mirror of
https://github.com/nhammer514/textfiles-politics.git
synced 2024-10-01 01:15:38 -04:00
344 lines
18 KiB
XML
344 lines
18 KiB
XML
<xml><p>Provided courtesy of A-albionic Research, PO Box 20273, Ferndale, MI 48220
|
|
fax 313-885-1181
|
|
e-mail: jhdaugh@mail.msen.com</p>
|
|
|
|
<p>------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
"Bavarian Illuminati" FAQ.
|
|
Ver 1.2
|
|
Peter Trei
|
|
Jan 1994</p>
|
|
|
|
<div>---------------------------------------------------------------------------</div>
|
|
|
|
<p> A lot of references appear in some newsgroups to the "Illuminati".
|
|
I'm trying to gather together some source material on the subject, to
|
|
produce some sort of FAQ file.</p>
|
|
|
|
<div>---------------------------------------------------------------------------</div>
|
|
|
|
<p> Here's three articles from the "Coil's Masonic Encyclopedia",
|
|
1961, by Henry Wilson Coil, 33rd degree. This is an excellent, albeit
|
|
slightly idiosyncratic reference work. Coil had a low opinion the
|
|
Catholicism, and it shows.</p>
|
|
|
|
<p> Of course, this being a *Masonic* encyclopedia, the articles are
|
|
written from that viewpoint.</p>
|
|
|
|
<p>--------------------
|
|
Rites:
|
|
- Illuminati of Bavaria. </p>
|
|
|
|
<p> This order was first called the Order of Perfectibilists, and was
|
|
a fairly shortlived, meteoric, controversial society formed May 1,
|
|
1776, in Bavaria, by Adam Weishaupt, aided by Baron von Knigge and
|
|
others, suppressed in 1784, and entirely disappeared by the close of
|
|
the century. It was not primarily Masonic, and evidently not founded by
|
|
any Masonic authority, though it pirated or prarphrased Masonic rituals
|
|
and at one time or another had a number of prominent Freemasons in the
|
|
group. Freemasonry has received a great many denunciations from several
|
|
sources by reason of the aberrations of the Illuminati, and the enemies
|
|
of Freemasonry encouraged the idea that Illuminism and Freemasonry were
|
|
the same. For details of the lives of Weishaupt and Knigge, reference
|
|
must be made to those titles in the general text but, since Illuminism
|
|
was their creation and developed as they directed, their acts are
|
|
material and discussed here.</p>
|
|
|
|
<p> Adam Weishaupt, Professor of Canon Law at the University of
|
|
Ingolstadt, conceived the idea of founding an order which, by mutual
|
|
helpfulness, counsel, and philosophic discussions, would increase
|
|
morality and virtue, lay the foundation for the reformation of the
|
|
world, and oppose the progress of evil, all of which objectives were
|
|
expressed in the name, "Order of Perfectibilists" or "Perfectionists",
|
|
which was soon changed to "Illuminati", which is best translated as
|
|
"intellectually inspired". Modesty and humility seems to have been no
|
|
trait of Weishaupt, for he was one of the first to attempt to fly with
|
|
little knowledge of human aerodynamics. His ambition outweighed his
|
|
judgement; his ideals were too refined for a rude world. Like many
|
|
other promoters, Weishaupt sought the aid of Freemasonry to give his
|
|
machine both propulsion and ballast. But it dragged Freemasonry down
|
|
without helping Illuminism very much. He was too shrewd and subtle for
|
|
his own good, though such qualities gave him headway for a time.
