TWENTY-THIRD DEUREE; OR CHIEF OF THE TAD-ERNACLE.
[The candidate represents Ehiasaph, the son of Lael.
the son of Levi. The Senior Deacon, who represents Moses, prepares him, by bandaging his eyes, and leads him to the door and knocks seven; 00 00 00 0.]
Junior Deacon—[Representing Joshua, opens the door and says:] who comes there?
Senior Deacon—Ehiasaph, the son of Lael, the son of Levi, who desires to be prepared to the service of the people of the Lord in the Tabernacle of the congrega-tion and to make an atonement for the children of Israel.
Junior Deacon—Is this an act of his own free will and accord?
Senior Deacon—It is.
Junior Deacon—Is he duly pr.~pared and worthy to receive so great an honor?
Senior Deacon—He is.
Junior Deacon—By what further right does he
ex-Note 264.—’‘Chief of the Taluernanie. The 23d degree of the An-Ancient and Accepied rite. This is the first of a series of three degrees giving a foil description of the setting up of the Tabernacle in the wilderness. its form, materials, furniture. etc. the sacredotat and
sacri-SemI ceremonies performed by the Priests in their worship of the Deity.
sadescribed in theinstniuctions deilvered to Moses in Exodus xxix andxi.
The Ceremonies of this degree commemorate the institution of the orderof the High-Priesthood in Aaron and his sons Eleanar and ithamar.’
Maeeg~sEn~iopaedim sad Dictionary of Nreemaaonry, Ayttole Chief at
110 CHIEF OF THE TABERNACLE.
peet to obtain so great a privilege?
Senior Deacon—Because the Lord has given him and those numbered with him, as a gift lo Aaron aiid his sons from among the children of Israel; and he and his brethren have keen taken by the Lord instead o~ all the first-born among the children of Israel.
Junior Deacon—Let him wait a time with patience until the Most-Excellent High Priest is informed of his request and his answer returned. (Junior Deacon closes the door, goes to the East, knocks six and one, the High Priest answers them and the same questions are asked, and the like answers returned as before.)
High Priest—Since he comes endowed with these necessary qualifications, let him be conducted to the cell of probation and purification. (Junior Deacon goes to the door, opens it and repeats this order and the
Sc-n-ior Deacon conducts him to the darkeliamlier and seats him on the floor in front of the altar and skeleton.
Senior Deacon—My brother, I leave you for a while, and after I retire remove the bandage from your eyes and await with patience and fortitude whatever shall befall you. (He then retires anti the candidate removes the bandage. After a little while a loud crash of titun-der is heard near the door of the apartment followed by a profound silence and’ then in the profound stillness, one cries with a loud voice:)
First Voice—Korah, Dathan”5 and Abiramn555 and their company have put fires in their censers and laid
Note 265.—Dathtn.. A Reuhenite who, with i{orah awl Ahiram.
revolted agatast Moats and us-lawfully sought the priesthood in the Srst chapter of the Book of Numbers. wis--re tire whole accuant is given.
it is said that as a punishment the earth opened arid awsiio~~r-d fbi-ru
‘ip The’ is-iides-I is rs-is-rrr-d to is- the Order of High Priesthood, an hirirorary d’gree of the American Rite, which is conferred ups-s the instailid High Priests of Royri trrh Chapters ‘—Mackey’s Encysioptedia at Frasmasonry. Article Dathan.
Nuts 256.—t&htram.. The names of iCorab. flathan said Ahiram are introduced is-to High Priest Masonry. Ahiraxo s-as a it’urherritt-. ihc son if Elish. who. o ith Dathan as-S On. mt-n of the same tribe and Korab.
ci trslte. “rgiriin-d a c’rnspirrrcy against Moses arid Aaron. terminating in their swift ruin Numbers xv and xxvs.”—Morria’s Masonic Dictionary, Astrcie Aharam.
INITIATION. 111
incense thereon and stood in the door of the Tabernacle, before the Lord, and the Lord bath done a new thing, for the earth hath opened her mouth and hathi bwal-lowed them up, for their presumption, with all that ap-pertained to them and they have gone down alive into the chasm and the earth has closed upon them and they have perished froni among the e6ngregatioa. (Another crash of thunder.)
Second Voice—Flee children of Israel, for there bath come a fire from the Lord and consumed the two hun-dred and fifty men who offered incense. (Another crash of thunder.)
Third Voice—The children of Israel have murninryd against the Lord, and against Moses and Aaron for the death of Korali and his company, and lie hiath sent the plague upon them and many thousands have died there-of; and the whole people is abtiut to be destroyed.
(After a profound silence, a light is silenlly introduced into the room, at the bottom of the door, and closed again, and a gong is sounded loudly by the door, then another crash of thunder, when chains are rattled to-gether and dashed on the floor, and groans and enes are heard as of persons in great agony; then the wicket is opened.)
