There are many in the Holy Scriptures by the name of
John.  The name John means "Jehovah's gift", and this may well
apply to the two Saints John acknowledged as the patrons of
Freemasonry - St. John the Baptist, wonderfully born of God, and
St. John the Evangelist, or St. John the Divine, the beloved
disciple of Our Blessed Lord.  Both these Johns were related to
each other and to Our Lord, and each had a definite part to play in
one of the greatest events of history - the Incarnation of God's
Son as the Messiah.

          John the Baptist was born of aged and God-fearing parents
- Zacharias and Elizabeth, his father being a faithful priest of
the temple.  His especial vocation in life was that of a herald or
forerunner of the Messiah, the Light of the World.  His method of
preparation was by baptism of repentance, and so he is known as
"John the Baptist".  After the giving of his name in the temple,
his father's tongue was loosed and he said "And thou, child, shalt
be called the Prophet of the Highest; for thou shalt go before the
face of the Lord to prepare His ways; to give knowledge of
salvation unto His people for the remission of their sins through
the tender mercy of Our God; whereby the day spring from on high
hath visited us, to give light to them that sit in darkness and in
the shadow of death and to guide our feet to the way of peace". 
"And the child grew, and waxed in spirit, and was in the deserts
till the day of his showing unto Israel."

          John the Evangelist, or John the Divine, the writer of
the Fourth Gospel, three General Epistles, and the Book of
Revelation, the youngest of the Apostles, was the son of Zebedee
and the brother of James, partners in a fishing firm, and lived at
Jerusalem.  He was well educated, and readily responded to the
challenge of Our Lord to follow Him.  It was to him, "the beloved
apostle", that our Lord committed the care of His mother from the
cross.  He was the missionary to the Greek world, and became Bishop
or overseer of the Church at Ephesus.  Later he was banished for
his loyalty to the Christian teaching to the lonely island of
Patmos in the Aegean Sea, where he wrote the most Masonic,
mysterious, and symbolic of all his works - the Revelation.  He
returned from exile to Ephesus when about 90, and in his old age,
when he could say but little, he kept repeating "Little children,
love one another".  When he was asked why he was always saying this
re replied "It is the commandment of the Lord, and if this is done
it is enough."

          John the Evangelist is the most interesting of the
Apostles in personal charm, character, and teaching.  Unlike Peter,
he was firm and undaunted, and did not forsake his Master even at
the cross.

          As to the dates for these patron Saints of Masonry,
24 June for John the Baptist and 27 December for John the
Evangelist, it has been suggested that they were taken over from
pagan festivals having to do with the Spring solstice, the season
of stronger light and the Winter solstice, the beginning of longer
light.  I am inclined to think that these dates belong to the
Christian Church and were taken over by Masonry:  24 June is a fit
and proper day to hold open-air services to commemorate St. John's
life which was spent in the desert and the wilderness under the
open canopy of Heaven, 27 December is placed near the birth of
Christ, the great Light of the world, because St. John the
Evangelist was nearest to Our Lord of all the Apostles, having
reclined on his breast at the Last Supper, and is the Apostle of
Light.

          Now the connection of these two Saints John with Masonry
is steeped in legend and tradition, accepted by some schools of
thought and denied by others.  It is a very ancient custom to
dedicate a work, or writing, or institution to the memory of some
outstanding person.  We see this in the Book of Psalms called the
"Psalms of David", although it is quite certain King David had
nothing to do with their composition.  Also in the Book of Acts of
the Apostles the author addressed his work to a mystical person
called Theophilus.  Masonry being older than Christianity could
have chosen other patrons such as Confucius or some of the Greek
gods.  Solomon was chosen later as a patron of Masonry.  But why
the holy Saints John of Jerusalem instead of Mohammed or other
great religious and educational leaders of later dates or even
other great men of the days of the Saints John?  Upon a closer
study of this great question we find that there are several periods
of Masonic history each adopting its own patron.

          First Period:  From the building of King Solomon's Temple
to the Babylonian captivity and its destruction (1000 B.C. to 581
B.C.), the patron of the Masonic Art was Solomon, a man of world-
wide fame, wisdom, and beauty of architecture, as displayed in the
most gorgeous building of all time, the first Temple at Jerusalem.

          Second Period:  From the return of the exiles from
Babylon and the rebuilding of the second Temple (534 B.C.) at 
Jerusalem to its second destruction, under the Roman Emperor 
Vespasian (70 A.D.), the patron was Zerubbabel, who was the
governor and overseer of the work of rebuilding.

