The origin of Freemasonry and Knights templar

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THE ORIGIN OF

*

Freemasonry and
Knights Templar

COMPILED BY

John R. Bennett, P. E. C.

'We can not understand the actual
of a character or system without in
some degree entering into its ideal.'

520256

/ i .si

COPYRIGHT, 1907, BY

JOHN R. BENNETT, P. E. C.

MUSKEGON. MICH.

OF JOHNSON A HARDIN, CINCINNATI, O.

DE DIG ATE D

TO ALL

FREEMASONS

AND
THOSE WHQ LOVE THEIR

FELLOW- MEN.

CONTENTS

PAGE

PREFACE

Freemasonry j

Ancient Mysteries ->

Egyptian Mysteries 4

Adonisian Mysteries IO

Dionysian Mysteries 12

Eleusinian Mysteries ^

Mysteries of Mithras 15

Israelites , tg

Jewish History <*<*

King Solomon's Temple 4o

The Exploration of Jerusalem '43

The Foundation of the Temple 45

Ancient Temples 54

Division of the Hebrew Nation 55

Ancient to Modern 59

Roman Colleges of Artificers 50,

Building Corporations ,62

Speculative Masonry 65

Fraternity of Builders of Continental Europe 68

Conclusion 74

Revival _g

Degrees .'!.'.' 78

Ritual g0

Rite .'.'.".'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.' 81

Degrees of Freemasonry gc

Book of the Law .' .' 167

Design of Freemasonry . I0q

Commandery, Knights Templar ....... . in

Knights of the Red Cross .112

Knights Templar .in

The Cross .'.'!.'! 114

The Crescent I2I

The Conflict I2g

Ancient Templars I4O

Defense and Fall of Acre IA^

Final Dissolution jrO

Knights Templar, Masonic I^>2

Knights of Malta ^4

Supplemental Encyclopaedia !

ILLUSTRATIONS

PAGE
Frontispiece

Menepta jg

Exodus of Israel 24

High Priest of Israel 26

The Tabernacle 28

Ark of the Covenant ' 30

Saul Anointed 34

The Temple of Solomon . . 41

Plan of Temple 48

Captive Jews Led into Babylonia 94

Babylon ^ ... 96

Cyrus the Great 99

Capture of Babylon 100

Rebuilding Jerusalem IO3

Jesus 116

The Prophet Mohammed 123

Preaching the Crusade 131

The First Crusade , 137

Jerusalem 139

Battle Before Acre 147

Burning of Jaques de Molay ... 151

HISTORICAL INDEX

PAGE

Aaron ................... 32

Abraham or Abram ............. 19, 114

Acre ................ .... 145

Aholiab ........... ....... 26

Amalekites ................. 25

Ammonites .................. 32

Amorites .................. 32

Antioch ................... 136

Arabia ................... 32

Arabia Deserta (see Arabia).

Arabia Petrsea (see Arabia).

Arabia Felix (see Arabia).

Aram-Naha-raim (see Mesopotamia).

Ark of the Covenant .............. 30

Athanasius ................. 143

Athelstane ............... * . . 64

Bacchus (Gr. Dionysus) ............ 12

Belshazzar ... ........... .... 98

Bethany .................. 119

Bethlehem .................. 35

Birthright .................. 20

Byblos ................... 8

Briton . . ................. 61

Caesarea ........ ........... 140

Canaan ................... 19

Ceres ................... 15

Chaldeans (see Chaldea).

Chaldea .................. 102

Cyrus the Great ................ 98

Damascus .................. 102

Darius, King of Persia ....... ....... 104

Darius the Median ............... 100

Desert or Wilderness ............. 31

Desert of Kadish (see Supplement).

Desert of Zin ................ 31

Dionysus .................. 12

Edom (Gr. Idumea — see Edomites).

Edomites .................. 32

HISTORICAL INDEX.

PAGE

Kgypt' l8

Fatimites I29

i-Yasts (see Supplement).

t of the Passover (see Supplement).
of the Pentecost (see Supplement).

t of the Sabhath (see Supplement).

of the Tabernacle 119

(iedaliah 93

(iibeonites (see Gibeon).

Gibeon 33

Goshen (see Land of Goshen).

Haran 19

Hebrews 32

Hebron 19

Horus 9

Holy Land (see Supplement).
Ishmael (see Ishmaelites).

Ishmaelites 121

Jebusites 39

Jericho 32

Jerusalem 39

Jcthro 23

Jone>, Inigo 65

Joppa 41

Joseph of Arimathea 119

Kabbalah 109

Kadesh-Barnea 31

Kingdom of Judah 57

Land of Canaan 19

Land of Chaldeans (see Chaldea).

Land of (ioshen or Ramses 22

Land .of Ik-brews (see Supplement).
Land of Israel (see Supplement).
Land of Judah (see Supplement).

I -and of Promise 19

I, and of Shinar (see Chaldea).

Lot 19

Me>o]M)tamia 19

Middle Ages 15

Midianites 21

Moabites 32

Monk „ 69

32

Mount Sinai (see Sinai).

Xicodemus . 118

HISTORICAL INDEX.

PAGE

Olympiad !5

Padan Aram (see Mesopotamia).

Pagan 14

Palestine 22

Patron » 7°

Pharaoh 19

Phidias 5

Philistines 33

Phoenicia (see Phoenicians).

Phoenicians 42

Praxiteles • • 5

Proserphine ll

Queen of Sheba 43

Kabbah 102

Ramses 19

Rephidim 25

Riblah . 94

Rosetta Stone 9

Samaritans 5^

Sanhedrin 118

Seljooks or Seljuks Turks 129

Shechem 19

Shiloh 32

Sidon 41

Sinai 25

Symbol (see Supplement V

Syria «

Tadmor IO2

Tamarisk 8

Titan I2

Typhon 6

Tyre , 4*

Ur 19

Venus -10

Wilderness of Paran 31

Wilderness or Desert 31

Wren, Sir Christopher 66

York (Lat. Eboracum) 64

Ziklag 37

PREFACE.

In preparing this work it has been my chief aim
to give to the Masonic reader a brief, concise and
interesting documentary compilation of the origin
of Freemasonry and Knights Templar. The au-
thorities consulted have been those of the world's
best historians and Masonic writers. In this brief
history all historical facts, chronological dates, and
documentary evidence have been taken from such
works as Ridpath's History of the World, Joseph
Francis Michaud's History of the Crusades, Eng-
lish and American Encyclopedias, Biblical History,
Masonic Encyclopedias by Albert G. Mackey,
M.- D., Robert Macoy, 33°, and George Oliver,
D. D., with many other works of renown, and ar-
ranged in such form as to give to the reader the
greatest amount of information in the least space,
saving many hours of necessary labor in the re-
search of a large number of volumes of dry and
uninteresting reading, obtaining in the end only
such results as one will find within this little volume.

From my early experience in Masonic life, I
learned that the character of the institution was
elevated in every one's opinion just in proportion
to the amount of knowledge that he had acquired
of its symbolism, philosophy and history. But that
few men have the time, patience or inclination to
give the close and attentive reading of the greater
Masonic works to acquire the knowledge that every
Mason should possess.

PREFACE

In view of this fact, and a strong desire on my
part to acquire more light in Masonry, I was in-
duced some twenty years ago to commence the com-
pilation of this concise and interesting story of
Freemasonry and Knights Templar. The years
of toil that I have devoted to it have been a work of
love, and in placing it before the Craft, it is with
the hope of the further enlightenment and better-
ment of mankind.

Masonry being so interwoven with the early his-
tory of the world, I have added a Supplemental En-
cyclopedia, in which may be found brief accounts of
many ancient countries and cities, together with
short sketches of the life of the early tribes and of
the ancient characters connected with Masonic his-
tory.

If the reader will carefully note all references, a
much better understanding of the general subjects
will be had.

All Biblical chronological data will be found ac-
cording to the computation of Archbishop Usher.

The illustrations in this volume are taken from
Ridpath's History of the World, and are used by
courtesy of the Jones Bros. Publishing Company,
Cincinnati, Ohio.

JOHN R. BENNETT.

MUSKEGON, MICH., April 19, 1906.

FREEMASONRY.

The true history of Freemasonry is much in its
character like the history of a nation; It has its
historic and its prehistoric era. In its historic era,
the institution can be regularly traced through
various antecedent associations, similar in design
and organization, to a comparatively remote period.
Its connection with these associations can be ration-
ally established by authentic documents and by
other evidence which no historian would reject.

For the prehistoric era — that which connects it
with the mysteries of the pagan world, and with the
old priests of Eleusis, of Samothrace, or of Syria —
let us honestly say that we no longer treat of Free-
masonry under its present organization, which we
know did not exist in those days, but of a science
peculiar, and peculiar only, to the Mysteries and to
Freemasonry, a science which we may call Masonic
symbolism, and which constituted the very heart-
blood of the ancient and the modern institutions,
and gave to them, while presenting a dissimilarity
of form, an identity of spirit. In connecting and
tracing the germ of Freemasonry in those prehis-
toric days, although guided by no documents, and
no authentic spoken or written narratives on which
to rely, we find fossil thoughts embalmed in those
ancient intellects precisely like the living ones which
crop out in modern Masonry, and which, like the
fossil shells and fishes of the old physical forma-

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

tions of the earth, show by their resemblance to liv-
ing specimens the graduated connection of the past
with the present.

Every human institution is subject to great and
numerous variations; the different aspects under
which they appear, and the principles by which they
are governed, depend on the advance of civilization,
the nature of the protecting government, and the
peculiar habits and opinions of the members them-
selves. Before learning was advanced, and when
the art of printing was unknown, the discoveries
in the arts and sciences must of necessity have been
known to but few individuals. The pursuit of
science was a secondary matter, and questions of
philosophy were solely the prerogative of priest-
craft. Agriculture was the grand pursuit of life.
I Jut architecture soon, in the natural order of
things, arose as a science, and human skill was
called into play. The triumph of mind over matter
was the great feat of the first architects, who were
also the first natural philosophers. There is no
speculation in the statement that these formed
themselves into an association for improvement
at an early date; their architectural monuments
preceding the authentic records of history, are with
us to this day; and tradition informs us that this
union of scientific men differed from the Free-
masons of to-day in little more than in name. The
arts and sciences were cultivated in Egypt and the
adjacent countries in Asia, while all other nations
were involved in ignorance. Of these sciences,
astronomy, geometry and architecture took the
first rank.

Freemasonry not only presents the appearance

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

of a speculative science,1 based on an operative art,
but also very significantly exhibits itself as the sym-
bolic expression of a religious idea. In other and
plainer words, we see in it the important lesson of
eternal life, taught by a legend which, whether true
or false, is used in Masonry as a symbol and alle-
gory. But whence came this legend ? Did all lin-
eal sources have this legend? The evidence is that
they did. Not indeed the same legend ; not the same
personage as its hero; not the same details; but a
legend with the same spirit and design; a legend
funereal in character, celebrating death and resur-
rection, solemnized in lamentations and terminating
in joy.

We can not correctly understand the history of
the nations of antiquity, much less their theology,
philosophy, science or ethics, without knowledge of
their societies. Some of the grandest ideas, those
which have had the greatest influence on human
progress, were born amid mystic symbols.*

NOTE. — The asterisk (*) refers to the Supplement for fur-
ther information.

Ancient Mysteries.

Among the most important of the Ancient Mys-
teries were the following: The Osiric in Egypt,
the Adonisian in Syria, the Mithraic in Persia, the
Cabiric in Thrace, the Druidical among the Celts,
the Scandinavian among the Gothic, the Dionysian
and Eleusinian in Greece.

Each of the Pagan gods had, beside the public,
a secret worship paid him, to which none were ad-

1 See Speculative Masonry in Supplement.

3

l-RKKMASOXRV AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

mined but those who had been selected by prepara-
tory ceremonies called initiation. This secret
hip was termed the MYSTERIES. And this is
supported by Strabo, who says "that it was com-
mon, both to the Greeks and the barbarians, to per-
form their religious ceremonies with the observance
of a festival, and that they were sometimes cele-
brated publicly and sometimes in mysterious pri-
vacy." The first of the Mysteries of which we have
any account, Warburton says, "were those of Isis
and Osiris in Egypt."

Egyptian Mysteries.

•& Egypt has always been considered the birthplace
of the Mysteries. It was there the ceremonies of
initiation were first established. It was there that
truth was first veiled in allegory, and the dogmas
of religion were first imparted under symbolic
forms. From Egypt this system of symbols was
disseminated through Greece and Rome and other
countries of Europe and Asia, giving origin,
through many intermediate steps, to that mysteri-
ous association which is now represented by the
institution of Freemasonry. The favored rank of
ilie Kgyptian society was the priests. To them be-
longed one-third of the lands of the kingdom. They
were the holy order in whose hands rested the main-
tenance of the national religious faith, the conduct
of all the ceremonies in the temples, the direction
of the sacrifices, the work of education and general
culture of the Egyptian. The priesthoods of Egypt
tituted a sacred caste, in whom the priestly
functions were hereditary. They exercised also

4

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

an important part in the government of state, and
the kings of Egypt were but the first subjects of its
priests. *

The initiation into the Egyptian Mysteries was
of all the systems practiced by the ancients the most
severe and impressive. The system had been or-
ganized for ages, and the priests, who alone were
the teachers of the Mysteries, were educated almost
from childhood for that purpose. That "learning of
the Egyptians," in which Moses is said to have been
so skilled, was all imparted in those Mysteries. Over
the entire history of the Land of the Pyramids a
veil of mystery is drawn. Its history is a dream,
not the promises of the future, but of achievements
of the past. Here empire first placed her throne
and swayed her scepter. Long before Greece and
Rome and Assyria had been wrapped in their swad-
dling clothes, Egypt was a man of war and a hero
of victory. The stones that reared Athens in splen-
dor, and spoke forth the beautiful conceptions of
Phidias* and Praxiteles,* were unused in the quar-
ries long after the Colossi of Thebes had grown
old with years. While Abraham, the father
of the faithful, wandered a nomad and lived in
tents, a Pharaoh sat on the throne of Egypt, and,
but a few years after, the Ishmaelitish merchants
led their camels laden with spices, balm and myrrh,
commodities only used by rich and cultivated peo-
ples, from Gilead to the Nile. A few years from
this and there were standing armies in Egypt, chari-
ots of war, bodies of infantry, and, what is still more
surprising, a large body of cavalry. It was in the
Egyptian society of Isis and Osiris that this ancient
and wonderful civilization had its origin. Here were

5

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

fashioned and wrought out those ideas that subse-
quently entered into the very life of the people.

The two central figures of these Mysteries, as
well as of Egyptian history, were Isis and Osiris.
These, when stripped of their mystic garments and
brought down to the level of humanity, appear to
have been an early king (Osiris) and queen (Isis)
of this country, who were at the same time brother
and sister. These, by superior virtue and intelli-
gence, won the admiration and confidence of these
wild and untutored barbarians, led them out of their
degraded state, and guided their feet into the path
of civilization and empire. Under their direction
the land of savage darkness became light, and full
of joy. Isis taught the people to hold the plow and
turn the furrow, and to make bread from the ripened
grain. While doing this she made laws for home
society, and restrained men from lawlessness and
violence by their sanction. Osiris built Thebes,
with its hundred gates; erected temples and altars,
instituted the sacred rites, and appointed priests
to have the oversight and care of the holy things.

Having accomplished these things, and seeing
their effect upon his own people, he resolved to raise
a great army, and, leaving Isis as ruler, to go
through all the world, "for he hoped he could civ-
ilize men and take them off from their rude and
beast-like course of life." This he succeeded in do-
ing, but shortly after his return he was slain by his
brother Typhon. After his death Isis made a vow
never to marry again, and spent her days in ruling
justly over her subjects, "excelling all other princes
in her acts of grace and bounty towards her own
people, and therefore, after her death, she was num.

6

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

bered among the gods, and as such had divine hon-
ors and veneration, and was buried at Memphis,
where they show her senuldhr^ at this day in the
grove of Vulcan."

The sacred rites which Osiris is said to have in-
stituted received many additions in course -of time,
and finally were divided into two degrees. These,
as in their copy at Eleusis, Greece, were called the
Great and Less, the former being the Mysteries of
Osiris, the latter those of Isis, the latter being a
preparation to the fuller revelation of the secrets
contained in the former.

In the Great Mystery was represented the alle-
gorical history of Osiris, which the Egyptians re-
garded as the most solemn mystery of their relig-
ion, and which Herodotus and all other ancient
writers mention with great caution. To be initiated
in these was the great privilege of the priest, though
this caste were not all admitted indiscriminately to
this honor. This was reserved for the heir-appar-
ent to the throne, and for such priests as excelled
in virtue and wisdom.

The principal seat of the Egyptian Mysteries was
at Memphis, in the neighborhood of the great Pyra-
mid. The legend was as follows: Osiris, a wise
king of Egypt, left the care of his kingdom to his
wife Isis, and traveled for three years to communi-
cate to other nations the arts of civilization. Dur-
ing his absence his brother Typhon formed a secret
conspiracy to destroy him and to usurp his throne.
On his return Osiris was invited by Typhon to
an entertainment in the month of November, at
which all the conspirators were present. Typhon
produced a chest inlaid with gold, and promised

7

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

to give it to any person whose body would exactly
fit it. Osiris was tempted to try the experiment;
but he no sooner laid down in the chest than the
lid was closed and nailed down and the chest thrown
into the river Nile. The chest containing the body
of Osiris was, after being for a long time tossed
about by the waves, finally cast up at Byblos,* in
Mnenicia, and left at the foot of a tamarisk* tree.
Isis, overwhelmed with grief for the loss of her
husband, set out on a journey, and traversed the
earth in search of the body. After many adven-
tures, she at length discovered the spot whence it
had been thrown up by the waves, and returned
with it in triumph to Egypt. It was then pro-
claimed, with the most extravagant demonstrations
of joy, that Osiris was risen from the dead and
had become a god. Such, with slight variations
of details by different writers, are the general out-
lines of the Osiris legend.

It was represented in the public drama of initia-
tion, by the image of a dead man being borne in
an ark or coffin, by a procession of initiates; and
this enclosure in the coffin or interment of the body
was called the aphanism, or disappearance, and the
lamentations for him formed the first part, or Mys-
teries of Isis. On the third day after the interment,
the priests and initiates carried the coffin, in which
was also a golden vessel, down to the river Nile.
Into the vessel they poured water from the river;
and then, with a cry of "We have found him, let
us rejoice," they declared that the dead Osiris, who
had descended into Hades, had returned from
thence, and was restored again to life; and the
rejoicings which ensued constituted the second part,

8

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

or Mysteries of Osiris. Its resemblance to the
Hiramic legend of the Masonic system will be read-
ily seen, and its symbolism will be easily under-
stood. Osiris and Typhon are representatives of
the two antagonistic principles — good and evil,
light and darkness, life and death.

Osiris as an Egyptian deity was worshiped under
the form of an ox, personifying the power of good
and the sunlight, united in history and in worship
a sacred triad with Isis as his wife and Horus* as
their child. Some of the Egyptian philosophers
regarded him as a river god, and called him Nilus.
But the truth is, Osiris represented the male, active
or generative powers of nature; while Isis repre-
sented its female, passive or prolific powers. Thus,
when Osiris was the sun, Isis was the earth, to be
vivified by his rays; when he was the Nile, Isis
was the land of Egypt, fertilized by his overflow.

The researches in the last few years have thrown
much light on the Egyptian Mysteries. Among
the ceremonies of the ancient people was one called
the "Procession of Shrines," which is mentioned
in the Rosetta stone,* and depicted on the temple
walls. One of these shrines was an ark, which was
carried in procession by the priests, who supported
it on their shoulders by staves passing through
metal rings. It was thus brought into the temple
and deposited on a stand or altar, that the cere-
monies prescribed in the ritual might be performed
before it. The contents of these arks were various,
but always of a mystical character. Sometimes
the ark would contain symbols of life and stability,
sometimes the sacred beetle, the symbol of .the sun ;
and there was always a representation of two fig-

9

l-RKL-LMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

tires of the goddess Theme or Truth and Justice,
which overshadowed the ark with their wings.
These coincidences of the Egyptian and Hebrew
arks must have been more than accidental.

Adonisian Mysteries in Syria.

The Mysteries of Adonis, on account of their
locality, bring them in close connection with the
history and reputed origin of Freemasonry. They
were principally celebrated at Byblos, a city in
Phoenicia, situated near the base of Mount Leba-
non, on the Mediterranean, north of Beyroot, and
whose Scriptural or Hebrew name was Gebal, and
whose inhabitants were the Giblites or Giblemites,
who are referred to in the first Book of Kings
(chap. v. 18) as being the "stone-squarers" em-
ployed by King Solomon in building the temple.
Hence there must have evidently been a very in-
timate connection or frequent intercommunication
between the workmen of the first temple and the
inhabitants of Byblos. These Mysteries were said
to have been first established at Babylon, and thence
passed over into Syria, their principal seat being
at Byblos, in that country.

The legend of Adonis is: That he was the King
of Cyprus. Adonis was possessed of such surpris-
ing beauty that Venus* (Goddess of Love) became
enamored with him, and adopted him as her favor-
ite. Subsequently Adonis, who was a great hunter,
died from a wound inflicted by a wild boar on
Mount Lebanon. Venus flew to the succor of her
favorite, but she came too late. Adonis was dead.

10

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

On his descent to the infernal regions Proserpine*
(Queen of Hades) became, like Venus, so attracted
by his beauty that, notwithstanding the entreaties
of the goddess of love, she refused to restore him
to earth. At length the prayers of the desponding
Venus were listened to with favor by Jupiter
(Father of Men and Gods) who reconciled the
dispute between the two goddesses, and by whbse
decree Proserpine was compelled to consent that
Adonis should spend six months of each year al-
ternately with herself and Venus.

The ceremonies commenced about the season of
the year when the river Adonis began to be swollen
by the flood at its source, It is a small river of
Syria, which, rising in Mount Lebanon, enters the
Mediterranean a few miles south of Byblos. It is
a fact that, after a sudden fall of rain, the river,
descending in floods, is tinged with a deep red by
the soil of the hills in which it takes its rise, and
imparts the color to the sea, into which it is dis-
charged, for a considerable distance. The wor-
shipers of Adonis believed that this reddish dis-
coloration of the water was a symbol of his blood.
The Israelites called him Thammuz.

The Mysteries of Adonis were celebrated
throughout all the countries of Syria,* and formed
a part of the ceremonies of the Dionysian Architects
of Tyre, by whom they were introduced into Judea.
The sacred rites began with mourning, and the days
set apart to the celebration of the death of Adonis
were passed in cries and wailing, many often
scourging themselves. On the last of the days of
mourning, funeral rites were performed in honor
of the god. On the following day the restoration

ii

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

t

of Adonis to life was announced and was received

with the most enthusiastic demonstrations of joy.
The ohjects represented in these Mysteries were
the grief of Venus and the death and resurrection
of Adonis. The analogy in the 'symbolism that
exists between Adonis in the Mysteries of the Gib-
lemites at Byblos and Hiram the builder, can read-
ily'be seen by the Freemason in his own institution.

Dionysian Mysteries.

& These Mysteries were celebrated throughout
Greece and Asia Minor, but principally at Athens,
where the years were numbered by them. They
were introduced in Greece in the year 1415 B. C.
by the Egyptian colonists, many of whom, accord-
ing to Biblical chronology, went there as early as
1760 B. C. These Mysteries were instituted in
honor of Bacchus,* or, as the Greeks called him,
Dionysus. About three hundred years afterwards,
Ionic migration occurred, the emigrants carrying
with them from Greece to Asia Minor the Myster-
ies of Dionysus, before they had been corrupted
by the Athenians.

In these Mysteries the murder of Dionysus by
the Titans* was commemorated, in which legend
he is evidently identified with the Egyptian Osiris,
who was slain by his brother Typhon.1 The ritual
of Freemasonry preserves, in its central circle, the
leading features of the Dionysian institution.
Hiram and Dionysus are names representing and
illustrating in their history and experience the
same ideas. The initiation was a symbolical prog-

1 See page 7. last paragraph.

12

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

ress, from the dark, dead and frigid north to the
refulgent east — a pilgrimage. The moral teach-
ing of these Mysteries w^s the same as, that of the
Mysteries of Osiris.

In the time of King Solomon, the ancient city
of Tyre, in Phoenicia, was celebrated as the resi-
dence of King Hiram, and to that monarch, Solo-
mon and his father, David, were greatly indebted
for assistance in the construction of the Temple
at Jerusalem.

The inhabitants of Tyre were distinguished for
their skill as artificers, especially as workers in
brass and other metals; and it is said to have been
the principal seat of that skillful body of architects
known as the Fraternity of Dionysian Archi-
tects. The priests of Bacchus or Dionysus, having
devoted themselves to architectural pursuits, found-
ed this society, which was exclusively confined to
the privilege of erecting temples and other public
buildings ; they were linked together by the secret
ties of the Dionysian Mysteries, into which they
had all been initiated. They were distinguished
by many peculiarities that strikingly assimilate it
to our Order. For the facilities of labor and gov-
ernment, they were divided into communities, each
of which was governed by a Master and Wardens.
They employed in their ceremonial observances
many of the implements which are still to be found
among Freemasons, and used, like them, a univer-
sal language, by which one brother could distin-
guish another in the dark as well as in the light,
and served to unite the members scattered over
India, Persia and Syria, into one common brother-
hood. The existence of this order in Tyre, at the

13

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

time of the building of the Temple of Solomon, is
universally admitted; and Hiram, the widow's son,
to whom Solomon intrusted the superintendence of
the workmen, as an inhabitant of Tyre, was, very
probably, one of its members. Hence we may le-
gitimately suppose that the Dionysian Architects
were sent by Hiram, king of Tyre, to assist King
Solomon in the construction of the house he was
about to dedicate to Jehovah, and that they com-
municated to their Jewish fellow-laborers a knowl-
edge of the advantages of their fraternity, and
invited them to a participation in its Mysteries and
privileges. In the union, however, the apocryphal
legend of the Dionysians would naturally give way
to the true legend of the Masons, which was un-
happily furnished by a melancholy incident that
occurred at the time. The latter part of this state-
ment is, it is admitted, a mere speculation, but one
that has met the approval of Lowrie, Oliver and our
best writers; and although this connection between
the Dionysian Architects and the builders of King
Solomon may not be supported by documentary evi-
dence, the traditionary theory is at least plausible,
and offers nothing that is absurd or impossible.
Tf accepted, it supplies the necessary link which
connects the Pagan* with the Jewish Mysteries.

ft ft

Eleusinian Mysteries.

