Swedenborg Rite
Encyclopedia
The Swedenborg Rite or Rite of Swedenborg was a fraternal order modeled on Freemasonry
and based upon the teachings of Emanuel Swedenborg
. It comprised six Degrees: Apprentice, Fellow Craft, Master Neophyte, Illuminated Theosophite, Blue Brother, and Red Brother.
It was created in Avignon
in 1773 by the Marquis de Thorn. It was initially a political organization, whose aims were to bring freemasonry into disrepute, although the political ideology was eventually discarded from the rite. This version of the Swedenborg Rite died out within a decade of its founding.
Starting in the 1870s, the Rite was resurrected as a hermetic
organization. This version faded out sometime around 1908. The Rite is now extinct, but influenced the development of other groups such as Ordo Templi Orientis
.
Freemasonry
Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...
and based upon the teachings of Emanuel Swedenborg
Emanuel Swedenborg
was a Swedish scientist, philosopher, and theologian. He has been termed a Christian mystic by some sources, including the Encyclopædia Britannica online version, and the Encyclopedia of Religion , which starts its article with the description that he was a "Swedish scientist and mystic." Others...
. It comprised six Degrees: Apprentice, Fellow Craft, Master Neophyte, Illuminated Theosophite, Blue Brother, and Red Brother.
It was created in Avignon
Avignon
Avignon is a French commune in southeastern France in the départment of the Vaucluse bordered by the left bank of the Rhône river. Of the 94,787 inhabitants of the city on 1 January 2010, 12 000 live in the ancient town centre surrounded by its medieval ramparts.Often referred to as the...
in 1773 by the Marquis de Thorn. It was initially a political organization, whose aims were to bring freemasonry into disrepute, although the political ideology was eventually discarded from the rite. This version of the Swedenborg Rite died out within a decade of its founding.
Starting in the 1870s, the Rite was resurrected as a hermetic
Hermeticism
Hermeticism or the Western Hermetic Tradition is a set of philosophical and religious beliefs based primarily upon the pseudepigraphical writings attributed to Hermes Trismegistus...
organization. This version faded out sometime around 1908. The Rite is now extinct, but influenced the development of other groups such as Ordo Templi Orientis
Ordo Templi Orientis
Ordo Templi Orientis is an international fraternal and religious organization founded at the beginning of the 20th century...
.