|
|
Although he formerly belonged to the Jesuits, he secured admission to a
|
|
lodge of Freemasons in 1777. Ironically, that was named "Lodge of
|
|
Caution."</p>
|
|
|
|
<p> We are not informed as to just how Weishaupt became associated
|
|
with Adolph Franz Friedrich Ludwid Baron Von Knigge, for the latter
|
|
lived in North Germany, was of the nobility, and, after his initiation
|
|
in 1773, showed little interest in Freemasonry. But noblemen were found
|
|
in abundance in the most fraudulent orders in Germany claiming some
|
|
Masonic connections. Weishaupt, in 1780, dispatched the Marquis de
|
|
Costanzo to propagate Illuminism in the north and Knigge probably then
|
|
first showed interest in the society. He became more and more
|
|
enthusiastic as the plan was revealed to him, and, in 1781, accepted
|
|
the invitation to visit Bavaria and receive full access to all of
|
|
Weishaupt's materials. Knigge not only completed the scale of degrees
|
|
but became a proponent of them, bringing to his aid the assistance of
|
|
Johann J. C. Bode, a prominent German Mason. The order was at first
|
|
very popular and attracted, it is said, some of the best men in Germany
|
|
and some of the worst. It had 2000 names on its rolls and spread to
|
|
France, Belgium, Holland, Denamrk, Sweden, Poland, Hungary, and Italy.
|
|
Knigge, especially, was a highly religious and intellectual man and
|
|
would have had nothing to do with that or any other order which was
|
|
anti-Christian, yet, the vicious attacks and accusations by Baruel and
|
|
Robison had great influence, and it was even charged that the
|
|
Illuminati were themselves agents of the Jesuits, though the latter
|
|
were opposing it in their usual secret manner. The Illuminati were
|
|
extremely secretive, even identifying themselves and their chapters by
|
|
assumed classical names; for examples, Weishaupt was Spartacus, Knigge
|
|
was Philo, Ingolstadt, the headquarters, was Eleusis, Austria was
|
|
Egypt, etc. Dates were given in a sort of cryptography.</p>
|
|
|
|
<p> The ceremonies were divided into three principal classes and those
|
|
into degrees as follows: I-The Nursery: 1. Preparatory Literary Essay;
|
|
2. Novitiate; 3. Minerval; 4. Minor Illuminatus; 5. Magistratus.
|
|
II-Symbolic Freemasonry: 1. Apprentice; 2. Fellow Craft; 3. Master; 4.
|
|
(a) Scots Major Illuminatus, (b) Scots Illuminatus Dirigens
|
|
(Directory). III-Mysteries; 1. Lesser: (a) Presbyter, Priest, or Epopt,
|
|
(b) Prince or Regent; Greater: (a) Magus; (b) Rex or King (some of
|
|
these latter degrees were never completed). </p>
|
|
|
|
<p> The Illuminati were finally beset by both internal and external
|
|
disorders, for Weishaupt found fault with some of Knigge's ritualistic
|
|
work and peremptorily ordered it changed, whereupon, Knigge became
|
|
disgusted and resigned in 1784. The Jesuits had fought it from the
|
|
first and eventually all priests became its active enemies and raised
|
|
so much opposition that the Elector of Bavaria supressed the Order by
|
|
edict, June 22, 1784, many Illuminati being imprisoned and some,
|
|
including Weishaupt, being forced to flee the country. Though the first
|
|
edict had been obeyed, it was repeated in March and August, 1785. Not
|
|
only Illuminism, but Freemasonry was exterminated in Bavaria and
|
|
neither ever recovered its former position. The Illuminati seem to have
|
|
completely disappeared everywhere by the end of the 18th century.</p>
|
|
|
|
<p>--------------------
|
|
Weishaupt, Adam</p>
|
|
|
|
<p> Founder of the Illuminati of Bavaria, born at Inglstadt, 1748,
|
|
died 1811. He was educated in law and attained the rank of Professor in
|
|
1772 at the University of Ingolstadt. He had been educated by the
|
|
Jesuits but acquired a dislike for them, and in his professional life,
|
|
he was soon in conflict with the whole clergy, partly because he held
|
|
the chair of Canon Law, which had always been held by an ecclesiastic.