The institution of these Mysteries may be placed
about the year ly?) 15. C, in the reign of Erectheus.
A fragment of marble preserved at Oxford gives
this as the date. This was three hundred years

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

prior to the reign of David in Jerusalem, and more
than six hundred years before the first Olympiad,*
the beginning of true Grecian history. They were
celebrated at the village of Eleusis, near the city
of Athens, Greece. Like the Egyptian Mysteries,
they were divided into two classes, the lesser and
the greater. The lesser Mysteries were celebrated
on the banks of the Ilissus, whose waters supplied
the means of purification of the aspirants. The
greater Mysteries were celebrated in the temple
at Eleusis. They were public to the many and
secret to the few. They were dedicated to the god-
dess Demeter, the Ceres* of the Romans, who was
worshiped by the Greeks as the symbol of the pro-
lific earth; and in them were scenically represented
and secretly taught the loss and recovery of Perse-
phone, and the doctrine of the unity of God and the
immortality of the soul. The scenic representa-
tions, secret signs and words of recognition, the
instruction in a peculiar dogma, and the establish-
ment of a hidden bond of fraternity, gave attrac-
tion to these Mysteries, which lasted until the very
fall of the Roman Empire, and exerted a powerful
influence on the mystical associations of the Middle
Ages.* That which connects them with the modern
initiations of Freemasonry is evident in the common
thought which pervades and identifies both ; though
it is difficult, and perhaps impossible, to trace all
the connecting links of the historic chain.

Mysteries of Mithras.

There are none of the ancient Mysteries which
afford a more interesting subject of investigation

15

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

to the Masonic scholar than those of the Persian
god Mithras. These Mysteries are supposed to
have heen carried from Egypt by Zeradusht or
Zoroaster, and instituted as an initiation into the
principles of the religion which he had founded
among the ancient Persians. Of the identity of
Mithras with other deities there have been various
opinions, but to the Persians, who first practiced
his Mysteries, he was a sun god, and worshiped
as the god of light. The Mysteries of Mithras
were always celebrated in caves. They were di-
vided into seven stages or degrees and consisted of
the most rigorous proofs of fortitude and courage.
The Mysteries of Mithras passed from Persia into
Europe, and were introduced into Rome in the time
of Pompey (87-48 B. C). Here they flourished,
with various success, until the year 378 A. D.,
when they were proscribed by a decree of the Sen-
ate, and the sacred cave, in which they had been
celebrated, was destroyed by the Praetorian prefect.
The Mithraic monuments that are still extant in
the museums of Europe evidently show that the
immortality of the soul was one of the doctrines
taught in the Mithraic initiation.

A description of the other ancient Mysteries-
would only be to repeat what has been said, and as
all took their rise in Egypt, we may judge the
source of the fountain by the nature of the stream.
All contain just such legends, everywhere differing
in particulars, but everywhere coinciding in general
character. After what has now been said it can
not be difficult to see clearly the true end and great
purpose of the Mysteries, the first and greatest
fruits of which were, according to the ancients, to

16

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

civilize savage people, soften their ferocious man-
ners, render them social, and prepare them for a
kind of life more worthy q£ the dignity of man.
And such were the results of the ancient legends,
taught through symbolism and mysteries.

FREEMASONRY AND KXH.HTS TEMPLAR

Israelites.

Israel (I leb. Yisrael, "a prince with God"), the
name bestowed upon Jacob when he wrestled with
an an^el at Peniel ((ien. xxxii. 28), afterward
the distinctive name of his descendants.

MENEPTA.

Egypt. A celebrated country in the north of
Africa, at the eastern part of the Mediterranean
The Hebrews called it Mi/rain, and hence it
is now called by the Arabs, Mixr. The ( irceks and
Romans called it /K^yptus, whence K.^ypt ; but the
origin of thi< name is unknown.

18

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

Rameses the Great, of Egypt, was succeeded by
King Menepta, who is now generally accepted by
historians as the Pharaoh**)f the exodus of Israel.
The story of this remarkable race begins with the
call of Abraham from his home at Ur,* the city of
his birth, usually called "Ur of the Chaldees," near
the Euphrates, in the northwest part of Mesopo-
tamia,* to his promised abode in Canaan.* (See
map. )

Abraham was a son of Terah, a descendant of
Shem, and born in 1996 B. C. In 1922 B. C. he
went to Haran,* in Mesopotamia (a region north-
east of the Euphrates), accompanied by his father,
his wife Sarai, his brother Nahor, and his nephew
Lot* (Gen. xi. 26-32). His father dies soon after,
and he takes his wife and nephew and enters the
land of promise, or Canaan, as a nomad or wander-
ing shepherd. Sojourning for a time at Shechem,*
he built here, as was his custom, an altar to the
Lord. Removing from place to place for conven-
ience of water and pasturage, he was at length
driven by a famine into Egypt. Returning to
Canaan in 1918 B. C., rich in flocks and herds, he
left Lot to dwell in the fertile valley of the lower
Jordan on the plain of Sodom, and pitched his own
tents in Mamre: the same is Hebron* in the land
of Canaan (Gen. xii., xiii.). Here his descend-
ants multiplied to the fifth generation. He became
greatly renowned for piety and wisdom, and was
called a friend of God. Sarai his wife, being barren,
gives Hagar, her Egyptian handmaid, to Abram,
and in 1910 B. C. Ishmael was born (Gen. xvi.
n, 12). God covenants with Abram, changes his
name to Abraham, institutes circumcision, and

19 •

FREEMASOXRV AXI) KXIGHTS TEMPLAR

promises Isaac by Sarai, whom he calls Sarah. In
fulfillment of the divine promise Isaac was born
in 1896 B. C, in the extreme old age of both his
parents, Abraham being 100 and Sarah ninety
years of age. In 1859 B. C., Sarah dies, and five
years later Abraham marries Keturah, by whom
he had six sons. Abraham dies in 1821 B. C, aged
175 years. His sons Isaac and Ishmael bury him
in the cave of Machpelah in the field of Ephron,
which is before Mamre (or Hebron) (Gen. xxv.
9, 10).

Isaac at the age of forty marries Rebekah, his
kinswoman, who bore him twin sons, Esau (or
Kdom) and Jacob (afterwards called Israel). They
were born in 1836 B. C., but the place of their birth
can not be ascertained from the narrative in Gen.
xxv., except that it was in the Negeb or "South
Country" of the land of Canaan. Esau was the
first-born and the favorite of his father, but Jacob,
in his early manhood, by the aid of his mother,
obtained the birthright* (Gen. xxvii.), and in
fear of the rage of Esau was sent away by his par-
ents to his uncle Laban at Haran, in Mesopotamia,
where he married his cousins Leah and Rachel, and
resided twenty years, becoming wealthy in flocks
and herds. Jacob then returns to Canaan with his
taniily and his riches. Arriving near home, he
meets his brother Esau, and in a rather dramatic
personal interview they become reconciled (Gen.
XXXlii.), Isaae dies at Hebron in 1716 B. C.,
aged iSo years, and is buried in the cave of Mach-
pelah with his father, lie was a man of gentle
nature, a nomadic herdsman of devout and blame-
life.

20

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

Joseph was the eleventh of the twelve sons of
Jacob, and was born at Haran, in Mesopotamia,
about 1745 B. C. He wa^the favorite son of his
father, and envied by his brethren on that account.
Their enmity was further excited by two 'dreams
in which his future greatness was foreshadowed,
and this led them to sell him as a slave to some
Midianite* traders, by whom he was carried into
Egypt, and sold to Potiphar, an officer of the king.
The Midianite traders were an ancient Arabian
race, the descendants of Midian, the fourth of the
six sons of Abrahani by Keturah. They appear to
have dwelt mainly to the south of Moab, and cov-
ered a territory extending to the neighborhood of
Mount Sinai. Joseph acquired the confidence of
his master, who set him as overseer over all his
property, but, having repelled dishonorable propo-
sals made to him by his mistress, she accused him
falsely to her husband, and caused him to be thrown
into prison. Here he interpreted the dreams of
two of his fellow-prisoners, the chief baker and
chief butler of Pharaoh, and when his predictions
had been justified by the result, he was summoned
by King Pharaoh, at the instance of the butler, to
interpret two dreams which portended seven years
of prosperity followed by seven of famine. The
king was so much struck by the wisdom of the
advice given by the young Hebrew that he adopted
all his suggestions for making preparations for the
time of famine, and appointed him ruler over the
whole land. The measures taken by Joseph as
vizier or viceroy resulted greatly to the advantage
of the king and his people, securing an abundant
provision for the time of the famine. This calamity

21

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

extended also to the adjoining countries, and led
Jacob to dispatch his sons to the Egyptian granaries
to purchase corn, and there the brothers were
brought face to face with Joseph, who recognized
his unnatural brethren, and after a series of strata-
gems (Gen. xlii.), by which he reminded them of
and punished them for their crime, the whole fam-
ily, by his request, to the number of about seventy,
was brought into and established in the "land of
Goshen,"* or Ramses, as it was called by the Egyp-
tians. (This was about i'/o6l B. C.) Here they
grew and multiplied for nearly two hundred and
fifteen years. Joseph married a daughter of the
high priest of On (Heliopolis), and had two sons,
Manasseh and Ephraim, who became the progeni-
tors of the tribes bearing those names, the most
powerful of the future kingdom of Israel. Joseph
preserved his authority until his death, which
occurred in 1635 B- C- at the age of no. His body
was cMiibalmed, and at the time of the Exodus was
carried to Palestine* and buried at Shechem,
where his tomb is still shown.

Jacob died in Egypt in 1689 B. C., aged 147
years; his body was embalmed and buried with
great pom]) and all possible honors in the burial-
place of Abraham, near Hebron (Gen. 1.).

For a time the growing Israelitic tribe was held
in honor by the government and people; but later
the ruling class began to look askance at the
strangers, and then to oppress them. They were
set to work at building and digging. They were

1 This date has been sharply contested. Some authors claim
it should be about the year 1550 B. C.

22

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

set to sweat in the brickyards, and were beaten by
taskmasters until they broke out in insurrection.
In the course of time, dermal of religious privileges
complicated and intensified the rebellion. In the
year 1573 B. C, Pharaoh orders all the male chil-
dren of the Hebrews to be drowned. Two years
later Jochebed, the wife of Amram, a Levite, suc-
ceeded in concealing her infant three months, but
when she could no longer hide him, she put him in
a basket of papyrus and placed the basket among
the rushes of the Nile, and set his sister, Miriam,
to watch from afar; finally the king's daughter
found the child, and, being struck with its beauty,
determined to adopt it, and sent Miriam to fetch
a Hebrew nurse, who conceived the idea of getting
her mother, and thus Jochebed became nurse to
her own child. According to Ex. xi. 10, the
child was adopted by the king's daughter, who
"called his name Moses; and she said, Because I
drew him out of the water." And according to
Acts vii. 22, he was initiated in all the secret wis-
dom of the Egyptian priesthood ; but the Bible tells
us nothing of his youth from his adoption by the
princess to the day when he slew an Egyptian over-
seer for his barbarous treatment of a Jewish slave.
This was in the year 1531 B. C. He was then
compelled to flee from Egypt, and lived many years
in the land of the Midianites, with Jethro* the
priest, whose daughter he married and whose flocks
he tended. In 1491 B. C. he was called, according
to Exodus Hi., and Acts vii. 30-34, from the wil-
derness of Mount Sinai, where he was tending the
flocks of his father-in-law, to free his brethren
from slavery in which they lived. He returned to

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

Egypt, but at first he was received by his country-
men with suspicion, and by the Egyptians with
contempt. Nevertheless, Moses appeared as a
leader of his people, and demanded, in a personal
interview with the king at Tanis, the privilege of
conducting them a three days' march into the desert

EXODUS OF ISRAEL.

to sacrifice to Jehovah. P>ut Pharaoh replied by
charging the Hebrews with a purpose to escape
their tasks under a pretence of piety. Whereupon
Moses, by signs and wonders done in the king's
house and kingdom, humbled the monarch and
compelled him "to let the people go" ( Kx. xiii.).
After some delays the Israelites departed along

24

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

the banks of the canal, touching the principal
Hebrew towns, and gathering their population as
they went. The route tl%en lay through the Wadi
Tumilot (Valley), which extended to the Gulf of
Suez, where they arrived, a few miles south of the
present city of that name. Here the fugitives were
hemmed in by the forces of Pharaoh, which had
been sent after the retreating host. At this point
in the gulf there is a shallow, stretching from shore
to shore, almost fordable at low tide. "Moses
stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord
caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all
that night, and made the sea dry land, and the
waters were divided." Over this the hosts of the
Hebrews, numbering, it is said, 603,000 men of sol-
dier age, or more than 2,000,000 in all, crossed to
the other side in safety, which the Egyptians in
pursuit essaying to do were drowned, for the waters
returned to their place, while the Pharaoh's horse-
men and chariots, with wheels clogged in the mire,
were panic-stricken and overwhelmed.

The Israelites had no sooner escaped from the
Egyptians than they were attacked at Rephidim*
by the Amalekites,* whom they are said to have
signally defeated (Ex. xvii.). The Amalekites
were a nomadic and warlike people, of whose
ancestors there is no record, but, at the time of
the Exodus, they occupied the wilderness between
Egypt and Palestine. They lived generally in
migrating parties, in caves or in tents, like the Bed-
aween Arabs of the present day. After the defeat
of the Amalekites, Moses led the people to Mount
Sinai,* in Arabia, which is situated in that country
known as the Sinaitic peninsula that lies between

25

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

the horns of the Red Sea or Gulfs of Suez and
Akaba, and is the place where the law of Jehovah-
was t^iven and the Jewish economy instituted. The
Jewish tabernacle and the ark of the covenant

HIGH PRIEST OF ISRAEL.

were here constructed in the year 1490 B. C. by
Aholiab* and Bezaleel, under the immediate direc-
tions of Moses. The tribes were numbered after
their families by the house of their fathers, who
were the descendants of Abraham or the twelve
sons of Jacob. The twelve sons were Reuben, Sim-

26

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

eon, Levi, Judah, Zebulun, Issachar, Dan, Gad,
Asher, Naphtali, Joseph and Benjamin. The
Levites were set aside tojiave exclusive jurisdiction
over the national worship, and as they were not to
inherit lands, the two sons of Joseph, Ephraim and
Manasseh, were chosen as their father's representa-
tives and became progenitors in the twelve tribes
of Israel. The tribe of Levi received, instead of
a province, forty-eight cities scattered throughout
Canaan and the tenth part of the fruits of the field,
and were allowed generally to settle throughout the
land where they chose. Aaron, who was Moses'
brother, of the tribe of Levites, by a miraculous
judgment, became the first high priest. Moses di-
rected that twelve rods should be laid up in the Holy
of Holies of the tabernacle, one for each tribe; the
name of Aaron on one rod to represent the tribe of
Levi, and Moses said, "The man's rod whom I shall
choose shall blossom." On the next day these rods
were brought out and exhibited to the people,
and while all the rest remained dry and withered,
that of Aaron alone budded and blossomed and
yielded fruit (Num. xvii.). Philo-Judaeus says
that "Moses was instructed by the Egyptian
priests in the philosophy of symbols and hiero-
glyphics as well as in the mysteries of the sacred
animals." The sacred historian tells us he was
"learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians"; and
Manetho and other traditionary writers tell us that
he was educated at Heliopolis as a priest, under his
Egyptian name of Osarsiph, and that there he was
taught the whole range of literature and science,
which it was customary to impart to the priesthood
of Egypt. It is not strange, when he began in the

27

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

wilderness to establish his new religion, that he
should have given a holy use to the symbols whose
meaning he had learned in his ecclesiastical edu-
cation on the banks of the Nile.

The tabernacle itself was, according to Josephus,
forty-five feet long by fifteen wide, its greater length
being from east to west. The sides were fifteen feet

THE TABERNACLE.

high, and there was a sloping roof. There was
no place of entrance except at the eastern end, which
was covered by curtains. It was divided into two
apartments by a richly decorated curtain. There
were suspended, so as to cover the sides and top of
the tabernacle, four curtains ; the first or inner cur-
tain was composed of fine linen, magnificently em-
broidered, with figures of cherubim, in shades of
blue, purple and scarlet; this formed the "Beauti-

28

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

ful" ceiling. The other coverings or curtains were
of goats' hair and the skins of rams and other ani-
mals colored red. The t^o sides and the western
end were formed of boards of shittim wood, over-
laid with thin plates of gold, and fixed in solid sock-
ets or vases of silver. It was surrounded by a
court, the walls of which were made of fine twined
linen, attached to pillars bound with bands of silver
and set in socketsvof brass. The length of the court
was 150 feet, its breadth 75 feet, and its height 7^
feet. The tabernacle in all its structure was ar-
ranged for convenient packing, transportation and
setting up; but nevertheless, in size, in beauty of
workmanship, and in costliness of material, was a
magnificent structure for the wilderness. This tab-
ernacle was carried by the Israelites in all their
wanderings.

During their march through the wilderness the
twelve tribes had between them four principal ban-
ners, or standards, to which reference is made in the
Book of Numbers, chapter ii. : "Every man of the
children of Israel shall pitch by his own standard."
But as to what were the devices on the banners or
what were their various colors, the Bible is absolute-
ly silent. To the inventive genius of the Talmudists
we are indebted 'for all that we know or profess
to know on this subject. Wherever the Israelites
halted they encamped with three tribes on each side
of the tabernacle. The tribes of Judah, Issachar
and Zebulun on the east side under the standard of
Judah; Reuben, Simeon and Gad on the south side
under the standard of Reuben; Ephraim, Manas-
seh and Benjamin on the west side under the stand-
ard of Ephraim; Dan, Asher and Naphtali on the

29

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

north side under the standard of Dan; the Levites
in the midst of the camp.

The Ark of the Covenant was a chest in which
were kept the two tables of stone, on which were en-
graved the Ten Commandments. It contained like-
wise a golden pot of manna, Aaron's rod, and the
tables of the covenant. It was always deposited
in the most sacred place of the tabernacle. It was

ARK OF THE COVENANT.

made of shittim wood, overlaid within and with-
out with pure gold. It was about three feet nine
inches long, two feet three inches wide, and of the
same extent in depth. It had on the side two rings
of gold, through which were placed staves of shit-
tim wood, overlaid with gold, by which, when nec-
essary, it was borne by the Levites. Its cover or
lid was of pure gold, over which were placed two
figures called cherubim with expanded wings (Kx.
xxv.). The cover of the ark was called Kap-

30

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

hiret, from Kaphar, "to forgive sin," and hence the
English name of "mercy-seat," as being the place
where the intercession fo£ sin was made. Aaron's
rod was made sacred and carried in the ark from
the manner in which the tribe of Levites were cho-
sen to be invested with the priesthood. The pot of
manna was placed in the ark of the covenant to
commemorate the heavenly bread, by which the
Israelites were sustained in the wilderness; and is
considered as a symbol of life, not the transitory,
but the enduring one of a future world.

Having again taken up their march and arriving
at the wilderness of Paran,* Moses sent twelve cho-
sen men, one of each tribe, to examine the land of
Canaan, who, after forty days, return to Kadesh-
barnea,*,a city at the southeast border of Palestine,
and bring an evil report of the land. Caleb and
Joshua, who were among those that searched the
land, said to the children of Israel, "Let us go up
at once and possess it ; for we are well able to over-
come it." "If the Lord delight in us, then he will
bring us into this land, and give it us, a land which
floweth with milk and honey;" but the people mur-
mur and rebel, and God swears in his wrath that
none of the murmurers shall enter the land, but be
consumed in the desert,* where they are doomed to
wander forty years. The people, however, resolve
to enter Canaan against the will of God, but
are this time repulsed by the Amalekites (Num.
xiii., xiv.). Moses then in his progress from Sinai
to Canaan, a desert march from station to station
through a period of forty years, arrives with his
people near the border of Palestine in the desert of
Zin,* and from there seeks passage through the

31

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

land of the Edomites* (descendants of Esau, Ja-
cob's twin brother), but is positively refused and
threatened with the sword should he make the
attempt. \Yhereupon the Israelites turn away,
even avoiding the Moabites* and the Ammonites*
(descendants of Lot by his two daughters),
but proceeded boldly against the kings of the
Amorites,* Sihon, who reigned at Hesbon, and
Og, at Bashan. Both of these chieftains, lived
east of the Jordan, and were the descendants
of Canaan, an ancient patriarch, a son of Ham,
and the ancestor of the Canaanites. They were
dispossessed of their lands, which were be-
stowed on the tribes of Reuben and Gad and a
half-tribe of Manasseh (Num. xxxii.). Aaron*
died on Mount Hor, in Edom, Arabia,* in the for-
tieth year after leaving Egypt, at the age of about
123 years, and was succeeded in the priesthood by
his son Eleazer. Not long after this, in the year
1451 B. C, Moses* died on Mount Nebo, one of
the Abarim range of mountains, "which is in the
land of Moab, that is over against Jericho," * at the
age of 1 20, and was succeeded in authority by
Joshua of the tribe of Ephraim. Joshua proved him-
self to be an able and resolute general. He led the
tribes of Israel across the Jordan into Canaan, or
the Holy Land, and then began a war of extermi-
nation upon the native inhabitants. All were ex-
terminated except the Gibeonites,* who secured
their safety by a stratagem (Josh. lx.), and be-
came a dependent or servile class among the
Hebrews.* The tabernacle was set up at Shiloh*
in 1444 B. C., and the rest of the land of Palestine
divided, making in all twelve confederate states

32

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

according to the tribes (Josh, xviii.). Joshua died
in the year 1443 B. C, at the age of no years.
Then followed a series ^f judges as rulers for
nearly 350 years.

In the year 1116 B. C, just before the battle of
the Israelites and the Philistines* at Ebenezer, near
Shiloh, the ark of the covenant was brought from
Shiloh into the camp of the Israelites to inspire them
with greater courage and confidence, but the Phi-
listines overcame them, captured the ark and car-
ried it first to Ashdod, then to Gath, and from
there to Ekron. In 1115 B. C. it was returned by
the Philistines from Ekron to the Israelites at Kir-
jath-jearim, a city of the Gibeonites situated about
nine miles northwest of Jerusalem, and there placed
in the house of Abinadab, a Levite, where it re-
mained for seventy years before being conveyed to
Jerusalem (I Sam. iv.-vi.).

The tabernacle was taken from Shiloh to Gibeon,*
but the exact time of its removal is not known. In

I. Chron. xxi. 29, it states that the tabernacle of
Moses was still at Gibeon (1017 B. C.). Again, in

II. Chron. i. 3-13, that the tabernacle still remained
at Gibeon, and that Solomon went there to sacrifice
before it. This is the last mention made of it.

Jewish History.

The first Jewish history extends from the time
of the conquest of Canaan, 1445 B. C., to the estab-
lishment of the monarchy under Saul, 1095 B. C.,
During this period Israel was governed in the
name of Jehovah by judges who were the rulers,
chiefs or leaders of Israel (a theocracy). Previous

33

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

to the conquest Moses had been their lawgiver and
leader. After him Joshua, the general, gave the
people peace by war. And after the conquest a
series of rulers arose known as judges, for they

SAUL ANOINTED.

"judged Israel." Sometimes, for an interval, there
was no judge at all. During such interval every
man was at liberty to do what seemed good in his
own eyes. liy and by the example of the surround-
ing nations produced the infection of monarchy in

34

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

Israel. The people clamored for a king. The un-
certain judgeship proved only an equivocal defense
against the strong, personal governments of the ad-
jacent pagan nations. Under the popular impulse,
and against the theocratic principle, Saul, the son
of Kish, of the tribe of Benjamin, was chosen for
the royal honor, and was anointed king by the
prophet Samuel. With this event the second period
of Israelitish history begins.

Saul was a warrior. He was an austere and able
man, cordially disliked by the priesthood, between
whom and himself there was a conflict of author-
ity. He began his reign by making war on the
adjacent tribes, whom he reduced to subjection, the
first of whom were the Ammonites. He then fell
upon the Philistines, whom he routed with great
slaughter in the decisive battle of Michmash. Then
the Moabites, Amalekites and Edomites were suc-
cessively driven beyond the borders of Israel.
Meanwhile the intractable spirit of the king had
given the priests opportunity to incite discontent,
and an anti-Saul party had arisen among the peo-
ple, and popular attention was directed to young
David as the coming ruler of Israel. David was
one of the most remarkable characters in history.
He was a son of Jesse, and was born in Bethlehem,*
Judah, about 1085 B. C. Jesse was the son of Obed
and the grandchild of Boaz and Ruth. Boaz was
the lineal descendant of Pharez, the son of Judah
(Gen. xxxviii. ; Ruth iv. 13-22).

