Templar Edification

By: Companion Eric Thiem In the Select Master Degree, we are informed of items of significance that are placed in the Ark of the Covenant to be discovered by future generations on their return from Babylon; or in the case of York Rite Masonry to be discovered previously in the Royal Arch Degree. One of those items to be placed in the Ark is an omer of Manna. Doing research; one finds that an omer was an ancient unit of measurement, which is one tenth of an ephah, roughly equivalent to 1.5 to 2 quarts worth. Another definition is the amount of manna it would take to feed one over a period of time, roughly seven weeks or the time between Passover and Shavuot (1) . The Old Testament describes manna as being a fine flake like bread that tasted like wafers that were made with honey. In Exodus 16:19-20, Moses instructs the Israelites not to keep the manna more than a day and when the Israelites disobeyed Moses and kept it and they discovered the manna to be full of maggots and have a pungent...

The history or Cryptic Council has its formal origins in the American Colonies, shortly after winning independence from Great Britain. Cryptic Council at its inception was originally part of the York Rite Chapter Lodges. The Royal Master and Select Master degrees were part of Chapter prior to Cryptic Council separating from York Rite Chapter. The Chronological order of the Council degrees had the Royal Master Degree was conferred just prior to receiving the sublime Royal Arch Degree. The Select Master degree was conferred shortly after receiving the Royal Arch Degree. It is thought that the Royal and Select Master Degrees originated in France in the first half of the 18th century. The Royal and Select Master degrees were known as travelling degrees throughout the Eastern United States in the late 1700’s and 1800’s and were conferred on special occasions similar to how we  in Minnesota and in many other states confer the Super Excellent degree today. Council was split off from Royal...

During the closing in the Select Master Degree, we are introduced to a person by the name of Giblim. We learn that he and twenty one others are from a place known as Gebal. Gebal was a city in ancient Phoenicia. The city of Gebal was located on the Mediterranean coast on what are now the foothills of Southern Lebanon. It was located 26 Miles north of modern day Beirut. The name Gebal translates into “Mountain of God.” The city of Gebal was known to the ancient Greeks as “Byblos.” Byblos was known in Grecian times for its extensive trade and facilitation of moving papyrus between Egypt and Greece. Byblos was also known as playing a pivotal role in the dissemination of written information in the ancient world 1 . The word Bible derives from this Greek name. The city of Gebal was thought to be founded around 8800 BC, making it one of the first and oldest continuously occupied cities in recorded history of the world. For the first few thousand years, Gebal was originally a dependency of Eg...

In the Royal and Select Masters Degrees we are introduced to Ahishar and Adoniram and their roles in teaching us the lessons that these two degrees have to offer. In the Royal Master degree we are introduced to Adoniram and the role he plays in teaching us about the death of Hiram Abiff and the Master’s word being lost. It is believed among individuals who are not Masons that Adoniram and Hiram Abiff are one in the same. Adoniram was a high ranking official in King Solomon’s court. He was responsible for overseeing the collection of taxes throughout Israel, a portion of which went into the building of King Solomon’s Temple. He was also responsible for and oversaw the labor force in the construction of the Temple. Adoniram was also responsible for acquiring and getting the resources needed for the Creation of the Temple to the Temple Mount. Adoniram is described in the Talmud as having great wisdom and dedication. He was the principal tax collector of Israel under King Solomon. He was a...