First Voice—Hast thou repented of thy sins?
Candidate—I have.
Second Voice—Pray then to the God of Israel for mercy and forgiveness, lest he consume thee with fire as he hath consumed Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron the High Priest.
Third Voice—(After a few minutes.) Hast thou bowed thee to the earth and prayed? (If not answered in the affirmative, he is ordered to do so. Then the Senior Deacon enters.)
Senior Deacon~—My brother, hast thou heard of the awful punishment with which God has visited those who not being duly qualified have presumptuously intermeddled with holy things? Take heed that thou
112 CHiEF ON THE TABERNACLE. INITIATION. 113 do notso likewise, f or as God has said that no stranger
not of the seed of Aaron shall approach to offer incense before the Lord that he be not dealt with as Korah and his companion, even so, if thou approach our mysteries, excepL with a~pure heart, thy sins repented oftand the,
sincere desire to serve God and thy fellow man, will their fate or a worse overtake thee. Doet thou now dare to proceed?
Canzd~’d~de—I do. (Senior Deacon sprinkles him with water and cuta off a lock of his hair.)
Senior Deacon—I sprinkle thee with pure water in tokcn of that purity of heart and blarneles8ness of life which must hereafter characterize thee as a Levite~’
without guile, and as I sever from thy head this Jock of hair, even so must thou divest thyself of every selfish and sordid feeling and devote thyself hereafter to the
scrvice of God and the welfare, happiness and improvement of mankind. (He then clothes him in a white tunic and white drawers, puts sandals on his feet and a.
white cloth over his head, covering his eyes so as to prevent him from seeing, and leads him to the door of the assembly and knocks seven; 00 00 00 0. The door is opened, he is admitted, the Junior War-den meets him, op~ns his tunic and makes the sign of the cross upon his breast.)
Junior Warden—Upon thy entrance in-to this holy place, thou art marked with the sign of the cross, which, pointing to
the four quarters of the compass, is a sym—Preparation of Can.
didate, Chief oftbe
~aber,iacIeDegree.
Note 361.—~L.YIteL Thoecdescendant. ot IaYt who were .mpIoy~
Eu the lowest ministerial dutiesof the Temple. and were thus
subcrdtn-ate to the priests who were the lineal descendants of Aaron. Tbe7
w,tereprpuented In some of tbe bigb degreea.’—Nacke7’. ~no~o1opad4a
Oflr..maaowy. Article Lovites.
bol of thc Universe of which God is the sou[, and it teaches ~ou how insignificant is man, and how contin-ually he should humble himsclf in the presence of that grcat being who knows his inmost thoughts. (The Sen-ior Deacon now conducts him three times around the
room, kecping the altar on his right, while the High Pricst reads:)
If igh P,4cst—O mighty and inscrutable being, wc bow down before Thce as the primitive creator, th~t with a tho~ight didst from thyself utter all the worlds!
Eternal Father, of whose thoughts the Universe is but a mode; infinitc in attributes, of which cach is infinite, incorruptible, coeval with time and co-extensive with space, the anelent, absolute and sole original existence;
whose laws of harmony guide the motions of the sun and stars. Thou art the all, and in Thee all things ex-ist. (At the end of the third circuit, the Senior Dea-con ha[ts with him in the East)
High Fries f—Whom do you bring hither, brother Senior Deacon?
Senior Deacon—Eliasaph, the son of Lael, whom God has given as a gift to thee, and to thy sons from among the children of Israel to do the service of the children
of Israel in the Tabernacle of the congregaLon and to make atonement for the children of Israel.
High Priest—Hath he prayed in the silence and darkness of the cell of probation and purificaLion?
Se~ior Deacon—He has.
Iliqh Priest—Hath he heard the thunder of thc Lord;
the roar of the earthquake, and repented of his sin8?
Senior Deacon—He has.
If igh Priest—Hath he been sprinkled with the water of purification, and passed through the other necessary ceremonies to prepare him to receive the niysteriea?
114 CHIEF OF TIlE TABERNACLE. INITIATION. 115 Senior Deacon—lIe has.
High Priest—Hast thou been warned that thou must enter here and seek to know our mysteries with a pure heart and a sincere desire to serve God and thy fellow-men?
Candidate—I have.
High Priest—Art thou willing henceforward to de-vote thyself to that service?
Candidate—I am.
High Priest—Brother Senior Deacon, you will now conduct the candidate to the West and cause him to approach the altar by seven steps, where he wilh knech with his wrists crossed upon the bible, square and com-pass. (Senior Deacon does so and the members sur-round him with their arms crossed on their breasts, when he contracts the following obligation:
OBLIGATLON CHIEF OF TIlE TABERNACLE.
