Holy Royal Arch Knight Templar Priests
The Holy Royal Arch Knight Templar Priests (HRAKTP) is an honorary and invitational organization with membership limitations. Members are selected and extended invitations on the basis of outstanding performance as a Commander of a Commandery of Knights Templar.
The order has historic roots in England that trace back to 1786, with references back to 1686, the traditional year of revival. The “Priestly Order” was referred to within the ceremonies of “The High Knights Templar” in Ireland in 1755. There are records of the conferral of this Order in the United States during the 1800’s but the authority is unknown. The Grand College of America, Holy Royal Arch Knight Templar Priests was formed in the United States in 1931.
The limit of Regular Members in a Tabernacle is 33. The number of Tabernacles in a state is dependent on the number of active Commanderies in each state.
Originally, this body conferred 33 degrees, but now only one is conferred in a Tabernacle. The degrees are:
1. Knight of the Christian Mark 2. Knight of St. Paul 3. Knight of Patmos 4. Knight of Death 5. Knight of the Black Cross 6. Knight of Bethany 7. Knight of the White Cross 8. Knight of St. John 9. Knight Priest of the Holy Sepulcher 10. Holy Order of Wisdom 11. Holy and Illustrious Order of the Cross 12. Priest of Eleusis 13. Knight of Harodim 14. Knight of the North 15. Knight of the South 16. Knight of the Sanctuary 17. Grand Cross of St. Paul 18. Knight of St. John the Baptist 19. Knight of Rosae Cross 20. Knight of the Triple Cross 21. Knight of the Holy Grave 22. Knight of the Holy Virgin Mary 23. Knight of the White Cross of Torphichen 24. Grand Trinitarian Knight of St. John 25. Grand Cross of St. John 26. Knight Priest of Jerusalem 27. Knight of Palestine 28. Knight of the Holy Cross 29. Knight Priest of the Tabernacle 30. Knight of Redemption 31. Knight of Truth 32. Knight of Rome 33. Holy Royal Arch Knight Templar Priest
In 2014, the tenth Degree of the system the Holy Order of Wisdom was revived in England, with the Order returning to the United States in 2022.