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and the world the abode of reasonable men. Morality alone will bring about this change imperceptibly.Every father of a family will be, as formerly Abraham and the patriarchs, the priest and unfettered lord ofhis family, and Reason will be the only code of Man. This is one of our greatest secrets....[46]But whilst completely eliminating any idea of divine power outside Man and framing his system onpurely political lines, Weishaupt is careful not to shock the susceptibilities of his followers by any open repudiationof Christian doctrines; on the contrary, he invokes Christ at every turn and sometimes even in languageso apparently earnest and even beautiful that one is almost tempted to believe in his sincerity. Thushe writes: This our great and unforgettable Master, Jesus of Nazareth, appeared at a time in the world whenit was sunk in depravity.... The first followers of His teaching are not wise men but simple, chosen from thelowest class of the people, so as to show that His teaching should be possible and comprehensible to allclasses and conditions of men.... He carries out this teaching by means of the most blameless life in conformitywith it, and seals and confirms this with His blood and death. These laws which He shows as theway to salvation are only two: love of God and love of one's neighbour; more He asks of no one.[47]So far no Lutheran pastor could have expressed himself better. But one must study Weishaupt's writingsas a whole to apprehend the true measure of his belief in Christ's teaching.Now, as we have already seen, his first idea was to make Fire Worship the religion of Illuminism; theprofession of Christianity therefore appears to have been an after-thought. Evidently Weishaupt discovered,as others have done, that Christianity lends itself more readily to subversive ideas than any other religion.And in the passages which follow we find him adopting the old ruse of representing Christ as a Communistand as a secret-society adept. Thus he goes on to explain that " if Jesus preaches contempt of riches, Hewishes to teach us the reasonable use of them and prepare for the community of goods introduced byHim,"[48] and in which, Weishaupt adds later, He lived with His disciples.[49] But this secret doctrine isonly to be apprehended by initiates: No one... has so cleverly concealed the high meaning of His teaching,and no one finally has so surely and easily directed men on to the path of freedom as our great master Jesusof Nazareth. This secret meaning and natural consequence of His teaching He hid completely, for Jesus hada secret doctrine, as we see in more than one place of the Scriptures.[50]Weishaupt thus contrives to give a purely political interpretation to Christ's teaching: The secret preservedthrough the Disciplinam Arcani, and the aim appearing through all His words and deeds, is to giveback to men their original liberty and equality.... Now one can understand how far Jesus was the Redeemerand Saviour of the world.[51]The mission of Christ was therefore by means of Reason to make men capable of freedom[52]: " Whenat last reason becomes the religion of man, so will the problem be solved."[53]Weishaupt goes on to show that Freemasonry can be interpreted in the same manner. The secret doctrineconcealed in the teaching of Christ was handed down by initiates who " hid themselves and their doctrineunder the cover of Freemasonry,"[54] and in a long explanation of Masonic hieroglyphics he indicatesthe analogies between the Hiramic legend and the story of Christ. " I say then Hiram is Christ," and aftergiving one of his reasons for this assertion, adds: " Here then is much ground gained, although I myself cannothelp laughing at this explanation [obwohl ich selbst über diese Explication im Grund lachen muss]."[55]Weishaupt then proceeds to give further interpretations of his own devising to the masonic ritual, includingan imaginary translation of certain words supposed to be derived from Hebrew, and ends up by saying: "One will be able to show several more resemblances between Hiram and the life and death of Christ, or dragthem in by the hair."[56] So much for Weishaupt's respect for the Grand Legend of Freemasonry !In this manner Weishaupt demonstrates that " Freemasonry is hidden Christianity, at least my explanationsof the hieroglyphics fit this perfectly; and in the way in which I explain Christianity no one need beashamed to be a Christian, for I leave the name and substitute for it Reason."[57]But this is of course only the secret of what Weishaupt calls " real Freemasonry "[58] in contradistinctionto the official kind, which he regards as totally unenlightened: " Had not the noble and elect remainedin the background... new depravity would have broken out in the human race, and through Regents, Priests,and Freemasons Reason would have been banished from the earth."[59]In Weishaupt's masonic system, therefore, the designs of the Order with regard to religion are not confidedto the mere Freemasons, but only to the Illuminati. Under the heading of " Higher Mysteries "Weishaupt writes: The man who is good for nothing better remains a Scottish Knight. If he is, however, aparticularly industrious co-ordinator [Sammler], observer, worker, he becomes a Priest.... If there areamongst these [Priests] high speculative intellects, they become Magi. These collect and put in order thehigher philosophical system and work at the People's Religion, which the Order will next give to the world.Nesta H. Webster — Secret Societies and Subversive Movements — Part I— 117 —
