The Synagogue of Satan

Ceiling fresco in the Freemason's Hall - Headquarters of the United Grand Lodge of England

“‘I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich) and the slander of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan." (Rev 2:9)

I am currently working on a new project, and thought that I would give a brief overview of one of the topics I will be covering on this blog. It concerns the legacy of Gnosticism and its influences in modern culture - a threat which has been snapping at the heels of Christianity since the earliest days of the burgeoning movement. This subject has been brought back into focus in recent years, with the popularity of novels such as Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code, and the pseudo-historical non-fiction works on which they are based - such as The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail by Baignent, Leigh, and Lincoln, and The Hiram Key by Lomas and Knight.
The mystery-initiation religion of Gnosticism (derived from the Greek word gnosis - meaning "knowledge") crept into Christian thought at a very early stage in its development, prompting a vehement and utter condemnation by the apostles. While the development of Gnosticism within the Christian milieu was decidedly complex, with many widely differing variants, it can be broadly categorised as being dualistic in outlook. Many Gnostic Christians adopted the belief that the God of the Old Testament was an evil creator being known as the Demiurge, whilst the good god of light attempted to lead humankind to salvation by imparting knowledge and enlightenment.

The Marconites of the 2nd century, for example, rejected the entire Old Testament and the majority of the Christian canon, in the belief that such works stemmed from the influence of the Demiurge, who sought to keep humanity steeped in ignorance. Other Gnostic groups, such as the Naassenes and Ophites, revered the Serpent of Genesis as the good god of light, who desired to bestow the gift of wisdom upon humankind.
The Church father Hippolytus linked the Ophites to the Nicolaitans condemned by St. John in the Book of Revelation:

“And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: ‘The words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword. “‘I know where you dwell, where Satan's throne is. Yet you hold fast my name, and you did not deny my faith even in the days of Antipas my faithful witness, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells. But I have a few things against you: you have some there who hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, so that they might eat food sacrificed to idols and practice sexual immorality. So also you have some who hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans." (Rev 2:12-15)

The identification of Pergamum as "Satan's throne" here, is thought to make reference to the Pergamon Altar (which is now housed in Berlin museum), and may also allude to the fact that this location was a major centre for the serpent cult of Asclepius.

The Rod of Asclepius, which is closely associated with the Staff of Hermes

The Church fathers regarded Simon Magus, the Samaritan magician described in the Book of Acts, to be responsible for incorporating Gnostic beliefs into Christianity, which then spread out into the peripheries of the various newly-founded Christian communities.

But there was a man named Simon, who had previously practiced magic in the city and amazed the people of Samaria, saying that he himself was somebody great. They all paid attention to him, from the least to the greatest, saying, “This man is the power of God that is called Great.” And they paid attention to him because for a long time he had amazed them with his magic. But when they believed Philip as he preached good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. Even Simon himself believed, and after being baptized he continued with Philip. And seeing signs and great miracles performed, he was amazed.
 Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John, who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, for he had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit. Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money, saying, “Give me this power also, so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! You have neither part nor lot in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. Repent, therefore, of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity.” And Simon answered, “Pray for me to the Lord, that nothing of what you have said may come upon me.” (Acts 8:9-24)

Gnosticism would prove to be an attractive alternative to Orthodox Christianity, and gained many adherents in the first few centuries of the growth of the Christian movement. It was enough of a problem at the time of the composition of the New Testament to warrant mention in the canonical writings. It is thought that the words of St. Paul at the close of his First Epistle to Timothy referred to the "knowledge" that was such a central part of Gnostic belief: 

O Timothy, guard the deposit entrusted to you. Avoid the irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called “knowledge,” for by professing it some have swerved from the faith.(1Tim 6:20-21)

And the Epistle of St. Jude for example, is thought to be chiefly concerned with the influence of Gnosticism on the growing Christian movement:

Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.
 Now I want to remind you, although you once fully knew it, that Jesus, who saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe. And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day—just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire.
 Yet in like manner these people also, relying on their dreams, defile the flesh, reject authority, and blaspheme the glorious ones. But when the archangel Michael, contending with the devil, was disputing about the body of Moses, he did not presume to pronounce a blasphemous judgment, but said, “The Lord rebuke you.” But these people blaspheme all that they do not understand, and they are destroyed by all that they, like unreasoning animals, understand instinctively. Woe to them! For they walked in the way of Cain and abandoned themselves for the sake of gain to Balaam's error and perished in Korah's rebellion. These are hidden reefs at your love feasts, as they feast with you without fear, shepherds feeding themselves; waterless clouds, swept along by winds; fruitless trees in late autumn, twice dead, uprooted; wild waves of the sea, casting up the foam of their own shame; wandering stars, for whom the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved forever.
 It was also about these that Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of his holy ones, to execute judgment on all and to convict all the ungodly of all their deeds of ungodliness that they have committed in such an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things that ungodly sinners have spoken against him.” These are grumblers, malcontents, following their own sinful desires; they are loud-mouthed boasters, showing favoritism to gain advantage. (Jude 1:3-16)

While Gnosticism rapidly declined in Western Europe after Rome adopted Christianity as its official state religion, popular forms of it - such as Manichaeism and Mandaeism, survived for many centuries in the East, and it eventually found its way back into the Languedoc region of Southern France from 11th to 13th centuries, in the religion of the Cathars. From here, it seems to have filtered through to the heterodox spiritual practices of the Knights Templar, who were forcibly disbanded in the early 14th century due to charges of heresy. The counts of Toulouse were known to have had a friendly disposition to the Cathars, and Raymond IV, Count of Toulouse was a central figure in the events that led to the formation of the Knights Templar, having spearheaded the capture of Jerusalem during the First Crusade.

It is thought that several members of the Knights Templar, forced underground into the sanctuary provided by Scotland, were instrumental in the later development of Freemasonry - a theory which appears to find some substance in the occult imagery that was incorporated into the architecture of Rosslyn Chapel. The architecture of this chapel, which was constructed in the 14th century by the Sinclair family (who are today noted for their rather illustrustious patronage of Freemasonry), contains many elements that are present in the modern symbology of Freemasonry. This is thought to be of some significance, since it was constructed almost three centuries before Freemasonry was finally free to emerge from its cloak of obscurity due to the favourable political conditions provided by the Reformation.

Gnostic thought also survived in esoteric intellectual circles operating on the fringes of the newly formed universities in the early Middle Ages, and suffused in such groups with Hermeticism and the occult. From these sources it would later coalesce into the development of secret societies, picking up various elements along the way, such as emulating the structure of the guilds of medieval craftsman (hence the rise of "speculative" or "free" Masonry,  as opposed to its "operative" form).

The common perception of the Gnostic/dualistic influences on Freemasonry were exploited by the anti-Catholic journalist Leo Taxil in his now infamous "Taxil Hoax". As part of his false exposé of Freemasonry intended to mock the gullibility of Catholics, Taxil issued the following statement -which he attributed to prominent American Freemason Albert Pike:

That which we must say to the world is that we worship a god, but it is the god that one adores without superstition. To you, Sovereign Grand Inspectors General, we say this, that you may repeat it to the brethren of the 32nd, 31st and 30th degrees: The masonic Religion should be, by all of us initiates of the higher degrees, maintained in the Purity of the Luciferian doctrine. If Lucifer were not God, would Adonay and his priests calumniate him?
Yes, Lucifer is God, and unfortunately Adonay is also god. For the eternal law is that there is no light without shade, no beauty without ugliness, no white without black, for the absolute can only exist as two gods; darkness being necessary for light to serve as its foil as the pedestal is necessary to the statue, and the brake to the locomotive....
Thus, the doctrine of Satanism is a heresy, and the true and pure philosophical religion is the belief in Lucifer, the equal of Adonay; but Lucifer, God of Light and God of Good, is struggling for humanity against Adonay, the God of Darkness and Evil.

