Ancient Illustrious Order Knights of Malta
Ninth Degree – Knight of the
Green
Ceremony of Initiation
The previous Order of business having been disposed of, should
there be one or more candidates to receive the Knight of the Green Degree, the
Sir Knight Commander will say:
Sir Knight Warder, what is the particular cause of our assembling here?
Warder:
Sir Knight Commander, knightly association, the propagation of our Order, and
the advancement of such worthy Companions as are desirous thereof.
Sir Knight Commander:
Sir Knight Warder, ascertain if there be any such in the preparation room, by
raising the wicket and inquiring of the Sentinel.
Warder, having done so:
Sir Knight Commander, there are giving number.
Sir Knight Commander:
Sir Knights Captain General, Senior and Junior Wardens, retire to the
preparation room, prepare and introduce the candidate.
These officers then retire to the preparation room, and the
candidate is prepared as follows: He is divested of his outer clothing, and
invested with a green robe, and blindfolded. He is then conducted to the door
of the Council Chamber. The Captain General then leaves the candidate in
charge of the Senior and Junior Wardens, re-enters the Council Chamber, and
announces as follows:
Sir Knight
Commander, the candidate is duly prepared and ready to be received.
The Warder will then rap the number of the degree * on the door
of the preparation room, to signify that all is in readiness in the Council
Chamber. The Senior Warden then gives * loud rap upon the door of the Council
Chamber, and the Warder says:
Sir Knight
Commander, there is an alarm from the Sentinel.
Sir Knight Commander:
Ascertain the cause.
The Warder then gives * rap, opens the door of the preparation
room, and says:
Who comes
here to disturb the peace and harmony of this duly convoked Commandery of
Knights of the Green?
Senior Warden:
A true and worthy Sir Knight who, having received the first eight degrees of
our Order, now desires to be advanced to the Knight of the Green Degree.
Warder:
How does he expect to gain admission?
Senior Warden:
By the benefit of a password.
Warder:
Has he that password?
Senior Warden:
No, but I have it for him.
Warder:
Advance and give it.
Senior Warden gives entrance password to the Warder.
Warder:
The pass is right. I will acquaint the Sir Knight Commander with his request.
Warder will then close the door.
Warder:
Sir Knight Commander, there is without a true and worthy Sir Knight who,
having received the first eight degrees of our Order, now desires to be
advanced to the Knight of the Green Degree.
Sir Knight Commander:
What recommendation has he?
Warder:
The entrance password of this degree, which has been presented for him by the
Senior Warden of this Commandery.
Sir Knight Commander:
Being vouched for by our Senior Warden, his claim is just. You therefore have
my command to permit the candidate to enter.
The Senior Warden and the candidate then enter the Council
Chamber and pass once around the room, when they are accosted by the
Generalissimo, who demands:
Where are you
from?
Candidate, prompted:
The plains eastward of Eden.
Generalissimo:
Whither are you going?
Candidate, prompted:
To Mount Ararat.
Generalissimo:
How do you expect to get there?
Candidate, prompted:
By the benefit of a password.
Generalissimo:
Will you give it to me?
Candidate, prompted:
I will if you begin.
The Senior Warden and the Generalissimo then divide the
password, and the Generalissimo says:
The pass is
right. Pass on.
The candidate is then conducted slowly around the room, the
Prelate reading.
Prelate:
And God saw that the wickedness of man was very great in the earth and that
every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And
it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at
his heart. And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the
face of the earth; both man and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls
of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them. But Noah found grace in
the eyes of the Lord. And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come
before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I
will destroy them with the earth.
The candidate is then led before a transparency of “God tells
Noah to build an ark,” the blindfold is raised and the Prelate continues
reading, as follows:
Make thee an
ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it
within and without with pitch. And this is the fashion which thou shalt make
it of: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it
fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits. A window shalt thou make to
the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish it above; and the door of the ark
shalt thou set in the side thereof; with lower, second and third stories shalt
thou make it. And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the
earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven;
and everything that is in the earth shall die. But with thee will I establish
my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy
wife, and thy sons’ wives with thee.
The blindfold is then lowered and the candidate is conducted
slowly around the room and halted before the transparency of “Noah with his
family and animals entering the ark,” The blindfold is raised, and the Prelate
reads:
And the Lord said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into
the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation. Of every
clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female; and
the beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female. Of fowls also
of the air by sevens, the male and the female; to keep seed alive upon the
face of the earth. For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the
earth forty days and forty nights: and every living substance that I have made
will I destroy from off the face of the earth. And Noah did according unto all
that the Lord commanded him.
The blindfold is lowered and the candidate is again conducted
slowly around the room and brought before a transparency of “The interior of
the ark,” the blindfold is raised, and the Prelate reads:
And it came
to pass after seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth. In
the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventh day of
the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up,
and the windows of heaven were opened. And the flood was forty days upon the
earth; and the waters increased, and bare up the ark, and it was lifted up
above the earth. And the waters prevailed, and were increased greatly upon the
earth; and the ark went upon the face of the waters; And the waters prevailed
exceedingly upon the earth and all the high hills, that were under the whole
heaven, were covered. Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail; and the
mountains were covered. And all flesh died that moved upon the earth, both of
fowl and of cattle, and of beast, and of every creeping thing that creepeth
upon the earth, and every man: All in whose nostrils was the breath of life,
of all that was in the dry land, died. And every living substance was
destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man and cattle, and the
creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the
earth, and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark.