          Third Period:  From 70 A.D. to 100 A.D., John the Baptist
was the adopted patron.  Masonry seems to have suffered a period of
decay (although this fact is denied by some) and no Grand Master
could be found to take charge of the Craft.  Five or six men most
outstanding in the Craft were picked out to find a suitable Grand
Master.  Legend relates that John the Evangelist was approached,
who was now over 90 years of age, and Bishop of Ephesus, and that
after a time he consented to act.

          Fourth Period:  From 100 A.D. to 1717, the patron of this
period was John the Evangelist.  This John the Evangelist completed
what John the Baptist began.  So the two run parallel, ever since
known as the Holy Saints John of Jerusalem, constituting a mystical
or imaginary Lodge of Perfection, the Mother Lodge of all Masonry.

          Fifth Period:  From 1717 to 1813, this continued when the
first Grand Lodge was formed in England, 24 June 1717, John the
Baptist's Day, until 1813 when the London Lodges united to adopt
Solomon as their patron.

          Sixth Period:  From 1813 to the present, the custom has
since changed to take Saint George as the patron Saint and services
are held on the Wednesday following St. George's Day (April 23rd). 
St. Patrick is the patron Saint of Irish Masonry, and St. Andrew of
Scottish.  None of these three, as far as we know, had anything to
do with Masonry.

          Seventh Period:  The American Lodges continue with the
Holy Saints John as their patron Saints.  The first degrees are
almost universally known as St. John's Masonry.  Anciently Masons
were known as Sts. John's Brothers.  Tradition says the Masonic
lodges are placed East and West because St. John the Baptist
started his work of preparing for the Light in the East and St.
John the Evangelist carried it to the West.  I think it more
accurate to say that the East and West position of our lodges comes
from King Solomon's Temple at Jerusalem.

          Now all the foregoing is worthy of our careful study, but
I am persuaded after much research into the matter that we are all
on more solid ground and our reasons better founded for having the
two Saints John as the patron Saints of Masonry, when we examine
their lives and works and teaching.  I think it more correct to say
that Masonry has patronized the Saints John rather than the Saints 
John patronized Masonry.  John the Evangelist is the most Masonic
of all sacred writers in teaching and language.  Light and truth
are one and the same and are both summed up in God's full
revelation of the truth of all ages in His Beloved Son.  The Word -
that is the Divine wisdom, light and truth - became flesh.  In the
holy city described in the Book of the Revelation, no temple is
needed there, "neither the sun or the moon, for Christ is the Light
and the Glory thereof."

          John the Baptist was the forerunner and herald of that
Light - "that was the true Light, which lighteth every man that
cometh into the world" - "He (John the Baptist) was not that Light,
but was sent to bear witness of that Light."  John the Baptist was
a strong, heroic, courageous preacher of light, of truth and
righteousness - one who boldly rebuked vice and suffered for the
truth's sake.  "He was a burning and a guiding light" and brought
about a great awakening in preparation for the true Light of the
World.  Our Blessed Lord said of him and his work, "Among those
born of women there hath not arisen a greater than John the
Baptist."

          John the Evangelist is the great apostle of Light and
Love.  "God is truth; God is light; God is Love."  In his first
Epistle John writes, "This then is the message that we have heard
of him and declare unto you - that God is light and in him no
darkness at all.  If we say we have fellowship with him and walk in
darkness, we lie and do not the truth; but if we walk in the light
as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another."  Could
any words be more Masonic than these?

          Now the first object of the Masonic Craft is Light; the
first principle, brotherly love.  The Masonic Order is essentially
Christian as it proceeds to unfold its hidden mysteries and looks
to the sacred writings as its great light.  Christ is the true
Light of the whole world - not of any one part or race - not the
only light that has illumined mankind but the only world light -
The Bright Morning Star (language of St. John) to which all Masonry
looks.  So St. John the Evangelist is the patron Saint of all who
receive the light as John the Baptist is of all who seek it, who
himself pointed to the true Light of the World from his heart.


THIS PAPER WAS PREPARED BY R.W. BROTHER CANON W.E. RYDER, PGC OF
THE GRAND LODGE OF NOVA SCOTIA.  IT WAS DONATED TO THE BOARD OF
MASONIC EDUCATION BY R.W. BROTHER G. VICKERS, PGS OF GRAND LODGE OF
NOVA SCOTIA.