Volume 1 Issue 2

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November-December 2012

CONSISTORY
Dear Brothers, To paraphrase Charles Dickens in A Tale of Two Cities, It was the best of Reunions It was the worst of Reunions. Actually, it was GREAT! There were a few glitches, but as a new four body Valley, it can be expected.

Another exciting thing that is happening is the new emphasis on brothers helping brothers. The Sovereign Grand Commander has brought forward the notion that we should be concerned with our brothers. After all, we are a fraternity that cares, and sometimes we care a little too much about supporting worthwhile organizations in our communities, and not enough about each other. Think about the renewed emphasis on Masons helping Masons.

On Saturday, December 15th, we will get together for Family Life Night, in Wappingers Falls, where we will present the I want to truly thank the Valley of Albany and the MSA red hat to two brothers who were presented their Lafayette Lodge of Perfection of the Valley of Boston for joining with us to make this, our first reunion, a great jewels and certificates in Syracuse last summer. Please join with us as we further honor these two who have worked long success. and hard for Scottish Rite. We truly achieved the ICE program objectives: Made it Last, but not least, I would like to with each of you and your Inspirational; Made it Convenient; and Made it families a Happy Holiday Season, and a Healthy New Year. Enjoyable. Well it was! The conferral of the various degrees of the Lodge of Perfection went off without too Dist. Bro. Stephen A. Rubinstein, 32, MSA much trauma. Although two Valleys canceled out at the Commander-in-Chief last minute, our own Lodge of Perfection stepped in and filled the gaps. The entire weekend was held in the same location, which had plenty of parking, and provided meals that were far above the usual banquet type of fare. And, it was enjoyable. Everyone said they had a great time, and visitors to the Valley wanted to know when we were going to do it again. I know many of you worked hard to make it a success, but I would like to single out three brothers who went way beyond the call of duty. Distinguished Brothers Charles P. Uhle, the chairman and Steven Koch, the secretary, did a fantastic job. Brother Oscar Alleyne was a superb organizer of the degree presentations and thespian. I know there will be other comments further

CHAPTER OF ROSE CROIX

Brethren, On January 24, 2013, the Valley of the Hudson, Chapter of Rose Croix, will be hosting our first official meeting in Saugerties, New York [at The Masonic Temple, 19 Russell Street, Saugerties, New York]. In addition to enjoying a good mealand rapidly disposing of Valley businesswe will present the 17th Degree in the form of a dramatic reading. The 17th Degree, The Knight of the East and West, is one of two degrees presented in Chapters of Rose Croix in the

Scottish Rite, Northern Masonic Jurisdiction. This Degree is also one of those hard-to-get-stamped in your Scottish Rite Passport Degrees. One of the reasons that this Degreeof biblical proportionsis rarely presented in full form is that the script calls for a cast of 70 actors, plus a choir! Could you imagine!! According to our Scottish Rite Passport, in the 17th Degree we learn that divine guidance is required to avoid repeating the errors of the past. Like most of the degree descriptions found in the Scottish Rite Passport this description is so vague that it is less than helpful. Thus, to get more insight into the 17th Degree, it is best to look into the Degree itself. In the Prologue we read, although the drama of this Degree is fictitious, the facts relating to the intrigues within the court, and King Herods renovation of the Second Temple are historically correct. This is a fascinating Degree and while we, as a Valley, are growing, we have not reached the point where we can confer it in full form, but it gives us something to aspire to. Reading the Degree, dramatically, is the next best thing. We will serve dinner at 6:30PM and open the Chapter at 7:30PM. Please come out and enjoy this experience and the fellowship during our inaugural meeting in Saugerties. There is a further explanation of this Degree (part one only) elsewhere in this Tracing Board. Part two will be in the next issue. God bless you all! -S.P. Mark D. Isaacs, 32 Most Wise Master