However the sole reason the above fictional quote appeared plausible to so many Catholics was simply because that it was rooted in already long-held suspicions. There are many symbols used by Freemasonry which contain Luciferian overtones. One of the most important symbols of Freemasonry is the pentagram - long understood by Christians to represent Lucifer as the Morning Star. And the Masonic word for god is given in the Royal Arch Degree as Jahbulon - which can be translated from Hebrew as "I am Baal, Father of all". And of course Baal is the Canaanite god which become synonymous with the Devil by the time of Christ, who referred to Satan as Beelzebub ("Lord of the flies") - which appears to be a play on the name Baalzebul ("Lord of the high place").

Jahbulon - The Grand Omnific Word of Royal Arch Masonry

Given the many links between Freemasonry and the various Gnostic beliefs which revere Lucifer as the good god of light, it would not be unreasonable to presume the involvement of such a group in deliberately manipulating the symbols used in modern commerce to conform in some way to the prophecy of the number of the Beast. Indeed there are a large number of people who believe that Faustian secret societies such as this (in the Illuminati/New World Order conspiracy theories) are deliberately intent on bringing this prophecy into fulfilment - either in honour of their diabolical master, or at his express request.

So could secret societies be responsible for the rather glaring equation between the three letters that have become so inextricably intertwined in modern commerce and the process of globalisation - www, and their numerical equivalence in the Hebrew numeral system as six-six-six? (See the earlier post Hebrew 666?, or for more in depth details see the link to the sample chapter at the top right hand column on this page). More specifically, are there any symbols amongst the various occult secret societies that reference the number of the beast?

To begin with, it is perhaps worth noting that the entire ethos of Freemasonry is structured around the building of the Temple of Solomon - which according to the Bible, used 666 talents of gold in its construction (1Kings 10:14). And if we turn to examine the most important symbol of Royal Arch Masonry - the Triple Tau, we find that this too seems to hide a coded reference to the number of the Beast.

The Triple Tau - the Grand Eleblem of Royal Arch Masonry, which is worn on the aprons of members

Freemasons are known for incorporating coded messages into their symbols, and one of the most rudimentary codes available is that of the Atbash Cipher, which is used in the Hebrew alphabet. The Atbash Cipher uses a reversed alphabet to encode messages by substituting the first letter aleph, for the last letter taw, and so on.

The use of the Atbash Cipher is thought to lie behind the name Baphomet, which was revered by the Knights Templar. Using the Atbash, the obscure name Baphomet is converted into Sophia - the Greek word for wisdom. If we apply the Atbash Cipher to the Greek alphabet, we find that the letter tau becomes the sixth-placed letter - which means that three taus can represent three sixes - six six six.

In regular Craft Masonry, the symbol of the set square and compass, bearing the letter G inside is substituted for the Triple Tau worn on the Masonic apron. According to Masonic lore, the letter G stands for the name of their god, and also at the same time it represents geometry. The use of Sacred Geometry is a fundamental part of the mythos of Freemasonry.

It is interesting to note then, that the use of geometry forms a crucial part of the hidden symbols purposefully intergrated into one of the most renowned illustrations of the Rosicrucians (an esoteric secret society of the early 17th century, which formed an important part in the development of Freemasonry).

In the Speculum Sophicum Rhodo-Stauroticum, the Rosicrucians claim that a secret "figure" representing the central philosophy of their order is hidden within the illustration The Temple of the Rose Cross (shown above). And it just so happens that this illustration is laden with elaborate geometrical lines. The most prominent of these lines emanates from the eyes of the figure at the bottom right hand of the illustration holding an anchor, and travels upwards to a winged sun-disc bearing the Hebrew letters of the divine tetragrammaton YHWH. If we measure this line with a protractor, we find that it is precisely at a 66 degree angle. And if we look closer at the tetragrammaton, we can see that this line is specifically pointing to an exact letter - the letter waw, which we have previously noted has the numerical value of 6.

So the number of the Beast is concealed within the confines of this illustration, which the Rosicrucians themselves claimed contains a hidden "figure" which encapsulates their philosophy. Here, we thus have a direct link between the use of Hebrew to form the number 666 by a secret society that was instrumental in the early development of Freemasonry.

See also the related posts:

NFC Technology and the Mark of the Beast
Gematria and the Number of the Beast
The Mark of the Beast?
Mobile Banking and the Mark of the Beast
The Seal of God