In his youth David followed the occupation of a
shepherd, and he appears to have acquired great
skill as a musician. When about twenty-two years
of age he was received into the household of Saul,

35

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

king of Israel, who, we are told, was troubled with
an "evil spirit." David, by playing upon the harp,
soothed and "refreshed" Saul, and the "evil spirit
departed from him." On the breaking out of war
with the Philistines in 1063 B. C. he seems to have
been released from the house of Saul, and returned
home to feed his father's sheep at Bethlehem. His
father soon after sent him to the camp of King Saul
with provisions for his brethren. On his arrival he
found the two armies drawn up in battle array,
ready for attack, and as he talked with his brethren,
Goliath, the Philistine giant, came forward, and, for
the fortieth time in as many days, offered his chal-
lenge for a single combat. David prevailed upon
Saul to let him go and meet him, whereupon he
chose five smooth stones out of the brook, and put
them in a shepherd's bag which he had, and, with
his sling in hand, he drew near to the Philistine.
Goliath came on, and "David put his hand in his
bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote
the Philistine in his forehead; and he fell upon his
face to the earth." For this and other deeds of
valor, according to the promise of the king, he re-
ceived Michal, Saul's youngest daughter, in mar-
riage. He was given a command in the army rind
at quitted himself well on all occasions, and rapidly
gained the confidence and love of the people. But
Saul was offended by the praises which David re-
ceived for his prowess, and not only regarded his
son-in-law with bitter jealousy, but made repeated
attempts upon his life. David at length (1056 B.
C.) was obliged to flee and seek refuge in the wil-
derness of Judea, where he soon gathered a band of
six hundred men, whom he kept in perfect control

36

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

and employed only against the enemies of the land.
He was still pursued by Saul with implacable hostil-
ity; and, as he would notMift his hand against his
king, though he often had him in his power, he at
length judged it best to retire into the land of the
Philistines. Here he was generously received as an
enemy of Saul and of Israel, and given the town of
Ziklag* as a dwelling-place, where he and his men,
with their households, lived while in that country,
and which has been "held by the kings of Judah
unto this day/'

In 1055 B. C, while the armies of the Philistines
were being assembled at Aphek, a city of the tribe
of Issachar, in the valley of Jezreel, preparatory to
the attack upon the Israelites, who were camped
at Jezreel near by in the same valley, the princes
of the Philistines became suspicious of David and
his forces who had accompanied them, and made
complaint to Achish, their king, not to let him go
into battle with them, lest he become their adver-
sary. They said, "Is not this David of whom they
sang one to another in dances, saying, Saul slew
his thousand, and David his ten thousand?" Then
Achish, who had become a great friend of David,
sent for him, and said unto him, "Thou hast been
upright, and thy going out and thy coming
in with me is good in my sight, for I have
not found evil in thee since the day of thy
coming unto me unto this day: nevertheless
the lords favor thee not. Wherefore now re-
turn, and go in peace, that thou displease not
the lords of the Philistines." So David and his
men returned into the land of the Philistines. On
their arrival at Ziklag they found the town burned,

37

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

and their wives and their sons and their daughters
all taken captives and carried away by the Amalek-
ites. David went at once in pursuit and soon over-
took them, where he found them scattered about,
"eating and drinking and dancing, because of all
the spoil that they had taken out of the land of the
Philistines, and out of the land of Judah." David
fought them from twilight even unto the evening of
the next day; and all that escaped were four hun-
dred young men who rode away on camels. David
recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away
—wives, sons, daughters, and all the spoil they had
taken. On his return to Ziklag David sent a part
of the spoil unto the elders of Judah, even to his
friends, at Hebron, and to all the places where he
and his men were wont to haunt, saying, "Behold
a present for you of the spoil of the enemies of the
Lord." (In later days this would have been con-
sidered political shrewdness.)

The engagement between the Philistines and the
Israelites resulted in a complete victory for the Phi-
listines. The Israelites fled to Mt. Gilboa, where all
the sons of King Saul were slain but one, and Saul
himself, being severely wounded, took his own life
by falling upon his sword. The death of Saul
opened the way for David to the promised throne.
I le was at once chosen king over the tribe of Judah,
reigning at Hebron for seven years, while Ishbo-
sheth. Saul's only remaining son, was recognized as
king of Israel, and in power on the east side of the
Jordan, and for two years was obeyed by all the
tribes except Judah. In 1048 B. C, Ishbosheth was
^sinated, and David became king over all Israel
(I. Sam. xvi.; IT. Sam. i.-v.)

38

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

One of the first acts of his reign was the conquest
of Jerusalem, the principal town of the Jebusites,
who were descendants of Canaan and occupied that
part of the land of Canaan (Palestine) situated
south of the center of the country, ahout thirty-
seven miles from the Mediterranean, and about
twenty- four miles from the river Jordan; an ele-
vated ground upon which rests the city of Jerusa-
lem, which they called Jebus. The old traditions
and natural prepossessions both of Jews and Chris-
tians connect it with Salem, of which Melchizedsk
was king (Gen. xlv.). The Jebusites seem to have
been territorially one of the smallest of the Canaan-
itish nations, 'but from their position one of the
strongest.

In the conquest of Canaan, their king, Adoni-
Zedek, was slain by Joshua at Makkedah, after the
battle of Beth-horon (Josh. x.). After Joshua's
death (1443 B. C.) the Israelites obtained posses-
sion of the town, which they afterwards jointly in-
habited with the ' Jebusites for nearly 400 years.
When David became king (1055 B. C.) he expelled
the latter and made it the capital of his kingdom,
under the name of Jebus-salem or Jerusalem, where
he reigned for thirty-three years. In 1045 B. C. the
ark of the covenant, which was at Kirjath-jearim,
was carried, under King David's instructions, to
Jerusalem, where it was placed in a temporary tab-
ernacle erected for its use. Here the priests per-
formed their daily service until Solomon erected the
temple, then the temporary or Davidic tabernacle
was put away as a relic. Both the old, or Sinaitic,
and Davidic tabernacles were in time altogether lost
sight of, and no doubt became victims of careless-

39

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

and the corroding influence of time or were
burned up. David died in 1015 B. C, having reigned
forty years, and was by far the greatest monarch
that ever sat on the throne of Israel. Solomon, who
succeeded to -the throne, was the son of David by
Bathsheba, whose husband, Uriah, he caused to be
basely slain (II. Sam. xi., xii.).

King Solomon's Temple.

It was King David who first proposed to substi-
tute for the nomadic tabernacle a permanent place
of worship for his people. For this purpose he pur-
chased Mount Moriah, one of the eminences of the
ridge which was known as Mount Zion, and was
the property of Oman, the Jebusite, who used it as
a threshing-floor. But, although King David had
designed the temple and acquired all the necessary
means, and even collected many of the materials,
he was not permitted to commence the undertaking,
and the execution of the task \vas left to his son
and successor, Solomon. Accordingly that mon-
arch laid the foundation of the edifice in the
fourth year of his reign, 1012 B. C.; and with
the assistance of his friend and ally, Hiram, king
of Tyre, completed it in about seven years and
a half, dedicating it to the service of the Most
High in the year 1004 B. C. This was the year
of the world 3000, according to the Hebrew chro-
nology; and although there has been much dif-
ference among the chronologists in relation to the
precise date, this is the one that has been generally
accepted, and it is therefore adopted by Masons in
their calculations of different epochs.

40

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

"& When Solomon was about to build the Temple
(II. Chron. i. 10) he called upon Hiram, king

THE TEMPLE OF SOLOMON.

of Tyre, to furnish him
with a supply of timber.
The Tyrian king not only
supplied him with the tim-
ber, which was cut in the
forest of Lebanon by the
Sicleonites and sent on
floats by sea to Joppa,* a
distance of over one hun-
dred miles, and thence car-
ried by land about forty
miles to Jerusalem, but also sent him a man by the
name of Hiram Abiff, the most accomplished de-
signer and operator then known in the country.
Tyre* and Sidon* were the chief cities of the Phce-

41

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

nicians.1 Tyre was distant from Jerusalem about
one hundred and twenty miles by sea, and was thirty
miles nearer by land. Sidon was under the Tyrian
Government, situated twenty miles north of Tyre in
the forests of Lebanon. It was a place of consider-
able importance even in the time of Joshua (1451
B. C), who succeeded Moses, and who spoke of it
"Great Sidon." Hence it is evident that the
PlKenicians were far advanced in the arts of life
when the Israelites reached the promised land. That-
no confusion might arise, owing to the great num-
bers employed, King Solomon selected those of most
enlightened minds, religious and zealous in good
work, as masters to superintend the workmen; and
for overseers of the work he selected men who were
skillful in geometry and proportion, and who had
been initiated and proved in the mystical learning
of the ancient sages. He numbered and classed
all the craftsmen, whether natives or foreigners.
At the completion of the temple, the ark of the cov-
enant was deposited by Solomon in the Sanctum
Sanctorum, or Holy of Holies, of the temple. It
was lost upon the final destruction of the building
by the Chaldeans in 588 B. C. The first temple
of the Jews was called the palace or the house of
Jehovah to indicate its splendor and magnificence,
and was intended to be the perpetual dwelling-place
of the Lord. It was one of the most magnificent
structures of the ancient world. It was surrounded
with spacious courts, and the whole structure occu-
pied at least half a mile in circumference. This was
surrounded by a wall of great height, exceeding in

1 See Phoenicians, in Supplement.
42

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

the lowest part four hundred and fifty feet, con-
structed entirely of white marble. The body of the
temple was in size much les§, than many a modern
parish church, for its length was but ninety feet,1 or,
including the porch, one hundred and five, and its
width but thirty, being just twice the size of the old
or Sinaitic tabernacle. It was its outer courts, its
numerous terraces, and the magnificence of its ex-
ternal and internal decorations, together with its
elevated position above the surrounding dwellings,
which produced that splendor of appearance that
attracted the admiration of all who beheld it and
gave cause for the queen of Sheba,* when it first
broke upon her view, to exclaim in admiration, "A
Most Excellent Master must have done this !"

The twelve tribes of Israel were all engaged in its
construction, and for its erection David had collect-
ed more than four thousand millions of dollars, and
184,600 men were engaged about seven and one-
half years in building it ; after its completion it was
dedicated by Solomon with solemn prayer, and
seven days of fasting, during which a peace-offer-
ing of twenty thousand oxen and six times that
number of sheep was made, to consume which the
holy fire came down from heaven.

The Exploration of Jerusalem.

Recent explorations of Jerusalem by an associa-
tion known as "The Palestine Exploration Fund" of

1 Temple measurements are based upon a cubit of eighteen
inches.

43

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

England, with Captain Charles Warren in charge,
have made many discoveries that go to corroborate
the testimony of Josephus and of Scriptural writers
of the earlier history of the Holy City.

The present city of Jerusalem stands, as it were,
upon a heap of dust and rubbish, under which is the
Jerusalem of the Bible. The fact that ancient Jeru-
salem was seventeen times captured, and more than
once leveled to the ground, its splendid edifices con-
verted into piles of dust and ruins, is not sufficient
altogether to account for this singular situation,
but it is rather to the fact that the stone of which the
houses and walks of Jerusalem are built is very
friable and exfoliates rapidly, so rapidly that a few
centuries are sufficient to reduce a square block to
a shapeless mass. This, of course, produces pulver-
ized earth, the earth which has buried fifty, seventy-
five and even a hundred feet deep, the Jerusalem
of our Saviour's period. The so-called "Jerusalem
marble," taken from the immense quarry which un-
derlies so much of the northeastern quarter of the
city, and which has been excavated during the last
three thousand years expressly for building mate-
rials, is so soft when it first comes from the quarry
that it may almost be crushed between the fingers.
It is but little firmer than a well-crystallized loaf
of sugar. True, it hardens upon exposure, and in
time becomes a fair material for building purposes ;
but if any one is surprised to find the city of Jerusa-
lem standing upon a pile of disintegrated limestone,
fifty feet thick, as it surely does, he has only to
explore that enormous quarry, a quarter of a mile
deep, to discover where the rubbish originally came
from.

44

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

This explanation will enable the reader to under-
stand what is meant by exploring Jerusalem. It is
simply to go to the bottom $f that enormous mound
of dust and ashes, and let in the light upon streets
and foundations upon which it shone two thousand
years ago. In this respect there is a most exact
analogy between the exploration of Jerusalem and
of Pompeii. Over the latter city the superincum-
bent mass is scoriae, lava and volcanic ashes; in
the former the accumulations are of pulverized lime-
stone, added, of course, to the garbage of the city,
shreds of pottery, bones, etc., etc., the accumula-
tions of that extended period. It is no romance to
say that the present Jerusalem overlies many Jeru-
salems that have gone to dust, in the centuries since
the Jebusites established their citadel upon Mount
Zion, before the time of Abraham, and that the ex-
plorer's spade must pass these graves of cities one
by one to find the remnants which he seeks. These
remarks are likewise applicable to the old sites of
Tyre, Sidon, Gebal, etc.

The Foundation of the Temple.

It is difficult for the superficial reader to com-
prehend that although the temple of Solomon is
absolutely gone — effaced from the earth, so that not
a crumb or fragment can be recognized — yet its
foundation remains. By this term is not meant
the walls upon which the temple was built (com-
paring it with an ordinary edifice), but the platform,
the hill, the mound artificially erected to serve as a
basis for the sublime structure.

The hill, styled in the Old Testament Moriah,

45

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

and more recently Mount Moriah, was, by nature,
a narrow, knobby, crooked ridge (of the class famil-
iarly known as "hog back"), deeply channeled by
ravines and gulleys, honeycombed with caves, and
in no proper sense fit to be used as the basis of a
great temple. On all sides it fell off rapidly and
very steeply, except from northwest to southeast,
the direction in which the ridge ran. The area on
the summit was enlarged by walls built along the
declivities, the outside wall deep down the valleys,
from 100 to 150 feet below the area on which
the temple buildings stood. One hundred feet
again below this lay the original bed of the brook
Kedron. The foundations of the temple, therefore,
were 250 feet above the deep defiles around. This
area, originally built by Solomon and enlarged by
Herod, still exists, running on the south along the
valley of Hinnom 1,000 feet and along the Kedron
1,500. To transform this unsightly and circum-
scribed ridge into a solid, broad, high and durable
platform was a problem of stupendous magnitude —
as great a one, perhaps even greater, than would
have been that of making a platform entirely arti-
ficial.

To illustrate and convey a partial idea of the task
that devolved upon Hiram and his builders: Go
out upon a level plain ; measure off an oblong square,
i, 600 feet by 1,000, equal to thirty-six and a half
acres ; build a wall around it of great stones, eight,
ten, twenty, and even forty feet long, and of pro-
portionate breadth and thickness; bind the founda-
tion-stones of this wall firmly together with clamps
of iron and lead, and in the same manner fasten
them into the native rock that lies below ; raise that

46

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

wall to an average height of one hundred and fifty
feet of solid masonwork ; fill up solid the whole area
of thirty-six and a half ateres to that great height
of one hundred and fifty feet! This being done,
you will have such a platform as was erected by
Solomon's craftsmen, upon which to build the
temple.

The figure is not absolutely, correct, for there
was a central core to the platform, viz. : the original
Mount Moriah, and in the masonwork many large
vaults and subterranean chambers were left.

Now, when we describe the foundations of King
Solomon's temple as still remaining, we allude to
this stupendous base, the platform of thirty-six and
a half acres, constructed in so substantial a man-
ner that neither time, nor the devastation of bar-
barian force, nor the mighty bruit of earthquakes,
has had power to break it up. So large are the
stones of which the outer walls are built, so artis-
tically are they laid together in relation to each
other, and so firmly morticed at their interior edges
and at their points of junction with the native rock,
that it is safe to say that no power that human hands
can apply will ever remove them, nor will any vol-
canic force affect them, less than that which would
elevate the bed of the sea and sink the mountains
into the depths.

On top of and along the outer walls of this in-
closure or foundation were built the porticoes or
covered walks, above which were galleries or apart-
ments, supported by pillars of white marble, that
overlooked the brook Kedron and the valley of Hin-
nom. They were magnificent structures, resembling
the nave and aisles of Gothic cathedrals. But these

47

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TKMI'LAR

were only the outer buildings of the temple area.
The porticoes opened inwardly upon a court paved

PLAN OF TEMPLE.

A. The Holy of Holies. F.

B. The Holy Place. J.
The Altar of Burnt Offer- K.

ings. L.

The Brazen Laver. . M.

The Court of the Priests.

The Court of Israel.
The Court of the Gentiles.
The Eastern Gate.
Porches or Colonnades.
Outer Wall.

with marble and open to the sky. This was called
the "Court of the Gentiles," because the Gentiles
were admitted into it, but were prohibited from

48

FREE&ASONRY AM) KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

passing farther. It was the exterior COUlt, and In-
far the largest of all the COUltS belonging to the
temple. It entirely surrounded the other courts and
the temple itself.

Passing through the court of the (ientile-, y< ui
enter the Court of Israel, which was divided bv a
low stone wall into two divisions, the outer one
being occupied by the women, from which an ascent
is made of fifteen steps to the inner one, which wa-
occupied by the men. In this court, and the pia/./a
which surrounded it, the Israelites stood in solemn
and reverent silence while their sacrifices were
burning in the inner court, or "Court of the
Priests," and while the services of the sanctuary
were performed.

The "Court of the Priests" was within the Court
of Israel and surrounded by it. Within this court
stood the brazen altar on which the sacrifices were
consumed, the molten sea in which the pri
washed, and the ten brazen lavers for washing the
sacrifices;. also the various utensils and instruments
used for sacrificing. To this court the people
brought their oblations and sacrifices, but none were
permitted to enter but the priests who prepared and
offered the sacrifice. From the Court of the Priests
twelve steps ascended to the temple, strictly so
called, which was divided into three parts, the porch,
the sanctuary and the Holy of Holies. At the en
trance to the porch of the temple was a gate made
entirely of brass, the most precious metal known to
the ancients. Beside this gate and just under the
porch there were two pillars. Jachin and l>oax.
These pillars were twenty-seven feet high and six
feet through. The thickness of the brass of each

49

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

pillar was three inches. The one that stood on the
right hand (or south) was called Jachin, and the
other at the left hand (or north) was called Boaz.
It has been supposed that Solomon, in erecting these
pillars, had reference to the pillar of cloud and
pillar of fire, which went before the Israelites in
their journey through the wilderness, and that the
right-hand or south pillar represented the pillar of
cloud and the left-hand or north pillar represented
that of fire. Solomon did not simply erect them as
ornaments to the temple, but as memorials of God's
repeated promises of support to his people of Israel.
For the pillar (Jachin), derived from the Hebrew
words (Jah), "Jehovah," and (achin), "to estab-
lish," signifies that "God will establish his house of
Israel"; while the pillar (Boaz), compounded of
(b), "in," and (oaz), "strength," signifies that "in
strength shall it be established." And thus were
the Jews, in passing through the porch to the tem-
ple, daily reminded of the abundant promises of
God, and inspired with confidence in his protection
and gratitude for his many acts of kindness to his
chosen people. If this symbolism be correct, the
pillars of the porch, like those of the wilderness,
would refer to the superintending and protecting
power of Deity. (Calcott, Cand. Disg., 66.)

From the porch you enter the sanctuary by a por-
tal, which, instead of folding-doors, was furnished
with a magnificent veil of many colors, which mys-
tically represented the universe. In the sanctuary
were placed the various utensils necessary for the
daily worship. The Holy of Holies, or innermost
chamber, was separated from the sanctuary by
doors of olive, richly sculptured and inlaid with

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

gold and covered with veils of blue, purple, scarlet,
and the finest linen. Into the most sacred place the
high priest alone could dnter, and that only once a
year, on the day of atonement.

If one looked upon Mount Moriah from the brow
of Mount Olivet opposite, and beheld the city from
the direction of Bethany, it must have been a sight
which, for architectural beauty and grandeur, per-
haps, has never been equaled, certainly not sur-
passed. It was an artificial mountain from the deep
ravines below, wall, column, roof, pinnacle, culmi-
nating in the temple within and above all, and prob-
ably measuring between 500 and 600 feet in height.

James Fergusson, Esq., the distinguished archi-
tect, writes: "The triple temple of Jerusalem, the
lower court standing on its magnificent terraces,
the inner court raised on its platform in the center,
and the temple itself rising out of the group and
crowning the whole, must have formed, when com-
bined with the beauty of the situation, one of the
most splendid architectural combinations of the
ancient world."

Josephus wrote: "If any one looked down from
the top of the battlements he would be giddy, while
his sight could not reach to such an immense depth."
This passed for foolish exaggeration till recent ex-
plorations vindicated the statement.

Croley (in Salathiel), in his magnificent word-
painting, describes the mountain and its glorious
occupant (Temple of Herod1), the year of its de-
struction, A. D. 70, which was similar in struc-
ture to the Temple of Solomon, as follows : "I see

1 See Temple of Solomon, in Supplement.

51

FREEMASONRY A\U KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

the Court of the Gentiles circling the whole, a fort-
ress of the purest marble, with its wall rising six
hundred feet from the valley; its kingly entrance,
worthy of the fame of Solomon: its innumerable
and stately buildings for the priests and officers of
the temple, and above them, glittering like a suc-
cession of diadems, those alabaster porticoes and
colonnades in which the chiefs and sages of Jeru-
salem sat teaching the people, or walked, breathing
the air, and gazing on the grandeur of a landscape
which swept the whole amphitheater of the moun-
tains. I see, rising above this stupendous boundary,
the court of the Jewish women, separated by its por-
phyry pillars and richly sculptured wall; above this
the separated court of the men; still higher, the
court of the priests; and highest, the crowning
splendor of all the central temple, the place of the
sanctuary, and of the Holy of Holies, covered with
plates of gold, its roof planted with lofty spear-
heads of gold, the most precious marbles and metals
everywhere flashing back the day, till Mount Mo-
riah stood forth to the eye of the stranger approach-
ing Jerusalem, what it had been so often described
by its bards and people, a mountain of snow stud-
ded with jewels."

All these buildings, porticoes, columns, pinnacles,
altar and temple, have perished. "Not one stone
remains upon another which has not been thrown
down." The area alone remains, and the massive
substructures for 3,000 years have been sleeping
in their courses. The preservation has been due
to the ruin. Buildings so vast have been toppled
down the slopes of the Moriah, that the original
defiles and valleys have been almost obliterated.

52

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

What has been regarded as the original surface
has been found to be debris from 70 to 90 feet deep.

With pickaxe and shekel British explorers have
been down to the original foundations. Fallen col-
umns have been met with and avoided, or a way
blasted through them. The cinders of burnt Jerusa-
lem have been cut through and turned up to the
light — rich moulds deposited by the treasures of
Jewish pride. The seal of Haggai, in ancient He-
brew characters, was picked up out of the siftings of
this deposit. The first courses of stones deposited by
Phoenician builders have been reached, lying on the
living rock. Quarry-marks, put on in vermilion,
have been copied — known to be quarry-marks by the
trickling drops of paint, still visible — only they are
above the letters, showing that when they were
written the stones lay with the underside upper-
most.

The whole of Mount Moriah has been found to be
fairly honeycombed with cisterns and passages.
One of the cisterns, known as the Great Sea, would
contain two millions of gallons, and all together not
less than ten millions. The wall of Ophel has been
exposed — at the present time 70 feet high — though
buried in debris; and the remains of towers and
houses have been lighted upon belonging to the age
of the kings of Judah.

The seven successive objects that have occupied
this sacred ridge, to which a Mason's attention is
directed, are:

1. The Altar of Abraham.

2. The Threshine-floor of Oman.

3. The Altar of David.

4. The Temple of Solomon.

53

FREEMASONRY AXD KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

5. The Temple of Zerubbabel.

6. The Temple of Herod.

7. The Mosque of Omar. In the fourtenth cen-
tury this building was described as a very fair
house, lofty and circular, covered with lead, well
paved with white marble.

The temple area is now occupied by two Turkish
mosques, into which, until recently, neither Jew nor
Christian was permitted to enter.

Ancient Temples.

The Egyptian form of a temple was borrowed
by the Jews, and with some modifications adopted
by the Greeks and Romans, whence it passed over
into modern Europe.

The direction of an Egyptian temple was usual-
ly from east to west, the entrance being at the east.
It was a quadrangular building, much longer than
its width, and was situated in the western part of a
sacred enclosure. The approach through this en-
closure to the temple proper was frequently by a
double row of Sphinxes. In front of the entrance
were a pair of tall obelisks, which will remind the
reader of the two pillars at the porch of Solomon's
temple. The temple was divided into a spacious hall,
where the great body of the worshipers assem-
bled. Beyond it, in the western extremity, was the
cell or sekos, equivalent to the Jewish Holy of Ho-
lies, into which the priests only entered ; and in the
remotest part, behind a curtain, appeared the image
of the god seated on his shrine or the sacred ani-
mal which represented him.

The Grecian temDlec like the Egyptian and the

54

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

Hebrew, were placed within an inclosure, which
was separated from the profane land around it, in
early times, by ropes, l^ut afterwards by a wall.
The temple was usually quadrangular, although
some were circular in form. It was divided into
parts similar to the Egyptian.

The Roman temples, after they emerged from
their primitive simplicity, were constructed much
upon the mode of the Grecian. The idea of a sepa-
ration into a holy and a most holy place has every-
where been preserved. The same idea is maintained
in the construction of Masonic Lodges, which are
but imitations, in spirit, of the ancient temples. The
Most Holy Place of the Egyptians and Jews was
in the West, whereas now it is in the East.

Division of the Hebrew Nation.

Solomon died in the year 975 B. C. During his
reign he peacefully consolidated and recaptured,
fortified or built cities or stations for commerce
or protection at strategic points. He built, reser-
voirs, aqueducts, many wonderful buildings, and
laid out "paradises" and gardens. Many kings were
his tributaries; untold wealth and the wonders and
curiosities of many countries flowed into or through
the land, so that "silver was nothing accounted of in
his day." Many foreigners were attracted by his
splendor and wisdom, notably Balkis ( ?), the queen
of Sheba, with her marvelous retinue. To meet
with Oriental ideas of his royal magnificence, his
harem grew to number one thousand inmates, and,
contrary to the law of Moses, he not only multiplied
wives, but by his marriages formed alliances with

55

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

many heathen nations. In his old age his "strange"
wives led him to commit or permit gross and vicious
idolatry. He was gifted with transcendent wis-
dom and the most brilliant mental powers, yet
towards the end of his life he presented the sad
spectacle of a common eastern despot, voluptuous,
idolatrous, occasionally even cruel, and his reign can
not but be regarded, both politically and financially,
as a splendid failure. Before his death Edom and
Syria revolted, tribal jealousies arose in Israel, and
Jeroboam, of the tribe of Ephraim, who was super-
intendent of the public works, began to plot the di-
vision of the nation, in which he was aided by the
alienation of the people coming through the intoler-
able oppression and taxation that were necessary
to meet the enormous expenses of the court. For
this conspiracy Jeroboam was forced to flee to save
his life. He went to Egypt and placed himself un-
der the protection of Shishak, the king.

Hardly had Solomon breathed his last when his
people arose in revolt. Rehoboam, his son and suc-
cessor, whose mother was Naamah, an Ammonite,
adopted his father's methods as his own, and with
a haughty air unwisely provoked the resentment
which justice and policy called upon him to allay.
Ten tribes, under the leadership of Jeroboam, wh<>,
after the death of Solomon, had returned to Jeru-
salem, seceded from his dominion and formed the
nation or kingdom of Israel, and took up their res-
idence in Samaria; while the remaining two, the
tribes of Tudah and Benjamin, retained possession
of the Temple and of Jerusalem under the name of
the Kingdom of Judah.* Thus, in 975 B. C, was
effected the division of the Hebrew nation into peo-

56

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

pies who ever afterwards maintained towards each
other an attitude of estrangement and hostility. In
the following year Jeroboam, king of Israel, abol-
ished the worship of Jehovah and established that
of the golden calves at Dan and Bethel. The priests
and Levites and pious Israelites leave their posses-
sions in the kingdom of Israel and are incorporated
in the kingdom of Judah.

