This program was intended to help educate the Cryptic Masons of the State of Illinois on the history of the various degrees that comprise the Chapter. Topics covered in this program include the histories of those degrees both Masonically and historically, as well as a degree synopsis for each of the degrees. The way the program was designed was as an informational pamphlet providing facts along with its source so as to induce further self-study. Additionally, at the culmination of each degree there will be a short quiz.
The Council of Cryptic Masons consists of three degrees, two of which follow the general format of the Blue Lodge Degrees; however their reception includes witnessing the events that occurred in between the second and third degrees, as well as slightly after the third degree. The third of these degrees is considered an honorary degree and does not historically or symbolically coincide with any of the first nine degrees, however its importance aids in the further understanding of a previous degree. The first of these degrees is the Royal Master degree, in this degree we discover how the Grand Omnific Word was preserved prior to its retrieval in the Royal Arch degree. In the Select Master degree, we witness the discovery and retrieval of that word. And lastly, the third degree of the Cryptic Council, is styled the Super Excellent Master degree. This degree covers that time period where the Jews were taken into captivity by the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar
In order to complete this educational program, you will need three readily available and easy to access books which with the exception of the ritual book is provided for you and can be downloaded at your convenience.
Please note that the quizzes are based on the reference material and may not fully match the current Illinois ritual.
Educational Resources for this Program
Cryptic Masonry by Albert Mackey
http://books.google.com/books?id=nkw4AAAAMAAJ
The Textbook of Cryptic Masonry by Jackson Chase
http://books.google.com/books?id=2v5JAAAAIAAJ