The rite of discalceation, or uncovering the feet on approaching holy ground, is derived2 from the Latin word discalceare, to pluck off one's shoes. The usage has the prestige of antiquity3 and universality in its favor.
That it not only very generally prevailed, but that its symbolic4 signification was well understood in the days of Moses, we learn from that passage of Exodus5 where the angel of the Lord, at the burning bush, exclaims to the patriarch, "Draw not nigh hither; put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground." 84 Clarke85 thinks it is from this command that the Eastern nations have derived the custom of performing all their acts of religious worship with bare feet. But it is much more probable that the ceremony was in use long anterior6 to the circumstance of the burning bush, and that the Jewish lawgiver at once recognized it as a well-known sign of reverence7.
Bishop8 Patrick86 entertains this opinion, and thinks that the custom was derived from the ancient patriarchs, and was transmitted by a general tradition to succeeding times.
Abundant evidence might be furnished from ancient authors of the existence of the custom among all nations, both Jewish and Gentile. A few of them, principally collected by Dr. Mede, must be curious and interesting.
The direction of Pythagoras to his disciples9 was in these words: "Ανυπ?δητο? θ?ε ?αι πρ?σ?υνει;" that is, Offer sacrifice and worship with thy shoes off.87
Justin Martyr10 says that those who came to worship in the sanctuaries11 and temples of the Gentiles were commanded by their priests to put off their shoes.
Drusius, in his Notes on the Book of Joshua, says that among most of the Eastern nations it was a pious12 duty to tread the pavement of the temple with unshod feet.88
Maimonides, the great expounder13 of the Jewish law, asserts that "it was not lawful14 for a man to come into the mountain of God's house with his shoes on his feet, or with his staff, or in his working garments, or with dust on his feet." 89
Rabbi Solomon, commenting on the command in Leviticus xix. 30, "Ye shall reverence my sanctuary," makes the same remark in relation to this custom. On this subject Dr. Oliver observes, "Now, the act of going with naked feet was always considered a token of humility15 and reverence; and the priests, in the temple worship, always officiated with feet uncovered, although it was frequently injurious to their health." 90
Mede quotes Zago Zaba, an Ethiopian bishop, who was ambassador from David, King of Abyssinia, to John III., of Portugal, as saying, "We are not permitted to enter the church, except barefooted." 91
The Mohammedans, when about to perform their devotions, always leave their slippers16 at the door of the mosque17. The Druids practised the same custom whenever they celebrated18 their sacred rites19; and the ancient Peruvians are said always to have left their shoes at the porch when they entered the magnificent temple consecrated20 to the worship of the sun.
Adam Clarke thinks that the custom of worshipping the Deity21 barefooted was so general among all nations of antiquity, that he assigns it as one of his thirteen proofs that the whole human race have been derived from one family.92
A theory might be advanced as follows: The shoes, or sandals, were worn on ordinary occasions as a protection from the defilement22 of the ground. To continue to wear them, then, in a consecrated place, would be a tacit insinuation that the ground there was equally polluted and capable of producing defilement. But, as the very character of a holy and consecrated spot precludes23 the idea of any sort of defilement or impurity24, the acknowledgment that such was the case was conveyed, symbolically25, by divesting26 the feet of all that protection from pollution and uncleanness which would be necessary in unconsecrated places.
So, in modern times, we uncover the head to express the sentiment of esteem27 and respect. Now, in former days, when there was more violence to be apprehended28 than now, the casque, or helmet, afforded an ample protection from any sudden blow of an unexpected adversary29. But we can fear no violence from one whom we esteem and respect; and, therefore, to deprive the head of its accustomed protection, is to give an evidence of our unlimited30 confidence in the person to whom the gesture is made.
The rite of discalceation is, therefore, a symbol of reverence. It signifies, in the language of symbolism, that the spot which is about to be approached in this humble31 and reverential manner is consecrated to some holy purpose.