The Temple retained its splendor only thirty-
three years, for in the year 971 B. C., Shishak, the
king of Egypt, made war upon the king of Judah,
took Jerusalem and carried away the choicest treas-
ures. From that time to the period of its final de-
struction the history of the Temple is but a history
of alternate spoliations and repairs, of profanations
and idolatry and subsequent restorations to a purity
of worship.

"& After the completion of the Temple, having fin-
ished that great work, and filled all Judea with tem-
ples and palaces and walled cities (II. Chron. xi. ;
I. Kings ix. ) , having enriched and beautified Gezer,
Baalah and Tadmor with the results of their gen-
ius, many of these "cunning workmen," or mem-
bers of the Fraternity of Architects, passed into
Greece, Rome, Spain, and other countries, wher-
ever their services could be employed in the erec-
tion of famous edifices for which the ancient world
is justly celebrated.

# iftr

About the year 721 B. C. the army of Shalman-
eser IV., king of Assyria, invaded Samaria, the
home of the descendants of the ten revolted tribes,
captured the city of Samaria, the capital, and

1'RKKAIASOXRY AND KNIGHTS TK.Ml'LAK

caused the downfall of the kingdom of Israel.
Hoshea, its sovereign, was thrown into prison, the
greater part of the inhabitants carried away cap-
tive into the far East, the mountainous regions of
Media, and their place supplied by Assyrian colo-
nists brought from Babylon, Persia, Shushan, Elam,
and other places. These colonists brought with
them the idolatrous creed and practices of the re-
gion from which they emigrated. They mingled
with the remnant of the Israelites, intermarried and
formed the mixed people called Samaritans.* The
Israelites who had been exiled never returned, and
what became of them has always been, and we pre-
sume will always remain, matter of vaguest specu-
lation.

FREEMASONRY AND KXKillTS TEML'LAK

Ancient to Modern.

In passing from this brief outline of the condi-
tion of the fraternity in what we may properly de-
nominate the ancient history, we will now endeavor
to trace its progress from that period to the more
enlightened days of modern architecture, and the
cultivation of the arts and sciences, in such chrono-
logical order as will give the most concise historical
facts, based upon substantial documents, and the
principal monuments erected by the traveling op-
erative fraternities or Freemasons.

Roman Colleges of Artificers.

"fr In 716 before the Christian era, the Roman col-
leges of Artificers were established. They were
composed of men learned in all the arts and trades
necessary for the execution of civil, religious, naval
and hydraulic architecture, with their own laws and
judges, laws based on those of the Dionysian Ar-
tificers,1 whose mysteries had spread among the
principal peoples of the East. (See Dionysian Mys-
teries, p. 12). Numa, the great lawgiver, the sec-
ond king of Rome, in founding these colleges, made
them at the same time civil and religious societies,
with the exclusive privilege of building temples and
edifices, their relations to the state and priesthood
being determined by the general laws. At their
head were presidents called Masters, Overseers or

1 "The papal briefs which protected them alleged that im-
munities were given them, after the example of Hiram, king
of Tyre, when he sent artisans to King Solomon, for the pur-
pose of building the temple at Jerusalem" (Royal Masonic
Cyclopedia, p. 741).

59

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

Wardens, Censors, Treasurers, Keepers of the
Seals, Architects and Secretaries ; there was in each
of them a priest. The Workmen were divided into
three classes : Elders, or chief men of the trade, and
their journeymen and apprentices; they had secret
meetings ; paid monthly dues, by which means a
common fund was accumulated for the maintenance
or relief of indigent or destitute members; they
elected the candidates for admission by voice of the
members, and performed a secret ceremony of in-
itiation and made a symbolic use of the implements
of their art or profession. No college could consist
•of less than three members. In all these respects
they were like modern Lodges of Freemasonry.
With the advance of the empire, their numbers in-
creased and their privileges greatly extended, so
that they became an important element in the body
politic.

The Romans were early distinguished for a spirit
of colonization, which was conducted through the
legionary soldiers of the army. To each legion
there was attached a College or Corporation of Ar-
tificers, which was organized with the legion at
Rome, and passed with it through all its cam-
paigns, and when it colonized remained in the col-
ony to plant the seeds of Roman civilization, and to
teach the principles of Roman arts. The members
of the college erected fortifications for the legions
in times of war, and in times of peace, or when the
legion became stationary, constructed temples and
dwelling-houses. When England was invaded by
the Roman armies in the year 55 R. C, the legions
which went there carried with them their Colleges
of Artificers. One of these legions, under Tulius

60

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

Caesar, advancing into the northern limits of the
country, established a colony, and, to defend
themselves, formed an entrenched camp with walls,
inside of which, as elsewhere, habitations, temples
and aqueducts appeared, which, under the name of
Eboricum, gave birth to the city of York, after-
wards so celebrated in the history of Masonry. In
the beginning of the second century, after the fall
of the Roman Republic, all the Colleges of Artifi-
cers lost their ancient privileges. But in the year
286, Carausius, known as the "Count of the
Saxon Shore," and "Admiral of the Northern
Seas," was besought by the Britons,* suffering from
the depredations of the Saxon and Frank pirates,
to assume the sovereignty of their island. Having
organized a marine victorious against the pirates,
which before his advent had filled the "narrow
seas," he took possession of Britain and declared
himself emperor. In order to conciliate the Roman
Colleges of Artificers, then wielding an immense
influence in that country, he restored their ancient
privileges, since which time they have been called
privileged or Freemasons, to distinguish them from
those not thus entitled. In 294 Carausius was as-
sassinated by his prime minister and confidential
friend, Allectus, who .maintained his usurped do-
minions for three years, when Roman power put
an end to the independent sovereignty of Britain,
and reunited it with the empire.

The invasion of the northern barbarians into
Italy demanded the entire force of the Roman
armies to defend the integrity of the empire at
home. Britain in the .year 420 was abandoned,
and the natives, principally Celts, with the

61

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

Roman colonists, and the Colleges of Artificers,
who had settled among them, were left to defend
themselves. Long previous to this, however, Chris-
tianity had dawned, not only upon the British
Islands, but upon the whole of Europe, and the
influences of the new faith were not long in being
felt by the colleges, and the next phase in their
history is the record of their assumption of the
Christian life and doctrines.

Building Corporations.

# As soon as the colonists and the natives of Brit-
ain had been abandoned, they were driven, first by
the Picts, their savage neighbors, and then by the
Saxon sea robbers, into the mountains of Wales
and the islands of the Irish Sea. The Artificers,
who were converted to Christianity, and who had
remained when the legions left the country, went
with them, and having lost their connection with
the mother institution at Rome, became thenceforth
simply Building Corporations or Societies of
J Guilders. They retained the organization which
had always worked so well and the name of Free-
masons. Subsequently, in the sixth century, about
the year 550, when the whole of England was taken
possession of by the Saxon invaders, the Britons,
headed by the monks and priests, and accompanied
by the Artificers, fled into Ireland and Scotland
which countries they civilized and converted, and
whose inhabitants were instructed in the art of
building.

Whenever we read of the extension in barbarous

62

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

or pagan countries of Christianity, and the conver-
sion of their inhabitants to the true faith, we also
hear of the propagation^ of the art of building in
the same places by the corporations of architects,
the immediate successors of the Roman legionary
colleges, for the new religion required churches,
and, in time, cathedrals and monasteries, and the
ecclesiastical architecture speedily suggested im-
provements in the civil. In time, all the religious
knowledge and all the architectural skill of the
northern part of Europe were concentrated in the
remote regions of Ireland and Scotland, whence
missionaries were sent back to England to convert
the pagan Saxon. From England these energetic
missionaries, accompanied by the pious Architects,
passed into Europe, and effectually labored for the
conversion of the Scandinavian nations, introduc-
ing into Germany, Sweden, Norway, and even Ire-
land, the blessings of Christianity, and the refine-
ments of civilized life.

The religious contest between the original Chris-
tians of Britain and the Papal power, after years
of controversy, finally terminated in the submission
of the British bishops to the Pope. As soon as
the Papal authority was firmly established over
Europe, the Roman Catholic hierarchy secured the
services of the builders' corporations, and these, un-
der the patronage of the Pope and the bishops, were
everywhere engaged as 'Traveling Freemasons,"
in the construction of ecclesiastical and regal edi-
fices. Henceforth we find these corporations of
builders exercising their art in all countries, every-
where proving by the identity of their designs that
they were controlled by universally accepted princi-

63

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

pies, and showing in every other way the character-
istics of a corporation or guild.

In England the Fraternities of Builders or Free-
masons were subject to many adverse difficulties,
from the repeated invasions of Scots, Picts, Danes
and Saxons, which impeded their active labors,
yet were they enabled to maintain their existence
according to the oldest manuscript extant, until in
the year 926, they held that General Assembly at
the city of York which framed the constitutions
that governed the English Cjaft for eight hun-
dred years. In that manuscript was found the
following legend, which Freemasonry of the pres-
ent day accepts as genuine portions of authen-
tic history. The legend was given by Dr. Ander-
son in the first Book of Constitutions in 1723,
and afterwards accepted and published by William
Preston in the following words: "Edward (the
Elder) died in 924 and was succeeded by Athel-
stane,* his son, who appointed his brother, Edwin,
patron of the Masons. This prince procured a
charter from Athelstane, empowering them to meet
annually in communication at York. In this city
the first Grand Lodge of England was formed in
926, at which Edwin presided as Grand Master.
Here many old writings were produced in Greek,
Latin and other languages, from which it is said
the Constitutions of the English Lodge have been
extracted/' It is that code of laws adopted at that
General Assembly in 926, which became the basis
on which all subsequent Masonic Constitutions
were framed. (See York, in Supplement.)

The calling of this Assembly proves that the
Freemasons were previously in activity in the

64

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

kingdom, which is, in fact, otherwise proved by
records of the building by them, at an earlier period,
of cathedrals, abbeys an*l castles. But we date the
York Assembly as the first known and acknowl-
edged organization of the Craft in England into a
national body or Grand Lodge.

After that General Assembly, the fraternity ex-
perienced, as in other countries, its alternate periods
of prosperity and decay. For a long time the York
Assembly exercised the Masonic jurisdiction over
all England; but in 1567 the Masons of the south-
ern part of the island elected Sir Thomas Gresham,
the celebrated merchant, their Grand Master. He
was succeeded in turn by Chas. Howard, Earl of
Effingham, and George Hastings, Earl of Hunting-
don, and they in 1607 by the illustrious architect,
Inigo Jones,* who inspired great spirit into the
Lodges. Men, not architects nor masons, but emi-
nent for learning, knowledge or position, were ad-
mitted as members of the body under the designa-
tion of Accepted brethren; hence the origin of the
present style of the society, FREE AND ACCEPTED
MASONS.

Speculative Masonry.

"& There were now two Grand Masters in England
who assumed distinctive titles; the Grand Master
of the North being called "Grand Master of All
England," while he who presided in the South was
called "Grand Master of England." In the begin-
ning of the eighteenth century Masonry in the south
of England had fallen into decay. The disturb-

65

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

ances of the revolution, which placed William III.
on the throne (1689), and the subsequent warmth
of political feelings, gave the Order a wound fatal
to its success. Sir Christopher Wren,* long active
as a Master-builder and Grand Master in the reign
of Queen Anne (1702-1714), the last of his royal
patrons, had become aged, infirm and inactive,
and hence the general assemblies of the Grand
Lodge had ceased to take place. In 1715 there were
but four Lodges in the south of England and all
working in the city of London. These Lodges,
being desirous of reviving the prosperity of the
Order, determined to unite themselves under a new
Grand Master, and revive the communications and
annual festivals of the society. They therefore
"met at the Apple-tree Tavern" and constituted
themselves a Grand Lodge, pro tern pore, in due
form. They resolved to hold the annual assembly
and feast, and then to choose a Grand Master from
among themselves. Accordingly on St. John the
Baptist's day (June 24) in 1717, the annual assem-
bly and feast were held and Mr. Anthony Sayer-
was duly proposed and elected Grand Master. A
statute was enacted which entirely changed the
objects of the institution. From an operative soci-
ety it became wholly speculative in its character.
It ceased to build material temples, and devoted
itself to the erection of a spiritual one. It retained
the working tools and technical terms of art of
the original operative institution, simply because
of the religious symbolism which these conveyed.
They became the Freemasons of the present day,
and established on an imperishable foundation that
sublime institution which presents all over the hab

66

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

itable earth the most wonderful system of religious
and moral symbolism that the world ever saw. The
Grand Lodges of York and of London kept up a
friendly intercourse and mutual interchange of
recognition, until 1725, when dissensions arose
from encroachment upon territory, causing opposi-
tion to each other, and in 1735 all friendly inter-
course ceased. From that time the York Masons
considered their interests distinct from the Masons
under the Grand Lodge in London. Three years
after, in 1738, several brethren, dissatisfied with
the conduct of the Gr"and Lodge of England, sece-
ded from it, and held unauthorized meetings for the
purpose of initiation. Taking advantage of the
breach between the Grand Lodges of York and
London, they assumed the character of the York
Masons. On the Grand Lodge's determination to
put strictly in execution the laws against such sece-
ders, they still further separated from its jurisdic-
tion and assumed the appellation of "Ancient York
Masons." They announced that the ancient land-
marks were alone preserved by them ; and declaring
that the regular Lodges had adopted new plans,
and sanctioned innovations, they branded them with
the name of "Modern Masons." In 1739 they es-
tablished a new Grand Lodge in London, under the
name of "Grand Lodge of Ancient York Masons,"
and persevering in the measures they had adopted,
held communications and appointed annual feasts.
They were soon after recognized by the Masons
of Scotland and Ireland, and were encouraged and
fostered by many of the nobility. The two Grand
Lodges continued to exist, and to act in opposition
to each other, extending their schisms into other

67

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

countries, especially into America, until the year
1813, when, under the Grand Mastership of the
Duke of Sussex for the "Moderns" and his brother,
the Duke of Kent, for the "Ancients," they were
united under the title of the "United Grand Lodge
of England." The "Grand Lodge of All England"
at York continued to work until 1792, when it finally
collapsed.

Such is the history of Freemasonry in England
as conceded by all Masons and Masonic writers for
the past two centuries. It spread in other countries
with more or less activity, for through the instru-
mentality of the Grand Lodge of England, which
became, indeed, the Mother Lodge of the World,
Freemasonry was everywhere revived. Lodges on
the English model, which afterwards gave rise to
the establishment of Grand Lodges in their respec-
tive countries, were organized in France in 1727,
in Holland in 1731, in Germany in 1733 and in Italy
in 1735. Freemasonry was established in America
at Boston, Mass., in the year 1733.

Fraternity of Builders or Freemasons
of Continental Europe.

GERMANY.

It is universally admitted that in the early ages
of Christianity the clergy alone were the patrons
of arts and sciences. This was because all learning
was then almost exclusively confined to ecclesiastics.
Very few of the laity could read or write; even
kings affixed the sign of the cross, in place of their

68

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

signatures, to the charters and other documents
which they issued, and from the time of Charle-
magne, in the eighth century, to the middle of the
twelfth all knowledge and practice of architecture,
painting and sculpture were exclusively confined to
the monks; and bishops personally superintended
the erection of the churches and cathedrals in their
dioceses, because not only the principles, but the
practice of the art of building, were secrets kept
within the walls of cloisters, and were unknown to
laymen. Many of the founders of the monastic
orders made it a peculiar duty for the monks* to
devote themselves to architecture and church build-
ing. In the year 716 A. D. the English monk, St.
Boniface, went into Germany 1 and organized a
special class of monks for the practice of building,
under the name of Operarii, or Craftsmen, and
Magestri Operum, or Masters of the Works. The
labors and duties of these monks were divided and
under the same system or organization as the
Roman Colleges of Artificers.2 Some of them de-
signed the plan of the building, others were painters
and sculptors, and then there were those who were
called ccementarii, or stonemasons, who performed
the practical labors of construction. In large build-
ings, where many workmen were required, laymen
were also employed under the direction of the
monks. Among the laymen who were employed in
the monasteries as assistants and laborers, many
were possessed of superior intelligence. The con-
stant and intimate association of these with the

1 See page 63, first paragraph.

2 See page 59.

69

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

monks in the prosecution of the same design led to
this result: that in the process of time, gradually
and almost unconsciously, the monks imparted to
them the art, secrets and principles of architecture.
Then, by degrees, the knowledge of the arts and
sciences went from these monkish builders out into
the world, and the laymen architects, withdrawing
from the ecclesiastical fraternities, organized
brotherhoods of their own. These independent
brotherhoods now began to be called upon wherever
an important building was to be erected, and event-
ually they entirely superseded the monkish teachers
in the prosecution of the art of building. But now
a new classification took place. The more intelli-
gent of the laymen, who had received these secrets
from the monks, were distinguished as architects
from the ordinary laborers, or common masons.
The latter knew only the use of the trowel and mor-
tar, while the former were occupied in devising
plans for building. These brotherhoods of high
artists soon won great esteem, and many privileges
and franchises were conceded to them by the munic-
ipal authorities among whom they practiced their
profession. Their places of assembly were called
Lodges, and the members took the name of Free-
masons. Their patron* saint was St. John the Bap-
tist, who was honored by them as the mediator
between the old and the new covenants, and the
first martyr of the Christian religion. Such was
the beginning of the brotherhoods of Masons in
Germany.

The most important event in the cultivation and
spread of Masonic art on the continent of Europe
was that which occurred at the citv of Strasburg in

70

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

Germany, when Erwin of Steinbach, the archi-
tect of the cathedral, summoned a great number of
Master-builders out o^ Germany, England and
Italy, and in the year 1275 established a code of
regulations and organized the fraternity of Free-
masons after the mode which had been adopted
three hundred and fifty years before by the English
Masons at the city of York.1 Three grades of
Workmen were recognized — Masters, Fellow
Crafts and Apprentices ; and words, signs and grips
were created as modes of recognition to be used
by the members of the fraternity, a part of which
was borrowed from the English Masons. Finally,
ceremonies of initiation were invented, which were
of a symbolic character, and concealed under their
symbolism profound doctrines of philosophy, re-
ligion and architecture. Lodges were then estab-
lished in many of the cities of Germany, all of which
fraternized writh each other. They admitted many
eminent persons, and especially ecclesiastics, who
were not Operative Masons, but who gave to them
their patronage and protection.2 A Grand Lodge
was established at the city of Strasburg, and Erwin
of Steinbach was elected their presiding officer, or
Grand Master. These fraternities or associations
became at once very popular. Many of the poten-
tates of Europe conceded to them considerable pow-
ers of jurisdiction, such as would enable them to
preserve the most rigid system in matters pertaining
to building, and would facilitate them in bringing
workmen together at any required point. They

1 See page 64, first paragraph.

2 Adopted later by the English Fraternities. See page 65.

71

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

continued to exist without interruption until 1707,
when a decree of the Imperial Diet at Ratisbon dis-
solved the connection of the Lodges of Germany
with the Grand Lodge of Strasburg, because that
city had in 1687 passed into the power of the French.
The head being now lost, the subordinate bodies
began rapidly to decline, and in 1731, by an imperial
edict of Charles I., nearly all the Lodges in Germany
were dissolved, and lost sight of until the restora-
tion of the Order in the eighteenth century, through
the English Fraternity.

FRANCE.

In the beginning of the tenth century a Fraternity
of Architects was founded in France, and was sim-
ilar to that of their German brethren. Originating
like them, from the cloisters, and from the employ-
ment of laymen by the monkish architects, the con-
nection between the Masons of France and the
Roman Colleges of Artificers was more intimate
and direct than that of the Germans, because of the
early and very general occupation of Gaul by the
Roman legions; but the French organizations did
not materially differ from the Germans. Protected
by popes and princes, the Masons were engaged
under ecclesiastical patronage in the construction of
religious edifices. The principal seat of the French
Fraternity was at Como, a city of Lombardy, from
where the Lodges were disseminated over the king-
dom, and who passed from country to country and
from city to city under the name of 'Traveling
Freemasons." In the beginning of the sixteenth
century the necessity for their employment in fur-

72

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

ther construction of religious edifices having ceased,
the fraternity began to decline, and finally in the
year 1539 they were dissolved by an edict of Fran-
cis I., king of France, and ceased to exist as a rec-
ognized system until its revival in the eighteenth
century, through the English Fraternity.

ITALY.

In Italy the Association of Architects never en-
tirely ceased to exist, but the greater number of
them became connected with the fraternities of
France at Como, and were lost sight of.

73

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

Conclusion

Freemasonry presents itself under two different
aspects: First, as a secret society distinguished
by a peculiar ritual ; and secondly, as a society hav-
ing a philosophy on which it is founded, and which
it proposes to teach to its disciples. These by way
of distinction may be called the ritualistic and philo-
sophical elements of Freemasonry.

The ritualistic clement of Freemasonry is that
which relates to the due performance of the rites
and ceremonies of the Order. It belongs entirely
to the inner organization of the Institution, or to
the manner in which its services shall be conducted,
and is interesting or important only to its own
members.

The philosophical element of Freemasonry is one
of much importance. For it, and through it, the
Institution is entitled to the respect, and even ven-
eration, of all good men, and is well worth the care-
ful consideration of scholars.

This Society, or Confraternity as it might more
appropriately be called, is distinguished from all
other associations by the possession of certain sym-
bols, myths, and above all else, a Golden Legend-
all of which are directed to the purification of the
heart, to the elevation of the mind, to the develop-
ment of the great doctrine of immortality.

Hut whence came these symbols, myths and leg-
ends? Who invented them? How and why have
they been preserved? Looking back into the re-
motest days of recorded history, we find a priest-
hood on the banks of the Nile, thousands of years
before the light of Christianity dawned upon the
world, teaching the existence in a future life by

74

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

symbols and legends, which convey the lesson in a
peculiar mode. And now, after thousands of years
have elapsed, we find tfye same symbolic and legend-
ary method of instruction for the same purpose
preserved in the depository of what is compara-
tively a modern institution. And between these
two extremes of the long past and the present now,
we find the intervening period occupied by similar
associations, succeeding each other from time to
time, and spreading over different countries; but.
all engaged in the same symbolic instruction, with
substantially the same symbols and the same myth-
ical history. During this intervening period, we
find that the building corporations of the Middle
Ages — coming from the Roman Colleges of Archi-
tects, as in England,1 in France,2 in Italy,3 and in
Germany,4 from the cloistered brotherhood of
monks — devoted themselves principally to the con-
struction of religious edifices. They consisted
mainly of architects and skillful operatives, con-
trolled by the highest principles of their art. They
were in possession of important professional se-
crets, were actuated by deep sentiments of religious
devotion, and united with themselves in their la-
bors men of learning, wealth and influence.5 They
assumed from the very first the name of Free-Ma-
sons.6 Subsequently, in the beginning of the eight-
eenth century, they threw off the operative element
of their institution, and adopting an entirely specu-
lative character, they became the Freemasons of
the present day. The best authorities of to-day ad-
vance the theory that "Freemasonry is the succes-

1 See page 62. 4 See page 68.

2 See page 72. 5 See pages 65 and 71.

3 See page 73. 6 See pages 61 and 70.

75

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

sor, with certainty, of the Building Corporations
of the Middle Ages, and through them, with less
certainty, but with great probability, of the Roman
Colleges of Artificers. Its connection with the
Temple of Solomon as its birthplace may have been
accidental — a mere arbitrary selection by its invent-
ors, and bears, therefore, only an allegorical mean-
ing; or it may be historical/' As a brotherhood,
composed of Symbolic Masters and Fellows and
Apprentices, derived from an association of Opera-
tive Masters, Fellows and Apprentices — those build-
ing spiritual temples as those built material ones —
its age -may not far exceed si.v hundred1 years: but
as a secret association, containing within itself the
symbolic expression of a religious idea, it connects
itself with all the ancient Mysteries, which with
similar secrecy gave the same symbolic expression
to the same religious idea. These Mysteries were
not the cradle of Freemasonry; they were only its
analogues. In all places where these ancient re-
ligions and mystical rites were celebrated, we find
the same lesson of eternal life, taught by a legend
and inculcated by the representation of an imagi-
nary death and the resurrection of some cherished
being, either the object of esteem as a hero, or of
devotion as a god. And it is this legend alone, that
connects speculative Freemasonry with the ancient
Mysteries of Greece, of Syria and of Egypt.

There is no doubt that all Mysteries had one com-
mon source; and no doubt Freemasonry has de-
rived its legend, its symbolic mode of instruction,
and the lesson for which that instruction was in-
tended, either directly or indirectly, from the same

1 See page 70, last paragraph.
76

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

source. And, if we would respect the axioms of his-
torical science, we must say that the body came out
of the Middle Ages, but that its spirit is to be traced
to a far remoter period

The analogy of the legends of the ancient Mys-
teries and that of the present form of Freemasonry
must at once be apparent, and the best historians of
the day, even without documentary evidence, view
the Temple of Jerusalem and the Masonic Traditions
connected with it as a part of the great allegory of
Masonry.

The Masonic organization has been moulded
into for,m closely connected with all the events and
characteristics of the Solomonic temple, so that
now almost all the symbolism of Freemasonry rests
upon or is derived from the "House of the Lord"
at Jerusalem. So closely are the two connected
that to attempt to separate the one from the other
would be fatal to the further existence of Freema-
sonry. Each lodge is and must be a symbol of the
Jewish temple, each Master in the chair a repre-
sentative of the Jewish king, and every -Mason a
personation of the Jewish workman.

NOTE. — If the reader will review these subjects in the order
named and pages given below, he will find that there are suffi-
cient grounds for the above conclusion of the origin, growth
and present form of Freemasonry as traced through the Ancient
Mysteries, Building of King Solomon's Temple, Roman Colleges
of Artificers, Building Corporations of the Middle Ages, and
the adoption of Speculative Masonry or present form of Free-
masonry.

The commencement of each subject will be designated by a
star •&, ending with •&$•

Ancient Mysteries, pages 4 and 12.

Building of King Solomon's Temple, pages 41 and 57.

Roman Colleges of Artificers, page 59.

Building Corporations of the Middle Ages, page 62.

Speculative Masonry, page 65.

77

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

Revival

The organization of that important body, the
Grand Lodge of England, which took place in the
city of London in the year 1717, has been always
known in Masonic history as the "Revival of Ma-
sonry/' Anderson, in his first edition of the "Book
of Constitutions," containing the History, Ancient
Charges and Regulations for the use of Lodges,
which was adopted by the Grand Lodge and pub-
lished in 1723, speaks of the brethren having re-
vived the drooping Lodges of London ; but he makes
no other reference to the transaction. In his sec-
ond edition, published in 1738, he is more diffuse,
and the account there given is the only authority
we possess of the organization made in 1717. Pres-
ton and all subsequent writers have of course de-
rived their authority from Anderson.