In November, the Lodge of Perfection Reunion was finally upon us and we brought in 29 new Sublime Princes of the Royal Secret. The weekend was a great success and we look forward to being able to guide these new Scottish Rite Masons in their journey. Coming up in December, we will have our Family Life Night which will consist of a Holiday Party and the M.S.A. Red Hat Presentations to Distinguished Brother Steven P. Koch, MSA and Distinguished Brother Sam Phelps III, MSA. You can view the information for Family Life Night on the Valley website at www.valleyofthehudsonaasr.org. My Brothers as we move closer to a new year I just want to take this time to wish you all a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and a very Happy Holiday Season. Thank you and I look forward to seeing you all over the coming months. Fraternally, Ian Berman Sovereign Prince John Homa Council of Princes of Jerusalem

MIDDLETOWN LODGE OF PERFECTION

Brethren, Congratulations to everyone involved in hosting our Inaugural Reunion. It was a great success as you can see from some of the photos in this Tracing Board. We had close to 150 Brothers attend, some from as far away as Boston, Mass. And the Valley of Lower Delaware. All told there were 45 candidates who are now 32nd Degree Masons 29 from our Valley alone. My Brothers this was merely a step on a long road. We are already planning our next reunion and other events for our Valley. One part of that process is our Lodge of Perfection meetings on the second Tuesday of each month at Middletown beginning at 7:30PM. We invite all our new Brothers to join us and be a part of our exciting and growing Valley. This really is an exciting time to be a Scottish Rite Masons from the Valley of the Hudson. I wish you and yours a healthy and safe holiday season. Fraternally, S.P. William Fitzhenry, 32 Thrice Potent Master

BRO. JOHN HOMA COUNCIL OF PRINCES OF JERUSALEM

My Brothers, I hope you all had a very Happy Thanksgiving. It has been a great first couple of months for our new Valley. In September we opened our doors with an election and installation of officers and had our first meeting as the John Homa Council of Princes of Jerusalem in October which is now located in Mount Kisco. We were pleased to have the Illustrious Steven Stefanakos as our guest speaker.

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It is also important to let us know if you change your e-mail The bodies of the Scottish Rite, sitting in the Valley of address. I have a number of e-mails that are no longer valid the Hudson, State of New York acknowledge and yield and additional copies need to be printed to account for these allegiance to the Supreme Council, 33Ancient brothers. Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry for the Northern If you have an e-mail address please send it to me at Masonic Jurisdiction of the United States of America, stevenpkoch@aol.com. Please include e-mail address in the whose Grand East is in Lexington, Massachusetts and subject line. We dont use the e-mail for any other purpose whose officers are: other than communication between us. Thank you for your help. Ill John William McNaughton, 33 Fraternally, Sovereign Grand Commander Steven P. Koch Secretary Valley of the Hudson Ill Jim S. Deyo, 33 REUNION NEWS Grand Lieutenant Commander On November 16th and 17th The Valley of the Hudson held Ill Robert F. Ogg, Jr., 33 its Inaugural Reunion at the Poughkeepsie Grand Hotel in Grand Minister of State Poughkeepsie, New York. The reunion was dedicated to Ill. Peter J. Samiec, 33 Deputy for New York and Ill. G. Ill Peter J. Samiec, 33 Michael Morris, 33 Deputy for New York State Active for New York for their steadfast ACTIVE MEMBERS FOR NEW YORK support and guidance during the unification Ill David P. Spencer, 33 of the Valleys of the Ill Stephen R. Whittaker, 33 Hudson and Middletown. A total Ill P. Michael Nielsen, 33 of nine Degrees were Ill G. Michael Morris, 33 conferred and by the end of the weekend the Scottish Rite welcomed 52 new 32nd ACTIVE EMERITUS MEMBERS FOR NEW Degree Masons. YORK In addition to the 4th and 24th Degrees conferred via DVD, the Valley of Boston came from Massachusetts and set a Ill James F. Niehoff, 33 standard in their performance of the 10th and 14th Degrees. Ill Bruce Widger, 33 The Valley of Albany contributed the 6th Degree and the Past Deputy for New York Valley of the Hudson added the 7th, 13th and 19th Degrees. A cast consisting of members of the Valleys of Syracuse, Ill Richard H. Welkley, 33 Schenectady and the Hudson conferred the new test 32nd Ill Gary A. Henningsen, 33 Degree to end the work of the weekend. Ill Frederick D. Greene, 33 The two day event culminated with a banquet where Ill Edward R. Trosin, 33 Ill Harold L. Aldrich, 33 Past Deputy for New York presentations were made to the participating Valleys, Ill. Donald M. Moran, 33 Deputy for Massachusetts and Ill. Robert E. Godbout, Jr., 33 Active for Massachusetts. Ill. Morris was the keynote speaker for the evening and he was presented with plaques and pyramids from the Valley on behalf of himself and Ill. Samiec. Hosting such a large event was a learning experience for the new Valley of the Hudson and future events will benefit from the lessons learned. The main goal was to ensure that everyone attending enjoyed the experience and judging from

