aid from their Priories in Europe. They purchased ships and began to patrol the Mediterranean Sea. They very successfully opposed the Moslem pirates and slavers that infested the shipping lanes and opened the sea routes for peaceful trade and pilgrimages.

Desiring a home of their own, the Hospitallers attacked and took the Island of Rhodes, and occupied it on August 15, 1310. Improving the fortifications of the island and the harbor facilities, the Order continued to police the sea lanes of the area. At this period of their existence they acquired the name of Knights of Rhodes. When the Templars were suppressed in 1312, a great amount of their property was turned over to the Knights of Rhodes. 

In 1320, the Order of St. John was reorganized into 8 division, or languages, with one of the principal officers in charge of each country.  These were : The Grand Commander, Provence; the Grand Marshal, Auvergne; the Grand Hospitaller, France; the Grand Admiral, Italy; the Grand Conservator, Aragon; the Grand Bailiff, Germany; the Grand Chancellor, Castile; and the Grand Turcopolier, England. The Grand Master always resided at the headquarters, at this time, Rhodes.

In 1522 the Turkish Sultan, Suleiman II, the Magnificent, attacked the Island of Rhodes with 400 ships and 140,000 men. After valiant defense for 6 months and finally reduced to starvation, the Turks compelled the Knights to surrender. Because of their valiant and knightly conduct during the hostilities, the Hospitallers were permitted to withdraw from the island with all the honors of war. The Knights sailed to the Island of Candia [ Crete] and many returned to their European preceptories.  Emperor Charles V of Spain granted the Island of Malta to the Order in 1530, as a sovereign state, under his dominion. The order then changed its name to "The Sovereign Order of Knights of Malta". 

They again took up their quest of securing the sea lanes of the Mediterranean. Their activities included attacking Turkish ships and freeing Christian galley slaves. This was objectionable to Suleiman II and, regretting his former generosity toward the Knights, attacked the Island of Malta. The battle raged for 4 months in 1561 and after half of the Knights had been slain, and reinforcements reached them from Europe, the Turks withdrew, having lost 25,000 men who were killed in the enterprise.

For the next 200 years the seagoing Knights maintained patrol on the Mediterranean Sea. When the French Revolution occurred in the 1780's, the Order sided with the French Monarchy. Napoleon took control of the island in 1798 and ejected the Knights. England gained control of the island in 1814 by the terms of the Treaty of Paris.

WHAT REALLY MATTERS!

While the foregoing brief account provides perhaps interesting lines of research, it should again strongly be emphasized that insufficient evidence or proof is available in order to establish the possibility of a direct link between the old Chivalric Orders and the Masonic Higher Degrees. 

To avoid any misunderstanding, it must be stressed therefore, that whenever our ritual states that "Masonic Tradition reports ..." such statement is not meant to signify to us that the events, portrayed or referred to in the ceremonies which they allude to, are historically true. This is not the main point.

What really matters to us, is of a different nature.

As a subject of comparison, we should remember that the truly religious man will not be worried to enquire whether the Bible, the Coran or the Vedas, etc. have a historical value or fully match the findings of scientific research.

Nor will he waste his time trying to discover documents and other evidence concerning the birth, life and death of Moses, Christ or Mohamed.  The true believer will instead base his religious conduct on faith. He will concentrate his reflections on the spiritual and moral teachings of
his religion, and make use of them as the guide and rule in his life. Similarly, in Craft Masonry, any wise Brother will know that he should not look upon the story of the building of King Solomon's Temple nor upon the Masonic ritual, as a true account of historically established facts, nor will he start digging as a stupid archeologist on and about Mount Moriah in order to try recovering the lost Master's word. 

Using a distinctive method of teaching, which it has in common with the Mysteries of Ancient Egypt and Greece, Freemasonry conveys a spiritual message, through its solemn ceremonies, veiled in allegories and symbols, meant to address the heart rather than the intellect, and which in order to be transmitted properly require from its recipients personal participation, patience  and perseverance. 

Likewise again, in the Higher Degrees, the ritual is built upon legendary and poetic epics, the moral and spiritual content of which, is much more important for Masons than any presumed facts, upon which the ceremonies may have been based.

The Higher Degrees rituals span a long period of Human history, covering episodes some of which are supposed to have taken place thousands of years ago, others which occurred during the Crusades, and still other which provide the legendary link between Knights Templar and Speculative Masonry.

