ne, as we see in more than
one place of the Scriptures.[543]

Weishaupt thus contrives to give a purely political interpretation to
Christ's teaching:

The secret preserved through the Disciplinam Arcani, and the aim
appearing through all His words and deeds, is to give back to men
their original liberty and equality.... Now one can understand how
far Jesus was the Redeemer and Saviour of the world.[544]

The mission of Christ was therefore by means of Reason to make men
capable of freedom[545]: "When at last reason becomes the religion of
man, so will the problem be solved."[546]

Weishaupt goes on to show that Freemasonry can be interpreted in the
same manner. The secret doctrine concealed in the teaching of Christ was
handed down by initiates who "hid themselves and their doctrine under
the cover of Freemasonry,"[547] and in a long explanation of Masonic
hieroglyphics he indicates the analogies between the Hiramic legend and
the story of Christ. "I say then Hiram is Christ," and after giving one
of his reasons for this assertion, adds: "Here then is much ground
gained, although I myself cannot help laughing at this explanation
[_obwohl ich selbst uber diese Explication im Grund lachen muss_]."[548]
Weishaupt then proceeds to give further interpretations of his own
devising to the masonic ritual, including an imaginary translation of
certain words supposed to be derived from Hebrew, and ends up by saying:
"One will be able to show several more resemblances between Hiram and
the life and death of Christ, or drag them in by the hair."[549] So much
for Weishaupt's respect for the Grand Legend of Freemasonry!

In this manner Weishaupt demonstrates that "Freemasonry is hidden
Christianity, at least my explanations of the hieroglyphics fit this
perfectly; and in the way in which I explain Christianity no one need be
ashamed to be a Christian, for I leave the name and substitute for it
Reason."[550]

But this is of course only the secret of what Weishaupt calls "real
Freemasonry"[551] in contradistinction to the official kind, which he
regards as totally unenlightened: "Had not the noble and elect remained
in the background ... new depravity would have broken out in the human
race, and through Regents, Priests, and Freemasons Reason would have
been banished from the earth."[552]

In Weishaupt's masonic system, therefore, the designs of the Order with
regard to religion are not confided to the