ALLEGIANCE

DO YOU E-MAIL?
Thank you to all who sent me their e-mail address for email distribution of the Tracing Board. We are down to about 135 actual copies that must be printed and mailed out. This is a far cry from our original estimate or 200, but we can still do better.

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DEGREES
As a four body Valley we need to have a slightly different mindset when it comes to conferring Degrees. This is especially true in light of the Bookend Concept which eliminates the 14th Degree as being required in order to receive the 32nd Degree. While it can be one of the three sandwiched between the 4th and the 32nd Degrees, it doesnt have to be. The 4th Degree is one we will continue do often and we should strive to do it well. This also allows us to establish understudies. We should all know more than one part in order to enable us to step in during an emergency. However, the 32nd Degree is new to us and we should plan on doing it often. With that in mind we need to own this Degree. We should know it backwards and forwards. We should not need to wonder what the next line is it should become a part of us.

the faces of the candidates in the photos below we can say with confidence Mission Accomplished. So what do we do for an encore? What we dont do is jump back into the frying pan and plan another monster reunion with nine Degrees we scale it back a bit.

In addition, with the added Degrees available for us to confer (17th thru 32nd) the temptation is say Lets do them all. Give it time my Brothers. We will get there, but we want to do it right. To that end we need to establish the support team that is essential in performing Degrees. That means On April 28th Mt. Kisco Lodge at 11 Carpenter St. will dedicated Brothers to care for costumes, props, lighting, host our Spring Reunion in which we will confer the 4th, sound and staging to name just a few aspects that transforms 15th and 16th Degrees. Lunch will also be served. Cost of a Degree from good to great. the lunch (except for new candidates) will be $10.00 per If you have ever felt uncomfortable in the spotlight, how person. Registration will begin at 9:00am with coffee would you feel operating it instead? Do you feel like you are served. Degree presentations begin at 10:00am. We more of a big picture guy, well we need Degree Directors should be done by 1:30pm. to pull the whole thing together as much as we need the lead We are presently casting the Degrees and have a new actors in any production. Degree Director, Bro. David Blasch, 32, one of our The opportunities are here right now to help the Valley of new candidates from the November reunion, who will the Hudson make its mark. Interested? Contact our secretary help guide us through the Degrees. If you would like to at stevenpkoch@aol.com and let him know what area help out, in any capacity, contact our secretary at appeals to you. stevenpkoch@aol.com and let him know how you would like to contribute. As you can see we are not resting on our laurels from the There will be rehearsals and plenty of time to practice so Inaugural Reunion. There is much to do and there is nothing to say we cant have fun while we are doing it. we are all comfortable with the roles. We will also need help with SICKNESS & DISTRESS catering. Brothers, We are off to a great start, Brothers. Lets keep it going. Please keep Ill. Ed Fagan & Sydell, and Loli Quesada, spouse of Ill. Romy Quesada in your prayers as they go through some serious medical challenges. ed. If you know of any Brothers in sickness and distress or in need of our aid or sympathy, please contact the secretary.

