Oration at the Consecration of R
Oration at the
Consecration of R.A.M Lodge Millennium (No.106)
Delivered by
V.W.Bro.R.Ratnaswami JRAMGO on 25 th July 2004.
Let me commence the oration by first rendering my grateful
prayers and obeisance to the Supreme Commander of the Universe for blessing me
with this opportunity and thanking our beloved M.W.Grand Master for
conferring on me this rare privilege of delivering an oration at the
consecration of this Lodge.
2. Let me also take this opportunity to congratulate the
distinguished brethren, who as the founder members had arranged for the
consecration of this new R.A.M Lodge, by our illustrious M.W.Grand Master, to be
moored to the Mark Lodge Millennium (No.106)
3. The historical evidence available regarding the origin of the Degree of
Royal Ark Mariners is meager and hence, the precise origin of the degree is not
known with certainty. Most of the theories in this regard appear to be
conjectures and surmises. The legend of Noah, his sons, the Ark and the Deluge
were enacted in the Mystery Plays of the seventeenth century, which was a major
entertainment with a religious tinge. The catechisms in many of the early
Masonic rituals contained references to the legend of Noah. There was a
degree known as the Degree of Noachites or
Prussian Knights in the 1750s, whose rituals referred to Noah, but was not in
anyway connected with Royal Ark Masonry. Masonic historians have
opined that unlike the Craft, this degree was not worked from time immemorial,
but that, the degree is 2 or 3 centuries old. Bro.Gould in his monumental book
“History of Freemasonry throughout the World” has observed that “Very little is
known as to the origin and early history of the Degree, which is claimed to have
been worked from “time immemorial” (Volume 4, page 319). Relying on the
circumstance that many new degrees originated between 1730 to 1780, some authors
are of the view, that the Royal
Ark Mariner
degree also originated at that time. The earliest
record we have of the degree having been worked and
conferred on the candidate, Bro.William Boyce is dated 1790, at Bath in England.
That fact establishes, that the degree should have
been in existence and practiced even prior to 1790. Bro.R.M. Handfield Jones
in his book “The Royal Ark Mariner Degree” (page 20) has referred to the
election to the Parliament in Ipswich in 1790 and that the Candidate Sir. Jno
D’Oyly was an Ark Mason and that processions were taken with a model of Noah’s
Ark and other insignia and that he won by a narrow majority with the active
support of Ark Masons. Bro.A.G.Mackey has observed that the following News item
about Ark Mariners was found in the London Monthly Magazine for December 1798 (Vol
–VI Page 424) “one of the new degrees in Freemasonry….They profess to be
followers of Noah and therefore call themselves as Noachidae or Sons of
Noah”. That fact also confirms the functioning of the degree in England in the
late 18 th century. The teaching of Noah subsequent to the deluge was said to be
primitive but simple and comprehensive and centered around righteousness. The
principles emanating from the saving of Noah and his family from annihilation
in the deluge came to be known as Noachite traditions. It is seen that the
existence of Noachite traditions within the body of English Freemasonry has been
recorded in Masonic documents as early as in 1726, which will be adverted to a
little later. The earliest documents now in the possession of the Grand Lodge
of Mark Master Masons of England are a dispensation authorizing the working of
the Degree dated 1796, signed by Bro.Robert Gill as ‘Acting Commander Noah’ and
an undated list of officers in Bro.Dunckerley’s handwriting wherein he had
described himself as Commander. That document should have been prior to his
death in 1795.
4. Bro.Thomas Dunckerley who was well known in many degrees in Freemasonry
had described himself in 1793 as Grand
Commander of the Society of Ancient Masons of the Diluvian Order of Royal Ark
Mariners, which fact shows, that there was a Grand Lodge of Royal Ark Mariners
then. “Freemason’s magazine”(Vol-3 page 147) of 1794 mentions about the
celebration of the birthday of Duke of Kent on 16 th August , arranged by
Bro.Thomas Dunckerley on behalf of the Masonic Orders of Knights Templar and
the Society of Antient Masons of the Diluvian Order. Bro. Dunckerley
appointed Bro. Ebenezer Sibley, who was a man of considerable ability in
several fields, as his Deputy. Bro.Sibley welcomed Lord Rancliffe as the
succeeding Grand Commander. Rancliffe held the office until 1799 after which
time the Grand Lodge gradually withered. The degree, however, survived and was
worked in many places. “Freemason’s Quarterly Review” published in April 1834
mentions about the meetings of Ark Mariners in England.
