Talk:Holy Royal Arch

History

I am slowly filling up the section of history, but I could do with some help on the histry of how it became part of York Rite Boooooom (talk) 07:33, 21 April 2008 (UTC)

Language and Vocabulary

The language and vocab used throughout this article is very specialised and inaccessible to the general public. I have added the {{technical}}template here to indicate that. Crispness (talk) 06:44, 10 May 2008 (UTC)

Janitor

The list of Chapter officers has sat here very happily until the last couple of days, when the office of Janitor has twice been removed by American editors. With respect, this is why we have two seperate articles. The American version of the Royal Arch, as practiced within the York Rite, has an article at Royal Arch Masonry. In the United Kingdom, and throughout the nations of 'British influence' (including the Commonwealth, former British Empire nations, western Europe, and the (masonically) developing constitutions of Eastern Europe) Royal Arch masonry functions independently as "the completion of pure, ancient, masonry" in Royal Arch Chapters attached to Craft Lodges. In British English there is no common use of the word "Janitor". We understand that this is a common term in American English and that every school, library, and public building has a 'Janitor' who maintains the site, cleans the buildings, etc, etc. In British English we call such a person a "Caretaker". The only places that you will commonly hear the word 'Janitor' in England are on American TV programmes and in Royal Arch Chapters. Every Chapter has a Janitor, who serves the equivalent office of the Tyler in a Craft Lodge. Similarly, there is a Provincial Grand Janitor in every Province (or Metropolitan Grand Janitor in London), and a Grand Janitor in the Grand Chapter. The same applies in a majority of non-USA nations worldwide! Just as the final toast on a Lodge night is the "Tyler's Toast", so the final toast on a Chapter night is the "Janitor's Toast".

All this is apparently known to Americans, as shown here on the website of the Grand Chapter of New York. You may read of the office in the ritual exposure here at Bilderberg. Here are model bylaws for Chapters, issued by the Provincial Grand Chapter of Cheshire, with the Janitor covered at by-law 3. Here is the current list of officers of the Grand Chapter of Western Australia (the Grand Janitor is the last named on the list, at the bottom). Here is a similar list for the Grand Chapter of Ireland (Grand Janitor is fourth from bottom of the list). Here are the Constitutions of the Grand Chapter of England, with the Grand Janitor listed at line 50 on page 203, and again on page 219, and Janitors of private Chapters listed on page 232. This article at Pietre-Stones documents the establishing of the first Grand Chapter of Canada, ending with a list of the first Grand Officers, including the Janitor. A quick check on eBay will show you Janitor's regalia for sale, such as this jewel recently sold there.

With the greatest of respect to our American cousins, a quick Google search would have produced literally thousands of examples of the Masonic Royal Arch Janitor for you, and would have avoided the unfortunate impression (yet again) that certain American editors are incapable of co-existing with their older cousins on this side of the Atlantic, and the language and traditions of original (British) English. It was a genuine error by the first editor to remove the term, but I'm amazed that a second editor did the same thing, without bothering to check. Timothy Titus ^{Talk To TT} 03:26, 3 June 2011 (UTC)

I think what probably led to it is that, as far as I remember, the article was created by someone with HRA knowledge back in 2008, and was fairly complete at that time (aside from the Janitor). So, when an office is "forgotten" for years in an otherwise fairly complete article, I think the first reaction is that it is vandalism or a joke. This is Wikipedia, after all, and that happens more often than not. I would imagine that that being the case, those of us who watch the article would have seen the addition, and to be fair, since we Americans don't have Janitors (it's still "Tyler" as in Lodge), it would come across as slightly amiss. However, somebody probably should have looked it up the second time. MSJapan (talk) 17:07, 3 June 2011 (UTC)

I was the second editor and made the reversion because I was unfamiliar with that term and because the reversion of the first mistaken "correction" was supported by nothing other than an edit summary of "Certainly NOT a joke!" We all make mistakes, and I made one here, but snide remarks to the effect that I or anyone should research someone else's edit so as to avoid giving "the unfortunate impression (yet again) that American editors are incapable of co-existing with their older cousins on this side of the Atlantic" are unnecessary and unhelpful, as are implied claims that one sort of English is any better than another. I do not suggest that a reference is required for every word in Wikipedia, but in this particular case some supporting reference, of any kind, would have prevented all of this. An editor adding content is expected to support it. kcylsnavS{^screech_harrass} 00:50, 4 June 2011 (UTC)

I'm not going to repeat the whole conversation from my talk page, but I will repeat that if an editor thinks a citation is needed, the addition of a citation tag is a convenient and well-established means of solving the problem. Repeating reversions without checking facts is quite unusual, especially where established editors are involved. Timothy Titus ^{Talk To TT} 22:00, 4 June 2011 (UTC)

Actually, adding a citation would probably be a good idea... it would help prevent other Americans from making the same mistake in the future. (I would also suggest a foot note or parenthetical, explaining that the position of "Janitor" is called "Sentinel" in American Royal Arch chapters.)