And the waters prevailed upon the earth a hundred and fifty days.
The blindfold is lowered and the candidate is again conducted
slowly around the room and brought before a transparency of “The ark on the
waters.” The blindfold is again raised, and the Generalissimo says to the
candidate:
Companion,
what do you now see?
Candidate, prompted:
The ark upon the waters.
Generalissimo:
This represents the chosen vessel of the Almighty, in which was preserved all
that remained alive of the human family at the flood.
The blindfold is again lowered and the candidate is conducted
slowly around the room, the Prelate at the same time reading:
And God
remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the cattle that were with him
in the ark; and God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters
assuaged. The fountains also of the deep and the windows of heaven were
stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained, and the waters returned from
off the earth continually; and after the end of the hundred and fifty days the
waters were abated. And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the
seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountain of Ararat. And the waters
decreased continually until the tenth month; in the tenth month, on the first
day of the month, was the top of the mountain seen. And it came to pass at the
end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made:
And he sent forth a raven, which went forth to and fro, until the waters were
dried up from off the earth. Also he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the
waters were abated from off the face of the ground. But the dove found no rest
for the sole of her foot, and she returned unto him into the ark; for the
waters were on the face of the whole earth. Then he put forth his hand, and
took her, and pulled her unto him into the ark. And he stayed yet other seven
days; and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark.
The candidate is then brought before a transparency of the
“Return of the dove,” and the Prelate reads:
And the dove
came in to him in the evening; and lo, in her mouth was an olive leaf plucked
off: so Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the earth. And he
stayed yet other seven days, and sent forth the dove, which returned not again
unto him any more. And it came to pass in the six hundredth and first year, in
the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried up from off
the earth; and Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and behold,
the face of the ground was dry. And in the second month, on the seven and
twentieth day of the month, was the earth dried. And God spake unto Noah,
saying:
Go forth of the ark, thou and thy wife, and thy sons, and thy sons’ wives with
thee. Bring forth with thee every living thing that is with thee, of all
flesh, both of fowl and of cattle, and of every creeping thing that creepeth
upon the earth; that they may breed abundantly in the earth, and be fruitful,
and multiply upon the earth. And Noah went forth, and his sons, and his wife,
and his sons’ wives with him: Every beast, every creeping thing, and every
fowl, and whatsoever creepeth upon the earth, after their kinds, went forth
out of the ark.
The blindfold is then lowered and the candidate is again
conducted slowly around the room and brought before a transparency of “Noah’s
sacrifice”. The blindfold is raised, and the Prelate reads:
And Noah
builded an altar unto the Lord; and took of every clean beast, and of every
clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. And the Lord smelled a
sweet savour; and the Lord said in his heart, I will not again curse the
ground any more for man’s sake; for the imagination of man’s heart is evil
from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I
have done. While the earth remaineth, seed time and harvest, and cold and
heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.
And
God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying: And I, behold, I
establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you; And with every
living creature that is with you, of the fowl, of the cattle, and of every
beast of the earth with you; from all that go out of the ark, to every beast
of the earth. And I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all
flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any
more be a flood to destroy the earth. And God said, This is the token of the
covenant which I make between me and you, and every living creature that is
with you, for perpetual generations. I do set my bow in the cloud, and it
shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth. And it shall come
to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in
the cloud; And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and
every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a
flood to destroy all flesh. And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look
upon it that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every
living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth. And God said unto Noah,
This is the token of the covenant which I have established between me and all
flesh that is upon the earth.
The blindfold is again lowered and the candidate is then
conducted slowly around the room and brought before a transparency of “The bow
in the cloud”. The Generalissimo steps to the side of the candidate, the
blindfold is raised, and the Generalissimo says:
Companion,
what do you see?
Candidate, prompted:
The bow in the cloud.
Generalissimo:
This bow in the cloud represents the covenant which God made with Noah to
destroy the earth with water no more for man’s sake.
The blindfold is lowered and the candidate is then conducted to
the altar and placed in proper position to receive the obligation of the
Knight of the Green Degree. The Prelate then reads:
God is not a
man that he should lie; neither the son of a man that he should repent. Hath
he said, and shall he not do it? Or hath he spoken and shall he not make good?
Know that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth
covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a
thousand generations.
Sir Knight Commander: * * *.
The Companions rise and advance the hailing sign of the Knight
of the Green Degree. The Sir Knight Commander then advances to the altar and
administers the following
Obligation
I,
..., Knight, do solemnly and sincerely vow and swear, that I will ever conceal
and never reveal the signs, secrets or mysteries of the Knight of the Green
Degree to any one not entitled to receive the same; that I will ever remember
and keep the promises and vows I have made to this religious and fraternal
Order, and that I will preach the high precepts and practise the lofty
principles that make this Order God’s chosen institution; and now, in the
presence of these sworn Companions, I swear that I will be loyal and true to
the Protestant religion, to the Order of Malta, and to each and every
individual member thereof. So help me God, and keep me faithful to this my
solemn vow.
