A Teacher
Albert Pike
Scottish Rite leader who systematised Masonic philosophy in a single tome.
The transmission
Albert Pike was an American lawyer, soldier, poet and Freemason. Initiated in 1850, he became Sovereign Grand Commander of the Scottish Rite’s Southern Jurisdiction in 1859, holding the office until his death in Washington, D.C., in 1891.
He is best known for compiling ‘Morals and Dogma of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry’, first published in 1871.
What they gave
His ‘Morals and Dogma’ (1871) wove together philosophy, comparative religion, mythology and symbolism into a vast esoteric commentary on the Scottish Rite degrees, becoming one of Freemasonry’s most influential and debated works.
The line they stand in
He reshaped the rituals and doctrine of the Scottish Rite Southern Jurisdiction, whose degree structure continues to bear his imprint.