Degrees

The word degree, in its primitive meaning, sig-
nifies a step. The degrees of Freemasonry are then
the steps by which the candidate ascends from a
lower to a higher condition of knowledge. It is now
the opinion of the best scholars, that the division of
the Masonic system into degrees was the work of
the revivalists of the beginning of the eighteenth
century; that before that period there was but one
degree, or rather one common platform of ritual-
ism; and that the division into Masters, Kcllows,.
and Apprentices was simply a division or gradation

78

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

of ranks, there being but one form of initiation and
one catechism for all. The earliest ritual extant,
which is contained in tlte Grand Mystery, published
in 1725, makes no reference to any degrees, but
gives only what was the common initiation in use
about that time. The division of the Masonic sys-
tem into three degrees, Dr. Mackey says, "must have
grown up after the revival in 1717, but in so grad-
ual and imperceptible a manner that it was impossi-
ble to fix the precise date of the introduction of
each degree. From the old records, it appears to
have been about 1721 that the three degrees were
introduced, but the second and third were not per-
fected until 1738. Even as late as 1735 the Entered
Apprentice degree contained the most prominent
form of initiation, and he who was an apprentice
was, for all practical purposes, a Freemason. It
was not until repeated improvements, by the adop-
tion of new ceremonies and new regulations, that
the degree of Master Mason took the place which
it now occupies; having been confined at first to
those who had passed the chair." But there is un-
questionable evidence that the modes of recognition,
the method of government, the legends, and much
of the ceremonial of initiation, were in existence
among the Operative Masons of the Middle Ages,
and were transmitted to the Speculative Masons
of the eighteenth century. The work of Anderson,
of Desaguliers, and their contemporaries, was to
improve and to enlarge, but not to invent. The
Masonic system of the present day has been the
result of a slow but steady growth, just as the ear-
liest authorized lectures, arranged by Anderson and
Desaguliers in 1720, were subsequently modified

79

FRKKMASOXRY AND KXIGHTS TliMl'LAK

and enlarged by tbe successive labors of Clare, of
1 Hmckerlev, of Preston and of Hemming. Did An-
derson and Desaguliers submit the simple ceremo-
nial which they found at the reorganization of the
( irand Lodge in 1/17, to a similar modification and
enlargement ?

Ritual

The mode of opening and closing a Lodge, of
conferring the degrees, of installation and other
duties, constitutes a system of ceremonies which
are called the Ritual. Much of this Ritual is eso-
teric, and, not being permitted to be committed to
writing, is communicated only by oral instruction.
In each Masonic jurisdiction it is required by the
superintending authority, that the ritual shall be
the same ; but it differs more or less in the different
Rites and jurisdictions. This, however, does not
affect the universality of Masonry. The ritual is
only the external and extrinsic form. The doctrine
of Freemasonry is everywhere the same. But while
the ceremonies, or ritual, have varied at different
periods, and still vary in different countries,
the science and philosophy, the symbolism and
the religion of Freemasonry continue, and will con-
tinue to be the same wherever true Masonry is prac-
ticed.

80

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

Rite

The Latin word ritns, whence we get the English
rite, signifies an approved usage or custom, or an
external observance. As a Masonic term, it signi-
fies a method of conferring Masonic light by a col-
lection and distribution of degrees. It is, in other
words, the method and order observed in the gov-
ernment of a Masonic system.

The original system of Speculative Masonry con-
sisted of the three symbolic degrees. They were at
one time the only degrees known to or practiced by
the Craft, called therefore, Ancient Craft Masonry.
Hence this was the original Rite or approved usage,
and so it continued in England until the year 1813,
when at the union of the two Grand Lodges the
"Holy Royal Arch" (at one time a part of the Mas-
ter's degree) was declared to be a part of the sys-
tem; and thus the English, or as it is more com-
monly called, the York Rite was made legitimately
to consist of four degrees. The abstraction of the
Royal Arch from the Master's degree and its lo-
cation as a separate degree, produced that modifica-
tion of the York Rite which now exists in England,
and should properly be called the Modern York
Rite, to distinguish it from the Ancient York Rite,
which consisted of only three degrees. But in the
United States still greater additions have been made
to the Rite through the labors of Webb and other
lecturers, and the influence insensibly exerted on
the Order by the introduction of the Scottish Rite
into this country.

On the continent of Europe the organization of
new systems began at an early period, and by the

81

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

invention of what are known as the high degrees,
many Rites were established. All of these agreed
in one important essential. They were built upon
the three symbolic degrees, which, in every in-
stance, constituted the fundamental basis upon
which they were erected. They were intended as
an expansion and development of the Masonic
ideas contained in these degrees. The Apprentice,
Fellow Craft, and Master's degrees were the
porch through which every initiate was required
to pass before he could gain entrance into the
inner temple which had been erected by the
founders of the rite. They were the text, and the
high degrees the commentary. Some of these
Rites have lived only with their authors, and died
when their parental energy in fostering them
ceased to exert itself. The most important of
those which have hitherto or still continue to ar-
rest the attention of the Masonic student is the
Scottish Rite. This Rite consists of thirty-three
degrees, and sprung from the Rite of Perfection,
which consisted of twenty-five degrees, the high-
est of which was "Sublime Prince of the Royal
Secret." The Rite of Perfection was created by
the "Council of Emperors of the East and West,"
a body organized at Paris, in 1758. The Scottish
Rite, although one of the youngest of the Masonic
Rites, is at this day the most popular and the most
extensively diffused. Supreme Councils of gov-
erning bodies of the Rite are to be found in almost
every civilized country of the world, and in many
of them it is the only Masonic obedience.1 It would
be impossible to name all the rites of Masonic
origin; suffice it to say, that all were founded
subsequent to the revival of Masonry in 1717.

1 Mackey's Encyclopaedia.

82

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

The American Modification of the Masonic sys-
tem or York Rite, which may with propriety be
called the American £ite, is divided into three sec-
tions, each section being under an appropriate ju-
risdiction, and are as follows:

I. Symbolic Degrees. — The first three degrees
of Freemasonry, namely, those of Entered Appren-
tice, Fellow Craft, and Master Mason, are known,
by way of distinction, as the "symbolic degrees."
The term "symbolic" is exclusively confined to
the degrees conferred in a Lodge of the three
primitive degrees, which Lodge, therefore, whether
opened on the first, the second, or the third degree,
is always referred to as a "symbolic Lodge." In this
country the degrees are conferred under the charter
of State Grand Lodges. Symbolism is the prevail-
ing characteristic of these primitive degrees ; and it
is because all the science and philosophy and relig-
ion of Ancient Craft Masonry is thus concealed
from the profane but unfolded to the initiates in
symbols, that the first three degrees which comprise
it are said to be symbolic. Nothing of this kind is
to be found in the degrees above and beyond the
third, if we except the Royal Arch, which was un-
naturally torn from the Master's degree, of which
it, as every Masonic student knows, constituted the
complement and consummation.

II. Capitular Degrees. — The degrees conferred
under the charter of an American Royal Arch
Chapter, which are Mark Master, Past Master,
Most Excellent Master, and Royal Arch Mason.
The capitular degrees are almost altogether founded
on and composed of a series of events in Masonic
history, and as the information intended to be com-

83

FREEMASONRY AXD KXIGHTS TEMPLAR

municated in these degrees is of an historical char-
acter, there can of course be but little room for sym-
bols or for symbolic instruction. These remarks
refer exclusively to the Mark and Most Excellent
Master's degree, but are not so applicable to the
Royal Arch, which is eminently symbolic. The le-
gends of the second Temple, and the lost word, the
peculiar legends of that degree, are among the most
prominent symbols of the Masonic system.

III. Cryptic Degrees. — The degrees conferred
under the charter of an American Council of
Royal and Select Masters, which are the Royal
Master and Select Master. Some modern ritualists
have added to the list the degree of Super-Excellent
Master; but this, although often conferred in a
Cryptic Council, is not really a Cryptic degree, since
its legend has no connection with the Crypt or secret
vault.

84

FREEMASONRY AXI) KXKIHTS TEMPLAR

Degrees of Freemasonry.

Symbol!* Degrees.
ENTERED APPRENTICE.

The first degree of Freemasonry in all the rites
is that of Entered Apprentice. Like the lesser mys-
teries of the ancient initiations, it is a primary de-
gree intended to prepare the candidate for the
higher and fuller instructions of the succeeding
degrees. It is therefore, although supplying no
valuable historical inf 01 mation, replete in its lecture
with instructions on the internal structure of the
Order, and is typical of youth.

FELLOW CRAFT.

The second degree of Freemasonry in all the
rites is that of the Fellow Craft. Like the degree
of Apprentice, it is only preparatory to the higher
initiation of the Master; and yet it differs essen-
tially from it in its symbolism. For as the first de-
gree was typical of youth, the second is supposed to
represent the stage of manhood, and hence the
acquisition of science is made its prominent charac-
teristic. While the former is directed in all its sym-
bols and allegorical ceremonies to the purification
of the heart, the latter is intended by its lessons to
cultivate the reasoning faculties and improve the
intellectual powers.

MASTER MASON.

In all the rites of Masonry, no matter how vari-
ant may be their organization in the high degrees,
the Master Mason constitutes the third degree.

85

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

Masonic historians have found much difficulty in
settling the question as to the time of the invention
and composition of the degree. The theory that
at the building of the temple of Jerusalem the
Craft were divided into three or even more
degrees, being only a symbolic myth, must be
discarded in any historical discussion of the
subject. The real question at issue is, whether the
Master Mason's degree, as a degree, was in exist-
ence among the operative Freemasons before the
eighteenth century, or whether we owe it to the
Revivalists of 1717, and documentary evidence is
yet wanting to settle the precise time of its compo-
sition, as we now have it. It was originally called
the summit of Ancient Craft Masonry. But under
the present organization the degree is actually in-
complete, because it needs a complement that is only
to be supplied in a higher one. Hence its symbol-
ism is necessarily restricted, in its mutilated form,
to the first temple and the present life, although it
gives assurance of a future one. (See Revival and
Degrees, page 78.)

The whole system of Craft Masonry is intended
to present the symbolic idea of man passing through
the pilgrimage of life. The Entered Apprentice
Mason is taught those elementary instructions
which are to fit him for further advancement in his
profession, just as the youth is supplied with that
rudimentary education which is to prepare him for
the active duties of life; as a Fellow Craft he is
directed to continue his investigations in the sci-
ence of the institution and to labor diligently in the
tasks it prescribes, just as the man is required to
enlarge his mind by the acquisition of new ideas,
and to extend his usefulness to his fellow-creatures ;

86

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

but as a Master Mason he is taught the last, the
most important, and the most necessary of truths,
that having been faithful to all his trusts, he is at
last to die, and to receive the reward of his fidelity.
It was the single object of all the ancient rites and
mysteries, practiced in the very bosom of pagan
darkness, shining as a solitary beacon to all that
surrounding gloom, and cheering the philosopher
in his weary pilgrimage of life, to teach the immor-
tality of the soul. This is still the great design of
the Third Degree of Masonry.

Capitular Degrees.

MARK MASTER.

Mark Master is the fourth degree of the Ameri-
can rite. The traditions of the degree make it
of great historical importance, as we are informed
that at the building of the temple each Operative
Mason was distinguished by his mark, and the dis-
order and confusion that might otherwise have at-
tended so immense an undertaking was completely
prevented. Not less useful is it in its symbolical
signification. It teaches us that we should dis-
charge all the duties of our several stations with
precision and punctuality; that the work of our
hands and the thoughts of our hearts should be
good and true, not sinful and defective, not unfin-
ished and imperfect, but such as the Great Over-
seer and Judge of heaven and earth will see fit to
approve as a worthy oblation from his creatures.
It holds forth to the desponding the encouraging
thought that although our motives may sometimes
be misinterpreted by our erring fellow-mortals,
our attainments be underrated and our reputations

87

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TKMPLAR

be traduced by the envious and the malicious, there
is One, at least, who sees not with the eyes of men,
but may yet make the stone which the builders

rejected the head of the corner.

PAST MASTER.

The conferring of this degree, which has no his-
torical connection with the rest of the degrees in
a chapter, arises from the following circumstances.
Originally, when Chapters of Royal Arch Masonry
were under the government of Lodges, in which the
degree was there always conferred, it was part of
the Regulations that no one could receive the Royal
Arch degree unless he had previously presided in
the Lodge as Master. When the Chapters became
independent the regulation could not be abolished,
for that would have been an innovation. The diffi-
culty has therefore been obviated by making every
candidate for the degree of Royal Arch a Past Mas-
ter before his exaltation.

MOST EXCELLENT MASTER.

Most Excellent Master, the sixth degree in the

American rite. Its history refers to the dedication of
the temple of King Solomon, who is represented
by its presiding officer under the title of Most I ex-
cellent. It is peculiarly American, being practiced
in no other country. It was the invention of Webb,
who organized the Capitular system of Masonry
as it exists in this country, and established the sys-
tem of lectures which is the foundation of all subse-
quent systems taught in America.

88

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

ROYAL ARCH.

If we except the MasteVs, there is no other de-
gree in Masonry that has been so extensively
diffused, or is as important in its historical and
symbolical import, as the Royal Arch, or, as it has
been called on account of its sublime significance,
the "Holy Royal Arch," the root, the heart and
marrow of Masonry. The Master's degree in its
symbolic signification is imperfect and unfinished in
its history, and, terminating abruptly in its symbol-
ism, it leaves the mind still waiting for something
that is necessary to its completeness. This de-
ficiency is supplied by the Royal Arch degree.

The Royal Arch did not exist as an independent
and distinctive degree until about the year 1740,
when the body which; called itself the "Grand
Lodge of Ancient York Masons/' * dissevered the
essential element of the Royal Arch from the Mas-
ter's degree, and invested it with the form of a
distinct degree. ' Previous to this, it was but a
complementary part of the Master's degree, to
which it gave a necessary completion. In 1776, a
similar degree, established by Thos. Dunckerly,
was ^adopted by the Constitutional Grand Lodge,
or the "Moderns," and at the union of the two
Grand Lodges in 1813, the Royal Arch was for-
mally and officially recognized as a part of the
York Rite or Ancient Craft Masonry. In America,
as most of the Lodges derived their warrants from
the so-called "Grand Lodge of Ancient York Ma-

1 See page 67.

89

FREEMASONRY AND KXIGHTS TKMPLAR

sons," the Royal Arch must have oeen introduced
at the time of their constitution. The government
• >f the degree was for a long time under the Mas-
ter's Lodges, and many years elapsed before it was
placed under the control of distinct bodies called
(irand Chapters. In America the first Grand
Chapter was formed in the year 1798. The true
symbolism of the Royal Arch system is founded
on the discovery of the "Lost Word." That word
is, in Masonry, the symbol of TRUTH.. This truth,
which Masonry makes the great object of its in-
vestigations, is not the mere truth of science or the
truth of history, but it is the more important truth
which is synonymous with the knowledge of the
nature of God, that truth which is embraced in the
sacred omnific name, including in its signification
J I is eternal present, past and future existence, and
to which He himself alluded when He declared to
Moses, "I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac,
and unto Jacob by the name of God Almighty;
but by my name Jehovah was I not known unto
them." The discovery of the truth is, then, the
essential symbolism of the Royal Arch degree.

Captivity.

The historical connection between the building
and dedication of the first temple, as found in the
Master's and Most Excellent degrees, its destruc-
tion, and that subsequent part which smybolizes
the building- of the second, there is an interval
in the ceremonials of the Royal Arch degree.
This interval represents the time passed in the

90

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

captivity of the Jews at Babylon. In 626 B. C.
the empire and city of Babylon was conquered
by Nabopolassar, a trusted Assyrian general of
King Sarsacus of Assyria. He was born of
a nomadic race and his home was in the Cau-
casian mountains. He turned traitor after be-
coming viceroy of Babylon, and joined forces
with Cyaxares, king of Media, and overthrew the
Assyrians. The empire was broken up and each
of the confederates took his allotted portion. As-
syria proper fell to the Medes, and Nabopolassar
received the kingdom of Babylon, to which were
annexed Susiana on the east, and the valley of the
Euphrates and the whole of Syria on the west.

In the year 610 B. C. Pharaoh Necho of Egypt
invades Syria and captures Jerusalem, and makes
Jehoiakim king of Judah. Nabopolassar, alarmed
by the loss of Syria, determines to recover what
Necho has taken from him. After the army was
raised and equipped, however, the aged king found
himself unable to conduct the expedition, and so
the command was given to his son Nebuchadnez-
zar. The prince pushed boldly into upper Syria,
where the Egyptians had established themselves
in full force to hold the country, and completely
routed them. Every vestige of Egyptian resistance
melted away. Proceeding towards the west, he
paused for a short time in Palestine, where he re-
ceived the submission of Jehoiakim, whom Pharaoh
Necho had set up, and then continued his triumph-
ant course to the gateway of Egypt. It was
during this expedition, in the year 606 B. C., that
Daniel and his friends were made captives at Jeru-
salem and taken to Babylon, with many of the

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

sacred vessels. And from this date the principal
computation of the seventy years of captivity
begins.

Nebuchadnezzar while at the gateway of Egypt
receives news of his father's death, and, without
delay, he, fearing that some rival might usurp the
throne of Babylon, gave orders for his army to
retrace its course into upper Syria, and himself,
with a detachment, made all speed by the nearest
route across the desert to the capital. Upon his
arrival he was given a triumphant reception, and
was peacefully established on the throne of the
empire. His accession, in 604 B. C., marks the era
of Babylonian greatness, before whose victorious
armies many nations fell. At times insurrections
would break forth. Among the first and most im-
portant was the revolt of Tyre, the chief city of
the Phoenicians. About the same time Jehoiakim,
king of Judah — doubtless calling to mind that he
owed his own sovereignty to Pharaoh Necho, the
rival king of Babylon, and believing that the Egyp-
tians would come to his aid — revolted and took up
arms. It was to punish these Phoenicians and Jew-
ish rebels that Nebuchadnezzar undertook the first
great campaign after his accession. He invested
Tyre, but that strong city proved for a long time
impregnable. So the king, without desisting from
iege, divided his forces and with one division
proceeded against Jerusalem. To the last moment
Jehoiakim relied upon the Egyptians to come to
his aid, but the Pharaoh held aloof, and Jehoiakim
was left to his fate. He made his submission to
Nebuchadnezzar, who deliberately put him to death,
and he was "buried with the burial of an ass, drawn

92

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

and cast forth beyond the gates of Jerusalem." For
the time being, the Babylonian king conferred the
crown of Judah upon Jel^piachin, son of the recent
ruler ; but he soon fell under the suspicion of treach-
ery, was deposed and taken captive to Babylon,
thus making way for Zedekiah, who was put upon
the Jewish throne. For some reason the Jewish
people had come to prefer the Egyptian to Baby-
lonian masters. Perhaps they hoped ultimately to
throw of! all mastery and become independent, as
in the days of David. At any rate, Zedekiah, after
having kept his faith with Nebuchadnezzar for
eight years, became at heart disloyal, and in 588
B. C. entered into an intrigue with Egypt against
the Babylonians. When Nebuchadnezzar heard of
the revolt, he marched with his host against the
city of the Jews, and Jerusalem fell. The city was
leveled with the ground, the temple pillaged and
burned, and the inhabitants carried captive to Bab-
ylon. The state of Judah was extinguished. Ged-
aliah* was appointed by Nebuchadnezzar to rule
over the ruins of Palestine, among which Jeremiah
sat weeping. That captivity lasted for fifty-two
years, and is commemorated in the Royal Arch
degree. It was a part of the "seventy years' captiv-
ity" of the Jews, which was foretold by the prophet
J,eremiah, the beginning of which, however, as has
been mentioned, commenced eighteen years before.
Among the prisoners of distinction was the high
priest and the priest that was next to him, with the
three rulers that guarded the temple, the eunuch
who was over the armed men, seven friends of Zed-
ekiah, his scribe and two other rulers. Zedekiah
the king attempted to escape previous to the termi-

93

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

nation of the siege, but was pursued, captured, and
carried to the headquarters of Nebuchadnezzar,
who was then at Riblah,* where, having first been
compelled to behold the slaughter of his children,
his eyes were put out, and he was conducted in
chains to Babylon. On the arrival of the captives

CAPTIVE JEWS LED INTO BABYLONIA.

at Babylon they do not appear to have been sub-
jected to the extreme rigors of slavery. They were
distributed into the various part of the empire, some
remaining in the city, while others were sent into
the provinces. They were permitted to retain their
personal property and even to purchase lands and
erect houses. Their civil and religious government

94

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

was not utterly destroyed, for they kept up a regular
succession of kings and high priests. Some of the
principal captives were Advanced to offices of dig-
nity and power in the royal palace, and were per-
mitted to share in the councils of state.

Jehoiachin, who was the first king of Judea car-
ried captive to Babylon, was succeeded by his son
Shealtiel, and he by his son Zerubbabel, who was
the head of the captivity or nominal prince of Judea
at the close of the captivity. Jehosadek was the
high priest carried by Nebuchadnezzar to Babylon,
where he died during the captivity and was suc-
ceeded by his eldest son, Joshua.

Babylon the Great, as the prophet Daniel calls it,
was situated 475 miles in a nearly easterly direction
from Jerusalem. It stood in the midst of a large
and fertile plain on each side of the river Euphra-
tes, which ran through it from north to south, the
original foundation of which was Babel. Babel
was also' the name of a lofty tower, which the de-
scendants of Noah began to build, among whom
Nimrod was a leader, about one hundred and twenty
years after the flood, so called because God there
confounded the language of those who were em-
ployed in the undertaking (Gen. x. 10; xi. 9). Their
object in building the city and tower was to con-
centrate the population and the dominion at that
spot; and as this was contrary to the divine pur-
pose of replenishing the earth with inhabitants, and
betrayed an ungodly and perhaps idolatrous dispo-
sition, God frustrated their designs by miraculously
giving to different portions of the people different
languages or different modes of pronunciation and
divergent dialects of the original language of man,

95

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

thus causing them to disperse over the globe
(Acts ii. i-n). The tower was apparently left
incomplete, but the foundation of the city was
probably laid, and a portion no doubt of the
builders continued to dwell there. The , place
became afterwards the celebrated city of Bay-
ylon. It has been supposed that the Tower of

BABYLON.

Babel was afterwards finished and called the Tower
of Belus within the city of Babylon. Herodotus
visited this tower, and describes it as a square pyra-
mid, measuring half a mile in circumference at
the base; from this rose eight towers, one above
another, gradually decreasing to the summit, which
was reached by a broad road winding up around
the outside. This tower was used for astronomical
purposes, but was chiefly devoted to the worship
of Bel, whose temple contained immense treasures,

96

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

including several statues of massive gold, one of
which was forty feet in height. Here were de-
posited the sacred gol<%n vessels brought from
Jerusalem. Babylon reached the summit of her
greatness and splendor under Nebuchadnezzar, the
son and sucessor of Nabopolassar. The city was
surrounded with walls which were eighty-seven feet
thick, three hundred and fifty feet in height and
sixty miles in compass. These were all built of
large bricks cemented together with bitumen. Ex-
terior to the walls was a wide and deep trench lined
with the same material. Twenty-five gates on each
side made of solid brass gave admission to the city.
From each of these gates proceeded a wide street
fifteen miles in length, and the whole was separated
by means of smaller divisions, and contained 676
squares, each of which was two miles and a quarter
in circumference. Two hundred and fifty towers
placed Upon the walls afforded the means of addi-
tional strength and protection. Within this im-
mense circuit were to be found palaces and temples
and other edifices of the utmost magnificence, which
have caused the wealth, the luxury and the splen-
dor of Babylon to become a favorite theme of the
historians of antiquity. It is scarcely too much to
say that but for Nebuchadnezzar the Babylonians
would have had no place in history. At any rate,
their actual place is owing almost entirely to this
prince, who to the military talents of an able gen-
eral added a grandeur of artistic conception and
a skill in construction which place him on a par
with the greatest builders of antiquity. After he
captured Jerusalem and burned the great Temple
of Solomon and carried away the Jews as captives

97

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

to Babylon, he also took Tyre and conquered Egypt,
and became without doubt the most powerful mon-
arch of his time. He promoted the Hebrew prophet
Daniel to the second place in the kingdom. He died
in 562 B. C, and was succeeded by his son, Evil-
Merodach, who reigned only two years. (For an
account of Nebuchadnezzar's character, his marvel-
ous experience, his loss of reason, and his restora-
tion, the reader is referred to the Book of Daniel.)
Nabonadius ascended the throne in 555 B. C., as
the sixth king in the line of Nabopolassar, and ap-
pears to have shared the royal power with his son
Belshazzar,* whose mother was the daughter of
Nebuchadnezzar.

The location of Babylon gave her to a great ex-
tent the control of the traffic, by the Euphrates and
by caravans, between central Asia and Arabia and
Egypt ; and into her lap flowed, either through con-
quest or commerce, the wealth of almost all known
lands. In consequence of the opulence and luxury
of the inhabitants, corruptness and licentiousness
of manners and morals were carried to a frightful
extreme.

Termination of the Captivity.