You
will now kiss the holy Bible.
Sir Knight Commander:
Companion, in your present position, what are you most in need of?
Candidate, prompted:
Light.
Sir Knight Commander:
And God said, Let there be light, and there was LIGHT.
At the word “light” the blindfold is removed and all Companions
clap their hands. The Sir Knight Commander then advances the grip of the
Knight of the Green Degree, and raises him to his feet, saying:
I greet you as a Knight of the Green.
*.
The Sir Knight Commander then instructs the candidate in the
grip, hailing sign, raps and passwords. The Senior and Junior Wardens, or
other Companions, will repeat the
Lecture
S.W.:
Why do you wear that ribbon?
J.W.:
What ribbon?
S.W.:
That green ribbon.
J.W.:
As an emblem of the Knights of the Green.
S.W.:
By this I perceive you are a Knight of the Green.
J.W.:
I am always taken and accepted as such by all regularly initiated Knights of
the Green.
S.W.:
Where are you from?
J.W.:
The plains.
S.W.:
What plains?
J.W.:
The plains eastward of Eden.
S.W.:
And where are you going?
J.W.:
To Mount Ararat.
S.W.:
How do you expect to get there?
J.W.:
By the benefit of a password.
S.W.:
Have you that password?
J.W.:
I have.
S.W.:
Will you give it to me?
J.W.:
I will if you begin.
S.W.:
L...
J.W.: A...
S.W.: B...
J.W.: Y...
S.W.: S...
J.W.: C...
S.W.: T...
J.W.: W...
S.W.: A...
J.W.: A...
S.W.: F...
J.W.: O...
S.W.: T...
J.W.: E...
S.W.:
Have you a number?
J.W.:
I have.
S.W.:
What is your number?
J.W.:
One.
S.W.:
Why do you take one as your number?
J.W.:
In
representation of the one window in the ark.
S.W.:
Have you another number?
J.W.:
I have.
S.W.:
What is it?
J.W.:
Three.
S.W.:
What three?
J.W.:
The three sons of Noah.
S.W.:
Name them.
J.W.:
Shem, Ham and Japheth.
S.W.:
What did you do at Ararat?
J.W.:
Searched for the Mediterranean password.
S.W.:
Did you find it?
J.W.:
I did.
S.W.:
Will you give it to me?
J.W.:
I will; but you must first answer me a question or two.
S.W.:
What are those questions?
J.W.:
Where was the one window of the ark placed?
S.W.:
In the southeast corner.
J.W.:
For what purpose?
S.W.:
That Noah might see when the waters were assuaged from off the earth. Now that
I have answered these questions, will you give me the Mediterranean password?
J.W.:
I will if you begin.
S.W.:
T...
J.W.:
B...
S.W.:
I...
J.W.:
T...
S.W.:
C... Why do you as a Knight of the Green take T... B... I... T... C... as your
Mediterranean password?
J.W.:
Because it contains all the colors I am entitled to wear; moreover it contains
green.
S.W.:
Of what was it a token?
J.W.:
The covenant.
S.W.:
What covenant?
J.W.:
The covenant that God made with Noah, saying, “I will no more destroy the
earth with water for man s sake; in token thereof, I do set my bow in the
cloud.”
S.W.:
Give me the central password?
J.W.:
T...
S.W.:
C...
J.W.:
E...
S.W.:
N...
The Sir Knight Commander will then deliver the
Charge to the candidate
SIR KNIGHT:
In the destruction of the earth by the flood we possess a witness of the truth
of Jehovah’s declaration, “My spirit shall not always strive with man, and
also of the faithfulness of God to those who obey and put their trust in Him.
What hardness of heart and of unbelief did not the antediluvians exhibit! When
Noah spake, the people mocked; they went on in their blindness, reveling in
the sinful pleasures of this world, and heaping up unto themselves wrath
against the day of wrath.
At length the windows of heaven were opened, the waters began to descend, the
floods rose higher and higher; the people then fled to the rocks for shelter
and to the mountains for protection. Still the waters continued to rise above
the trees of the forest and beyond the hoary hill, until the whole earth was
submerged, and no living thing remained alive save Noah and those with him in
the ark. It was then that the spirit of God, symbolized by the dove, moved ,a
second time upon the face of the waters and called forth the earth into
renewed and more glorious existence. What a solemn warning to us should not
this dispensation of God’s providence become! The day will come when the earth
shall undergo the purifying influence of fire; when the trumpet shall sound,
and the dead shall come forth, some to the resurrection of eternal life, and
others to the resurrection of damnation. Having drowned our sins in the purple
flood, let us enter into Christ the everlasting Ark, through faith, and,
turning our eyes Cross-ward, behold the sign of our sure Covenant, and the
seal of our adoption into His heavenly kingdom. Soon may the whole earth
display the glories of the new creation, and the heavenly hosts sing joyfully
on account of the triumphs of regeneration from the rising to the setting of
the sun. Amen.
The Commandery will now be at ease for congratulations.