Bro. Robert Licata, 32from the Valley of Rockville Center, winner of the Barclay Masonic Watch

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SCHOLARSHIPS
The New York Council of Deliberation is offering two scholarships through the NYS Scottish Rite Charities. The criteria for each are listed below. Leon M. Abbott Scholarship A Scottish Rite Masons of the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction. A child of a Scottish Rite Mason in the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction. A currently enrolled freshman, sophomore, junior or senior at an accredited college or university. A minimum grade point average of 2.75 on a 4.0 scale (Freshman scholarships will be distributed after an acceptable GPA is submitted, following the first semester). A member of a youth organization (DeMolay, Rainbow, Triangle, Constellation of Junior Stars or Jobs Daughters) sponsored by the Masonic fraternity in the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction. A graduate of one of the 32nd Degree Learning Centers for Children in the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction. NYS Council of Deliberation Scholarship A Scottish Rite Masons of the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction. A child or grandchild of a Scottish Rite Mason in the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction. A currently enrolled freshman, sophomore, junior or senior at an accredited college or university. A minimum grade point average of 2.75 on a 4.0 scale (Freshman scholarships will be distributed after an acceptable GPA is submitted, following the first semester). A member of a youth organization (DeMolay, Rainbow, Triangle, Constellation of Junior Stars or Jobs Daughters) sponsored by the Masonic fraternity in the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction. nd A graduate of one of the 32 Degree Learning Centers for Children in the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction. Forms are available through the Valley Secretary stevenpkoch@aol.com. The Abbott Scholarship forms are also available at the Supreme Council website http://www.scottishriteonline.org. The NYS Council of Deliberation Scholarship is available on the COD website at http://www.nyscottishritemasons.org/scholarships.html.

When submitting an application be sure to include all supporting documentation including: At least one confidential letter of recommendation; The most current college transcript; The most current copy of the FAFSA form; Students must have a minimum G.P.A. of 2.75 to qualify. Applications must be received by Ill. David E. Barnes, 33 State Chairman, by April 15, 2013. Questions can be addressed to Ill. Barnes at dbarnes986@aol.com.

PETITIONS
The Supreme Council constitution is very specific when it comes to candidates for membership in the Scottish Rite. Article 500 states Membership in good standing in a regular Symbolic Lodge under the jurisdiction of a generally recognized Grand Lodge shall be the only Masonic status required for the purpose of petitioning for the Scottish Rite Degrees. Article 501 further states Each Subordinate Body shall have the duty to inquire into the Masonic standing of each petitioner for degrees. Nothing contained in any form approved by the Supreme Council shall be construed to limit or modify such duty. Therefore, effective immediately, by order of Ill. Peter J. Samiec, 33, Deputy for New York, a photocopy of the applicants current dues card must accompany any petition accepted by the Valley Secretary. The photocopy will be attached to the petition and become a permanent part of the petitioners membership file. This includes all petitions currently in the Secretarys hands and awaiting a conferral date. Brethren, if you are presenting a petition for membership remember to include a copy of the current dues card. Copies of the new petitions are available from the secretary or on line at www.valleyofthehudsonaasr.org.

UPCOMING VALLEY EVENTS

December 15 Wappingers Falls Family Life Night January 24 Saugerties Dramatic Reading of the 17th Degree March 24 Saugerties - Feast of the Pascal Lamb April 27 Spring Reunion 4th, 15th, 16th (with lunch) in Mt. Kisco Breakfast for dyslexia Date TBD

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The Valley of The Hudson Presents Family Life Night Holiday Party and M.S.A. Presentation Come join us as we celebrate the holidays and our Valleys Meritorious Service Award Recipients Bro. Steven P. Koch, 32 M.S.A. & Bro. Sam Phelps, 32 M.S.A. Saturday December 15, 2012 6:00 p.m. Wappinger's Lodge 150 Myers Corners Road Wappingers Falls, New York 12590 Cost: Adults - $10.00 Children - $5.00 Dress: Relaxed Casual (No Jeans, T-Shirts) R.S.V.P. is required Send to: ValleyofTheHudson@gmail.com or Call Ian Berman (914) 403-7232 R.S.V.P. by Thursday December 13, 2012

