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59-409: The Élus Coëns is an esoteric Christian order founded in 1767, with its focus on establishing an invisible church, independent of any earthly structure, to find the path that leads to the hidden knowledge of nature in anticipation of the coming destruction of the material Church. That is to say, by a progressive initiation and a direct knowledge of God to obtain the primordial unity, which was lost since

118-543: A brief summary of the rite and doctrine of the Order of Élus Coëns ('Elect Priesthood' as mentioned by Waite): It (the Rite) was concerned with the communication of a secret doctrine by way of direct instruction and with a practice which must be called secret in the ordinary sense which attaches to the idea of occult art or science. The kind of practice was that which endeavours to establish communication with unseen intelligence by

177-806: A good solution to fill the gaps. This was quite easy for him because he was the leader of several initiatic organisations, which were closely linked with each other: The Martinist Order , the Rite of Memphis-Misraim , the Élus Coëns, the Kabbalistic Order of the Rose+Cross , the Ecclesia Gnostica Apostolica and the Gnostic Catholic Apostolic Church . Ambelain entrusted its leadership to Ivan Mosca (1915 – 2005) – mystical name Hermete – who made

236-408: A material and mortal being, and now he must make an effort to save himself and all of the original creation. The fall of Adam led man to the loss of the original shining (glorious) body, and to its transformation into the present material body. In this regard, a person has lost the ability to think independently, and all the thoughts are the result of suggestions by good or fallen spirits. Therefore,

295-602: A secret oral tradition which came to be called disciplina arcani . Mainstream theologians, however, believe that it contained only liturgical details and certain other traditions which remain a part of some branches of mainstream Christianity. Important influences on esoteric Christianity are the Christian theologians Clement of Alexandria and Origen , the leading figures of the Catechetical School of Alexandria . A denomination of esoteric Christianity

354-654: A special temple in Avignon , where he resided himself until 1766. At that time, the Order of the Elect Coens is worked as a high-degree system superimposed on the Blue Lodges: The first class has three symbolic degrees, and that of 'maître parfait élu', then the grades Coens proper: apprentice Coën, fellowcraft Coën, and master Coën, Grand Master Coën or Grand Architect, Chevalier d'Orient or Knight Zorobabel, Commandeur d'Orient or Commander Zorobabel, and finally

413-711: Is The Christian Community . It focuses on the experiential aspect of sacraments , with the Eucharist serving as "the Rite of the Consecration of Man". Scholar Jan Shipps describes the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as having esoteric elements. Influenced by the Platonic doctrine of metempsychosis , reincarnation of the soul was accepted by most Gnostic Christian sects such as Valentinianism and

472-765: Is a 'way' and a 'mode' of manifestation of one god. According to the Treatise , the name Jesus is the true word that is lost among the Freemasons. Also, it is the Pentagrammaton —a holy name—or a formula that is used by the Rosicrucians. If the name 'Jesus' is written according to the Kabbalistic method, which is common in the Renaissance mysticism, we get five letters ' יהשוה ‎ '. The idea

531-606: Is a book written in 1772-73 by Martinès de Pasqually . Initially, the book was intended as an internal document and doctrine for the Order of Knight-Masons Elect Priests of the Universe , founded by Pasqually. After the death of Pasqually, the book outgrew the narrow framework of the Order, having influenced the spiritual and philosophical life of its time. It continues to influence occultism , mysticism , and spiritual philosophy as several Martinist organizations and orders around

590-529: Is closely related to Gnosticism , and survives in a few modern churches. There are also esoteric Christian Societies such as the Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia . Some modern scholars believe that in the early stages of proto-orthodox Christianity , a nucleus of oral teachings were inherited from Palestinian and Hellenistic Judaism . In the 4th century, it was believed to form the basis of

649-604: Is one of the persons of the Holy Trinity . Moreover, judging by the fact that Pasqually was a convinced monotheist , it is likely that the Holy Trinity, precisely in the aspect of tritheism , was rejected by him. Proceeding from what is stated in the Treatise , Pasqually taught that God is one, but reveals himself consistently in three different ways, just as human nature is threefold: consisting of soul, spirit and body, united in one human personality. Therefore, Christ

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708-669: Is the theurgy passed along the initiatory chain from Noah to the Order of the Elected Priests (Élus Coëns). The preparation to perform a theurgic ceremonial followed by fasting and prayer. According to the British mystic Arthur Edward Waite , Martinès de Pasqually was the Grand Sovereign, Grand Magus and Operator of the Rite. In his book Saint-Martin: The French Mystic and the Story of Modern Martinism (1922), Waite made

