Swedish teaching system

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Saint George's Cross
The Saint George Cross is a symbol of Swedish Freemasonry

The Swedish teaching system , also called Swedish Rite or Swedish Ritual , is a Christian-oriented way of teaching Freemasonry . It is processed in Germany by the Great State Lodge of the Freemasons of Germany (Freemason Order) .

History and dissemination

Johann Wilhelm waiter from Zinnendorf

The Swedish system is based on the files of Carl Friedrich Eckleff, who created the basis for the high-level system of the Freemason Order, a Christian-oriented branch of Freemasonry, in Sweden in 1756 . The actual authorship of the documents used by Eckleff has not yet been clarified.

The Swedish system spread to Scandinavia in the 18th century as the predominant Masonic teaching. Since 1770, the Swedish system has been worked on in Germany by the Great State Lodge of the Freemasons of Germany (Freemasons) in a variant that deviates slightly from the Scandinavian form after Johann Wilhelm Kellner von Zinnendorf .

From 1776 to 1779 the Zinnendorf system was also represented in Russia, as the Swedish system under Duke Karl von Södermannland it lasted a few years longer, but was ultimately discontinued.

The Swedish system is now being worked on in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Romania and Germany.

Structure and alignment

Christian Karl Friedrich Wilhelm von Nettelbladt
Otto Hieber

The Swedish system is based on the teaching of Jesus Christ as contained in the Holy Scriptures and regards belief in God, in the responsibility of man and in the immortality of the soul as postulates of reason . Through its Christian-mystical way of teaching, it strives to be an inwardly free person. The type of teaching emphasizes the character of a Christian knightly order, whereby the concept of knighthood is to be understood in the spiritual sense.

The Freemasonry system according Swedish form in the sense of their order thought a self-contained system with ten stages of knowledge or degrees which both the locust degrees and it builds up high degree include as a unitary structure. In terms of content, each degree builds on the previous one. In addition, there is an eleventh degree as an honorary degree. This is the main difference between the Swedish system and other Masonic teaching types, which separate Johannis grades and high grades from each other and are not geared towards a specific religious basis.

The rituals and symbolism of the Swedish system include, in addition to the building hut tradition common in Freemasonry, above all elements of French and English high-grade systems. Due to the mystical elements that sometimes go beyond this , the Swedish system is described by some sources as a renewal of medieval mysticism wrapped in Masonic forms .

Within each grand lodge using the Swedish system there is only one form of ritual in effect for each grade. The rituals in the various countries differ from one another, although the differences between the grand lodges in Scandinavia are only minor. Unlike in English Freemasonry, the ritual is not learned by heart, but one follows a valid ritual manuscript, which is supposed to ensure the uniformity and immutability of the ritual. In the course of history there have been several editors of the ritual that have not been adopted in all countries. Most important are probably the arrangements by Duke Carl von Södermannland for Sweden and by Christian Nettelbladt (begun in 1819) in Germany. In addition, the German variant of the Swedish system underwent extensive exegesis by Otto Hieber at the end of the 19th century .

Order departments

The system consists of three religious departments:

Johannis grades

  • 1st degree: Johannis apprentice
  • 2nd degree: Johannis journeyman
  • 3rd degree: Johannis master

Andreasgrade

  • 4th degree: Andreas apprentice
  • 5th degree: Andreas journeyman
  • 6th degree: Andreas Master

Chapter degrees

  • 7th degree: Knight from the East
  • 8th degree: Knight from the West
  • 9th degree: trusted brother of the Johannisloge
  • 10th degree: trusted brother of the Andreas Lodge

Honor level

  • Highest enlightened brother with the Red Cross with the abbreviation R + K , also called temple master and knight commander . At the moment, more than 70 Freemasons in Germany are holders of this order. Unlike the Danish Order of Merit for Freemasons of the same name, in Germany it is a purely Masonic honorary level without any public reference.

management

  • The Reverend Master rules a St. John's Lodge.
  • The brilliant Andreas master runs the Andreas Lodge .
  • The wise chapter master directs the chapter.
  • The highly luminous state grandmaster is responsible for grades 1 to 6.
  • The Weisesten Grand Master at the head of the Religious Council subject to the Chapter degrees from the 7th grade.

Public Order of Merit for Freemasons of the Swedish Teaching System

Charles XIII, King of Sweden and Norway
Frederick VII King of Denmark

Royal Order of Charles XIII.

King Charles XIII of Sweden founded and established the “Royal Order of Charles XIII. ". It is a civil medal and is only bestowed by the king on Freemasons. Originally, its number was limited to 33. He is not a Masonic Degree. There are currently around 60 Freemasons with this order.

Knight Commander with the "Red Cross"

In 1862 King Frederick VII of Denmark founded and established the Order of Knights-Commander with the “Red Cross” for Freemasons. He is not a Masonic Degree. Its membership was originally limited to 33. Today around 55 Danish Freemasons are holders of this order.

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Eugen Lennhoff / Oskar Posner / Dieter A. Binder: Internationales Freemaurer Lexikon, FA Herbig Verlagsbuchhandlung GmbH, Munich 2006, p. 241 ff.
  2. ^ Eugen Lennhoff / Oskar Posner / Dieter A. Binder: Internationales Freemaurer Lexikon, FA Herbig Verlagsbuchhandlung GmbH, Munich 2006, p. 769 ff.
  3. ^ Eugen Lennhoff / Oskar Posner / Dieter A. Binder: Internationales Freemaurer Lexikon, FA Herbig Verlagsbuchhandlung GmbH, Munich 2006, p. 769 ff.
  4. ↑ W. Kirk MacNulty: The Freemasons - The hidden knowledge , FA Herbig publishing house GmbH, Munich 2006, ISBN 978-3-7766-2482-3
  5. ^ Eugen Lennhoff / Oskar Posner / Dieter A. Binder: Internationales Freemaurer Lexikon, FA Herbig Verlagsbuchhandlung GmbH, Munich 2006, pp. 768, 769
  6. ↑ Ferdinand Runkel, Volume 3, pp. 210 ff
  7. ^ Eugen Lennhoff / Oskar Posner / Dieter A. Binder: Internationales Freemaurer Lexikon, FA Herbig Verlagsbuchhandlung GmbH, Munich 2006, p. 770