|
|
In conferences with his students in whom he planted liberal ideas on
|
|
religion and philosophy, and he soon conceived of a close association
|
|
of enlightened or intellectual persons who might advance the moral and
|
|
intellectual qualities of themselves as well as others. This idea
|
|
materialized as the Illuminates or Illuminati, who at first had no
|
|
connection with Freemasonry. In 1777, he was admitted to Lodge Theodore
|
|
of Good Counsel (translated by some as Lodge Theodore of Caution) at
|
|
Munich, and from that time, he sought to interrelate the affairs of his
|
|
Illuminati with Freemasonry. </p>
|
|
|
|
<p> He soon formed an association with Baron von Knigge, an able and
|
|
upright man from north Germany, and the two might have accomplished
|
|
their objectives and some good had it not been for the opposition of
|
|
the Jesuits (who were still powerful though banished from Bavaria) and
|
|
the Roman Catholic clergy. Moreover Weishaupt and Knigge could not
|
|
agree upon some of the latters' ritualistic interpretations. From the
|
|
literature on the subject of Illuminism and from the caustic remarks of
|
|
Masonic writers, we might suppose that this order or movement lasted a
|
|
long time, but the whole drama opened with the organization of the
|
|
Perfectionists in 1766 and, 18 years later in 1784, the Bavarian
|
|
government banned all secret associations. The next year, Weishaupt was
|
|
discharged from his position at the University and banished from the
|
|
country. He fled to Gotha and found asylum with Duke Ernest of that
|
|
little city, remaining there until his death in 1811. In Gotha, he
|
|
published a number of works, those on Illuminism being: "A Picture of
|
|
Illuminism", 1786; "A Complete History of the Persecutions of the
|
|
Illuminati in Bavaria", 1785 (only the first of two planned volumes
|
|
published); "An Apology for the Illuminati", 1786; "An Improved System
|
|
of Illuminism", 1787, and others.</p>
|
|
|
|
<p> The most objective writers on the subject give Weishaupt credit
|
|
for being of high moral character and a profound thinker, and it is
|
|
worth noting that his associate, Knigge, spoke with great respect of
|
|
his intellectual powers. It appears, however, that he was the victim of
|
|
at least two powerful forces, first, the vindictive hate of the Church
|
|
of Rome and the Bavarian government and, secondly, his own inadequate
|
|
judgement of how to launch a revolutionary and more or less secret
|
|
movement such as Illuminism. He was really employing methods of the
|
|
Jesuits, for his whole order seems to have been composed of spies and
|
|
counter spies, and only those most adept at scheming and trickery were
|
|
advanced. The candidates all had pseudonyms, that of Weishaupt being
|
|
Spartacus, and those who became too inquisitive about matters as to
|
|
which their suspicions were aroused were turned out. If the purpose had
|
|
been philosophic, ethical, or for the improvement of the mind or
|
|
salvation of the soul, it need never to have been quite so secretive,
|
|
and from the Masonic standpoint, Weishaupt was not justified in using
|
|
the Fraternity as the vehicle for his scheme, good or bad, though he
|
|
had ample precedents on all sides.</p>
|
|
|
|
<p>--------------------
|
|
Knigge, Baron von (Adolph F. R. L.) </p>
|
|
|
|
<p> German Freemason and, in part, founder of the Bavarian Illuminati.
|
|
He was born near Hanover in 1752, and died at Bremen in 1796. He was
|
|
initiated in a lodge of the Strict Observance at Cassel in 1772, but,
|
|
for a time, seemed uninterested in the Society, thogh later becoming
|
|
one of the foremost German writers on the subject. He published "On
|
|
the Jesuits, Freemasons, and Rosicrucians, 1781, anon.; "Essay on
|
|
Freemasonry", 1784; "Contribution towards the latest history of the
|
|
Order of Freemasons", 1786; and "Philo's final Declaration", 1788. He
|
|
also wrote many non-Masonic works, one being "On Conversation with
|
|
Men", towards the end of his career and after a sad experience with the
|
|
Illuminati and disappointment with the Strict Observance, causing him
|
|
therein to devote much space to secret societies and denunciation of
|
|
Freemasonry. The most interesting and significant part of Knigge's
|
|
career was his participation with Weishaupt in the promotion of the
|
|
Bavarian Illuminati, he being almost an equal party.</p>
|
|
|
|
<div>---------------------------------------------------------------------------</div>
|
|
|
|
<p> A look at the Harvard University Library Catalog shows that there
|
|
was an Illuminati panic in New England in the late 1790's.</p>
|
|
|
|
<p> After that, very few people seem to have had Illuminism on their
|
|
minds. In the 1950s and 60's, about the only people who seem to mention
|
|
it were the John Birch Society.</p>
|
|
|
|
<p> In the mid-70's, Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson restarted
|
|
popular speculation with their fictional "Illuminatus!" trilogy. This
|
|
mixes actual history with conspiracy theory and pure invention, and
|
|
very deliberately produces doubts in the reader's mind as to the
|
|
nature of reality - a technique which the authors refer to as "guerilla
|
|
ontology", in pursuit of "Operation Mindf*ck." They were apparently
|
|
turned on to Illuminism by some of the correspondance they received
|
|
while working as letters column editors at Playboy magazine.</p>
|
|
|
|
<p> At the core of Illuminatus! is an aeons-old conflict between the
|
|
conspiracies representing the forces of order, bureaucracy, and
|
|
repression, represented by the Illuminati, and the conspiracies
|
|
representing the forces of chaos, spontaneity and freedom,
|
|
representing by the Erisians (followers of Eris, the Greek goddess of
|
|
discord). The plot involves every conspiracy you've ever heard of,
|
|
many you havent, monomaniacal midgets, golden submarines, giant squid,
|
|
ancient Atlantis, zombie Nazi stormtroopers, and a good deal of sex.