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DUES NOTICES & AFFILIATIONS

Two of the challenges that came with the unification of our two Valleys were in the scheduling of dues and how to rectify members affiliations with other Thanks to The New Testamentand the writings of the Valleys. Fortunately with the help of Supreme Council, Jewish historian [and Roman collaborator] Flavius Josephus both issues will be resolved shortly. (c. A.D. 37-c. 100)we know a great deal about the long and First the dues. The cleanest way to get every member tyrannical reign of Herod the on the same schedule is to establish a new time frame for dues notices to be released, which will also change Great.4 Josephus scholar Paul L. Maier writes that, in terms of our fiscal year. As a result, our dues year will be from January 1 thru December 31. Our fiscal year will be the sheer quantity of data, Josephus probably provides 300 times as same as our dues year. much information about Herod We will keep the same budget which was approved in the Great as does the Gospel of September and currently runs thru July 2013. We will St. Matthew.5 Indeed, the present and approve a budget extension that will cover writings of Flavius Josephus August 2013 thru the end of the year when we will especially The Jewish War (A.D. approve a new budget for all 2014. 74), and The Antiquities A 19th century Romanticized of the Jews (A.D. 95 A.D.) Total dues will depend on affiliations. You will soon provide detailed extant source illustration of Flavius Josephus receive a letter from Supreme Council with a tear off section on the bottom providing three options for your material that inform many of our Masonic rituals. affiliation.

(St. Matthew 2:119 and St. Luke 1:5).3 Later, after The First Jewish War (A.D. 66-70) the Romans called this region Palestina, i.e., [Philistia] Palestine.

According to The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary Herods reign can be divided into three distinct periods. These are: 1.) Option One Stay affiliated as you are now. You will a period of consolidation, lasting from 37 to 27 B.C.; 2.) continue to receive dues notices from both Valleys. from 27 to 13 B.C., a period of peace and prosperity, marked Option Two Decide to retain membership in only one by Herods close relationship with Rome and her leaders on Valley. You will only receive a dues notice from one the one hand [foreign policy], and an ambitious building Valley, once a year. program on the other [domestic policy]; and 3.) from 13 to 4 B.C., a period of profound family dysfunction, palace plots Option Three Retain all current memberships, but and intrigues, domestic strife and misunderstandings with designate the Valley of the Hudson your primary Rome capped by Herods physical and emotional Valley. deterioration [and loathsome death].6 For 2013 the dues breakdown is as follows: In 31 B.C., Octavius [later Caesar Augustus (ruled 31 B.C. Lodge of Perfection - $44.00 Council of Princes, Chapter of Rose Croix, Consistory A.D. 14)] defeated the naval forces of Cleopatra VII and Mark Antony 7 at The Battle of Actium.8 With this victory, - $12.00 each Octavius emerged as the sole ruler of the Roman Empire.9 Total for all four bodies - $80.00 Herod, who had received the title the King of the Jews10 Dues notices will be released early 2013 so it is from his patron and ally Mark Anthony and the Roman Senate important that you reply with your chosen option in 42 B.C., went to Rhodes to convince the victorious quickly. Octavius that he would show him the same loyalty that he had previously shown Mark Anthony.11 In a wise move, Octavius, If you have questions, please contact our Secretary. in order to guarantee efficient, effective, and loyal rule,12 TH reaffirmed Herods appointment.13 Hence, until his death in 4 17 DEGREE B.C., Herod proved to be a faithful, obedient, and ruthless Better to be Herods pig than his son! A line for th lackey of Rome.14 a character in the 17 Degree. 1 The historical setting of the 17th Degree is during the final months of the rule of Herod the Great. The infamous Herod the Great (ruled 374 B.C.) reigned in this region2 at the time of Jesus birth During his long reign, Herod the Great was both a great builder and a great destroyer. In the area of public works, beginning in 19B.C.,15 Herod remodeled, enlarged and rebuilt Zerubbabels Second Temple
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[built in 519 B.C.16]. This massive projectwhich employed thousands of specially trained priestmasonscontinued until 64 A.D.17 Traditional Jewish sources, and Josephus, report that popular imagination saw a divine blessing resting upon Herods undertaking. It was said that throughout the period of construction, rain fell only at night so as not to interrupt the work.18 There is a rabbinic saying that whoever has not beheld Herods building (i.e., The Second Temple) has not seen anything beautiful in his life. 19 This famous sayingmentioned in the Degreeattests to the magnitude and magnificence of Herods Temple Mount enterprise. Even the worldly and cosmopolitan Romans were impressed by the size and the beauty of The Second Temple. According to Josephus [who tends to be very critical of Herod], Herod believed that the accomplishment of this task would be the most notable of all the things he had achieved, as indeed it was 20 Herod also founded new cities, constructed aqueducts, and built lavish palaces and temples. For example, Herod spent enormous sums to construct a magnificent City and impressive artificial port at Caesarea Maritima on the Mediterranean Sea.21 Located on the site of the ruined Phoenician colony at Stratos Tower