Should these high geniuses also be fit to rule the world, they become Regents. This is the last degree.[60]Philo (the Baron von Knigge) also throws an interesting light on the religious designs of the Illuminati.In a letter to Cato he explains the necessity of devising a system that will satisfy fanatics and freethinkersalike: " So as to work on both these classes of men and unite them, we must find an explanation to theChristian religion... make this the secret of Freemasonry and turn it to our purpose."[61] Philo continues:We say then: Jesus wished to introduce no new religion, but only to restore natural religion and reasonto their old rights. Thereby he wished to unite men in a great universal association, and through the spreadof a wiser morality, enlightenment, and the combating of all prejudices to make them capable of governingthemselves; so the secret meaning of his teaching was to lead men without revolution to universal libertyand equality. There are many passages in the Bible which can be made use of and explained, and so allquarrelling between the sects ceases if one can find a reasonable meaning in the teaching of Jesus-be it trueor not. As, however, this simple religion was afterwards distorted, so were these teachings imparted to usthrough Disciplinam Arcani and finally through Freemasonry, and all masonic hieroglyphics can be explainedwith this object. Spartacus has collected very good data for this and I have myself added to them,...and so I have got both degrees ready....Now therefore that people see that we are the only real and true Christians, we can say a word moreagainst priests and princes, but I have so managed that after previous tests I can receive pontiffs and kings inthis degree. In the higher Mysteries we must then (a) disclose the pious fraud and (b) reveal from all writingsthe origin of all religious lies and their connexion....[62]So admirably did this ruse succeed that we find Spartacus writing triumphantly: You cannot imaginewhat consideration and sensation our Priest's degree is arousing. The most wonderful thing is that greatProtestant and reformed theologians who belong to [Illuminism] still believe that the religious teachingimparted in it contains the true and genuine spirit of the Christian religion. Oh ! men, of what cannot you bepersuaded? I never thought that I should become the founder of a new religion.[63]It is on the " illuminized " clergy and professors that Weishaupt counts principally for the work of theOrder. Through the influence of the Brothers [he writes], the Jesuits have been removed from all professorships,and the University of Ingoldstadt has been quite cleansed of them....[64]Thus the way is cleared for Weishaupt's adepts.The Institute of Cadets also comes under the control of the Order: All the professors are members of theIlluminati,... so will all the pupils become disciples of Illuminism.[65]Further:We have provided our clerical members with good benefices, parishes, posts at Court.Through our influence Arminius and Cortez have been made professors at Ephesus.........The German schools are quite under [the influence of] and now only members have charge of them.The charitable association is also directed by .........Soon we shall draw over to us the whole Bartholomew Institute for young clergymen; the preparationshave already been made and the prospects are very good, by this means we shall be able to provide thewhole of Bavaria with proper priests.[66]But religion and Freemasonry are not the only means by which Illuminism can be spread. We must consider[says Weishaupt], how we can begin to work under another form. If only the aim is achieved, it doesnot matter under what cover it takes place, and a cover is always necessary. For in concealment lies a greatpart of our strength. For this reason we must always cover ourselves with the name of another society. Thelodges that are under Freemasonry are in the meantime the most suitable cloak for our high purpose, becausethe world is already accustomed to expect nothing great from them which merits attention.... As in the spiritualOrders of the Roman Church, religion was, alas ! only a pretence, so must our Order also in a noblerway try to conceal itself behind a learned society or something of the kind.... A society concealed in thismanner cannot be worked against. In case of a prosecution or of treason the superiors cannot be discovered....We shall be shrouded in impenetrable darkness from spies and emissaries of other societies.[67]In order to give a good appearance to the Order, Weishaupt particularly indicates the necessity for enlist-Nesta H. Webster — Secret Societies and Subversive Movements — Part I— 118 —
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Nesta H. WebsterSecret Societies an
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That the author was right in his de
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1. Moniteur for the 14th Fructidor,
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and that " the priests did not shut
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Is the Cabala, then, as Gougenot de
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system of the Jewish hierarchy and
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traditions woven into a coherent na
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This passage would alone suffice to
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itive innocence of the garden of Ed
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1. August le Plongeon, Sacred myste
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ah was not that of ' a light to lig
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110. Matter, op. cit., II. 364.111.
