Theophilanthropy : A ( Masonic ) Plan for Deist Worship
simplicity and purity of Theophilanthropic principles . 16
Some months later , the clothing of the celebrants would see a further advance in sophistication and symbolism :
It is thought that , so that readers might appear in garments that are always equally simple , neat and decent , it would be good that they should have , for their public engagements , a particular costume that would consist of a sky-blue tunic , stretching from the collar down to the feet , with a pink belt and a white robe over it , open in front . 17
At the same time , the Church ’ s liturgy became richer , as can be seen from successive editions , as did , augmented and enriched each time by Chemin , the Theophilanthropic reference books that appeared under the titles Manuals , Worship , Rituals , The Religious Year , etc . As a “ natural ” religion , Theophilanthropy regulated its calendar according to the seasons of the cosmos and of human life . Thus it developed ceremonies to celebrate the milestones of the year ( the solstices and equinoxes ) with the Festivals of Spring , of Summer , of Autumn and of Winter 18 and the milestones of life ( birth , adolescence , marriage , death , etc .).
Even if you want to stick to simple principles , when religious ideas are developed into a faith , the need for a symbolic apparatus arises .
III . Theophilanthropy and Freemasonry
In his thesis , Mathiez made a direct
link between Theophilanthropy and Freemasonry . He even saw in Theophilanthropy “ an overt Masonry ” 19 . For him , Chemin was certainly a Mason , and he put many of the principles and practices of the lodges into his new religion . The question is complex because , in fact , Chemin was not just a Mason , but a very active Mason . However , his known masonic activity took place under the Bourbon Restoration and the July Monarchy , and there is no proof whatsoever that he had already been initiated during the Revolution . It should be remembered nonetheless that there were numerous initiations during the revolutionary period which the circumstances did not permit to be recorded in writing . The lodges waited for more peaceful times , around 1800 , before returning to the keeping of records and tables . One indication , meanwhile , that suggests Chemin was not initiated in the era of Theophilanthropy is that he cannot be found either in the tables of lodges under the Empire . In fact , he does not appear until 1818 in the Lodge of Trinosophes . However , we do not know when he was initiated because his entry into the Trinosophes was an affiliation . It therefore remains possible – but in our view unlikely – that he had been accepted as a Mason at the beginning of the Revolution and that , for various reasons , he had not been active in Freemasonry under the Empire until he was affiliated to the
16
[ Jean-Baptiste Chemin ], Le Culte des Théophilanthropes ou adorateurs de Dieu et amis des hommes contenant leur manuel , leur catéchisme et recueil de discours , Lectures , Hymnes et Cantiques pour toutes leurs fêtes religieuses et morales , third edition , J . Decker , Bâle , 1798 , note 1 , p . 9 .
17
J . B . Chemin , Rituel des Théophilanthropes , contenant l ’ ordre de leurs différents exercices et le Recueil des Cantiques , Hymnes et Odes adoptés dans les différents Temples tant à Paris que des départements … Paris , An VI ( 1798 ), note 1 , p . 4 .
18
One can find the details of the “ liturgical calendar ” of the Theophilanthropists and the rituals and readings suggested for the different ceremonies in Le Culte des Théophilanthropes …, op . cit ., Bâle 1778 .
19
Albert Mathiez , op . cit ., p . 83 . 8