C. Gilbert Steffe Council of Princes of Jerusalem

The Council of Princes of Jerusalem is the second body of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite in the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction, conferring the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Degrees. These two degrees are known as the Historical Degrees — and for good reason. Where the Lodge of Perfection drew its lessons from the construction and tragedy of Solomon's Temple, the Council of Princes of Jerusalem turns to what came next: the long years of captivity in Babylon, the struggle to return, and the conflict-ridden labor of rebuilding what had been lost.

The lessons of the Lodge of Perfection taught the Mason what it means to serve faithfully within the walls of a sacred place. The Council of Princes of Jerusalem now asks a harder question: what does faithfulness look like when those walls have been torn down, when the journey home is long, and when powerful forces stand in the way of the work?

Membership in the Council of Princes of Jerusalem is conferred upon every Scottish Rite Mason who has completed the Lodge of Perfection. It is an essential station on the journey — a bridge between the ancient world of the Temple and the deeper philosophical teachings that follow.

The Council of Princes of Jerusalem exists to teach the Mason that Masonic virtue is not confined to the lodge room. The two degrees it confers place the candidate in the world beyond the Temple — a world of political opposition, physical hardship, and competing loyalties — and ask him to remain faithful to his obligations in spite of all of it.

In the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction, these degrees draw on the vivid historical drama of the Jewish return from Babylonian captivity and the rebuilding of the Temple of Zerubbabel. The stories are ancient, but the lessons are immediate: that worthy causes attract opposition, that leadership requires moral courage as well as skill, and that the Mason who has truly internalized the teachings of the Lodge of Perfection will carry those teachings into every arena of his life.

The Council also serves as the threshold of the Chapter of Rose Croix. Having demonstrated his fidelity through the trials of the Historical Degrees, the Mason is prepared to enter into the philosophical and spiritual teachings that form the heart of the Scottish Rite experience.

In the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction, the two degrees of the Council of Princes of Jerusalem are presented as vivid historical dramas that bring the world of the returning exiles to life. Together they form a two-part narrative of trial, perseverance, and ultimate vindication — a story as relevant to the modern Mason navigating the challenges of daily life as it was to those who first lived it.