The Masonic ritual in the Higher Degrees, performed like a theatre play, with each actor memorizing his part, reinforced by attractive music, the use of dazzling costumes, elaborate paraphernalia, fantastic decorations and dramatic light effects, where the unprepared, ignorant candidate is himself part of the cast, and is made to play a central role in the performance, greatly contributes in creating that favorable emotional climate whereby the initiate is most likely to best feel and understand the secret message which each degree is meant to convey. I do not believe like R.F. Gould that such decorum is likely to impress only upon such particular bent of the mind as is proper to the French "which we know to be volatile, imaginative and decidedly not conservative in their instincts, loving glory and distinction..." and " very eager to introduce mysterious ceremonies ... "[20]

I had occasion to visit the Rose-Croix Chapter in Dublin, Ireland and see its fantastic Gothic stalls, carved from solid oak, the stained glass windows and the rows of banners. I also was taken there in the Grand Royal Arch Temple which is entirely built in Egyptian style.  Surely this proves that this phenomenon is not limited to France or some Latin countries.

The most extravagant Masonic reconstructions of Egyptian and Greek Temples are probably located in the United States, where degree work is conducted in Hollywood style, using all possible stage effects, and with a number of participants that is only possible in America ...

In opposition to Craft Lodge ritual, which is as simple and stately as the Gothic style of Medieval Masonry, so is the ritual in the Higher Degrees as rich, varied and ornate as 18th century Baroque Architecture.  Truth is one but can be reached from many sides., Craft Masonry, Scottish Rite and York Rite are like different roads leading to the same place. Masonic ceremonies have but one aim : to maintain our enthusiasm, to excite our intellectual curiosity, and to awaken our reflections, in order to help us to understand and assimilate those important spiritual truths and moral virtues, which extend beyond the grave, beyond time and space, through the boundless realms of eternity ...

[1] Beyond the Craft by Keith B. Jackson, 1982, Lewis Masonic, Shepperton, Middlesex.

[2] A Bridge to Light by Rex R. Hutchinson, 32nd K:.C:.C:.H:., Supreme Council of the A:. & A:.S:.R:., Washington, D.C., 1988, Electric City Printing Company, Anderson, south Carolina.

[3] Clausen's commentaries on morals and dogma by Henry C. Clausen, Supreme Council of the A:. & A:.S:.R:., Washington, D.C., 1983, Neyenesh Printers, San Diego, California.

[4] Les Ducs sous l'Acacia, ou les premiers pas de la Franc Maconnerie Francaise, 1725-43, par Pierre Chevalier, 1964, Librairie Philosophique Vrin, Paris.

[5] Charles Radclyffe, Earl of Derwentwater [ 1693-1746] was an illegitimate grandson of King Charles II. Cfr. La Franc-Maconnerie en France, des origines a 1815, 1908, Nouvelle Librairie Nationale, Paris. Slatkine Reprint 1985 Paris. see pp. 109-151 chapter on Charles Radclyffe.

 [ 6 ] The Duke of Richmond, Duc d'Aubigny, was also an illegitimate grandson of King Charles II and was Grand Master of the Premier Grand Lodge in 1724/25. Accordingly the Duke of Richmond and Charles Radclyffe were cousins. Cfr. Le Mystere du Chevalier Ramsay, par Eliane Brault, 1973, Editions du Prisme, Paris, p.81.

[7] Transactions of the Quatuor Coronati Lodge, 1934, Volume 47, p.77

[8] Bibliotheque Nationale, Col.J. de Fleury, Paris, Volume 84, p.122

[9] Two letters from Ramsay to Cardinal Fleury, Archives du Ministere des Affaires Etrangeres, 1308, Fos 211-212.

[10] Ordre hospitalier et militaire de Saint-Lazare de Jerusalem. cfr. Larousse du XXe siecle, vol.4, p.373.

[11] Ramsay was for some time tutor to the Prince of Turenne, Duke of Bouillon and published a "History of Turenne". The Duke granted him a pension and gave him a country house, where Ramsay spent the last years of his life.

[12] The Temple and the Lodge" by Michael Baigent & Richard Leigh, 1989, Jonathan Cape, London. p.194

[13] Cfr. La Franc-Maconnerie Templiere et Occultiste by Rene Le Forestier, 1987, La Table d'Emeraude, Paris.

[14] Lord Clifford of Chudleigh, related by marriage to Radclyffe.

[15] The Earl of Kilmarnock, Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Scotland, 1742-43.

[16] The Temple and the Lodge ibid. p. 197

[17] The York of Freemasonry, a History and Handbook by Frederick G.Speidel, 1978, approved  by the General Grand Chapter, Royal Arch Masons International, Press of Oxford Orphanage, Raleigh, north Carolina. p.56-61

[18] Ibid. The Temple and the Lodge pp.1-13

[19] Born in Blood by John J. Robinson, 1989, M. Evans & Co. New York. The author tells how Knights Templar, fleeing arrest and death, were accepted by Freemasons in Britain. Bro. J. Robinson is an amateur historian and a member of the southern California Research Lodge.

[20] History of Freemasonry by R.F Gould, 1931, London.