In the year 538 B. C., Cyrus, king of Persia, a
great conqueror, who had reduced nearly all Asia;
crossed the Euphrates and laid siege to Babylon,
which he took after two years by diverting the
course of the river Euphrates from its channel by
digging a canal, which ran west of the city, and car-
ried off the superfluous water of the Euphrates into
Lake Nitocris, which by this means was rendered

' 98

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

so shallow that his soldiers were able to penetrate
along its bed into the city. He made his successful
assault on a night whentfhe whole city, relying on
the strength of the walls, had given themselves up

CYRUS THE GREAT.

to the riot and debauchery of a grand festival and
the king and his nobles were reveling at a splendid
entertainment. Prince Belshazzar and his nobles
were slain at their banquet, and the dawn found the
victorious Persians in complete possession of the
city. Nabonadius, the Babylonian king, was at Bor-

99

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

sippa with part of his army, where he surrendered
to Cyrus under honorable terms, Cyrus bestowing
on the dethroned king- the governorship of the
province of Cannania. Cyrus constitutes his uncle
"Darius the Median"* king of Babylon, who
reigned two years till the time of his death. During

CAPTURE OF BABYLON.

liis reign Daniel was cast into the lions' den ('Dan.
vi. ). In 536 15. C., Cyrus succeeded to the whole
empire, and in the first year of his reign the Jewish
captivity terminated. Cyrus, from his conversa-
tions with Daniel and other Jewish captives of
learning and piety, as well as from the perusal of
their sacred books, more especially the prophecies
of Isaiah, had become imbued with a knowledge of

TOO

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

true religion, and made a public announcement to
his subjects of his belief in the God "which the
nations of the Israelites worshiped." He was
consequently impressed with an earnest desire
to fulfill the prophetic declarations of which
he was the subject and to rebuild the Temple of
Jerusalem. Cyrus, therefore, issued a decree by
which the Jews were permitted to return to Jeru-
salem. Zerubbabel, the prince of Judah, was
the grandson of that king (Jehoiachin) who
had been deposed by Nebuchadnezzar and car-
ried captive to Babylon. In him, therefore, was
vested the regal authority, and on him, as such,
the command of the returning captives was be-
stowed by Cyrus, who on that occasion, according
to Masonic tradition, presented to him the sword
which Nebuchadnezzar had received from his
grandfather. He also restored to him the greater
part of the sacred vessels of the temple which had
been carried away by Nebuchadnezzar, the re-
mainder being brought back many years after by
Ezra.

Only 42,360 Israelites, exclusive of servants and
slaves, acconiDanied Zerubbabel, out of whom he
selected 7,000 of the most valiant, whom he placed
as an advance guard at the head of the people.
Their progress homeward was not altogether un-
attended with danger; for tradition informs us
that at the river Euphrates they were opposed by
the Assyrians, who, incited by the temptation of the
vast amount of golden vessels which they were
carrying, drew up in hostile array, and, notwith-
standing the remonstrances of the Jews and the
edict of Cyrus, disputed their passage. Zerub*

' IOI

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

babel, however, repulsed the enemy with such ardor
as to ensure a signal victory, most of the Assyrians
having been slain in the battle or drowned in their
attempt to cross the river in their retreat. The
remainder of the journey was uninterrupted, and
after a march of four months, which took them
through the ruins of Rabbah* and old Tadmor,* or
Palmyra of the desert, and the ruins of Damascus,*
Zerubbabel arrived at Jerusalem with his follow-
ers in the month of June, 535 B. C.

During their captivity the Jews continued to
practice the rites of Mansonry, and established, at
various places, regular Lodges in Chaldea.* Ac-
cording to the Rabbinical traditions, they insti-
tuted their mystic fraternity at Naharda . on the
Euphrates, and Zerubbabel carried with him to
Jerusalem all the secret knowledge which was the
property of that institution, and established a sim-
ilar fraternity in Judea. This coincides with and
gives additional strength to the traditions of the
Royal Arch degree. As soon as the pious pilgrims
had arrived at Jerusalem and taken a needful rest
of seven days, a tabernacle for the temporary pur-
poses of divine worship was erected near the ruins
of the ancient temple, and a council was called, in
which Zerubbabel presided as king, Jeshua as high
priest, and Haggai as scribe, or principal officer
of state. It was there determined to commence the
building of the second temple upon the same holy
spot which had been occupied by the first, and the
people contributed nearly a quarter of a million
of dollars toward paying the expenses.

Scarcely had the workmen well commenced their
labors when they were interrupted by the Samari-

102

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

tans, who made application to be permitted to unite
with them in the construction of the temple. But
the Jews, who looked upon them as idolaters, re-
fused to accept their services. The Samaritans in
consequence hecame bitter enemies and so pre-
vailed, by misrepresentations, with the ministers of

REBUILDING JERUSALEM.

Cyrus, as to cause them to put such obstructions in
the way of construction of the edifice as to seriously
impede its progress for several years. (See Cyrus,
in Supplement.)

In the seventh year after the restoration of the
Jews, Cyrus, their friend and benefactor, died (530
B. C), and was succeeded by his son Cambyses
(Ahasuerus), who, after a reign of eight years, -died
in Syria. Smerdis, called in Scripture Artaxerxes,
then usurped the throne of Persia, and forbade the
Jews to proceed with the work, and the temple re-

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

mained in an unfinished state until his death, and
the succession of Darius to the throne (521 B. C).
As in early life there had been a great intimacy be-
tween this sovereign and Zerubbabel, the latter pro-
ceeded to Babylon and obtained permission from the
monarch to resume the labor. Zerubbabel returned
to Jerusalem, and notwithstanding some further de-
lays consequent upon the enmity of the neighboring
nations, the second temple, or, as it may be called
by \vay of distinction from the first, the Temple
of Zerubbabel, was completed in the sixth year of
the reign of Darius, 515 B. C, just twenty years
after its commencement. It was then dedicated
with all the solemnities that accompanied the dedi-
cation of the first. (See Darius, king of Persia,
in Supplement.)

Zerubbabel was of the royal race of David, and
called "Sheshbazzar the prince of Judah." He was
born in Babylon, as his name imports, but nothing
further than what has been said is known of his
history except that from him both Joseph and Mary
descended.

The general plan of this second temple was sim-
ilar to that of the first, but it exceeded it in almost
every dimension by one-third. The decorations of
gold and other ornaments in the first temple must
have far surpassed those bestowed upon the second,
for we are told by Josephus ( Antiq. xi. 4) that "the
priests and Levites and elders of families were dis-
consolate at seeing how much more sumptuous the
old temple was than the one which, on account of
their poverty, they had just been able to erect." (See
Jerusalem, in Supplement.)

104

FREEMASONRY AM) KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

Cryptic Degrees.
Council of Royal and Select Masters.

The proper jurisdiction under which these de-
grees should be placed, whether under Chapters and
to be conferred preparatory to the Royal Arch de-
gree, or under Councils and to be conferred after
it, has excited discussion. The former usage pre-
vails in Maryland and Virginia, but the latter in all
the other States. There is no doubt that these de-
grees belonged originally to the Ancient and Ac-
cepted Scottish Rite, and were conferred as hon-
orary degrees by the Inspectors of that Rite. Re-
peated attempts have been made to take the degrees
out of the hands of the Councils and to place them
in Chapters, there to be conferred as preparatory
to the Royal Arch.

The Gerieral Grand Chapter, in the triennial ses-
sion of 1847, adopted a resolution granting this per-
mission to all Chapters in States where no Grand
Councils exist. But, seeing the manifest injustice
and inexpediency of such a measure, in 1853 it dis-
claimed all control over them, and forbade the Chap-
ters under its jurisdiction to confer them. As far
as regards the interference of the Ancient and Ac-
cepted Scottish Rite, that question was set at rest in
1870 by the Mother Council, which, at its session
at Baltimore, formally relinquished all further con-
trol over them.

ROYAL MASTER.

The eighth degree of the American Rite, and the
first of the degrees conferred in a Council of Royal
and Select Masters. The place of meeting is called
the "Council Chamber," and represents the private
apartment of King Solomon, in which he is said to

105

FREEMASONRY AND KXIGHTS TKMI'LAK

have met for consultation with his two colleagues
during the construction of the Temple. Candidates
who receive this degree are said to be "honored
with the degree of Royal Master."

Krom the legendary history and the symbolism
of the degree, we find that, brief and simple as are
the ceremonies, they present the great Masonic idea
of the laborer seeking for his reward. Through-
out all the symbolism of Masonry, from the first
to the last degree, the search for the WORD has
been considered but as a symbolic expression for
the search after TRUTH. The attainment of this
truth has always been acknowledged to be the great
object and design of all Masonic labor. Divine
truth — the knowledge of God — concealed in the old
Kabalistic doctrine, under the symbol of His in-
effable name, and typified in the Masonic sys-
tem under the mystical expression of the True
Word, is the reward proposed to every Mason who
has faithfully wrought his task. It is, in short, the
"Master's wages."

SELECT MASTER.

The ninth degree in the American Rite, and the
second of the degrees conferred in a Council of
Royal and Select Masters. A Council is supposed
to consist of neither more nor less than twenty-
seven ; but a smaller number, if not less than nine,
is competent to proceed to work or business. The
candidate, when initiated, is said to be "chosen as
a Select Master." The historical object of the de-
gree is to commemorate the deposit of an important
secret or treasure which, after the preliminary prep-
aration, is said to have been made by Hiram Abif.
The place of meeting represents a secret vault be-
neath the Temple.

106

FREEMASDXkV AXD KNIGHTS Yr:.\;i'LAR

SUPER EXCELLENT MASTER

A degree which was originally an honorary or
side degree conferred bv the Inspectors-General of
the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite at Charles-
ton. It has since been introduced into some of the
Royal and Select Councils of the United States,
and there conferred as an additional degree. The
degree is simply an enlargement of that part of the
ceremonies of the Royal Arch which refer to the
Temple destruction. It has nothing to do with
the ideas inculcated in Cryptic Masonry. Whence
the degree originally sprang, it is impossible to tell.
As to the symbolic design of the degree, it is very
evident that its legend and ceremonies are intended
to inculcate that important Masonic virtue — fidel-
ity to vows.

BOOK OF THE LAW

By an ancient usage of the Craft, the Holy Bible,
or Book of the Law, is always spread open in the
Lodge. There is in this, as in everything else that
is Masonic, an appropriate symbolism. The Book
of the Law is the Great Light of Masonry. To
close it would be to intercept the rays of divine
light which emanate from it ; and hence it is spread
open, to indicate that the Lodge is not in darkness,
but under the influence of its illuminating power.
Masons in this respect obey the suggestion of the
Divine Founder of the Christian religion, " Neither
do men light a candle and put it under a bushel,
but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all
that are in the house."

Masonically, the Book of the Law is that sacred

107

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

book which is believed by the Mason of any par
ticular religion to contain the revealed will of God
And therefore, whatever to any people expresses
that will may be used as a substitute for the Bible
in a Masonic Lodge. Thus, to the Christian Mason
the Book of the Law is the Old and New Testa-
ments; to the Jew, the Old Testament; to the Mus-
sulman, the Koran; to the Brahman, the Vedas;
and to the Parsee, the Zendavesta. They all con-
vey the same idea — that of the symbolism of the
Divine will revealed to man.

Freemasonry alone has no secret doctrine. Its
philosophy is open to the world. Its modes of recog-
nition by which it secures identification, and its
rites and ceremonies, which are its method of in-
struct ion, alone are secret. All men may know the ,,• , {/>

tenets of the Masonic creed. This creed consists /^ /) v/*
of two articles: First, a belief in God, the Creator ir/*

of all things, who is therefore recognized as the
Grand Architect of the Universe; and secondly,
a belief in the eternal life, to which this present life
is but a preparatory and probationary state.

At the revival of Masonry in 1/17, the Grand
Lodge of Fngland set forth the Law, as to the re-
ligious creed to he required of a Mason in the fol-
lowing words, to be found in the charges approved
by that body: "In ancient times, Masons were
charged in every country to be of the religion of
that country or nation, whatever it was; yet it is
now thought more expedient only to oblige them
to that religion in which all men agree, leaving their
particular opinions to themselves."

This is now considered universally as the recog-
nized law on the subject.

108

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

Design of Freemasonry.

The "Design of Freeifcasonry" is neither charity
nor almsgiving, nor the cultivation of social senti-
ments; for both of these are merely incidental to
its organization. But it is the search after truth,
and that truth is the unity of God and the immor-
tality of the soul. The various degrees or grades of
initiation represent the various stages through
which the human mind passes, and the many dif-
ficulties which men, individually and collectively,
must encounter in their progress from ignorance
to the acquisition of truth. That truth lies concealed
in its symbols, and these, constituting, as they
do, a picture language, or art speech, are made to
carry a complete philosophy of the existence and
relations of Deity, nature and man.

Freemasonry is not only a universal science,
but a world-wide religion,1 and owes allegiance to
no one creed, and can adopt no sectarian dogma,
as such, without ceasing thereby to be Masonic.
Drawn from the Kabbalah,2 and taking the Jewish
or Christian verbiage or symbols, it but discerns
in them universal truths, which it recognizes in
all other religions. Freemasonry is not Chris-
tianity, nor a substitute for it. It is not intended
to supersede it nor any other form of worship or
system of faith. Its religion is that general one of
nature and primitive revelations, handed down to
us from some ancient and patriarchal priesthood,
in which all men may agree and in which no men

1 See Religion of Masonry, in Supplement.

2 See Kabbalah, in Supplement.

109

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

can differ. It inculcates the practice of virtue,
but it supplies no scheme of redemption for sin.
It points its disciples to the path of righteousness,
but it does not claim to be "the way, the truth,
and the life." Neither persecution nor misrepre-
sentation can ever destroy it. It may find no place
in a generation of bigots; it may retire for a cen-
tury; but again comes a Master Builder with the
key to the "shut palace of the King," throws open
the blinds, lets in the light, kindles ^new the fire
on the sacred altar, clears away the rubbish, when
behold! the tesselated pavement is as bright as
when it first came from the quarries of truth, the
jewels are of pure gold and brightens at the touch,
and the great lights are undimmed and undecayed.
"When the candidate is ready, the Master appears."
And yet men are so foolish as to imagine that
they can destroy this heirloom of the ages; this
heritage from the Immortals! No age is so dark
as to quench entirely the light of the Lodge; no
persecution so bloody as to blot out its votaries;
no edict so lasting as to count one second on its
Dial of Time! These, one and all, serve only to
keep the people in darkness, and retard the reign
of universal brotherhood.

no

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

Commandery.

Knights Templar.

In the United' States an assembly of Knights
Templar is called a Commandery, and must con-
sist of at least nine members. The government
of Masonic Knights Templar in this country is
vested, first, in Commanderies, which confer the
degrees of Knight of the Red Cross, Knights
Templar, and Knight of Malta.

Commanderies are under the control of Grand
Commanderies in States in which those bodies ex-
ist. Where they do not, the warrants are derived
directly from the Grand Encampment. The su-
preme authority of the Order is exercised by the
Grand Encampment of the United States, which
meets triennially. The presiding officer is a Grand
Master.

The Ancient Order of Knights Templar was
divided into Provinces, each of which was gov-
erned by a Grand Preceptor or Grand Prior.
These Provinces were fifteen in number and ex-
tended from Jerusalem to England. There was no
part of Europe, except the impoverished King-

iii

FREEMASONRY AND KN'IGIITS TEMPLAR

doms of Denmark, Sweden and Norway, where
the Templars had not extended their possessions
and their influence.

I n all the Provinces there were numerous temple-
houses called Preceptories, presided over by a Pre-
ceptor. Some of the houses were also called Com-
manderies. The latter name has been adopted by
the Masonic Templars of this country.

Knight of the Red Cross.

This degree, whose legend dates it far anterior
to the Christian era and in the reign of Darius,
has no analogy with the chivalric orders of knight-
hood. It is purely Masonic and intimately con-
nected with the Royal Arch degree. In this coun-
try it is always conferred in a Commandery of
Knights Templar and is given as a preliminary
reception in that degree. The legend is as follows :
"After the death of Cyrus, the Jews, who had been
released by him from their captivity and permitted
to return to Jerusalem for the purpose of rebuilding
the temple, found themselves obstructed in the un-
dertaking by the neighboring nations and especially
by the Samaritans. Hereupon they sent an em-
bassy, at the head of which was their prince, Zerub-
babel, to Darius, the successor of Cyrus, to crave
his interposition and protection. Zerubbabel, await-
ing a favorable opportunity, succeeded not only in
obtaining his request, but also in renewing the
friendship which had formerly existed between the
king and himself.1 In commemoration of these

1 See page 104.

112

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

events, Darius is said to have instituted a new
Order and called it the Knights of the East. They
afterwards assumed theigf present name from the
red cross borne in their banners."

Knights Templar.

In the early centuries of our era the Semitic race
sent forth to the nations two great streams of re-
ligion ; and out of this contribution sprang the rival
systems of Christianity and Mohammedanism.
Each would be all or nothing. Each entered into
combination with the political structure of states,
and sought by means of the temporal power, or
open proclamation of its own right, to control the
institutions and sway the destinies of the world.
In the struggle which ensued, the powers of primi-
tive civilization were arrayed against each other
under the Cross and the Crescent. In the issue
Europe fell to Christ; Asia and Africa, to Mo-
hammed.

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

The Cross.

Christianity Was Conceived in Abraham and Given
Birth through Jesus Christ.

Abraham,* originally Abram, was the founder
of the Jewish nation, and was born at Ur, in Meso-
potamia, in 1996 B. C. He marries Sarah, and
in 1922 B. C. removes to Haran in Mesopotamia.
A few years later they go to the land of Canaan, and
there, in 1896 B. C., in their extreme old age,1 Isaac
is born. At the age of forty Isaac marries Re-
bekah, and in 1836 B. C. twin sons were born whom
they called Jacob and Esau.

Jacob, in 1753 B. C., marries Leah and Rachel
and has six sons and one daughter by Leah : Reu-
ben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, and
Dinah; two sons by Rachel's handmaid, Bilhah:
Dan and Naphtali; two by Zilpah, Leah's hand-
maid : Gad and Asher ; two by Rachel : Joseph and
Benjamin. The twelve sons of Jacob became the
immediate ancestors orf the twelve tribes of Israel.

In 1571 B. C. there came into the world that
great lawgiver, Moses, the first prophet of Israel.
He was the son of Amram and Jochebed, of the
tribe of Levi, and the youngest brother of Miriam
and Aaron. The name of Moses is one of the great-
est in history. He 'organized the Hebrew people ;
he formed the Hebrew character ; and the influence
which the Hebrew nation has exercised on the civ-
ilization of mankind, by being through many cen-
turies the bearer of the monotheistic idea, can
hardly be overestimated. For many generations
the Jews had lived in the most abject thrallclom;

1 See page 20, first paragraph.

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FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

they had lost all feeling of independence and self-
confidence, and the peculiarities of their race were
contaminated and perverted, instead of having1 been
developed into a national character ; they were ut-
terly unfit for the conquest of a country, for the
organization of a state, and for the part they were
destined to play in history.

According to the Biblical narrative (Acts vii.),
Moses was forty years old when he fled from
Egypt into Arabia, eighty when he returned and
led the march across the Red Sea to Sinai, and
1 20 when he died on Mount Nebo. Under his
leadership the Hebrew people, during their forty
years of penal wandering in the desert, took on the
religious and moral character which enabled them
to begin their career in Palestine.

Judah, one of the twelve patriarchs, and the pro-
genitor of the tribe of the same name, became so
predominant in Palestine as to give its name to the
kingdom of Judea and ultimately to the whole race
of the descendants of Abraham (Jews). Judah
appears to have exercised a kind of leadership
among his brothers ; it was he who persuaded them
not to kill Joseph, but to sell him to the Midianites,
and on the journey to Egypt to buy corn it was
Judah who acted as spokesman for the whole com-
pany. As such he offered himself to Joseph as a
slave to ransom his half-brother Benjamin. He
married a Canaanite woman, by whom he had three
sons : Er, Onan and Shelah. Er and Onan died in
the land of Canaan without issue. Tamar, his
daughter-in-law, through deceit, bore him twin
sons, Pharez and Zarah (Gen. xxxviii.), from the
first of whom David, and ultimately Christ, were
descended. Of the life of Judah in Egypt nothing

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

is known except that he was still living at the time
of his father's death, and received that splendid
blessing which foretold the glory of his lineage
(Gen. xlix. 8-12).
Judaism, the religious system and polity of the

JESUS. *.

Jews, as enjoined in the laws of Moses, became the
basis of a spiritual or universal religion.

"And she [Mary] shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt
call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their
sins" (Matt. i. 21; Luke i. 31-33).

Jesus the Christ was horn in Bethlehem, a small
Judean town, already famous as the birthplace of

FREEMASONRY AXI) KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

King David, and about six miles south of Jerusa-
lem. The home of his mother, Mary, was Nazareth
in Galilee, but she had ccgne to Bethlehem with her
husband, Joseph, a descendant of David, in obe-
dience to a decree of enrollment and taxation which
seems to have required Joseph's presence at the
original home of his family. Mary is thought to
have been, like Joseph, descended from the royal
house of Judah. Jesus is supposed to have been
born on the 25th of December, four years before the
year I A. D. On the eighth day after his birth
he was circumcised, and on the fortieth day he was
taken to the temple, when the customary offerings
of purification were made by his mother. The visit
of certain "wise men/' or magians, who came
probably from Persia, to the infant at Bethlehem,
with gifts proper for a king, and the inquiries made
by them previously at Jerusalem for a newly born
king of the Jews, excited the jealousy of Herod
the Great, then ruling over Juclea and the neigh-
boring territories under the protection of the Ro-
mans, and he issued orders for a massacre of young
children at Bethlehem. Joseph, being warned, took
the young child and his mother by night and fled
into Egypt in time to escape the destruction, where
they remained until again warned of Herod's
death a short time' after. Joseph seems to have
intended to rear the child at Bethlehem (the
city of David), but another warning caused him to
return to Nazareth. Twelve years later Joseph
and Mary too'.c Jesus with them to Jerusalem to
keep the Passover, and he then showed that he was
already conscious of a divine mission. He lived
at Nazareth, however, for eighteen years longer,

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FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

and probably assisted Joseph at his trade, that of
carpenter. Joseph is not mentioned again in the
Gospels, and is supposed to have died before Christ
entered on his public labors.

When Jesus was about thirty years old,
his kinsman, John, the son of Zacharias, began
to announce the near approach of the kingdom
of God and to call his countrymen to prepare
for it by a moral reformation, and by accept-
ing baptism at his hands as a sign of the re-
mission of sin. Jesus appeared among the
throngs which gathered about John the Bap-
tist at the Jordan, and insisted on being baptized
by him. After John had reluctantly administered
the rite to one whom he felt by a kind of prophetic
instinct, as it would seem, to be holier than himself,
he was shown that Jesus was the Messiah, the Son
of God, and he announced him as such to those
about him. After his baptism a few of John's dis-
ciples attached themselves to Jesus, and accompa-
nied him to Galilee. He then went to Jerusalem
and began his public ministry and announced him-
self to the heads of the nation there as a messen-
ger of Heaven, by expelling from the temple court
those who had been allowed to carry on traffic in
it for the convenience of worshipers. One mem-
ber of the Sanhedrim,* Nicodemus,* became at this
time a secret adherent of the new prophet. For
a few months Jesus carried on a work in Judea
similar to that in which John the Baptist was en-
gaged, and seemed to be co-operating with the lat-
ter in the effort to bring about a national repent-
ance. But as attempts were being made to create

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FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

dissension between his followers and those of John,
he retired to Galilee.

After John the baptist was put to death by Herod
Antipas, Governor of GSilee, Jesus began his sec-
ond and final attempt to gain a hearing from the
representatives of the nation at Jerusalem. He ap-
peared somewhat suddenly at the feast of taber-
nacles,* and by miracles and discourses, as well
as by the angry opposition which he excited, he at
least succeeded in awakening new, interest in his
movements, and fixing the attention of the nation
upon himself during the rest of his career. For
several years after this he carried on his teachings
throughout Palestine, meeting with much opposi-
tion and many trials and tribulations. The rulers
began to fear his growing popularity and about
the year 29, when he was returning to Bethany *
from Jerusalem, he was betrayed by Judas, arrested
and led back to the city for trial before the Sanhe-
drim. The charge was blasphemy, but in tht ab-
sence of trustworthy witnesses he was virtually
put under oath and required to criminate himself.
When solemnly appealed to by the high priest, he
not only avowed his Messiahship, but asserted that
he was the Son of God and the future judge of
the world. He was then taken before Pontius Pi-
late, who gave the order for his death by crucifix-
ion. He died in the act of commending his soul
to God. The body was given by Pilate to Joseph*
of Arimathea, and, aided by Nicodemus, he wrapped
it in spices and laid it in a tomb prepared for him-
self in a garden which he owned outside the walls.
Jesus rose on the third day after his death in the
body, which, though changed as to its mode of

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FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

being, was the identical body which was crucified.
He was seen often in different places and circum-
stances by many witnesses. On the fortieth day
after his resurrection, Jesus led the apostles out
of Jerusalem towards Bethany and left them for
the last time, not vanishing, as before, but passing
visibly upward till a cloud concealed him from
sight. While they looked after him two angels
brought them a message — that he should "so come
in like manner."

Christianity, the religion founded by Jesus
Christ, may be regarded as divisible into —

(1) Historical Christianity, the facts and prin-
ciples stated in the New Testament, especially those
concerning the life, sufferings, death, resurrection,
ascension and nature of Jesus, together with the
subsequent development of the Christian Church,
and the gradual embodiment in society of the prin-
ciples inculcated in it.

(2) Dogmatic Christianity, the systems of theo-
logical doctrine founded on the New Testament.
These systems differ with different churches, sects
and schools.

(3) Vital Christianity, the Spirit manifested by-
Jesus Christ in his life, and which he commanded
his followers to imitate.

FREEMASON KY VND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

The Crescent.

Mohammedanism Was Conceived in Abraham and
Given Birth through Mohammed.

Abraham had only one son, Isaac, hy his wife,
Sarah, who was born in the year 1896 B. C. Four
years after Isaac's birth, Ishmael, who was the
son of Abraham by Sarah's Egyptian handmaid,
Hagar, as is related in Genesis xxi., was driven
into the wilderness with his mother. "And he will
be a wild man ; his hand will be against every man,
and every man's hand against him; and he shall
dwell in the presence of all his brethren" (Gen.
xvi.). "Ishmael was blessed," and had twelve
sons that became "princes according to their na-
tions. And they dwelt from Havelah to Shur, that
is before Egypt as thou goest towards Assyria"
(Gen. xxv.). "They had golden earrings, be-
cause they were Ishmaelites"* (Judg. viii. "24).
Ishmael died in the year 1773 B. C, "in the pres-
ence of all his brethren, at the age of 137 years."
The Arabs regard him as their immediate ancestor.

The legend of the people is as follows: When
our first parents were driven out of Paradise, they
wandered until they finally settled on the border
of the great Arabian desert. Here they built a
temple, the Kaaba, in exact imitation of that in
which they had worshiped in the Garden of Eden.
Ten generations later a flood swept that region
and destroyed the frail building, so that no vestige
remained. Ten generations later, in a fit of cruel
jealousy, Sarah, the wife of the patriarch Abra-
ham, caused him to drive out his handmaid, Hagar,

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FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

and their son, Ishmael, and while wandering in the
desert an angel revealed this site to Hagar, and
she gave her thirsty son to drink of the refreshing
waters of its well Zem-Zem. It was here, on ac-
count of its goodly supply of water, the chief attrac-
tion in locating an Oriental city, that a tribe of
Amalekites came and founded the city of Mecca.
They aided Ishmael in rebuilding the Kaaba, and to
their assistance came the angel Gabriel, with a white
stone from Paradise, which even to-day is to be
found in the wall of the Kaaba, turned black by the
devout kisses of sinful lips..