767-603: Is to get the name of Jesus by adding the Hebrew letter shin ( ש ‎ ) to the middle of the Tetragrammaton ' יהוה ‎ '. Pasqually taught that, in time, the name Jeshua (Jesus) corresponds to the timeless unpronounceable name of Yahweh ( יהוה ‎ ). According to the Treatise , the doctrine of Martinès de Pasqually holds an eschatological cosmology close to the Judeo - Christian view: God, as

826-557: The Basilidians , but denied by the proto-orthodox one. While hypothetically considering a complex multiple-world transmigration scheme in De Principiis , Origen denies reincarnation in his work Against Celsus and elsewhere. Despite this apparent contradiction, most modern esoteric Christian movements refer to Origen's writings (along with other Church Fathers and biblical passages) to validate these ideas as part of

885-559: The Book of Genesis , Pasqually concludes that man is the 'junior creature', because he appeared at the end of the Creation . Initially, man was created by the Lord as an androgyne, in a glorious body, not subject to decay and death. The Lord created man for the fulfillment of two important things on a cosmic scale: so that a person could replace the hierarchy of fallen spirits who rebelled against

944-667: The Chapter of Scottish Judges in Montpellier . In 1761, he became affiliated with the lodge La Française in Bordeaux and founded a Cohen Temple there. In 1764 La Française was reorganized by him as Française Élue Écossaise to indicate that it now had a Chapter of superior degrees. In 1766 the directors of the Masonic province of Bordeaux declared that they were abolishing all constitutions relating to higher grades apart from

1003-574: The Manichean / Mandaean elements very present in these writings and catechisms—found in Pasqually’s own texts, rituals and catechisms. They drew upon the power of Church prayers, banished the influence of Satan from humanity. Hiram Abiff —the allegorical figure of Freemasonry—is also presented in the Martinezist tradition, but with a different view. According to an archive from Lyon Library,

1062-581: The Masonic system provides an adequate structure for this course taken using occultist methods. The teachings address essentially major themes relating to the Judeo-Christian tradition, but from an esoteric point of view, under the Cabbalistic , Hermetic , and Gnostic influences—some have claimed strong elements of Valentinian Gnostic teachings, but this is actually not as reliable as

1121-728: The Private Instructions to the Coëns of Lyon , Hiram was not murdered but simply retired from his job because the King Solomon fell into sins. He could not die because he was not an ordinary mortal but being a sublime essence, a bearer of holiness, an architect sent to Solomon by the Great Architect of the Universe . It is also described in the archive that he is one of the six great elects, among whom are Hely, Enoch , Melchizedek , Ur and Elijah . All of them precede

1180-662: The Traité sur la réintégration des êtres have been translated in English and both published in 2021. "The Algiers Manuscript", under the title "The Green Book of the Élus Coëns", published by Lewis Masonic; and the Treatise on the Reintegration of Beings , published by The Three Luminaries . In 1943, Robert Ambelain, whose mystical name was Aurifer , revived the Order of the Élus Coëns. The other two esotericists who signed

1239-540: The Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ and theologians and teachers of the early Christian Church ; also various legendary figures, such as Christian Rosenkreuz , were all the Elect Priests of the universe. For twenty years, spanning from 1754 to 1774, the year of his death, Pasqually worked ceaselessly to establish and promote his Ordre des Chevaliers Maçons Élus Coëns de l'Univers . In 1754 he founded

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1298-547: The fall of Adam —the Reintegration—through the practice of theurgy , which relied on complex ceremonial practices aimed at what Pasqually termed the reconciliation of the ‘minor’ person with Divinity. This was to be accomplished through human communication with the angelic hierarchies . In other words, they practised theurgy which consisted of evoking the intermediary spirits, such as angels and celestial beings in order to obtain their help and support. With this in mind,

1357-464: The incarnation of Jesus Christ was necessary, which by preaching, suffering, death, and resurrection laid the foundation for reconciliation, and the Reintegration of the present generation of mankind. Previous generations, according to the Treatise , were reconciled by the most vivid Old Testament saints and prophets: Seth , Enoch , Noah , Abraham , Moses , and Elijah . For the final stage of reconciliation, it took Divine Condescension , that is,

1416-621: The 19th century, various occultist currents reclaimed Martinez de Pasqually—among them, the Ordre de la Rose-Croix catholique du Temple et du Graal —founded in 1890 by Joséphin Péladan , which claimed to fight against the ‘Latin Decadence ’ by the return to the religion of the ‘Art God’ and an imperial theocracy . The only two books written by Martinez de Pasqually, the Manuscrit d'Alger and