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By means such as these the extraord
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policy. A system which, with no oth
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devoted his life to murder. Thus by
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CHAPTER IIITHE TEMPLARSIN the year
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nesses, says the official report, "
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As to the Pope, we have already see
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The Paulicians who flourished about
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regard to the miracles of Christ is
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ing homage to the powers of darknes
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27. Ibid., p. 384.28. F. Funck-Bren
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CHAPTER IVTHREE CENTURIES OF OCCULT
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from this source. Indeed Eliphas L
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ment of physics by which the mystic
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It will be seen that, according to
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Moreover, towards the end of the ce
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existence to the world under the na
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the true and indisputable facts con
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legia in Scotland, at Kilwinning, M
Page 62 and 63:
Apprentices, Fellow Crafts, and Mas
Page 64 and 65:
Moreover, according to a masonic tr
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sider one more link in the chain of
Page 68 and 69: but more likely borrowed from the R
Page 70 and 71: 1. A Free Mason's answer to the Sus
Page 72 and 73: Les Sociétés Secrètes en Allemag
Page 74 and 75: ment, but in the transformation tha
Page 76 and 77: middle of the eighteenth century sp
Page 78 and 79: Freemasonry traced to the Crusades:
Page 80 and 81: Cross; and finally, that a degree o
Page 82 and 83: claimed to be not merely a part of
Page 84 and 85: 1. Histoire de la Monarchie Prussie
Page 86 and 87: 41. A.Q.C., XXXII. Part I. p. 17.42
Page 88 and 89: Convallium, von Haugwitz (Cabinet M
Page 90 and 91: thentic they were the work of Volta
Page 92 and 93: speech had reached the ears of Fred
Page 94 and 95: 1782 an English Freemason writes: "
Page 96 and 97: Contemporaries, however, take him l
Page 98 and 99: 25. Evidently a reference to the se
Page 100 and 101: CHAPTER IIXTHE JEWISH CABALISTSIT h
Page 102 and 103: Podolia, known as Ba'al Shem Tob, o
Page 104 and 105: applied to Falk in his quest for th
Page 106 and 107: und Falk: Gespräche für Freimaure
Page 108 and 109: 1. L'Antisémitisme, p. 335.2. Ibid
Page 110 and 111: CHAPTER IXTHE BAVARIAN ILLUMINATITH
Page 112 and 113: mancers, would authorize us in decl
Page 114 and 115: merce by customs, excise duties, an
Page 116 and 117: day.Weishaupt, however, admits hims
Page 120 and 121: ing esteemed and " respectable " pe
Page 122 and 123: mother dead ! Corpse, wedding, chri
Page 124 and 125: way of duplicity and imposture.More
Page 126 and 127: isted, whereat he gave me his word
Page 128 and 129: 100. It has several times been stat
Page 130 and 131: But in the year before these events
Page 132 and 133: terested in supporting the system o
Page 134 and 135: Amongst these others were not only
Page 136 and 137: attempt on the part of the Jews to
Page 138 and 139: been and will be the authors of pre
Page 140 and 141: ressorts]."Two years later, on Janu
Page 142 and 143: derstood that there may be uniformi
Page 144 and 145: ectory of the Carbonari and was led
Page 146 and 147: 1. Henri Martin, Histoire de France
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