The Richmond Bodies of the Scottish Rite

There are four coordinate bodies within the Scottish Rite Southern Jurisdiction.  The Lodge of Perfection, 4°-14°; The Chapter of Rose Croix, 15°-18°; The Council of Kadosh, 19°- 30°; and the Consistory, 31°- 32°.  Their purpose is to examine different philosophies, ancient religions, and systems of ethics. Through all of these, people have tried to answer certain universal questions. The Degrees of the Rite do not tell a person what he should think about these questions. Instead, they tell him about what great thinkers and civilizations of the past have thought, and they try to create a situation in which the candidate or Brother can gain insight. Agreeing with Socrates that the unexamined life is not worth living, the Rite helps with this self-examination by providing reference points.