TT... of the sources you list above, which would you say is the most authoritative (and if there is an even more authoritative source than those you list... what would it be?) Blueboar (talk) 15:02, 11 June 2011 (UTC)

Hi Blueboar - I've made the alteration you suggest. The most authoritative source must be the Regs of SGC, so that's what I've used. Best wishes, Timothy Titus ^{Talk To TT} 02:13, 13 June 2011 (UTC)

Thanks... I hope that helps others from making the same mistake I did. Blueboar (talk) 19:19, 13 June 2011 (UTC)

Triple Tau Illustration

I appreciate that I'm in Chapter in Scotland (we just call it Royal Arch here), so things might be different where you all are, but doesn't anyone think the Triple Tau roundel given here looks a wee bit squashed? I mean, the encircling red line looks Stewie Griffin's head, instead of a circle. Can that be right? Is it actually supposed to look like that? Or is it just my browser? Nuttyskin (talk) 18:40, 29 November 2011 (UTC)

It's your browser.--Vidkun (talk) 19:54, 29 November 2011 (UTC)

Nothing looks squashed on my end, so I have to agree that it probably is your browser that is causing the problem. Blueboar (talk) 02:44, 30 November 2011 (UTC)

I'm seeing a fairly perfect circle. Have to agree the problem seems to be with your browser - sorry. Timothy Titus ^{Talk To TT} 07:04, 30 November 2011 (UTC)

Sorry, my mistake, it was the browser. I was using a library computer; but the same image viewed at home was, as you say, a perfect circle. Whoops - do I feel foolish!

Nuttyskin (talk) 12:54, 13 December 2011 (UTC)

Excellent Master Degree

It is incorrect to say that the Excellent Master Degree i.e. the Passing of the Veils is not practised in England i.e the English Consitution (EC). Bristol is the only Province in the EC that is allowed to include this degree as part of the exaltation ceremony in Bristol Royal Arch Chapters, which was introduced in 1904, and is based upon the Irish Constitution Excellent Masters degree ceremony. At a Supreme Grand Chapter meeting in London in November 2009, which I attended along with a number of others, a team from Bristol demonstrated the Excellent Masters Degree. It is also worth noting that a number of Chapters in the EC have demonstration teams that perform the Excellent Masters degree on an annual basis. Aquizard (talk) 23:00, 16 December 2012 (UTC)

While there are veils in the EM ceremony, "Passing the Veils" is the first part of the exaltation ritual in Scotland and Bristol. I struggle to find data for Bristol, but in Scotland, they shouldn't be confused. The EM ceremony fills in for "Passing the Chair", which is now gone and forgotten. It links Mark and Royal Arch into a ritual unit. The Irish stopped working EM in 1864. Do Bristol call "Passing the Veils" Excellent Masters, and can you provide references? Fiddlersmouth (talk) 01:26, 17 December 2012 (UTC)

Just agreeing with Fiddlersmouth (talk). The 'Passing the Veils' ceremony in Bristol is not a separate degree. Neither is that which SGC has authorised for demonstration in Provinces, nort either of the two versions authorised for demonstration in London. The Excellent Master degree is not practiced in England, despite the use of the veils ceremony in Bristol. Timothy Titus ^{Talk To TT} 02:14, 17 December 2012 (UTC)

The acid test is the setting. EM takes place in Babylon, RA in Jerusalem. If Bristol's Passing the Veils is set in the Grand Lodge of the captivity, we should acknowledge the relationship between the extra bit of the Bristol exaltation ritual and the Scottish degree, the core of which is indeed referred to as "Passing the Veils" (my error above). I would guess it has a closer relationship with the Irish ritual, with the dramatis personae moved from Josiah's temple to the time of Ezra. The problem with Bristol is references, which are like rocking horse droppings.

Aside from this, Aquizard's contribution has highlighted the absence of references in the Scotland paragraph. On comparison with the Edinburgh website, it was also plain wrong. I've patched a rewrite, which needs expansion and better references. The Scottish visiting rules also make it plain that the English Grand Chapter is, in fact, out of step with some of the national Grand Chapters that this article ascribes similarity to. Fiddlersmouth (talk) 00:14, 18 December 2012 (UTC)