Rectified Scottish Rite
The Rectified Scottish Rite is a Christian Masonic system associated particularly with Jean-Baptiste Willermoz. The French expression Régime Écossais Rectifié describes its organisation as a whole, while Rite Écossais Rectifié refers more specifically to its ritual form. Both are commonly abbreviated RER.[1]
Formation
Its development drew on French Masonry, the Strict Observance and the teaching of Martines de Pasqually. The Convent of the Gauls in 1778 adopted constitutional codes for the Rectified lodges and the Knights Beneficent of the Holy City. The reform subsequently gained European approval at Wilhelmsbad in 1782.[1]
Public organisation
The published account of the system distinguishes a Masonic class from an Inner Order. The Masonic class comprises the three Craft degrees and Scottish Master of St Andrew. The Inner Order includes the preparatory status of Squire Novice and the Knights Beneficent of the Holy City, usually abbreviated from the French as CBCS. Eighteenth-century accounts also identify a further body devoted to doctrinal study, called the Profession.[2]
Religious character
The Grand Prieuré des Gaules presents Christian faith, moral development and practical beneficence as central to the system. Its account identifies both Christian tradition and Pasqually’s teaching on humanity’s spiritual condition as formative influences.[3]
Related names
The Rectified system is distinct from the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, whose 33-degree organisation is administered by Supreme Councils. “Scottish” occurs in the names of several Masonic systems and does not identify a single governing body.[4]
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 “Historique du RER”, L’Initiation, reproducing a historical account published by the Grand Prieuré des Gaules in 1995.
- ↑ L’Initiation, “Organisation du RER (Régime Écossais Rectifié)”.
- ↑ Grand Prieuré des Gaules, “Maçonnerie et Chevalerie”, public account of the Rectified system’s sources and aims.
- ↑ Supreme Council for England and Wales, “History”, public history of the Ancient and Accepted Rite.
Martinism and its historical background: Overview · Martines de Pasqually · Louis-Claude de Saint-Martin · Jean-Baptiste Willermoz · Papus · Augustin Chaboseau · Élus Coëns · Rectified Scottish Rite · Comparison with related traditions