War of the Roses (1)

The war of the Roses

There is much to be said that the first public records of Masonic Lodges arose around Benedictine Monestaries. After all the Templars were connected closely to the Benedictine monasteries and building programmes were carried out around Benedictine monasteries. 

The initial vows of the Lodges then arose alongside the vows of the Monastic Orders themselves. And the three vows of Monastic Orders were reflected in the oaths and degrees of the Lodge. 

Also the officials of the Benedictine Monastery and that of the Lodge mirror each other closely. 

1. The Abbot in the Monastery mirrors the Worshipful Master in the Lodge. All brothers (Frater in both and in both receiving new names) listen to him and owe him obedience. 

2. The Cellaler in the Monastery mirrors the Steward in the Lodge. He functions as secretary and is responsible for all the needs of the brethren.

3. The Porter mirrors the Tyler. They receive the new members and check their credentials.

4. The Junior Warden mirrors the Master of the Novices. They instruct and are responsible for the brethren who have not progressed through all degrees yet.

Whereas the Porter remains outside the enclosure the three other officials are always sitting at the head of ceremonies. From there it is not hard to recognise the masonic origin of Protestant Churches. There will be sitting three elders in front of the congregation. Churches then are open Fraternities, whereas a Lodge is closed one. This is even the case with the Mormons.

A closer look at the Roman Catholic Church will show that they also will conform to this model. How then can the apparent conflict between the Roman Catholic Church en Freemasonry be explained?

The conflict between the Roman Catholic Church and Freemasonry is relatively of late origin. Apparently it happened as a response to English Protestantism, which created the modern form of Freemasonry and is quite adamant that this is the beginning of the history of Freemasons around 1717. 

It is no coincidence that when there is record of earlier lodges that they were in one way or another connected to Benedictine Monasteries. Not all Brethren in a Benedictine Monastery were equal. In most cases approx. one third were connected to a lodge connected to the Benedictine Monastery, whereas the other Brethren would not know anything about it. This was even the case within the Templar's. Some will have us believe that within the RC Church only very recently Bishops and Priest have joined Masonry. But it has been the case during the whole period R.C. Church apparently was against Masonry.

Let us not forget that even all symbols associated today with Masonry were during the 13th-17th centuries pack and parcel of Church Religious Paintings. It is only after the 18th Century that the two were separated.

We see here that the Templar's and later with them the Benedictines would have a different idea of the Papacy as had the Papacy itself. We can see that at the symbol of the Papal keys. The Pope was the Porter of his flock which were on their way either to hell or heaven. Peter would decide whether the door of Heaven (the Lodge) would open or not. 

As the Augustine's were really an offshoot of the Benedictines in the 14th century and as such were the carriers and caretakers of Protestantism in Germany it now becomes apparent why the resistance against Papal claims from men like Boniface VIII would have to arise from within the Church itself.

The Jesuits though were very much responsible for carrying through the Ultramontanist claims of the Papacy. This set the Jesuits at foot of war with the creations of the Benedictines and hence with Freemasonry.