|
|
Wilson and Shea drew heavily on Akron Darual's "History of Secret
|
|
Societies", the 'Principia Discordia' of the Erisians, many kinds of
|
|
fringe conspiracy theory, and their own imaginations. One of their
|
|
conceits is that Adam Weishaupt, founder of the Bavarian Illuminati,
|
|
secretly murdered George Washington and took his place.</p>
|
|
|
|
<p> Illuminatus! became an underground bestseller, and while Shea seems
|
|
to have been content to sit back and enjoy the royalties, Wilson has
|
|
worked the interest it developed into a minor industry. He has brought
|
|
out a steady stream of fiction and "non-fiction" concerning the
|
|
Illuminati and related topics, noteably the "Schrodinger's Cat"
|
|
trilogy, "The Illuminati Papers", "Cosmic Trigger - The Final Secret of
|
|
the Illuminati", and most recently the "Historical Illuminatus Series",
|
|
which is up to four books.</p>
|
|
|
|
<p> [The following paragraph is a personal opinion.]</p>
|
|
|
|
<p> I've met Wilson, and my impression is that he lacks sincerity. I
|
|
don't think he actually believes in the continuing existence of the
|
|
Illuminati, but knows he's stumbled onto a goldmine. He does seem
|
|
serious about some of the psychological theories he promotes.</p>
|
|
|
|
<p> A couple other works of interest are the above-mentioned "History
|
|
of Secret Societies" by Akron Daraul, and Neil Wilgus' "The
|
|
Illuminoids". HoSS tries to link together a number of groups, claiming
|
|
that the Illuminati, the Masons, the Italian Carbonari, and the
|
|
Spanish Alumburados (sp?) are all linked and can be traced back to the
|
|
Hashashins of the ancient Middle East. "The Illuminoids" is
|
|
post-Illuminatus! and basically catalogs the conspiracy theories
|
|
connected to it.</p>
|
|
|
|
<p> So there you have it - a short-lived, failed, 18th century secret
|
|
society, which after being forgotten for nearly 200 years, has seized
|
|
the popular imagination through the work of two men. Despite the
|
|
paranoia of some of the people on the net, there is not the slightest
|
|
shred of evidence that the Illuminati persisted past 1800.