In the sixth century of the present era the keeper
of this sacred stone was one Abdallah, a very poor
but noble man, of the tribe of Koreish, one of the
most distinguished Arabian tribes; the guardian-
ship of the Kaaba was hereditarily entrusted to it.
But his family, Hashem, was poor. Abdallah died
just before his first son was born. That son was
called Mohammed, "The Praised/' and was born
in Mecca in the year 570. In later years, when
comparative deification of the prophet took place,
there were added to the circumstances of his birth,
legends similar to those of the other founders of
great religions. It is said that as soon as he was
born, he turned his eyes to the light and distinctly
said, "God is great and I am his prophet," the
river Tigris overflowed its banks, the palace of
King Chosroes toppled to the ground, the holy fires
of Zoroaster that had burned for centuries were
extinguished by the brighter light, and mules talked
and sheep bowed to him when he went out. He lost
his mother, Amena, when he was six years old, and

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FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

was adopted a few years later by his uncle, Abu-
Taleb, with whom he went to Syria; there he met
an Arab monk, who informed his uncle of the fu-
ture awaiting his nephdw, and charged him to guard
the boy with the greatest care. From that time

THK PR01MIKT MOHAMMED.

until his twentieth year he is scarcely heard of.
In that year he served in the war against the Beni
Kinanah tribe. In his twenty-fifth year he was a
shepherd on the pasture-fields in the vicinity of
Mecca. About this time he entered the employ of
a wealthy widow, who was some fifteen years his

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

senior. This widow, Kadijah, employed him to look
after her caravans, and his management of her
affairs was attended with uniform success. On
his return from a journey to Damascus, where he
had met with greater success than ever, the exult-
ant widow offered to marry him and pleaded her
cause with such fervor and eloquence that the
young man consented. In many respects this mar-
riage was most important in its results. It at once
placed Mohammed in a position of affluence and
raised his rank equal to that of the influential tribe
of the Koreish. Mohammed now gave up business
and devoted himself to religious meditations. The
religion of the Arabs at this time (595) was Sa-
baism, a kind of idolatry or system of sun, moon
and star worship, widely prevalent, not only in
Arabia, but in Chaldea, Syria and Ethiopia. Idol-
atry had overclouded the old Monotheism (one
God) of the Arabs, and brought the religious in-
stincts of the people into manifold confusion. Mo-
hammed was surrounded by Jews, Christians and
Jewish Christians; and in his journeys with the
caravans had frequent opportunities of discussing
religious questions with them. It is certain that he
was far from satisfied with Judaism, Christianity
or Sabaism, the popular religions of Arabia. The
scenes of misery and immorality, and the utter spir-
itual degradation of the entire people, made a vivid
impression on his sensitive mind, and suggested
that remedies should be found.

In his fortieth year he received the first revela-
tion concerning the new truth. He hastened to his
beloved wife, and, confiding to her what had hap-
pened, fell into a severe paroxysm of epilepsy. He

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FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

became subject to the most fearful mental torments.
Hesitation and fear possessed him. In the end he
overcame them, with *he result that he felt him-
self called upon to overthrow the worship of his
countrymen, establish the belief in the unity of
God, and that he was the one divinely appointed
to preach it to the world. The evidence of trust-
worthy historians goes to show that he was known
for his kindness and gentleness, his honesty and
truth, qualities that gained for him the surname
of Al-Amin, "The True." His progress was slow,
his footsteps were dogged, his foes persecuted him,
his faithful wife, Kadi j ah, dies, and once he was
stoned and left for dead by the roadside. At this
juncture help came from an unexpected quarter.
The neighboring city of Medina was held by two
tribes hostile to the people of Mecca, and they of-
fered him and his converts asylum. At the dead of
night and at the peril of his life he fled from his
birthplace, and that day is celebrated in the Moham-
medan calendar as the beginning of a new era.
This took place in the year 622, and is called
the Hegira. His flight became known and pursuers
followed him. He hid in a cave three days and
nights. Tradition loves to tell how a spider wove
its web over the cave's mouth, and some doves,
ever after sacred, laid their eggs before the cave,
so that the pursuers judged therefrom that none
had entered the cave. Arrived at Medina, he or-
ganized his followers. From that time a complete
change came over him; the man who had been "as
shy as a veiled virgin," now became the apostle of
war. With a small army of followers he overran
Arabia, and in less than seven years his gleaming

125

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

sword had conquered every city of the land. Even
Mecca fell before him, and he threw out the idols
from the temple and consecrated it to the worship
of Allah. Acknowledged was he now by the whole
people as the prophet of God and as their king.

His great gift is the Mohammedan Bible, the
Koran, a book containing the messages of the
prophet which were collected by his follower, Zeid,
from records written on palm leaves, white stones,
leather, the shoulder-blades of sheep and camels.

Mohammedanism, the religion founded by Mo-
hammed, or Mahomet, teaches, in opposition to the
various idolatrous religions which it has succeeded
in superseding, a strong theism (belief in God),
essentially the same as taught by Judaism and
Christianity, from which it was borrowed. "There
is no God but God" is the principal tenet in Mo-
hammedan dogmatics, and he has created the world
and the immortal soul of man, whose life on earth
he shall judge and reward or punish in a future
state. But the further development of this idea,
especially of the relation between God and man-
kind, is narrow, fantastic and arbitrary. Before
the almighty power of Allah the free will of man
vanishes; Mohammedanism is fatalism. The Ko-
ran acknowledges and encourages polygamy, and
it exists in all Mohammedan countries, with all its
deteriorating and weakening consequences, spirit-
ual and bodily.

Ten years after Mohammed had fled from Mecca,
in the year 632, at the age of sixty-two, he made a
pilgrimage thither from Medina with forty thou-
sand Moslems, and there on a mountain, like Moses

of old, he uttered the last words to the people, ex-

126

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

horting them chiefly to protect the weak, the poor,
the women, and to abstain from usury. He was
sick for some days, the^-esult of a poison adminis-
tered to him by a woman. As he lay dying, with
his head resting on the lap of Ayesha, one of the
numerous wives he had wedded after the death of
Kadijah, she heard him murmuring, as she looked
into his pale face and slowly glazing eyes, "No

the companions above in Paradise."

She took his hand in hers, praying. When she let
it sink it was cold, and he was dead. He left ten
wives (of fourteen, which he had in all), but only
one child, Fatima, the daughter of Kadijah, his first
wife; and so long as Kadijah lived, Mohammed did
not follow the practice usual among Arabs of tak-
ing many wives. He was buried in the mosque at
Medina, and at his tomb thousands of pilgrims
gather every year.

Islam is the Arabic name for the Mohammedan
creed. Moslem is the name the professors of this
creed give themselves. Saracens or Mussulmans,
followers of Mohammed.

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FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

The Conflict.

Mutual hatred had long existed between the
Christians and the Mohammedans. The latter
aforetime had done incalculable damage to the pros-
pects of the Cross. All that the missionaries and
evangelists had accomplished in Arabia, Abyssinia,
Egypt and northern Africa, had been eradicated
by the followers of the prophet. The movement
of the Mohammedans, westward through Africa
and northward into Europe, in the eighth century,
was answered by the counter movement of the
Christians, eastward through Europe and into Asia,
in the eleventh. The sword of the living Godfrey
was crossed with that of the dead Taric.
i Previous to the opening of the conflict, however,
and indirectly leading to it, Palestine had become
j the Mecca of pious pilgrims, who, from all parts
I of Christendom, threaded their weary way to the
/ land made sacred by their Lord and Master, that
they might do penance for their sins or quicken
their zeal by visiting hallowed scenes. * A great
stimulus was given to these undertakings by the
mother of Constantine, Helena, who visited the
Holy Land in A. D. 325, and in pious zeal used
the immense wealth at her command in building
altars, chapels and houses of prayer in places made

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

historical by events in the Saviour's life. She erect- j
ed the famous Church of the Nativity at Bethlehem,
the city of His birth; bui^t the Church of the Holy
Sepulchre at Jerusalem, on the supposed site of His
tomb; and laid the foundations of the Church of
the Resurrection. Her industrious example natu-
rally awakened new zeal for pilgrimage. Hence-
forth, thousands upon thousands, princes and
peasants, nobles and beggars, the devout and the
mercenary, annually thronged the thoroughfares
on their way to the "City of the Great King."— ___
But while this was going on, Jerusalem, then
under the control of the Roman Empire, was taken
possession of in 637, by the soldiers of Islam,
commanded by that famous Mohammedan chief-
tain, Omar. He erected the mosque bearing his
name, on the site of the temple of Solomon, and
restored the enclosures of the temple — a tribute
paid to King Solomon, whose faith, like Moham-
med's, recognized but one "Living and True God."
Owing to Omar's tolerance, for a long period the
Christians were undisturbed in their pilgrimages
and devotions, but in 1073 Palestine was overrun
and conquered by hordes of Seljook* Turks, who
came out of the northeast through Khorassan and
other provinces of Persia. They were more in the
form of revolutionists than conquerors, as they
were already the disciples of Islam. The Arabian
Fatimite* governors were obliged to retire into
Egypt./ The Holy City fell under the dominion of/
Sultan Malek Shah and his viceroys, who instituted
a high revel of violence and outrage against both
Christians and Arabs. Infested by bands of lawless j
men, the roads to Jerusalem became no longer safe <
for pilgrims. They were robbed of their much orj

129

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

little wealth ; men were thrown into slavery ; women
were outraged; children were stolen or murdered,
and although, doubtless, there were enthusiasts who
courted these perils in the holy cause -yet the vast7
majority of Christendom were filled u it:h grief and!
vengeance as returning pilgrims told the ghastly*
tale of pagan atrocities.

In this state of affairs, when there was scarcely
a home circle that was not saddened or bereaved
by the brutal treatment of the pilgrims, Peter the
Hermit, a monk and native of Amiens in France,
having visited Palestine and witnessed the cruelty
of the Turks, reported what he had seen to Pope
Urban II., by whom encouraged, he traveled
through Italy and France and began to preach the
-y 'first Crusade. .Peter had been educated in Paris/
\ and in Italy; had served in the army of Flanders,!
but gave up the military career and married ; became
a monk after the death of his wife, and finally a
hermit. / Possessed of no other power than the influ-
ence of his character and his genius, this simple
unshod monk, a man of mean aspect, clad in a
coarse cassock, around which a rude rope served
as a girdle, mounted on a mule, and holding a
gleaming crucifix in his hand, rode from town to
town and from province to province rehearsing the
indignities heaped upon the innocent pilgrims; in
graphic language he depicted the scenes of blood
of which he had been an eye-witness in the streets
of Jerusalem, appealing in turn to the piety, the
courage and the passions of his hearers. By his
eloquence he fired the popular heart to go forth to
redress the wrongs and rescue a desecrated tomb
from the hands of the infidel. As a consequence

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FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

of his impassioned harangues, such a wave of en-
thusiasm for his enterprise surged throughout

I

Christendom that the reigning powers felt its 1
mighty swell, and in the year 1095, at the Council I

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

of Clermont, Pope Urban II. espoused his cause
and gave pontifical sanction to the first Crusade.

to

Meanwhile the second division of the host, num-

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

bering about 40,000 men, women and children, un-
der the command of Peter the Hermit, pressed on
in the same direction taken by Walter. They, too,
were pursued and furiously attacked by the wild
Bulgarians, who caused a general rout and slaugh-
ter of thousands of their number. The remaining
wretched, half-starved fugitives in time arrived at
Constantinople, where, under the protection of
Emperor Alexius, who had espoused the Crusade,
the two united their forces, crossed the Bosphorus
into Asia Minor, and encountered the Turks at
Nice. There they were utterly routed and slaugh-
tered; Walter the Penniless was killed and the re-
maining remnant returned to Constantinople. A
third rabble soon followed from Germany. A cer-
tain monk named Godeschal, envious of the fame
of Peter and Walter, preached the holy war through
his native districts, and about 15,000 villagers and
peasants flocked to his standard. They followed
the same route as the others, and before the walls
of Belgrade they were massacred by the Hunga-
rians, almost to a man.

In the meantime, the fourth and last division of
the host gathered on the eastern confines of Ger-
many. Perhaps no other such a detestable mass
of vile humanity was seen before or since in the
world. France sent her thieves; the Rhine prov-
inces, their offscouring; the British Islands, their
outlaws ; and all the west, her pads and murderers.
This delightful army of European refuse heaped
up to the number of more than 200,000. A few
ignorant nobles with their bands of retainers were
merged in the common mass; but when it came to
the election of leaders the choice fell on a goat and

133

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

a goose. These ridiculous creatures were actually
set forward as the divinely constituted agents by
which the host was to be led to victory over the
infidel Turks of Asia. The result was as revolting
as the beginning was abominable. The superstitious
herd fell upon the Jewish colonists in the cities of
the Rhine and the Moselle, and began to rob and
murder. The rabble pretended to see in the Jews
only the enemies of Christ. In spite of the protests
of the Romish Church, under whose call the Crusade
had been begun, the Jews were massacred by thou-
sands. When the ruffian hosts could find no further
material to slaughter, the march was resumed from
the Rhine to the Danube. The whole route was a
scene of barbarous lust and licentiousness. The day
of judgment, however, at last arrived. At the Dan-
ube the Hungarian army was drawn up to dispute
the progress of the invaders. The immense rabble
was hemmed in and beaten back against the river.
The tide of the Danube was red with the blood of the
robbers. Very few escaped the vengeance of the
Hungarians and the engulfing river. Thus perished
the fourth and last of those fanatic multitudes that
arose at the call of Peter the Hermit. Already
more than a 'quarter of a million of human beings
had been swallowed from sight before a regular
army could be equipped and started in the wake
of the popular tumult. Not a Christian soldier
had thus far penetrated beyond the plain of Nice.
Walter the Penniless was dead. The fame of Peter
the Hermit was also at a discount, but the fever
of Europe was in nowise cooled. Tt still remained
for her soldiery to undertake by regular expedition

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

what her peasants and monks, her goose and her
goat, had failed to accomplish.

In the meantime the secular princes of the west,
who attended the Council^f Clermont and assumed
the Cross, were busily engaged in preparing for the
holy war. A vast army embracing all the chivalry
of Europe, consisting of six grand divisions, set
forth for Constantinople. Here they united their
forces and then took up their march for the Holy
City. Among those who were destined to distin-
guish themselves as Crusaders, should be men-
tioned, first of all, Godfrey of Bouillon, Duke of
Lorraine. His reputation for piety, learning and
courage was equal to that of the best prince of
his age. In his father's house Peter the Hermit
had lived before he became a monk. In early life
Godfrey took up arms and won high distinction as \-
a soldier in many bloody fought battles. With no j
half-hearted purpose did he become a Crusader.
No sacrifices were spared to secure the desired end.
He sold or mortgaged all of his castles and estates,
and with the money procured by the sale of his vast
domains he raised and equipped a magnificent army
of 90,000 men. It was he who led those from Ger-
many and northern France.

Raymond, Count of Toulouse, a second of the"
leaders, was a soldier by profession and had fought
against the Mohammedans in Spain. He was
known as one of the most valiant captains of his
times. It was his saying that he had spent his
youth fighting the followers of the false prophet
in Europe, and would spend his old a^e in warring
with them in Asia. Already aged, his white locks

'35

r

1

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

made him a conspicuous leader for those from
southern France.

Prince Bohemond, of Tarentum, Italy, who led
the Italian force, was the tallest man in his army;
he was full of passion and haughty pride; when he
spoke, his hearers helieved that eloquence had been
his only study ; when under arms, he might be sup-
posed to have done nothing but wield the lance and
sword. The deliverance of the tomb of Christ
was not the object that induced him to assume the
Cross ; he hoped to win a kingdom before he should
arrive at Jerusalem. After the fall of Antioch*
his vain hopes were realized by his becoming the
first Prince of Antioch.

Hugh the Great, Count of Vermandois, led the
French forces. He was a brother of King Philip
of France. At home he was much admired for
his brilliant qualities by the Court. He was brave,
but easily overcome by flattery, and was wanting
in perseverance in reverses.

Robert, Duke of Normandy, who led the Norman
forces, was the son of William the Conqueror. He
had few noble qualities, but many reprehensible
faults. His extravagance, weakness and incon-
stancy caused him to be unpopular, and, in the end,
reduced him to absolute poverty.

Robert, Count of Flanders, was at the head of the
Prisons and the Flemings, or Dutch forces. He em-
barked in an expedition which procured for him
the reputation of a bold knight, together with the
surname of 'The Lance and Sword" of the Chris-
tians.

All these leaders were celebrated for their ex-
ploits, but no one amongst that vast army was more

136

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

worthy to attract the attention of posterity than
the brave Tancred, from the island of Sicily, whose
piety and friendship for his cousin, Prince Bohe-
mond, under whom he* served, led him into Asia.
A stranger to all the motives and interests of policy,
he acknowledged no other law but religion and
honor, and was always ready to die in their cause.

THE FIRST CRUSADE.

He was made Prince of Tiberias, and finally died
at Antioch in 1112.

The forces thus gathered out of the prolific
numbered fully 600,000 warriors. Of these,
ooo were mounted knights, and the remainder,
soldiers in armor. The mixed character of
throng was still preserved. Priest, matron and
maid journeyed by the side of the warriors. At
the head rode the austere Godfrey, the white-haired

'37

ic west!

I, IOO,-\

*r, foot j
of the'

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR
.. Raymond, and Peter the Hermit seated on a mule.

Pfc^*^^«

This immense army pressed steadily forward, and
/ after capturing Nice, Antioch and other cities on
^ the way, this army, though greatly reduced in num-
bers by privations and conflict, at length came upon
1 the object of its ambition, Jerusalem, in the year
IOQQ^ The city was taken on the I5th of July, after
x^an obstinate siege of somewhat more than five
j^weeks. Assault after assault was made upon the
unyielding walls, only to be repulsed, and the jaded
remnant of only 40,000 of what was once a vast
army, were on the point of abandoning the under-
taking, when Godfrey, looking up to Mount Olivet,
beheld there a mighty horseman waving on high
a buckler. "Behold," cried the hero, "St. George
comes again to our aid and makes a signal for us
to enter the Holy City/' The effect was magical.
The army, seized as if by an electric enthusiasm,
made an irresistible charge, carried the walls, and
* Jerusalem was taken. IHistory has remarked that
I the Christians entered Jerusalem on a Friday, at
J the hour of three in the afternoon ; exactly the same
day and hour at which Christ expired for the salva-
/ tion of the human race.. Among those who received
the greatest congratulations by the victorious mul-
titude was Peter the Hermit. The little fanatic
monk was singled out as the greatest of all the
human agencies by which the deliverance of Jeru-
salem had been accomplished. Around him, clad in
his woolen garment and mounted on his mule, the
mediaeval Zealots gathered in enormous crowds,
and did obeisance as to a liberator and savior.
Godfrey of Bouillon soon came in for his share of
glory. Within eight days after the fall of the city
i 138

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

he was on the 23d of July elected king of Jerusa-
lem. Godfrey accepted the office, but refused the
title of king. He declared that it would be unbe-
coming in him to wear%. crown of gold in the city
where Christ had been crowned with thorns. It
was therefore decided that he be entitled "First

is )

n>^

JERUSALEM.

Baron and Defender of the Holy Sepulchre." His
| sovereignty, however, was ample and his right
disputed. - Soon after many of the princes and lead-
ers returned to Europe. Peter the Hermit likewise
left the Holy City and started on a homeward voy-
age. In mid-sea his ship was caught in a storm
and the terrified monk vowed if he should be spared

139

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

he would found an abbey in honor of the tomb of
Christ. The tempest passed and Peter kept his vow
by building a monastery on the banks of the Maes
in France. Here he spent the remnant of his days
in penitential works, after the manner of his order.
About a year after the taking of Jerusalem, as
Godfrey was returning from an expedition, the
emir of Caesarea* came out to meet him and
presented to him an offering of some of the fruits
of Palestine. The unsuspecting Godfrey accepted
and ate an. apple. Doubtless it had been poisoned,
for the prince almost immediately fell ill. It was
with great difficulty that he reached Jaffa, whence
he was conveyed to his capital, where on the i8th of
July, noo, he died. His mortal remains were de-
posited within the enclosure of Calvary, near the
/ tomb of Christ. He surpassed all the captains of
his age, and his name will live honored amongst
men as long as the remembrance of the Crusades.
Godfrey was succeeded by his brother Baldwin of
Edessa, as Baldwin Jl and upon his death in 1118,
was succeeded by Baldwin de Bourg, a cousin of
Baldwin I., under the title of Baldwin II.

Ancient Templars.

The conquest of the city furnished a new stimu-
lus to the pilgrim age, but Palestine was still in the
hands of the fierce Mohammedans, who soon began
to carry on their work of pillage and murder of
.Christian pilgrims with increased vigor. In iiiS
two I'Vench knights, Hugh de Payens and Geoffrey
of Saint Omar, perceiving the hardships to which

.the Christian travelers were exposed in and about

140

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

the Holy City, took upon themselves the duty of
conducting the pilgrims who journeyed between
Jerusalem and the Jorda^n. This charitable office
soon gained reputation for the humble warrior
guides, and they were joined by seven others, like-
minded with themselves. Their names were~Royal,*
Gundemar, Godfrey Bisol, Pay ens de Montidur,
Archibald de St. Aman, Andre de St. Moulbar,
and the Count of Province. An organization was
effected under the benevolent patronage of the pa-
triarch of the city, and under the name of "Egpr
Fellow Soldiers of Christ." fThe members bound
themselves by the usual monastic vow of obedience,
chastity and poverty ; and to these two others were •
added, to defend the Holy Sepulchre and to protect i
the wayfaring pilgrims in Palestine. Such was
the humble beginning of the Order of Knights./
Templar., At this time I deem it best to mention
that the old established Order of Knights Hospital-
lers, who were now in the flush of their heroic vic-
tories, lent aid and encouragement to the new so-
ciety of brothers. Nothing was to be feared by the
Knights Hospitallers from an humble fraternity
known by the name of "Poor Fellow-soldiers _of
Chrisk" but in years afterwards jealousy arose,
and sometimes conflict between the two orders, yet
for the most part they fought side by side for the
common cause. x

Hugh and Geoffrey had but one horse between
them, and him they rode together on their first mis-
sion of benevolence. (The great seal of the Tem-
plars still perpetuates the story of the lowly origin
of the Order in the figure of a steed with two j,

riders. ) The first members were given a lodging by ('

141

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

1 Baldwin II., who assigned them quarters in his pal-
I ace on the site of the ancient temple, whence they
/ derived the name of Templars; a title which they
( ever afterward retained.

r "'Their first armory was established in a church
near by, and here they stored their knightly weap-
ons. The first Chapter was limited to nine mem-
bers ; but this limitation was removed by the Council
of Troyes in 1127. Raynouard says that Baldwin
sent Hugh de Payens to Europe to solicit a new
Crusade, and that while there he presented his com-
panions to the Pope Honor ius IT., from whom he
craved permission to form a religious military or-
der, in imitation of that of the Hospitallers. The
Pontiff referred them to the ecclesiastical council
which was then in session at Troyes, in Champagne.
Thither De Payens repaired, and represented to the
fathers the vocation of himself and his companions
as defenders of the pilgrim; the enterprise was
approved, and St. Bernard, Abbot of Clairvaux,
was commissioned to draw up a suitable code for
the government of the body, and to devise an appro-
priate garb. The dress chosen was in strong con-
trast with that of the Knights Hospitallers, consist-
ing of a white tunic and mantle, with a red cross
on the left breast, while the Knights Hospitallers
wore the plain black robe, bearing a white cross of
eight points on the left breast. The rule of conduct
and discipline was approved in i uS by Pope Hono-
rius II. The principal articles were these: The
Knights were bound to recite vocal prayers at cer-
tain hours ; to abstain from meats four days in the
week; to refrain from hunting and hawking; to de-
fend with their lives the mysteries of the Christian

142

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

faith ; to observe and maintain the seven sacraments
of the church, the fourteen articles of faith, the
creeds of the apostles an^J of Athanasius;* to up-
hold the doctrines of the two Testaments, including
the interpretations of the Fathers, the unity of God
and the trinity of his person, and the virginity of
Mary both before and after the birth of the Son;
to go beyond the seas when called to do so in defense
of the cause ; to fly not from the foe unless assailed
by more than three infidels at once. Hugh de Pay-
ens, thus provided with a rule that gave perma-
nence to his Order, and encouraged by the approval
of the church, returned to Jerusalem. Humility
was one of the first principles of the membership.
The helmet of the Templar should have no crest—
his beard should not be cut — his demeanor should be
that of servant of his fellows. Each member, on
assuming the garb of a Knight, must be girt with
a linen cord in token that he was henceforth bound
to service.

The primal object sought in the institution of
the Order was the succor of needy pilgrims ; but as
the Moslems recovered after the capture of Jeru-
salem, and in increasing numbers threatened the
Christians on every side, the organization from ne-
cessity assumed a more distinctively military char-
acter, and ultimately became the right arm of the
Christian armies in their several operations against
the foe. St. Bernard, who visited them in their
Temple retreat, speaks in the warmest terms of
their self-denial, their frugality, their modesty,
their piety, and their bravery. Their banner was
the Beauseant, of divided white and black, indi-
go

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

cative of peace to their friends, but destruction to
their foes.

The organization of the Templars embraced four
classes of members — Knights, Squires, Servitors
and Priests. Each had their peculiar duties and
obligations. The presiding officer of the Order was
called the Master — afterwards the Grand Master.
England, Germany, France and Italy, in fact, nearly
all the states of Christendom, were divided into
provinces, and over each was set a provincial Mas-
%ter. The Grand Master of Jerusalem was regarded
as the head of the entire brotherhood, which soon
grew in numbers, influence and wealth to be one
of the most powerful organizations in the world.
Counts, dukes, princes, and even kings, eagerly
sought the honor which was everywhere conceded
to the red cross and white mantle of the Templar.

