Order of Freemasons under the Supreme Council of the 33rd and Last Degree of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite in the Netherlands 

The Scottish Rite of the freemasons appears first to have been organized in the United States in 1801, with a good deal of spurious history as underpinnings. It offers higher degrees to a Master Mason (the third and highest of the traditional degrees, and as far as he can go in his blue lodge). Twenty-nine of these Higher Degrees (the 4th to the 32nd) are normally taken more-or-less simultaneously over the course of a few days. (It is possible to work each degree fully, in stages, but this is not usual.) The ritual for these speeded-up de­grees (called “communicated” degrees) normally consists a short lecture on the degree, followed by a recitation the appropriate oath. The 33rd degree is honorary and is conferred upon those who already hold the 32nd degree and have distinguished themselves in the craft.

There are both Northern and Southern Jurisdictions of the Scottish Rite in the United States. Taking the Northern Lodge as an example, the Lodge of Perfection confers the 4th to 14th degrees; the Council, Princes of Jerusalem, confers the 15th and 16th; the Chapter of Rose Croix confers the 17th and 18th; and the Consistory confers the remainder.

Unlike the York Rite, which can be worked to the highest degree only by Christians, the Scottish Rite is open to Jews and others.

This rite was founded in the Netherlands in 1912. According to internal regulations, it appears that until the late 1980s one worked as of from the 22nd Degree, since that time the order started working from the 4th Degree. Practically, initiations take place at this time in the Netherlands in the 4th, 14th, 18th, 22nd, 28th, 30th, 31st, 32nd and 33rd Degree. The other degrees are çommunicated upon the candidates.

In the Netherlands it was a custom for a long time that candidates should be a loyal member of the 'Higher Degrees'. In the last years the procedure for admission is simplified. Everyone who has been a Master Mason in good standing for at least one year can apply for this rite.

The 33 degrees of the scottish rite are similar to the first 33 degrees of the Rite of Memphis Misraïm

The Degrees of the Order:

First Class - Symbolical Lodges (Blue Degrees; in the Netherlands these degrees are worked in lodges under jurisdiction of the Order of Freemasons under the Grand Orient):

                        1 Entered Apprentice
                        2 Fellow Craft
                        3 Master Mason

    Second Class - Lodge of Perfection (Red Masonry):

     
           4 Secret Master
            5 Perfect Master
            6 Intimate Secretary
            7 Provost and Judge
            8 Intendant of the Building
            9 Chapter of Elected Knights
            10 Illustrious Elected of Fifteen
            11 Twelve Illustrious Knights
            12 Grand Master Architect
            13 Royal Arch
            14 Lodge of Perfection
     

    Third Class - Council:

            15 Knight of the East, or Sword
            16 Prince of Jerusalem
     

    Fourth Class - Chapter:

            17 Knight of the East and West
            18 Prince of the Rose Croix of Herodem
     

    Fifth Class – Areopagus (Philosophical Degrees of Black Masonry)

            19 Grand Pontiff
            20 Grand Master of all Symbolic Lodges
            21 Patriarch Noachite or Chevallier Prussian
            22 Knight of the Royal Axe, or Hachet
            23 Chief of the Tabernacle
            24 Prince of the Tabernacle
            25 Knight of the Brazen Serpent
           26 Lord of Mercy
            27 Grand Commander of the Temple
            28 Grand Knight of the Sun, or Prince Adept
            29 Grand Master Ecosé, or Knight of St. Andrew
            30 Grand Elect Knight Kadosh 

     
    Sixth Class – Consistory (Administrative Degrees, or White Masonry):

            31 Grand Inspector Inquisitor Commander 
            32 Sovereign or Sublime Prince of the Royal Secret 
     

    Seventh Class - Supreme Council:

            33 Soevereign Grand-Inspector-General

 

Under the Supreme Council in the Netherlands work 14 consistories: 

Initiations in the 4th and 18th degree take place in the various consistories, the initiations in the other degrees only take place in Amsterdam. The order has in the Netherlands approximately 930 members, overseas about 280.

Rules of the Dutch Supreme Council
On our CD-Rom Freemasonry and Fraternal Organizations we have published a number of rituals and other texts of this form of freemasonry.