I.... promise and swear never to reveal the secrets of this degree to any person or persons except he ha~
received all the preceding degrees, and not unto him or them unless lawfuJly eAtitled to receive the same.
To all of whic.{m I do most solemnly swear, binding myself under no less a penalty than that of having the earth open under my feet and being swallowed up alive, like Korah, Dathan and Abiram. So help me God.
High Prieste—My brother, what now dost thou de-sire?
Candidate—Light.
high Priest—Light is the gift of God, and common to all men. Brother Senior Deacon, bring this brother to light. (Senior Deacon removes the cloth.) High Priest—Be thou henceforth a son of light.
Arise my brother and receive the signs, tokens and words.
SIGN.
Advance the left foot; make with the right hand the motion of taking the Censer, which is supposed to be in the left hand.
TOKEN.
Seize each other by the left elbow with the right hand, bending the arm so as to form a kind of circle.
Token. ChIef of Tabernacle.
EiTTERY:—Seven strokes, by six and one, or thus;
0000000.
PASS wo~w :—Uriel.’”
Note SOS.—” An archangel, mentioned only in 2 Esdrs.. Michael Glycas, the Dysantine historian, says that his post is in the son. Snd that he came down to Seth and Enoch. and instructed them in the length of the years and the variations of the seasons. The ‘icok of loch describes him as the angel of thunder and lightning. In some at the Hermetic degrees of Masonry the name, as representing the angel at Ore heeomea a ii nifleant word. ‘—Mackeys Encycle~~ia of Vr.
mins~ Astlela vaiL
116 CHIEF OF THE TABERNACLE.
ANSWER:—The Tabeinacle of revealed truth.
SACIiED WORD:-Jehota/t; never pronounced but spelled.
High Priest—I accept and receive you my brother, as a Le~ite and Chief of the Tabernael&’ and consecrate and devote you liencetoith to the service of the children of light, andd now invest ~ou iuth the tunie~ and belt~
the jewel and apron of this degree.
Thie je~tel or censer of silver is ever to remind you to offer up unceasingly to God, the incense of good deeds and chiat-itable actions, dictated by a pure and upright heart. The three colors, crimson, blue and purple, with
~~liichthe uhite apron is bordered are symbols:
Red, of the sh)lendor and glory of God, Blue of his infinite perfection, and the Purple of his infinite
niRi-esiy and power.
‘l’hic seven branch eandlcstick, upon the apron, repre-setits ~that ~vereancielithv l~nowa a~ the se~-en planets or pri:icipal hcavenl~ bodies, viz : Saturn, Jupiter, Mars.
the Sun, Moon, Venus, Mercury and the Seven Angels, that the Hebrews assigned to their government, viz:
To Saturn i\l ichael.
To Mars X~vriel.
To Moon Saphiel.
To Jupiter ich.
To Sun Zeraclijel.
To Venus Ilainahiel.
The myrtle trqe of violet eclor. embroidered on the flap of the apron is a symbol of the immortality of the
—oulTliqh Priest—Brother Senior Deacon, you will now seat the brother among the Levites.
Note 269.—”Chrsf of the Tabernacle. EScotch MLaonry.1—The fifth degree cirrifirri ii In the consi-,tora- if I’rioces of the Royal Secrr-t. 5~atcb liasonry. arid thi- twenty-third upon thc catalogue of that system The heii~ings ire while The irl-tirri-at I-i inns relate to the establishment of the priesthad in thi- fimily of Airrinir The officers are thrr-e in ririnnirer. a Sa~ r-rr-lcn Sairiltir is-ri twi 111gb Priests Ihe inemhers are styli-i LAvites The assembly is termed a hicr,rchs. The apron 15 inhue, lined with seariet and trlmnrcd with a rlhbon of crimson. his-c lid pirrinic it dispirrys a coidi-ir 5.-Yes- hranched candlestick, on the [ikYalile irirt is 5 vi.,iet-i-oiori-ii myntir- The jewet is a pot of iri~-n5i-truing hiur. the instunt of e.~mlng to the sacrifice, closing, the c”nsutn-irrail-nir or the sacrifice —Mortise Masonic Dictionary. Articie Chief of
tho Tabernacle.
CLOSING CEREMONIES
CHIEF OF THE TABERNACLE.
High Priest—Eleazar, my son, what is the hour?
Eleazar—The sacrifices are concluded, and the fire burns brightly upon the altar of burnt offering.
If igh Priest—What now remains to be done?
Eleazar—To mediate in silence and prepare for the duties of the morrow.
High Priest—That we may retire and do so, let this Hierarchy be now closed. Together brethren.
AlL—(Give the Sign and Battery as at opening High Priest—I declare this Hierarchy closed.
FINITE MAN AND THE INFINITE GOD. 119