Herods new Greco-Roman city boasted a theater, an amphitheater, a stadium or hippodrome, a lavish royal palace, an aqueduct, an effective sewage system, a forum, a basilica, temples, and Roman baths.22 Josephus informs us that Herod also constructed a series of lavish royal palaces throughout his domain.23 For his security and protection from his own people, Herod built three major palace/fortresses; the Herodium,24 Masada,25 and Machaerus.26 Like Caesar Nero (A.D. 37-68) and Adolf Hitler (1889-1945), Herod the Great was also a great destroyer. Herod adopted a wide range of measures to assert absolute control over the native population which included Idumeans, Samaritans, Syrian-Greeks, and Jews. All public meetings and mass assemblies were strictly prohibited. Herod sent out spies both in Jerusalem and in rural areas. Reportedly, the paranoid Herod even disguised himself and mingled with the people in order to assess their attitude toward his tyrannical rule. All forms of resistance were brutally crushed.27 Attempted assassins of the king were brutally tortured prior to being put to death.28 At times, entire families were routinely punished for a perceived offense committed by one of its members.29 During his nearly forty year reign, Herod was married to ten different women.30 In addition to capriciously murdering real and perceived opponents and conspirators out of fear, suspicion, insecurity and paranoia, he murdered his favorite wife Mariamme (d. 29B.C.),31 her grandfather, her mother, two brothers-in-law and three sons (two in 7B.C., 32 and one in 4 B.C.). Antipater, ones of Herods sonswhom Josephus calls a monster of iniquitywas killed on Herods orders just prior to his own death March 4 B.C. 33 Josephus states that Herod died five days after Antipaters execution.34 Interestingly, in our 17th Degreeperhaps to heighten the drama? Antipater is executed on Herods orders after his own death. Josephus wrote that Herods final illness sometimes called Herods Evil35 was painful and excruciating. In the 17th Degree, Herod succumbs from an apparent coughing fit. However, from Josephus detailed descriptions, modern medical forensic experts suggest that Herod suffered from kidney disease complicated by Fourniers Gangrene. Josephus writes, Herod grew rapidly worse and suffered horrible torments. He had a terrible craving to scratch himself, his bowels were excessively agitated and his privates gangrenous and wormy.36 Scholars
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The Battle of Actium, by Lorenzo Castro, 1672, National Maritime Museum, London.

agreed that Herod suffered throughout his lifetime from depression and paranoia. Others argue that the visible worms and putrefaction described by Josephus were likely to have been caused by a chronic scabies infestation. Following Herods death, a solemn funeral procession, featuring his troops and private bodyguard, accompanied his body from Jericho to the Herodium, where he was interred (The Jewish Antiquities, 17.199).37 In 2007, Herods tomb, which had apparently been desecrated by Zealots during The First Jewish War (A.D. 66-70), was discovered at the Herodium by Israeli archaeologist Ehud Netzer (1934- 2010).38