1475-571: The Charter to revive the Order were Robert Amadou (1924 – 2006) and Roger Ménard. Georges Bogé de Lagrèze (1882-1946) was elected Grand Master and Ambelain his Deputy Grand Master. The degrees of this new Order were the Operative degrees of the original Élus Coëns , reconstituted with the scarce material Ambelain had in his hands. The name of the Order was later changed in “Ordre Martiniste des Élus Cohens” , where candidates were also initiated into

1534-516: The Coëns introduced a mystical philosophy, a detailed description of which can be found in Pasqually’s Treatise on the Reintegration of Beings into Their Original Estate, Virtues and Powers both Spiritual and Divine ( Traité de la Réintégration des êtres dans leurs premières propriétés, vertus et puissance spirituelles et divines ). This doctrine , he intended for an elite chosen from the ranks of his contemporary masons, and gathered under

1593-407: The Elect Priests sustained in the style of Christian Cabbalah , and had absorbed many ideas of the followers of this Renaissance movement . The final synthesis of these ideas led them to a coherent and orderly scheme, both philosophical and ideological. A work written in an apocalyptic style, the main purpose is to describe the spiritual hierarchy of the universe, then to offer the key to understand

1652-592: The Greek ἐσωτερικός ( esôterikos , "inner"). These spiritual currents share some common features, such as heterodox or heretical Christian theology; the canonical gospels, various apocalyptic literature , and some New Testament apocrypha as sacred texts; and disciplina arcani , a supposed oral tradition from the Twelve Apostles containing esoteric teachings of Jesus the Christ. Esoteric Christianity

1711-498: The Lord and were cast out of heaven, and, accordingly, no longer fulfilling their duty in the Divine Purpose; in order to keep the rebels, or, as Pasqually called them the 'spoiled creatures' under constant control, facilitating their reconciliation with God and the speedy correction of their nature. However, Adam stepped back from his duties, and he himself fell in the prison, which he was instructed to watch over. He became

1770-465: The Order dormant in 1968 and then reawakened it in 1995. Upon the death of Mosca, who did not designate successors, two groups claimed the legitimate succession, a Spanish and an Italian-French one. A third group also reconstructed its ‘regularity’ within the Order of the United Rites of Memphis Misraim, through an Ambelain-Kloppel-Castelli lineage, and proceeded with a philological reconstruction of

1829-466: The Reintegration of Beings , the fundamental book of Élus Coëns, the teachings taught in the order derive from the teachings that Seth , the third son of Adam , received from the Angels, which including certain rituals and reconciliation of humanity with God. But the descendants of Seth perverted this knowledge, thus it became useless, until it was retransmitted by Noah . Since then, it has passed through

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1888-537: The ages, through a continuous chain of the tradition of initiation to the Rosicrucians . The higher mystery of the Rosicrucian brotherhood was taught at the highest level of the Order of the Elect Priests, which had the designation ‘R+’ that means ‘Reaux-Croix’ (‘Pink Cross’ or ‘Ruddy Cross’). It is believed that the doctrine transmitted in the Order of the Elect Priests, especially the teaching of ‘R+’ level,

1947-455: The banner of the 'Elus Coens' (Elect Priests). Quickly this order gained quite the reputation in French masonic circles, but the theurgic operations remained reserved for the higher degrees. Martinez did not, to a greater extent, graft his system solely on freemasonry . Until 1761, it is to be located in Montpellier , Paris , Lyons , Bordeaux , Marseilles , and Avignon . In 1761 he built

2006-454: The ceremonial of the Élus Coëns. Meanwhile, Louis Claude de Saint-Martin had renounced Freemasonry and the theurgy used by Élus Coëns. By judging these methods of angelic evocation to be unreliable and even dangerous, he chose to take another path, what he called ‘The Way of the Heart’ to attain the Reintegration, the inward contemplation that opposes the exterior theurgic ritual. At the end of

2065-511: The divinely appointed agent of that great work to come. There are two versions of the work. The first, the so-called 'original version', was published by the Martinist researcher Robert Amadou  [ fr ] in 1974, in Paris by Éditions Robert Dumas. The second version was also discovered by Robert Amadou, in 1978, known as the 'manuscript of Saint-Martin'. A facsimile of this version,