5. The Grand Lodge of Royal Ark Mariners
was revived in 1843 by Bro.John
F.Dorrington, but the same also did not survive. Bro.Morton
Edwards, after installation as Commander revived
The Grand Lodge of Royal Ark Mariners in 1870 with the help of Bro.Dorrington.
Meanwhile, The Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons of England was established in
1856. M.Wor.Bro.The Reverend Canon Portal, Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of
Mark Master Masons announced in 1870, that as the degree of Ark Mariner had
been worked in Mark Lodges from 1790, the Grand Mark Lodge should protect the
Royal Ark Mariner degree under a new Grand Master's Royal Ark Council. Conflict
and dissension continued even after 1870 and the Grand Lodge of Mark Master
Masons, ultimately purchased the Degree of Royal Ark Mariners from Bro.Morton
Edwards for a sum of £25. The receipt for this transaction is preserved in the
library of Mark Mason's Hall in St. James's Street, London. Since then, the
Degree is being administered by the Grand Master of the Grand Mark Lodge with
the Grand Master’s Royal Ark Council in England. We are also following the same
practice in India In Scotland the degree is attached to Royal Arch Chapter and
the Irish Constitution does not have this degree.
6. This Degree is unique in the sense that is not related to any other degree
in Freemasonry and is based on the theme that God was displeased with the
mankind on account of the sins committed by them and desired to wipe out all His
creations by a deluge, but however He chose the righteous man Noah and
instructed him to build an Ark and carry all species of animals and birds in
pairs, besides his family and Noah obeyed God’s directions and all of them
entered the Ark and thereafter there was deluge, but that the Ark safely floated
and settled in Mount Ararat and all of them disembarked and multiplied. Genesis
Chapters 6 to 8 contain the detailed account of the happenings and the saving of
the mankind from perishing in the universal deluge.
7. The Great Flood as recorded in the Bible was confirmed by archaeologists,
more particularly Sir Leonard Woolley, who had fixed its time as 6000 years ago.
All the religions teach us that there was such a deluge, in which God’s chosen
man obeyed His directions, built a boat and was saved.
8. We find a similar version in the Holy Quran Sura 11 Verses 26 to
49. It has been declared therein that the ultimate victory is for the righteous.
9. The older Hindu mythology mentions that Manu Vaivasvate was advised to
build a boat, which he complied and that the same was towed by the fish, which
was the matsya incarnation of God Vishnu.
10. The Sumerian literature in the
Sumerian King list
also referred to a great flood ,so also the Epic of Gilgamesh and they are
remarkably similar to the Biblical version. Utnapishtim, as advised by a God,
built a huge ark with the help of some craftsmen. He then loaded it with his
family, the craftsmen, and the seed of all living creatures and then the boat
floated in the flood waters and landed at the top of a mountain. Some birds were
released and then there was disembarkation. Utnapishtim offered sacrifice to the
Gods. Some authors suggest that the Genesis account was influenced by the older
Sumerian depiction.
11. There is a similar version in
Greek mythology.
The wrath of Zeus was on the original inhabitants of Greece. Deucalion was
forewarned to build an ark and store provision in it. He and his wife were the
surviving pair of humans, when the waters receded and their ark landed on
Mount Etna.
The Egyptians, the Greeks, the Chinese, the Druids of Britain, the Polynesians,
the Eskimos, Greenlanders, the Africans and the American Indians all have their
Flood stories which are more or less similar to the Biblical version.
12. This degree is thus based on the universal deluge and the chosen
righteous man obeyed God’s directions, escaped the great deluge and received
God’s blessings and assurance as proclaimed by all the religions. Scriptures
proclaim that Noah was “a just man, perfect in his generations and …. walked
with God”. He was the very symbol of obedience to God’s directions, in spite
of the scorn and ridicule of his other fellowmen. He, his family and the animals
and birds that were with him in the Ark were saved from total annihilation
because of his obedience to God. Holy Quran in Sura 3-Verse 132 lays down that
there should be obedience to Allah. Bible says: Whoever obeys the divine law,
and teaches others to do the same, will be great in the Kingdom of Heaven
(Matthew 5.19) Bhagavad-Gita has also stressed the importance of obedience to
divine law. Let me remind you that obedience is an excellence of character in
Masonry.
13. The ritual is short and precise. The symbolism however is profound and
the same appears to be the quintessence of the teachings of all the religions.
The first and the foremost is that human beings should be righteous, which can
be acquired by the obedience to all moral and religious injunctions. As Noah
lived obeying all moral and religious law, the Scripture proclaims that “Noah
was righteous and blameless among the people”. The righteousness of Noah has
been extolled throughout in the ritual and as Royal Ark Mariners, we should
strive to be righteous in our life and then only we will be worthy of the
expression “Noachidae” meaning sons of Noah.