Now, as to all that has been said, the intelligent mason will at once see its application to the third degree. Of all the degrees of Masonry32, this is by far the most important and sublime33. The solemn lessons which it teaches, the sacred scene which it represents, and the impressive ceremonies with which it is conducted, are all calculated to inspire the mind with feelings of awe34 and reverence. Into the holy of holies of the temple, when the ark of the covenant35 had been deposited in its appropriate place, and the Shekinah was hovering36 over it, the high priest alone, and on one day only in the whole year, was permitted, after the most careful purification, to enter with bare feet, and to pronounce, with fearful veneration37, the tetragrammaton or omnific word.
And into the Master Mason's lodge—this holy of holies of the masonic temple, where the solemn truths of death and immortality38 are inculcated—the aspirant39, on entering, should purify his heart from every contamination, and remember, with a due sense of their symbolic application, those words that once broke upon the astonished ears of the old patriarch, "Put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground."
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1
rite
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| n.典礼，惯例，习俗 | |
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2
derived
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| vi.起源；由来；衍生；导出v.得到( derive的过去式和过去分词 )；（从…中）得到获得；源于；（从…中）提取 | |
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3
antiquity
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| n.古老；高龄；古物，古迹 | |
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4
symbolic
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| adj.象征性的，符号的，象征主义的 | |
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5
exodus
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| v.大批离去，成群外出 | |
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6
anterior
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| adj.较早的；在前的 | |
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7
reverence
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| n.敬畏，尊敬，尊严；Reverence:对某些基督教神职人员的尊称；v.尊敬，敬畏，崇敬 | |
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8
bishop
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| n.主教，（国际象棋）象 | |
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9
disciples
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| n.信徒( disciple的名词复数 )；门徒；耶稣的信徒；（尤指）耶稣十二门徒之一 | |
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10
martyr
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| n.烈士，殉难者；vt.杀害，折磨，牺牲 | |
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11
sanctuaries
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| n.避难所( sanctuary的名词复数 )；庇护；圣所；庇护所 | |
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12
pious
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| adj.虔诚的；道貌岸然的 | |
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13
expounder
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| 陈述者，说明者 | |
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14
lawful
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| adj.法律许可的，守法的，合法的 | |
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15
humility
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| n.谦逊，谦恭 | |
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16
slippers
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| n. 拖鞋 | |
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17
mosque
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| n.清真寺 | |
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18
celebrated
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| adj.有名的，声誉卓著的 | |
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19
rites
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| 仪式，典礼( rite的名词复数 ) | |
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20
consecrated
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| adj.神圣的，被视为神圣的v.把…奉为神圣，给…祝圣( consecrate的过去式和过去分词 )；奉献 | |
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21
deity
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| n.神，神性；被奉若神明的人(或物) | |
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22
defilement
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| n.弄脏，污辱，污秽 | |
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23
precludes
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| v.阻止( preclude的第三人称单数 )；排除；妨碍；使…行不通 | |
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24
impurity
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| n.不洁，不纯，杂质 | |
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25
symbolically
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| ad.象征地，象征性地 | |
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26
divesting
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| v.剥夺( divest的现在分词 )；脱去（衣服）；2。从…取去…；1。（给某人）脱衣服 | |
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27
esteem
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| n.尊敬，尊重；vt.尊重，敬重；把…看作 | |
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28
apprehended
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| 逮捕，拘押( apprehend的过去式和过去分词 )； 理解 | |
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29
adversary
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| adj.敌手，对手 | |
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30
unlimited
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| adj.无限的，不受控制的，无条件的 | |
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31
humble
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| adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低 | |
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32
masonry
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| n.砖土建筑；砖石 | |
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33
sublime
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| adj.崇高的，伟大的；极度的，不顾后果的 | |
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34
awe
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| n.敬畏，惊惧；vt.使敬畏，使惊惧 | |
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35
covenant
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| n.盟约，契约；v.订盟约 | |
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36
hovering
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| 鸟( hover的现在分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫 | |
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37
veneration
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| n.尊敬，崇拜 | |
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38
immortality
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| n.不死，不朽 | |
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39
aspirant
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| n.热望者；adj.渴望的 | |
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