2124-480: The esoteric Christian tradition outside of the Gnostic schools, who were later considered heretical in the 3rd century. Treatise on the Reintegration of Beings The Treatise on the Reintegration of Beings into Their Original Estate, Virtues and Powers both Spiritual and Divine ( French : Traité de la Réintégration des êtres dans leurs premières propriétés, vertus et puissance spirituelles et divines )

2183-539: The first three (Regular Blue- or St. John's degrees of: Apprentice, Fellowcraft and Master). As a result, all the works of the Chapter were suspended. This same year Martinez travelled to Paris and found a new and explicit Elus Cohen-temple together with Bacon de Chivalerie, Jean-Baptiste Willermoz , Fauger d'Ignéacourt, the Count of Lusignan, Henri de Loos, Grainville, and several others that were to play important parts in

2242-522: The grasp of the Grand Lodge of France . In 1777, the rites are no longer in operation and institutional use, except from some circles in Paris, Versailles and Eu. Finally, in 1781, Sebastien Las Casas, third and last 'Grand Sovereign' of the Elus Cohens (successor of Caignet de Lester, who died in 1778) ordered the closure of the eight remaining temples that still recognize his authority. Despite

2301-608: The history the Order. In 1767, he established the Sovereign Tribunal who would direct the whole Order of the Elus Coens . In 1768 he met with Louis-Claude de Saint-Martin . The personality and teachings of Pasqually made a deep and lasting impression on Saint-Martin. Conversely, Pasqually himself was influenced by Saint-Martin who decided to leave his military career in 1771 and become the personal secretary of Martinez, replacing Abbe Pierre Fournié. From this period

2360-434: The incarnation of Jesus Christ. However, in order to follow the path of the Reintegration, according to the teachings of Pasqually, one should follow the path of internal self-perfection, and also make good use of the theurgic operations that Pasqually taught to the 'men of desire', whom he found worthy of initiation. Through these operations, the disciples must enter into relations with the angelic entities, which 'pass through'

2419-455: The last degree, the supreme consecration of Reaux Croix. The history of the Élus Coëns, like the history of any secret society, is quite complex and confusing. The history has been preserved in very few written documents that could shed light on the order that remains almost unknown for more than two centuries. However, its history can be divided into a legendary one and an actual one. The legendary history, according to Pasqually’s Treatise on

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2478-405: The man doesn't have the right of choice—the freedom of will —through which he can reject bad suggestions and choose the good, or on the contrary, thereby bringing himself into a state of even greater enslavement and dependence on the 'spoiled creatures'. The most important thing that man lost, according to Pasqually, is the direct communication with God. In order to achieve reconciliation with God,

2537-590: The notable development of the rituals of the order starts and Pasquallys drafting of his magnum opus, the Treatise on the Reintegration of Beings , the main doctrinal foundation of the Martinist theosophy and theurgy . In 1772 Pasqually, embarked on a trip to Santo Domingo to receive an inheritance, and subsequently died there in 1774. Thereafter, the Order disintegrates. In 1776, the Coens Temples of La Rochelle , Marseilles , and Libourne fall into

2596-464: The observances of Ceremonial Magic [...] It will be seen in a word that the Rite of Elect Priesthood had a very different undertaking in hand from anything embraced by the horizon of Craft Masonry or the rank and file of High Grades. The doctrine embodied a particular view concerning the Fall of Man and of all animated things belonging to the material order; it looked for the restoration of all, and on man as

2655-460: The official closure, the Elus Coens continued to both practice theurgy, and to conduct initiations. On the other hand, the theosophical teaching of Martinez was not lost, in masonry, it spreads even long after the death of the leader through the Masonic system established by Willermoz shortly after death his master. Besides Willermoz and Saint-Martin, the last known personal disciple of Martinez

2714-402: The original rituals and operations. The order was officially closed, as publicly announced in the Martinist magazine L'Initiation , in 1964. Esoteric Christianity Esoteric Christianity is a mystical approach to Christianity which features "secret traditions" that require an initiation to learn or understand. The term esoteric was coined in the 17th century and derives from

2773-400: The original unity, wished to emanate beings from his own essence. But Lucifer , who sought to fulfill his creative power, became victim to his own misdeed, being confined to a place along with other major fallen spirits that God has prepared for them as a prison. Then, God sent a man in his androgynous body, endowed him with great powers. Following the chronology of the events described in

