16° Prince of Jerusalem
Prologue

As in the fifteenth there are two scenes in this degree, one Masonic, again representing the Ruins of Jerusalem. The other, the Persian Court of King Darius. There is a lapse of some years between the fifteenth and sixteenth degrees.

The Persian Kings were immensely powerful autocrats and in fact kings of the then known world. This will be illustrated in the ritual through the deference of all others to them.
Herodotus, father of history saw the tomb of Darius and was impressed with the simplicity, and adequacy, of the inscription it bore: merely “Darius, the King”. There was at that time no other King of any comparable standing.

The kingdom stretched from Ethiopia to India and was divided into 127 provinces, each under the administration of a governor, known as a Satrap. Darius had been such a Satrap.
Their own religion was Zarathrustan, which like that of the Jews acknowledges a superior and almighty Deity. They were liberal minded in their attitude to other religions as will be seen from the exposition of the degree.

The first Book of Esdras, to be found in The Apocrypha, has provided much of the basis for the Persian Court scene in this degree. It recounts how the edict of Cyrus is ignored by the Samaritans who continually attack the workmen without achieving much success beyond hampering the work on the Temple and the city walls. The Samaritans, for various reasons, mostly jealousy, had complained to Artaxerxes, successor to Cyrus, of the activity of the Jews.
The King upheld their complaints and ordered the work to be stopped.

Following this the Jewish leader, Zerubbabel, sends an envoy to appeal to King Darius who has succeeded Artaxerxes.

Here we may revert to the 15° in which Cyrus receives, and respects Zerubbabel as a fellow noble. Also we may recall the answer given by the candidate in the First Point of the 18° “Nobly born and of the tribe of Judah”

Remembering his vow to help the people of Israel before he was made King, Darius, receives the envoy Sheshbazzar, (whom some scholars to be Zerubbabel’s uncle) and listens to his appeal to repeal the orders of Artaxerxes. The request is based on the original decree of Cyrus.
After a search which results in the finding of the original Decree, Darius grants the request and issues his own Decree.
Sheshbazzar returns to Jerusalem bearing the decree of Darius, and for his success is elevated to the rank of Prince of Jerusalem.

For the Scene in the ruins of Jerusalem, the drapes are violet in the centre with blue and red towards each side. In the east are two interlaced triangles, one white, the other black. In the centre of the room is an Altar on which rests a VSL, square, compasses, triangle and crossed swords. The biblical reference is Ezra 6:7 in which Darius decrees “Let the work of this house of God alone: let the Governor of the Jews, and the elders of the Jews build this house of God in His place.”

For the Persian scene at the Court of King Darius, the drapes are green, blue and red. As for the Court of Cyrus in the fifteenth there is no Altar or VSL. The senior officers wear the green collarette of a Persian order.

Epilogue

The significance of the 15th and 16th degrees or Council of Princes of Jerusalem is perhaps not always fully realised. They are designated orders of chivalry and lead to the magnificent and quite unique Seventeenth Degree, although it is quite divorced from them.

The 16th, particularly stresses the application of Masonic teachings to our daily lives and emphasises the difficulties to be encountered in our search for the True Light. This may appear to come late in our Masonic teaching, but we are now better qualified to handle the problems and to appreciate their true significance.

Symbolically this degree, Prince of Jerusalem, indicates that the Mason having overcome various difficulties in his career has attained to the ultimate as a man. He reached, in the twelfth degree, the status of Grand Master Architect and then, progressing from the tools of design, in the following degrees, added post graduate distinctions to that high qualification.
As a man of integrity and high character he can go no further in the temporal degrees.

He is now almost fully prepared and qualified for the revelation soon to come, and culminating in the degree of Perfection.

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