21 22

To Be Continued in the Next Issue

Footnotes Attributed to Caesar Augustus (ruled 31 B.C. A.D. 14). 2 That is, Judea, Samaria, Galilee, Trans-Jordan, Idumea, and the coastal plain. 3 Steve Mason, Josephus and the New Testament (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1992), pp.86-87. Historians date the birth of Jesus of Nazareth between 7 and 4 B.C. 4 Flavius Josephus, translated by William Whiston (1737), The New Complete Works of Josephus (Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 1999). 5 Paul L. Maier, Josephus: The Essential Works (Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 1988), p.8. 6 L. I. Levine, Herod the Great, The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary (New York: Doubleday, 1992), vol. III, p.161. 7 Marcus Antonius, commonly known in English as Mark Antony (April 20, 83 B.C.-August 1, 30 B.C.), was a Roman politician and general. 8 The Jewish Antiquities, 15.161162. 9 Ibid., p.162. 10 The Jewish War, 1.14.4. 11 The Jewish War, 1.386-387 and The Jewish Antiquities, 15.187-212. 12 The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary, vol. III, p.162. 13 Maier, pp.243-245. 14 Cleon L. Rogers, The Topical Josephus: Historical Accounts that Shed Light on the Bible (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1992), p.20. 15 The Jewish Antiquities, 15.380. 16 Randall Price, Rose Guide to The Temple (Torrance, CA: Rose Publishing Company, 2012), p.65. 17 The Jewish Antiquities, 20.219. One of the probable causes of The First Jewish War (A.D. 66-70) was the massive level of unemployment caused by the Temples completion. This beautiful Second Temple was destroyed on August 10, A.D. 70. 18 The Jewish Antiquities, 15.425, and The Babylonian Talmud, Bab Batra (The Last Gate), 23a, both quoted as sources in The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary, vol. III, p.167. 19 The Babylonian Talmud, Bab Batra 4a, and Rogers, p.30. 20 The Jewish Antiquities, 15.380.

Rogers, pp.21-24. The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary, vol. III, p.166. 23 The Jewish Antiquities, 17.274. 24 The Jewish Antiquities, 17.323325. 25 Site of the final siege of The First Jewish War in A.D.73. At Masada 960 zealots committed mass suicide rather than surrender to the X Roman Legion (Maier, pp.390-392). 26 Paul L. Maier, p.283. Maier adds that Machaerus, on the eastern side of the Dead Sea, is believed to be the location of the beheading of St. John the Baptist (St. Mark 6:22, and St. Matthew 14: 6). 27 The Jewish Antiquities, 15.365368. 28 The Jewish Antiquities, 15.289290. 29 The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary, vol. III, 165. 30 The Jewish War, 1.562-563. 31 Rogers, p.32. 32 Ibid., p.37. 33 Ibid., p.255. And The Jewish Antiquities, 17.189-190. Herod the Greats death occurred in conjunction with the lunar eclipse which occurred on March 13, 4 B.C. 34 Rogers, p.255. 35 In Robert Graves historical novel, I, Claudius (1934), Herod succumbed to a disease that had symptoms described as putrescent stomach, corpse-like breath, maggots breeding in the privy member, and a constant watery flow from the bowels causing inflamed madness. 36 Maier, p.255. 37 The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary, vol. III, p.169. 38 On October 28, 2012 Professor Netzer died as a result of a fall at the Herodium dig site.

VALLEY OFFICERS
CONSISTORY Commander in Chief...Stephen A. Rubenstein, 32 MSA (Begum) 1st Lt. Commander ... E. Oscar Alleyne, 32 (Sherise) 2nd Lt. Commander.. Robert L. Hogan, 32 (Dina) CHAPTER OF ROSE CROIX Most Wise Master....... Mark Isaacs, 32 (Linda) Senior Warden..David Barkstedt, 32 (Eileen) COUNCIL OF PRINCES OF JERUSALEM Sovereign Prince.. Ian Berman, 32 High Priest .Ben Clark, 32 (Lakeisha) LODGE OF PERFECTION Thrice Potent Master.........William Fitzhenry, 32 Deputy MasterJames Curry, 32 ALL FOUR BODIES Treasurer ......................................................................Bruce Butler, 32 Secretary ......Steven P. Koch, 32 MSA (Linda) Trustee (3 years).... Samuel B. Phelps, 32MSA (Jan) Trustee (2 years) Charles P. Uhle, 32 MSA (Mike) Trustee (2 years). . .. .......... Dominick Chiappone, 32 ( Jileen) Trustee (1 year) . . . .. ..Richard Frank, 32 Trustee (1 year)..Ill. Romulo B. Quesada, 33 MSA(Loli)

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Valley of the Hudson c/o Steven P. Koch 43 Robert Lane Wappingers Falls, N. Y. 12590 Address Corrections Requested

Upcoming Events:

December 15 Wappingers Falls 6:00pm Family Life Night & Red Hat Presentations Sunday December 16 Officers Academy Conference Call 1:00pm Thursday January 24 Saugerties 6:30pm Dinner; 7:30pm Reading of the 17th Degree

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