|
|
|
|
Of course, you may think you are free to doubt me on this. :-)</p>
|
|
|
|
<p>W .'. Peter Trei
|
|
ptrei@mitre.org
|
|
Wilder Lodge AF&AM
|
|
Leominster MA
|
|
------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p>
|
|
|
|
<p>After I put this out on the net, I received a few responses. The most
|
|
interesting gives some German sources on the Illuminati. I've touched
|
|
up the English a little:</p>
|
|
|
|
<p>Date: Tue, 27 Oct 92 17:33:17 MEZ
|
|
From: "Roald A. Zellweger" <special>RZELLWE@ibm.gwdg.de</special>
|
|
Subject: Illuminati</p>
|
|
|
|
<p> There is, of course, lots of material in German available on the
|
|
Bavarian Illuminati, esp from the beginning of the century, but also
|
|
from the research on the later Enlightenment in Germany, that had it's
|
|
height in the 70's.</p>
|
|
|
|
<p> Goethe and Herder were at times members of the Bavarian
|
|
Illuminati, and not only the Duke of Gotha, but also the Dukes of
|
|
Weimar and Brunswick, of course since it was Jesuitic in form and
|
|
heavily anti-Jesuitic in everything else...</p>
|
|
|
|
<p> At the end of 19th century the Illuminati-phobia was promoted and
|
|
used by the "Protokolle der Weisen von Zion" ["Protocols of the Elders
|
|
of Zion"] rsp. the literary Vorlage, a French anti-Napoleonic fiction,
|
|
and later by Ludendorff. So the Illuminati-phobia became closely
|
|
connected with Fascism's conspiracy theories.</p>
|
|
|
|
<p> The Illuminati no longer exist, but they influenced methods of
|
|
political conspiracy in 19th century and put the fear of a conspiracy
|
|
of masons, Jews, etc. in the views of the extreme right.</p>
|
|
|
|
<p> Informative is the Article Illuminaten in the Theologische
|
|
Realenzyclopedie (TRE), the large forthcoming protestant encyclopedia,
|
|
Bd.16,p.81-84, providing with the newest (serious!) literature.</p>
|
|
|
|
<p> Broader, but older, the article Illuminaten in Realenzyclopaedie
|
|
fuer protestantische Theologie und Kirche, Bd.9, Leipzig 1901,
|
|
p.61-68, mentioning the Spanish Alumbrados as using the same name and
|
|
existing later in France. The Realenzyclopaedie 3rd Edition is a very
|
|
serious work of late 19th century Historical Research and of course
|
|
from the viewpoint of German Kulturprotestantism.</p>
|
|
|
|
<p> Sources could be found sub Knigge and Weishaupt in Wolfsohns
|
|
Freimaurerbibliographie, Vienna (20's or early 30's). Useful is the
|
|
Internationales Freimaurerlexikon (Vienna 1932). Both Works are from
|
|
a (low-degree) masonic viewpoint and esp the latter apologetic against
|
|
Ludendorff's conspiracy theory.</p>
|
|
|
|
<p> Edited sources are: Jan Reichold (ed.): Die Illuminaten. Quellen
|
|
und Texte zur Aufklaerungsideologie des Illuminatenordens, Berlin
|
|
((former) DDR) 1984, commentary part of course influenced by Marxism
|
|
and GDR-ideology, but solid text edition.</p>
|
|
|
|
<p> Richard van Duelman: Der Geheimbund der Illuminaten, Stuttgart
|
|
1975.</p>
|
|
|
|
<p> If you haven't access to the lexica and could send me a Fax or
|
|
snail-mail address, I could send you copies from the articles in
|
|
question.</p>
|
|
|
|
<div>======-*****-=====-*****-=====-*-=**=-*-=====-*****-=====-*****-======</div>
|
|
|
|
<p> Roald A. Zellweger</p>
|
|
|
|
<p>Institut fuer Spezialforschungen
|
|
Platz der Goettinger Sieben 2
|
|
D-3400 Goettingen</p>
|
|
|
|
<p>phone : +49-551-39 7127
|
|
fax : +49-551-9 75 88
|
|
bitnet: RZELLWE@ibm.gwdg.de</p>
|
|
|
|
<div>------------------------------------------------------------------------------</div>
|
|
|
|
<p>Minor bits & bobs:</p>
|
|
|
|
<p> Steve Jackson Games has a rather nifty conspiracy table top game
|
|
called Illuminati, based on the books.</p>
|
|
|
|
<p> There is a live-action version called GURPS Illuminati, played at
|
|
finer SF and gaming conventions.</p>
|
|
|
|
<p> The "Puzzling Evidence" segment of the film "True Stories",
|
|
without mentioning the Illuminati explicitly, gives an entertaining
|
|
insight into the mind of a conspiracy theorist.
|
|
</p></xml> |