THE ROLE OF THE TWO DEACONS IN FREEMASONRY
W Bro Petros N. Zenieris
PM of the Lodge of St George No 1152
A TEACHER…
In my own personal interpretation and based on my academic background as an educationalist, I would deem the primary function of a Deacon as being a teacher.
Indeed, a Deacon’s role is to teach!
Whom to teach?
Of course, the candidate, who by entering into the Lodge in a state of darkness has allowed the Deacon to provide needed guidance and willingly is to listen to him and follow his instructions.
A Deacon’s role as a teacher could be summarised into five (5) main fundamental points and he ought to fulfil all 5 requirements successfully:
He must be thoroughly prepared by memorising all required ritual lines as he is going to provide needed guidance to the candidate,
He must have a very good and clear understanding of the Degree performed and to ensure that he is able to deliver his part as clearly as possible for the candidate’s crucial comprehension,
He must work well and in synchronisation with all other officers in the Lodge, whilst he conducts the candidate around the Lodge,
He must speak slowly and clearly so the candidate would be able to follow him with ease,
5. He must constantly watch for signs of candidate’s understanding or confusion and he will be ready to repeat
certain phrases when appropriate.
ORIGIN OF THE WORD "DEACON"
The word Deacon derives from the Hellenic word “Diakonos” meaning servant, attendant or messenger.
The verb “Διακονώ” – “Diakono” carries the meaning of being able to serve someone or something or provide my service to someone (https://www.ancestry.com/first-name-meaning/diakonos).
A Deacon, in some instances has been considered as the column (Pillar) of the church or the doorkeeper.
In the old days and according to the Hellenic church tradition, a priest for not being able to dedicate sufficient time to take care of church’s physical needs he would appoint another person for that task whilst the priest would dedicate his time to taking care and fulfilling peoples’ spiritual needs.
In the Hellenic mythology, Hermes was the winged messenger who carried the messages and commands from the chief deity to the four corners of heaven.
Hermes, apart from being God’s messenger he was also considered the patron and protector of travellers for those who were moving from place to place within the world of living or within the underworld.
As an emblem of his office, Hermes carried a short rod or wand with a figure on the tip of it known as the caduceus typically with two serpents twined round it.
THE EMBLEM OF DEACON’S OFFICE
In the early speculative period, the Deacons’ wand was decorated by the caduceus as a representation of Lodge’s messengers.
Towards the latter part of 18th century, due to the strong Christian influence the caduceus was replaced by the dove being more appropriate to Biblical concepts of the messenger (Noah’s story for releasing a dove after the Ark landed on Mount Ararat) than the pagan symbol of Hermes or Mercury.
A dove is considered a symbol of wisdom. A pair of doves symbolises peace and love and unity and according to the Christian religion and iconography the Holy Spirit is represented by a dove.
Even outside the Craft Lodges, wands have been used as British marks of office. (i.e. in churches, in the house of parliament).
It will be interesting to know that in some parts of the British Isles it is still the custom for the Worshipful Master to send his Deacon with a special message of invitation to the hotel or residence of a visiting Brother for his attendance at Lodge.
In the USA the Senior Deacon has been appointed by the Worshipful Master whilst the Junior Deacon by the Senior Deacon. In England both are appointed by the Worshipful Master.
In the earliest rituals of the 18th century, there was no mention of Deacons as the duties of those officers were discharged partly by Junior Warden and partly by the Senior and Junior Entered Apprentices until 1813.
During the first 120 years the Grand Lodge of Ireland never elected Grand Deacons and when their services were required such officers were selected from those Masters then present. The first appearance of Grand Deacons is about in 1850; 37 years after the UGLE had adopted such office.
A STORY
In Sussex County near Wilmington there is a hillside carving with the name “Long Man of Wilmington” which displays a man with arms outstretched and, in each hand, he holds a “staff” or “Asherah”. This figure stands 125 feet tall.
The word “Asherah” refers to wooden columns or staffs the represented the goddess Asherah, a Canaanite deity.
The goddess Asherah was the mother of twins named Shachar, the god of dawn and Shalem, the god of dusk.
Thus, we see here the connection to Masonry, as the two Deacons carry staff with the Senior Deacon sitting in the East representing the Sun or dawn; and the Junior Deacon sitting in the West representing the end of the day or dusk.
THE PLACEMENT OF THE TABERNACLE
All holy or sacred buildings are situated due east and west and the tabernacle of Moses was no different except that Moses and his followers were in the wilderness and on the move for 40 years.
As we all know, the tabernacle, which was of course a tent, had to be dismantled and re-erected every time they moved and at the rebuilding process it had to be situated due east and west.
So, Moses and his two attendants, with their asherahs, would go to the chosen site where the tabernacle was to be erected just before dawn, accompanied by the heavy gang who were going to do the erecting.
Moses would then choose the spot where the altar was to be positioned and instruct one of the attendants to place his asherah on that spot.
When the sun rose above the horizon, the rays from the sun would strike the asherah and send a long thin shadow towards the west.
The other attendant would then place his asherah on the other end of the shadow and that would designate the centre line of the proposed tabernacle.
The heavy gang would then move in and erect the tabernacle with the altar being placed at the east end and the entrance at the west end.
CONCLUSION
Looking at history, Deacons were associated with columns, but around 1822 the Wardens took over the columns as the symbol of their office, while the Deacons were given the wands with the dove at the tip.
The dove is the symbol of peace and harmony; thus, Deacons are officers of peace.
Both Deacons perform as delegates for the Worshipful Master and his Senior and Junior Wardens.
The wands both Deacons are entrusted with have been decorated to represent their specific role in the Lodge as being messengers and guardians of peace and harmony.
Brethren who serve as Deacons require knowledge, awareness and observation in order to be able to perform their respective duties with enthusiasm and fidelity.
REFERENCE
https://www.ancestry.com/first-name-meaning/diakonos
The term diakonos is derived from the ancient Greek word that translates to servant or minister. In the context of Christian scripture, it refers to individuals who serve in various capacities within the church, performing duties that support the ministry and the community. The essence of the term emphasizes servitude and the act of serving others, highlighting the role of a diakonos as one who acts in service to God and the needs of others.