2832-798: The seventh and final elect – the Corrector or Mender, our Lord Jesus Christ. But it was Hiram, being the chief architect of the Temple of King Solomon , foreshadowed by his appearance the coming of the Son of God (Jesua Messiah), as the Great Architect of the New Testament Church . This view of Martinezism developed in higher degrees is completely distinct from the Freemasonry’s, departed from Masonic symbolism and ordinary Masonic works,

2891-548: The source is Fournié himself in his own work What we've been, what we are and what we become (1802), in fear of saying too much. At the time of the revolution Fournié emigrated to England , where he remained until his death, and in this period, from 1818 to 1821, he befriends the Theosophist of Munich Franz von Baader . Two of Pasqually's disciples particularly distinguished themselves: Jean-Baptiste Willermoz and Louis Claude de Saint-Martin . Jean-Baptiste Willermoz

2950-507: The still-continuing miserable situation of mankind, and to indicate the way out this situation. According to Pasqually's teachings, Jesus Christ is the uncreated Word of God through whom the world is created. He is the King of Glory, and the Great Architect of the Universe , who is worshiped by Freemasons in their lodges . However, there is no indication in the Treatise that Pasqually accepted an orthodox Christian doctrine that Jesus Christ

3009-418: The theurgic operations. These angelic entities appear in their characteristic images or in the form of their hieroglyphic symbols (hieroglyphs of angelic names used in the drawings of circles and words of power for the Élus Coëns ceremonial magic ) to prove that the operator is on the right path of Reintegration. To attract the faithful to the Lord, the good angels follow the operation of an external cult, which

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3068-441: The trends of European mysticism of the 19th and 20th centuries. The Treatise was known even in the 18th-century Russian Empire , in versions that have not survived to this day. Jacques Cazotte is one of the early French-Martinist figures, author of the occult romance The Devil in Love and Ollivier, poème , who was initiated into the Order of Elect Priests by Martinès de Pasqually himself. Cazotte himself claimed that it

3127-439: The usual three degrees of Martinism; this was the ‘outer order’ which formed the ante-chamber of the Operative degrees. Ambelain, who always looked for possibilities to expand the Order, introduced elements that had nothing to do with the original Coëns : Neo-Gnosticism , Qabalah and Memphis-Misraim among others. This happened because he did not have enough material to actually do all the degrees, and found in other traditions

3186-432: The world consider it one of the fundamental books of their tradition. The theosopher Pasqually wanted to understand the world from the religion, through inner reflection and illumination, he discovered God and the world. The Treatise is a commentary by him to the Pentateuch of Moses , specially for two reasons: Strictly speaking, however, the Treatise itself can not be regarded as Jewish-Kabbalistic . The doctrine of

3245-466: Was Abbe Pierre Fournié. It was around 1768 that he met the teacher who would make him turn around his life completely, and of whom would be employed as secretary. Initiated as an Elus Coën, the tonsured cleric Fournié resides mainly in Bordeaux, where he mediates the correspondences between different members of the Order. In 1776, Louis-Claude de Saint-Martin is quoted as describing him as an Elus Cohen exceptionally favoured in supernatural manifestations;

3304-428: Was an ardent adept of Freemasonry and theurgy. For him, the doctrine of Reintegration is at the base of primitive and authentic masonry that is to be found by the meeting on this basis of all ‘rites and systems’. He joined the German Order of Strict Templar Observance in 1773, the order was reformed by Willermoz under a new name, the Order of Knights Beneficent of the Holy City , which combined Templar Freemasonry with

3363-468: Was due to Pasqually that he turned from atheism to Christianity. The teachings of Pasqually inspired the 'occult revival' in France at the end of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Specialists of the Martinist Order included such occult figures as Papus , Constant Chevillon , Éliphas Lévi , Joséphin Péladan , Jean Bricaud , Maurice Barrès , Stanislas de Guaita , Henri-Charles Détré  [ fr ] , among others. Their activities and books bear

3422-415: Was published by one of the Rosicrucian almanacs of France in 1993, under the title Traité sur la Réintégration des êtres . An English translation of the 'manuscript of Saint-Martin' has been published by The Three Luminaries, and more recently by M.R. Osborne. The Treatise on the Reintegration of Beings had an impact on the development of both mystical and spiritual movements in Freemasonry and all

3481-413: Was the axis and the basic doctrine of all the preceding esoteric brotherhoods, societies and orders that existed before the emergence of the Elect Priests. Moreover, according to the Treatise , all the Old Testament prophets, for example, Moses , Elijah , Isaiah , Ezekiel , Daniel , Solomon and his architect Hiram Abiff , among others; as well as many New Testament figures and mystics, among them

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