Dall'alto dell'Apostolico Seggio
A papal encyclical issued by Pope Leo XIII in 1890, condemning Freemasonry in Italy as a threat to the Church and public order. Its Italian title, "From the Height of the Apostolic See," signifies its authoritative pronouncement against what was perceived as a "Masonic programme" seeking to undermine religious instruction and societal foundations.
Where the word comes from
The phrase is Italian, translating to "From the Height of the Apostolic See." It originates from the formal opening of papal documents, indicating a declaration made with the full authority of the papacy, specifically referencing the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle. The Latin equivalent, "Ab apostolici Solii celsitudine," carries the same weight.
In depth
Pope Leo XIII's papal encyclical on the subject of Freemasonry in Italy, known both by its Italian incipit Dall'alto dell'Apostolico Seggio and its Latin incipit Ab apostolici Solii celsitudine, was a promulgated on 15 October 1890. It dealt with Freemasonry in Italy, condemning the contemporary course of public affairs in Italy as the realization of the "Masonic programme". This "programme" was said to involve a "deadly hatred of the Church", the abolition of religious instruction in schools and...
How different paths see it
What it means today
Pope Leo XIII's pronouncement, "Dall'alto dell'Apostolico Seggio," stands as a stark historical marker of the conflict between institutional religion and emergent, often clandestine, fraternal orders. It is less an esoteric text in itself and more a reaction to what the Vatican perceived as an esoteric threat. The phrase itself, "From the Height of the Apostolic See," immediately situates the document as a pronouncement from a position of ultimate spiritual authority, a voice speaking from the very summit of a divinely sanctioned hierarchy.
The encyclical's condemnation of Freemasonry's "Masonic programme" speaks to a deep-seated anxiety about hidden currents shaping the modern world. The accusation of "deadly hatred of the Church" and the abolition of religious instruction paints a picture of an insidious, secularizing force actively working to dismantle the spiritual foundations of society. This is a familiar narrative in the history of religious institutions confronting challenges to their temporal and spiritual dominance. Mircea Eliade, in his studies of the sacred and the profane, often highlighted how established religions perceive and react to the "other," the forces that operate outside their sanctioned cosmology.
The language employed by Leo XIII resonates with a long tradition of viewing esoteric societies as potentially dangerous, as centers of hidden knowledge that could be used for subversion rather than enlightenment. This perspective often overlooks the internal diversity and varied aims within such groups, instead focusing on the perceived threat to the established order. The encyclical, therefore, becomes a historical artifact not of esoteric wisdom, but of the strategies employed by a powerful institution to maintain its authority in an increasingly complex and pluralistic world. It highlights the perennial tension between the visible structures of power and the invisible networks of influence.
RELATED_TERMS: Gnosticism, Catharism, Illuminati, Templars, Heresy, Occultism, Secret Societies
Related esoteric terms
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