Albert Pike

Morals and Dogma

Morals and Dogma of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry is a book by American author, and sovereign grand commander of the Scottish Rite, Albert Pike. It was first published in 1871 by the Supreme Council, Thirty Third Degree, of the Scottish Rite, Southern Jurisdiction of the United States. It is a collection of lectures on the esoteric roots of Freemasonry, including information on the Kabalah and the Mystery religions of the past. One of the influences for the book was Éliphas Lévi, who had claimed in Dogme et Rituel de la Haute Magie, that Freemasonic rituals had ancient pagan roots. At the beginning of Morals and Dogma, Pike tells the reader that half of the text is copied from other works. Regardless of this, it remains an important book about the philosophy of the Freemasons.