Dionysian Artificers

[Tamrin]

Hippolito da Costa and his History of the Dionysian Artificers

by Leon Zeldis, Israel

2007 International Conference on the History of Freemasonry

[Abstract]

Hipolito Jose da Costa (1772-1823) is an intriguing figure in the history of Freemasonry. He was a Brazilian of Sephardic ascendancy, born in Colonia do Sacramento (now in Uruguay). After his early schooling in Porto Alegre, he studied Law and Philosophy at the university of Coimbra, Portugal. after an extended visit to the United States on official government business (1798), he was sent again on a mission to England and France in 1801. On this return, however, h was arrested and kept in prison almost three years, accused by the Inquisition of involvement in Freemasonry. He escaped in 1805, finally arriving in London, where he established his permanent residence.

In England, Da Costa became the protégée of the Duke of Sussex, son of the king and first Grand Master of the United Grand Lodge of England. Da Costa became actively involved in Grand Lodge affairs, taking part in the Lodge of Promulgation and the Lodge of Reconciliation among others.

In 1808 Da Costa founded O Correio Brasiliense (The Brazilian Mail) a few months before the first newspaper was published in Brazil, thus being revered as Father of Brazilian Press. His journal became an independent tribune denouncing the misconduct of Portuguese politicians and the abuse of power by both the secular rulers and the church. The paper appeared until 1822. Da Costa died soon after.

Da Costa published in 1820 in London a Sketch for the History of the Dionysian Artificers, which describes the rituals of ancient mystery religions, connecting them with Jewish sacred texts and drawing some interesting parallels with Masonic traditions. This publication is little known and it will be analyzed in detail in my paper, which will also examine in some detail his biography and the significance of his Masonic activities.

[Tamrin]

The Dionysian Artificers
by Hippolyto Joseph da Costa, 1820

[Sacred Texts - Review - Text Linked Above]

This essay, published in 1820, was an attempt to prove that modern Freemasonry derived from ancient Greek philosophical and religious ideas. Hippolyto da Costa (1774-1823), was a Brazilian journalist, author, Freemason and world traveller. He was imprisoned for being a Freemason by the Inquisition in Portugal in 1802; he escaped in 1805. He settled in London and wrote a two volume book about his experiences, Narrativa da Perseguição, in 1811. He went on to start the first Brazilian periodical, the Correio Braziliense or Armazém Literário, (1808-23), for which he is known today as "the founder of the Brazilian Press".

The original is extremely rare and was scanned from a reprint by the Philosophical Research Society Press dated 1936, which notes that it was "made possible through the courtesy of the Masonic Grand Lodge Library at Cedar Rapids, Iowa".

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