14. His total surrender to God and implicit obedience to the Divine Commands
are the qualities that endeared him to God and made him the chosen man. Total
surrender to God has been prescribed as a guide to salvation in all religious
texts. Let me draw your kind attention to Verse 66 in Chapter 18 of
Bhagavad-Gita, wherein the Divine Teacher has undertaken to liberate all
those, who take refuge in him thus stressing the importance of surrender to God.
Have we not been taught in our rituals “ to bend with humility and resignation
to the will of the Great Architect of the Universe”. Surrender to God is thus a
Masonic virtue as well.
15. The first three steps symbolizing Beauty, Strength and Wisdom, represent
the Divine attributes and make us ponder over and realize the beauty of the
creations of God as well as the beauty of holiness, feel the strength of the
Divine dispensation and the omni potency of our Divine creator and acquiesce
and abide in His Divine Wisdom, which is infinite and a part of which is granted
to us to keep and develop in His service. On the proper and successful
completion of those steps, the next step, enables us to realize that we are
surrounded by the said three divine attributes giving us reasonable safety
transforming us to be fit to commence our ascent to higher levels of
spirituality. This degree has revealed Five Cardinal Virtues (whereas Craft
mentions only four) symbolizing the next five steps, which again are symbolic of
our ascent to perfection and righteousness. Watchfulness prevents us from
falling into pitfalls of sins. We must forever be vigilant and guard ourselves
against commission of sins, ever bearing in mind that His all seeing eye
observes us and it never slumbers, but pervades the universe. Discretion is
another blessing conferred upon mankind enabling us to differentiate between
good and evil, which facility helps us to think and avoid all evils besides
preventing misunderstandings and dissentions. We then move on to Brotherly Love,
which symbolizes the universal principle of the Fatherhood of God and the
Brotherhood of man. Along with Relief and Truth, the triad constitute the Grand
Principles on which the Order of Freemasonry is founded. The final step
symbolizes the distinguishing characteristics of Freemason’s heart. A brother
attaining all those qualities will be a righteous man fit to be called a
Noachida and achieving the excellence of Noachite traditions, which at one
time was the best of the Masonic traditions.
16. Royal Ark Mariner degree is of great relevance in the
overall scheme of Freemasonry as we know it today. The earliest reference to
Noah in connection with Freemasonry is in the Regius Poem of about 1390, which
is the earliest of the Code of Regulations relating to Freemasonry in England.
Subsequent references to Noah are found in Anderson’s Constitutions of 1726
and the Graham Manuscript of 1726 (another of Old Charges) Graham Manuscript
explicitly refers to the sons of Noah seeking the secret which their dead father
had possessed in a manner similar to the Traditional History of the Sublime
Degree. Noah story was the legend of the Craft long ago. In early ceremonies, it
was Noah who was found dead in a grave, not Hiram Abiff, and that it was Noah’s
three sons, Ham, Shem and Japhet, who raised the dead body on F. Pts of F and
obtained certain substituted secrets.
Anderson describes himself in Constitutions of 1738 "as a true Noachida."
and had further declared that “ Masons were first known as Noachidae”.Bro.
Mackey in his Encyclopedia referring to the expression has noted that it is “a
term applied to Freemasons on the theory, derived from the Legend of the Craft
that Noah was the father and founder of the Masonic system of theology. Hence,
Freemasons claim to be his descendants ….Anderson first used the word in this
sense in the second edition of the book of constitutions”, wherein he has
mentioned that “ A Mason is obliged to by his tenure to observe the moral law as
a true Noachida”. Rawlinson Manuscript contains a letter written by Grand Lodge
of England in 1735 using that expression. It is therefore clear, that long
prior to the formation of the Grand Lodge in England Noah Legend
was the main theme in the ceremony of the Craft and that
freemasons prided themselves in being known as Noachidae. Bro.Herbert Poole, who
publicized Graham Manuscript asserts that the legend of Noah was known to the
craft in ample form at least for 21 years before the formation of the Grand
Lodge in England. We find its legacy in the Craft, that the badge of office of a
Deacon in our Craft lodges is a dove clasping an olive branch in its beak.
17. The R.A.M. Lodges in this city are faring extremely
well, with good attendance, good rituals and abundant enthusiasm exuded by the
brethren and this useful addition will further promote Royal Ark Masonry. May
the Supreme Commander of the Universe bless this Lodge and its members and may
their united efforts meet with His approval and may all their activities tend to
be to His Divine Glory. Let me conclude by beseeching the Supreme Commander of
the Universe to grant His blessings to all the brethren present here and to make
us worthy Noachidae.
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