In Summary:
The 27th degree, Knight Commander of the Temple, is the first of the chivalric degrees of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite. It is intended to remind the member that while engaged in the study of philosophy, he should also be mindful of the duties of a Knight. The degree dramatizes a picture of human failure and social and moral behavior, with an emphasis on the importance of protecting the innocent and providing aid to the needy. This degree has a strong emphasis on chivalric virtues, such as courage, loyalty, charity, and faith.

Initial Note:
In this degree, we search for “the rewards of the trinity of God’s attributes – wisdom or intelligence, force or strength, harmony or beauty.”

Regalia Notes:
The apron is of pure white lambskin and has no edging or pattern except the interlaced pentagram, which is traced in the middle in vermilion. There are three jewels. The presiding officer wears a jewel that is a representation of the sun in gold, suspended by a chain of gold and worn around the neck.

The reverse is a hemisphere of gold showing the northern half of the ecliptic and a zodiac, with the signs from Taurus to Libra inclusive. The other officers wear a jewel composed of a simple seven-pointed star of gold.

The remaining members of the council wear a jewel that is a gold five-pointed star. Only the jewel of the degree is shown in the illustration. The cordon is a broad white watered ribbon worn as a collar. On the right side is painted an eye of gold, a symbol of the sun or of the Deity.

Duties are:
• Be a lover of wisdom. Be faithful to the promises you made within the Masonry.

For Reflection:
• Is the universe friendly to me?

Lessons:
• Nature reveals power and wisdom and continually points to God. The visible is a manifestation of the invisible. In the universe two opposite forces provide balance. There is no death, only change. Philosophy is a kind of journey, ever learning, but never arriving at the ideal of truth. The moral code of Masonry is more extensive than that of
philosophy.

Important Symbols:
• Ancient of Days, Seal of Solomon (Macrocosm), Pentagram (Microcosm), triangles of red, green, and white, the number seven.

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Additional Notes:
It should be noted from the outset that this degree is conferred as the Twenty-eighth Degree in many jurisdictions, as it was previously in the Southern Jurisdiction prior to the adoption of the Revised Standard Pike Ritual. The reversal in order was made to give greater coherence to the system as a whole by allowing the chivalric degrees to be conferred in a more logical and natural order. This slight alteration helps candidates appreciate the lessons in a progressive manner.

Sources:
Purchase ‘A Bridge To Light‘ by Rex R. Hutchens
Purchase ‘Morals & Dogma‘ by Albert Pike.