In course of time the Knights of the Temple be-
came a sovereign body, owing no allegiance to any
secular potentate. In spiritual matters the Pope
was still regarded as supreme, but in all other af-
fairs the Grand Master was as independent as the
greatest sovereign of Europe. The houses of the
Knights could not be invaded by any civil officer.
Their churches and cemeteries were exempt from
interdicts ; their properties and revenues from taxa-
tion. So great were the immunities thus enjoyed
that thousands of persons sought to be affiliated
with the brotherhood in order to share its benefits.

To the Knights Templar and the Hospitallers
was largely due whatever success or glory the sub-
sequent Crusades achieved, of which there were
seven. They were the flower of the armies, always
in the van with their glittering swords and waving

144

FREEMASONRY AM) KXKiHTS TEMPLAR

banners, when duty called; and whether defending
moated castle, or mountain defiles, they fought with
that dauntless heroism whicji makes even the sword
almost an object of reverence. When the Christian
kingdom in the East tottered to its downfall, the
Templars attempted to secure their own interests
by separate treaties with the Moslems, but their
fortunes were involved with those of the Western
powers, and all went down together. The chief
seat of the Templars remained at Jerusalem from
the foundation in 1118 until 1187, when Saladin,
Sultan of Egypt, invaded Palestine, and in October
of that year captured Jerusalem ; it was then trans-
ferred to Antioch, which fell to the Christians in
1098, during the first Crusade. It was there that
the followers of Christ first took the name of Chris-
tians; it was there that St. Peter was made first
bishop of the church ; and there .the early saints and
martyrs performed their miracles that gave to the
city a sanctity second only to that of Jerusalem.
The headquarters of the Grand Master remained
at Antioch for four years, and was then removed in
1191 to Acre.* This city was first taken by Bald-
win I. in noo, recaptured by the Moslems under
Saladin in 1187, and again retaken in 1191, by
Richard Coeur de Lion, leader of the third Crusade.
It was estimated that at this siege the Christian
losses reached the enormous aggregate of three
hundred thousand men, while those of the Moslems
were but little inferior. In all the great struggles
of human history so terrible a waste of life was
never witnessed as before the walls of Acre. It
became the stronghold of Knighthood and contin-
ued to be the headquarters of the Order until 1217,

145

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

when a third removal was made to the Pilgrims
Castle near Caesarea, a city founded by Herod the
Great, in 22 B. C, and built in honor of Caesar.
It was situated northwest of Jerusalem on the Medi-
terranean, and north of Jaffa, but now lies in shape-
less ruins. In 1291 the city of Acre again fell into
the hands of the Moslems under Sultan Khatil of
Cairo, and with the subsequent overthrow of the
Christian kingdom, the Templars retired to the
island of Cyprus, which was captured in 1191 by
Richard Cceur de Lion, during the third Crusade,
and to whom they paid thirty-five thousand marks.
Many of the Templars, after a brief stay in the
island of Cyprus, retired to their different Precep-
tories in Europe. A brief description of the defense
and fall of Acre can only be compared with the
many accounts of their past glorious struggles with
the infidel in defense of the Holy Land, and of Chris-
tian pilgrimage, sometimes successful and often dis-
astrous; of arid sands well moistened with the blood
of Christian and Saracen warriors ; of final forced
departure from the places which its prowess had
conquered, but which it had not the strength to
hold.

Defense and Fall of Acre.

With less than twelve thousand persons able to
bear arms, they manned the ramparts and defended
the city against two hundred thousand Moslems.
Almost every nation of Europe was represented
in the multitudes that thronged the streets that had
gathered within the defenses of the city. On the
fourth of May, a day fatal to the Christians,

'146

IKKKMASUXKV AXU KX1GHTS TEMPLAR

BATTLE BEFORE ACRE.

the signal for the last assault was given. At dawn
the Moslem army was under arms, the Sultan ani-

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

mating the soldiers by his presence. Both the at-
tack and defense were much greater than the days
before. Among those who fell on the field of battle,
there were seven Moslems for one Christian; but
the Moslems could repair their losses; those of the
Christians were irreparable. With ever-increasing
vehemence the Moslems leveled their destroying en-
gines against the tottering walls and towers of the
city. At last an important defense, known by the
name of the Cursed Tower, yielded to the assail-
ants, and went down with a crash. The breach
thus effected in the defenses opened into the heart
of the city. The Templars formed, a rash resolu-
tion of making a sortie, and attacking the camp of
the Moslems; they found the enemies drawn up in
order of battle. After a bloody conflict the Templars
were repulsed and pursued to the foot of the ram-
parts. The Grand Master of the Templars, William
de Beaujeu, one of the bravest of the brave, was
struck by an arrow and fell in the midst of his
Knights. The Grand Master of the Hospitallers
at the same time received a wound which disabled
him. The rout then became general, and all hope
of saving the city was lost. In poured the savage
tides of victorious Islam, hungry for blood and re-
venge. It was then a death-pall seemed stretched
over the whole city of Acre; there was not a street
that did not become the theater of carnage ; a battle
was fought for every tower, for every palace, and
at the entrance of every public building; and in all
these combats so many men were killed, that, ac-
cording to the report of an historian, "they walked
upon the dead as upon a bridge." A violent storm,
accompanied by hail and rain, burst over the city;

148

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

the horizon was all at once covered with such ipi-
penetrable darkness that the combatants could
scarcely distinguish the gplors they fought under,
or see the standards floated over the towers; the
flames appeared in several quarters without any one
making an effort to extinguish them ; the conquer-
ors only thought of destroying the city ; the only ob-
ject of the conquered was to escape. Whole fami-
lies took refuge in churches, where they were stifled
by the flames, or cut to pieces at the foot of the
altars ; many women and timid virgins, to preserve
their chastity, cut off their noses and otherwise dis-
figured themselves to escape the brutality of the
conquerors, for when the Moslems beheld their
bleeding faces, they would conceive a disgust for
them and put them to the sword at once.

The castle of the Templars, situated on the sea-
coast, in which all the Knights had taken refuge
who had escaped the steel of the Moslems, was the
only place in the city that had held out. After sev-
eral days' siege, the Sultan granted a capitulation,
and sent three hundred Moslems to execute the
treaty. Scarcely had these entered one of the prin-
cipal towers, the tower of the Grand Master, than
they began to outrage the women who had taken
refuge there. This violation of the rights of war
irritated the Christian warriors to such a degree
that all the Moslems who entered the tower were
put to death. The angry Sultan ordered the siege
renewed at once, and that all Templars in the asylum
be put to the sword. The Templars and their com-
panions defended themselves for several days; at
length the tower of the Grand Master was under-
mined, and fell at the very moment the Moslems

149

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

were mounting to an assault. They who attacked it
and they who defended it were equally crushed by
its fall; women, children, Christian warriors, all who
had come to seek refuge in the house of the Tem-
plars, perished, buried beneath the ruins. Such was
the dash, bravery and self-sacrifice of the Templars
throughout the life of the Order. To follow their
acts of true heroism would be to give a history of
the Crusades.

The few Christians still clinging to the coast
town of Syria made their escape as soon as possible
and left the savage Moslems in complete possession
of the country. After a continuance of 191 years,
the contest between the Cross and the Crescent
had ended in a complete restoration of the ancient
regime throughout Syria and Asia Minor. The
Crescent of Islam was again in the ascendant.

Final Dissolution.

In the beginning of the fourteenth century,
Philip the Fair, an avaricious and ambitious king
of France, secretly planned with Pope Clement V.
for the destruction of the Templars and the appro-
priation of their revenue. The Order at this time
was enormously wealthy; this aroused his avarice.
Their power interfered with his designs of politi-
cal aggrandizement and this alarmed his ambition.
Pope Clement, by Philip's direction, wrote, in 1306,
to De Molay, the Grand Master, who was then at
Cyprus, inviting him to come and consult with him
on some matters of great importance to the Order.
De Molay obeyed the summons and arrived at Paris
with sixty Knights and a large amount of treasure.

'50

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

He was arrested and imprisoned, as was later every
Knight in France, on the pretended charge of idol-
atry, and other enormous crimes, of which a rene-
gade and expelled prior ol the Order was said t«
have confessed that the Knights were guilty of in

BURNING OF JAQUES DE MOLAY.

their Chapters. On such preposterous charges the
Knights were tried, and, of course, as a foregone
conclusion, condemned, and on the I2th of May,
1310, fifty-four of the Knights were publicly burned.
De Molay, during his imprisonment, was subjected
to the utmost indignities and sufferings for the
purpose of extorting from him a confession of the
guilt of his Order. But De Molay was firm and
loyal, and on the nth day of March, 1314, he was
publicly burned "in the little island" of the Seine
between the "Augustinians and the royal garden"

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

in Paris. When about to die he solemnly affirmed
the innocence of the Order, and it is said summoned
Pope Clement to appear before the judgment-seat
of God in forty days and the king of France within
a year, and both, it is well known, died within the
periods specified. In most countries their property
was seized by the sovereign and in part turned over
to the Hospitallers and other Orders. From the
establishment of the Order by Hugh de Payens, the
first Grand Master, in 1118, until its dissolution
(1311) during the Mastership of James De Molay,
twenty-two Grand Masters presided over the Order.

Knights Templar, Masonic.

The connection of the Knights Templar with the
Freemasons may much more plausibly be traced
than that of the Knights of Malta. Yet, unfor-
tunately, the sources from which information is to
be derived are for the most part traditionary; au-
thentic dates and documents are wanting.

There are four sources from which Masonic Tem-
plars are said to have derived their existence, mak-
ing therefore as many different divisions of the Or-
der.

1. The Templars who claim John Mark Lar-
menius as the successor of De Molay. From this
source came the Templars of France.

2. Those who recognize Peter d'Aumont as the
successor of I )e Molay. From this source came the
Templars of Germany.

3. Those who derive their Templarism from the
Count Beaujeu, the nephew of De Molay. From
this source came the Swedish Templars.

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

4. Those who claim an independent origin, and
repudiate alike the authority of Larmenius, of Au-
mont and of Beaujeu. ^

Of the last class, or the Templars who recognized
the authority of neither of the leaders who have been
mentioned, there were two subdivisions, the Scotch
and the English ; for it is only in Scotland and Eng-
land that this independent Templarism found a foot-
hold.

The English Masonic Templars are most prob-
ably derived from that body called the "Baldwyn
Encampment" of Bristol, or from some one of the
co-ordinate Encampments of London, Bath, York
and Salisbury, which it is claimed were formed by
the members of the Preceptory,1 which had long ex-
isted at Bristol, and who, on the dissolution of their
Order, are supposed to have united with the Ma-
sonic fraternity. The Baldwyn Encampment claims
to have existed from "time immemorial" — an indefi-
nite period — but we can trace it back far enough
to give it a priority over all other English Encamp-
ments.2 From this division of the Templars, repu-
diating all connections with Larmenius, with Au-
mont, or any other of the self-constituted leaders,
but tracing its origin to the independent action of
Knights who fled for security and for perpetuity
into the body of Masonry, are we, I think, says Dr.
Mackey, justly entitled to derive the Templars of
the United States. Just at what time Comman-
deries were organized in this country, there is no

1 See Commandery, page in. third and fourth paragraphs.

2 See Baldwyn Encampment, in Supplement.

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

definite date. I'oston Commandery claims to date
from 1769, and is supposed to be one of the oldest.
Such in outline is the illustrous military history
of the Order of Knights Templar. The outward
may pass away; the torn banners, the gleaming
shield, the burnished armor, the quivering blades,
together with the forms that bore them so gallantly,
may become dust, or at best preserved in history
and song, but the knightly spirit may ever abide in
true men and be exemplified in every age.

Knights of Malta.

This Order, which at various times in the
progress of its history, received the names of
Knights Hospitallers, Knights of St. John of Jeru-
salem, Knights of Rhodes, and lastly, Knights of
Malta, was the oldest and one of the most important
of the religious and military orders of Knighthood
which sprang into existence during the Crusades,
which were instituted for the recovery of the Holy
Land. It owes its origin to the Hospitallers of
Jerusalem, that wholly religious and charitable Or-
der, which was established at Jerusalem in 1048
by some pious and benevolent merchants of the
Italian city of Amalfi, for the succor of poor and
distressed Latin pilgrims.

This society, established when Jerusalem was
in the hands of Mohammedans, passed through
many vicissitudes, but lived to see the Holy Land
conquered by the Christian Knights. It then re-
ceived many accessions from the Crusaders, who,
laying aside their arms, devoted themselves to the
pious avocation of attending the sick. It was then,

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

in the year 1099, that Gerard, the Rector of the
Hospital, induced the brethren to take upon them-
selves the vows of poverty, obedience and chastity.
The habit selected for the Order was a plain black
robe, bearing a white cross of eight points on the
left breast.

Raymond de Puy succeeded Gerard and proposed
a change in the character of the society, by which
it should become a Military Order, devoted to active
labors in the field and the protection of Palestine
from the encroachment of the infidels. This propo-
sition was warmly approved by Baldwyn, the king
of Jerusalem, who, harassed by a continual war-
fare, gladly accepted this addition to his forces.
The Order having thus been organized on a military
basis, the members took a new oath, by which they
bound themselves to defend the cause of Christian-
ity, but on no account to bear arms for any other
purpose. "This was in the same year that the an-
cient Order of Templars was organized and in the
same city/'

This act, 'done in 1118, is considered as the be-
ginning of the establishment of the Order of
Knights Hospitallers of St. John, of which Ray-
mond DePuy is, by all historians, deemed the first
Grand Master. They derived their title from the
church and monastery built at Jerusalem in 1048
by the founders of the Order, and dedicated to St.
John the Baptist. The history of the Knights from
this time to the middle of the sixteenth century
is but a chronicle of continued warfare with the
enemies of the Christian faith. When Jerusalem
was captured by Saladin in 1187, the Hospitallers
retired to Margat, a town and fortress of Palestine

155

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

which still acknowledged the Christian sway. At
this epoch, the Hospitallers suffered much from
their disputes and rivalries with the Templars ; but
in times of danger both brotherhoods gave their
best blood in defense of the common cause. In 1191
they made Acre their principal place of residence,
and in 1291, after the fall of that city, they fled to
the island of Cyprus, where they established their
convent. It was there they became a maritime
power, having their own fleets and winning their
own victories in the eastern Mediterranean. In
time their residence in Cyprus became unpleasant.
The king, by heavy taxes and other rigorous exac-
tions, had so disgusted them, that early in the four-
teenth century they left and seized the island of
Rhodes, where they established their power and de-
fied the Turks for more than two hundred years. In
the latter part of 1522 they were attacked by the
Turkish forces and surrendered. The Knights were
permitted to retire with all their personal property,
whence they sailed away and sought refuge in the
island of Crete or Candia; from there to Messina
in the island of Sicily, and then to the mainland of
Italy, where, after seven years' negotiations with
Fmperor Charles V. of Germany, they obtained
complete control of the island of Malta, and in 1530
they took formal possession. From this time the
Order received the name of "Knights of Malta."

The sea-born possession they converted into a
fortress which, in spite of the most strenuous efforts
of the Turks, was held by the Knights until T;<)8,
when it was surrendered without a struggle by
Louis de Hompesch, the imbecile and pusillanimous
Grand Master, to the French army and fleet under

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

Bonaparte ; and this event may be considered as the
commencement of the suppression of the Order as
an active power. All tha£ remains of it now is but
the diluted shadow of its former existence. The
Order, during its residence in Rhodes, underwent
several changes in its organization, by which the
simpler system observed during its infancy in the
Holy Land was rendered more perfect and more
complicated. In 1320 the Order was divided into
eight languages, covering that number of provinces,
over each of which presided one of the Grand digna-
taries with the title of Conventual Bailiff. Each of
these dignitaries resided in the palace or inn, while
the Hospitallers were at Rhodes and later at Malta,
which was appropriated to his language. In every
province there were one or more Grand Priories
presided over by Grand Priors, and beneath these
were the Commanderies, over each of which was
a Commander. Now only the languages of Italy
and Germany remain, and the functions of the
Grand Master are exercised by a Lieutenant of the
Magistery, who resides at Rome.

The Ancient Order of Malta has no connection
with Masonry whatever, but was probably intro-
duced by Thomas S. Webb as an appendant degree
to the Order of the Temple, and in this country is
conferred in the Asylum of a Commandery, or in
a Priory regularly convened for that purpose.

THE END.

157

Supplemental Encyclopaedia

OF

Ancient Countries and Cities

WITH

Short Sketches of the Early Tribes and of the Ancient
Characters Connected with Masonic History.

Supplemental Encyclopaedia of Ancient
Countries and Cities.

Aaron — The son of Amram and Jochebed, of the tribe
of Levi, and brother of Moses and Miriam, born in the
year 1574 B. C. He was three years older than Moses
and apparently some years younger than their sister Miriam.
Being an impulsive and eloquent man, he was appointed
spokesman to Moses, whom he assisted in the deliverance
of the Israelites from the bondage in Egypt. His wife
was Elisheba, daughter of Aminadab, from whom he had
four sons. Aaron's chief distinction consisted in the choice
of him and his male posterity for the priesthood. He was
consecrated the first high priest of the Israelites. He died
on Mount Hor, in Edom, which is still called the "Moun-
tain of Aaron," in the fortieth year after leaving Egypt,
at the age of 123 years, and was succeeded in the priest-
hood by his son Eleazer. The Arabs still pretend to show
his tomb on the mount, and highly venerate it.

Abraham or Abram — A son of Terah, a descendant
of Shem, and born at Ur, in Mesopotamia, in 1996 B. C.
In 1922 B. C. he went to Haran, in Mesopotamia, accom-
panied by his father, his wife Sarai, his brother Nahor,
and his nephew Lot (Gen. xi. 26-32). His father dies
soon after, and he takes Lot and his wife Sarai, and goes
to Canaan. In 1920 B. C. they go to Egypt, but return
in two years and Abram and Lot separate ; Lot goes to
Sodom and Abram to the Valley of Mamre • the same is
Hebron in the land of Canaan. Sarai, being barren, gives
Hagar, her Egyptian handmaid, to Abram, and in 1910
B. C. Ishmael was bora. God covenants with Abram,

161

SUPPLEMENTAL ENCYCLOPAEDIA

changes his name to Abraham, institutes circumcision, and
promises Isaac by Sarai, whom he calls Sarah (Gen. xvi.,
xvii.). In 1896 B. C. Isaac is born, and four years later
Abraham sends Ishmael and Hagar away by request of
Sarah. In 1859 B. C. Sarah dies, and Abraham, five years
later, marries Keturah, by whom he had six sons. In 1821
B. C. Abraham dies at the age of 175 years, and is buried
in the cave of Machpelah. Ishmael dies in 1773 B. C., at
the age of 137 years.

In 1856 B. C. Isaac marries Rebekah, and in 1836 B. C.
twin sons were born, whom they called Jacob and Esau
(Gen. xxv.). Isaac dies at Hebron in 1716 B. C., aged
1 80 years, and is buried in the tomb of Abraham by his
two sons (Gen. xxxv.).

In 1753 B. C. Jacob marries Leah and Rachel, and has
six sons and one daughter by Leah : Reuben, Simeon, Levi,
Judah, Isaachar, Zebulun and Dinah ; two sons by Rachel's
handmaid Bilhah : Dan and Naphtali ; two by Zilpah,
Leah's handmaid: Gad and Asher; two by Rachel: Joseph
and Benjamin. In 1689 B. C. Jacob dies in Egypt, aged
147, and was buried in Canaan (Gen. 1. 6-13).

Acre — A city of the tribe of Asher (Judg. i. 31). Tt
was called by the Phoenicians, Accho ; by the Greeks,
Ptolemais, from one of the Ptolemies, who enlarged and
beautified it. The Crusaders gave it the name of Acre,
or St. John of Acre. Tt is called Akka by the Turks. It
is a city and seaport of Syria, and is on the Mediterranean,
thirty miles south of Tyre. It was the "Key to Palestine."
and has been the scene of many famous sieges and battles.
It was taken by the Crusaders in noo, and retaken by
the Saracens in 1187. In 1191 it was recovered by the
Crusaders (under Gnido of Jerusalem, Philip of I 'ranee,
and Richard the Lion-hearted of England), and held by
them till they were finally driven out of Palestine in 1291.
It was the last fortified place wrested from the Christians
by the Turks.

162

SUPPLEMENTAL ENCYCLOPEDIA

•

Aholiab — A skillful artificer of the tribe of Dan, who
was appointed, together with Bezaleel, to construct the
tabernacle in the wilderness a|d the ark of the covenant.

Amalekites — A nomadic and warlike people, occupy-
ing, at the time of the Exodus, the Sinaitic peninsula and
the wilderness between Egypt and Palestine. They lived
generally in migrating parties, in caves or tents, like the
Bedaween Arabs of the present day. The Israelites had
scarcely passed the Red Sea when the Amalekites attacked
them at Rephidim, and slew those who, through fatigue
or weakness, lagged behind, but were signally defeated in
the final attack. They came again into conflict with a part
of the Israelites on the border of the promised land; and
after four hundred years Saul attacked and destroyed the
greater part of them. The remnant that escaped, David
defeated on several occasions ; and finally they were blotted
out by the Simeonites in the time of Hezekiah.

Ammonites — They were the descendants of Ammon,
or Ben-Ammi, the son of Lot by his youngest daughter
(Gen. xix. 38). They destroyed an ancient race of giants
called Zamzummim, and seized their country, which lay
east of the Jordan between the rivers Arnon and Jabbok,
and adjoining the northern part of Moab. Their chief
city was Robbah, which stood on the Jabbok, fifty-five miles
E. NE. of Jerusalem. Yet in the time of Moses they had
been driven out of this region, toward the east, by the
Amorites. About the year 1187 B. C. the Ammonites
greatly oppressed the Israelites, and Jephthah, who had
been expelled from home by his brothers on account oi
his illegitimate birth and gone to the land of Tob, a dis-
trict beyond the Jordan, where he had become the chief of
a band of brigands, was invited by the Israelites to become
their commander. He accepted the invitation on the con-
dition that he should remain their ruler if he defeated the
Ammonites. The victory was complete, and hence he ruled

163

SUPPLKM ENTAL KNT CYCLOPEDIA

or was judge over the country the rest of his life. A most
affecting incident in his life was his devoting his daughter
to God as a sacrifice in consequence of a rash vow (Judg.
xi.).

Amorites — A people descended from Emer, the fourth
son of Canaan (Gen. x. 10). They first peopled the
mountains west of the Dead Sea, near Hebron; but after-
wards extended their limits and took possession of the
finest provinces of Moab and Ammon, on the east between
the brooks of Jabbok and Arnon. Moses took this country
from their king Sihon. The lands which the Amorites
possessed on the west side of the Jordan were given to
the tribe of Judah, and those on the east, to the tribes of
Reuben and Gad. The Amorites were afterwards subdued
by Joshua, but he was not able to exterminate them. They
appear to have been long hostile to the Israelites, but in
Solomon's time were reduced to a tributary condition.

Antioch — An ancient city and the former capital of
Syria, situated on a fertile and beautiful plain on the left
bank of the river Orontes. It was founded in 301 B. C,
and named after Antiochus, a general in the Syrian army
and father of Seleucus Nicator, the founder of the Syrian
monarchy. It was the favorite residence of the kings of
Syria and was called "Antioch the Beautiful." It was
widely celebrated for the splendor of its luxury and the
magnificence of its palaces and temples. The population
in the time of its greatest prosperity is supposed to have
been 400,000 or more. It has been visited by several earth-
quakes and is now nearly ruined. The disciples of Christ
were first called Christians in Antioch, which occupies a
prominent position in the history of the primitive church
as the scene of the labors of the apostle Paul. The Cru-
saders took Antioch from the Saracens in 1098, after which
it was the capital of a Christian principality until 1269.
Its situation, amid innumerable groves and small streams,

164

SUPPLEMENTAL ENCYCLOPAEDIA

midway between Alexander and Constantinople, rendered
it a place of great beauty and salubrity, as well as com-
mercial importance. Among the remains of its former
grandeur are the ruined watts and aqueduct.

Arabia — Is a country of western Asia, lying south and
east of Judea. It is divided into three parts — Deserta,
Petrseia and Felix. Arabia Deserta is a vast steppe or
elevated expanse of sand, with occasional hills and a sparse
vegetation. It has the mountains of Gilead on the west,
and the river Euphrates on the east, and extends far to
the south. Arabia Petraea lies south of the Holy Land and
had Petra for its capital. This region contained the Edom-
ites and Amalekites, etc., people at present known under the
general name of Arabs. Arabia Felix lies still farther south
and east, and does not immediately adjoin the Holy Land.
The Queen of Sheba, who visited Solomon, was probably
queen of part of Arabia Felix. This country abounded
with riches, particularly with spices, and is now called
Hedjar. It is much celebrated in modern times by reason
of the cities of Mecca and Medina being situated in it.
There are, according to native historians, two races of
Arabs ; those who derive their descent from the primitive
inhabitants of the land, Joktan, a son of Eber, and by him
connected with the Hebrews and other Shemitic families,
and those who claim Ishmael as their ancestor. They are
Mohammedans, but their religion sets but lightly on them.

Arabia Deserta — See ARABIA.
Arabia Petraea — See ARABIA.
Arabia Felix — See ARABIA.
Aram-Naha-raim— See MESOPOTAMIA.

Ark of the Covenant — In the year 1116 B. C. the ark
was taken from Shiloh to Ebenezer; there the Philistines
captured the Israelites and took the ark to Ashdod and
set it in the house of Dagon; it was then taken to Gath,

SUPPLEMENTAL ENCYCLOPAEDIA

and from there to Ekron. In 1115 B. C. it was taken to
the land of Beth-shemesh, and from there to Kirjath-jearim,
a city of the Gibeonites, about nine miles northeast of
Jerusalem, and placed in the house of Abinadab, a Levite
(I. Sam. iv.-vii.). In 1045 B. C. the ark was taken to
the house of Obed-edom, a Gentile (II. Sam. vi.-x.), and
in the same year it was carried under King David's instruc-
tions to Jerusalem, where it was placed in a temporary
tabernacle (I. Chron. xv., xvi.).

Athelstan — An able Anglo-Saxon king of England,
born about 895 A. D.., was the natural son of Edward the
Elder, and a grandson of Elf red the Great. He began to
reign in 925, and was the first actual sovereign of all
England. On the death of Sigtric, king of Northumbria,
Athelstan annexed that country. A league was formed
against him by the Welsh, Scots and Picts, whom he de-
feated in a great battle at Brunenburg, in 937. He reigned
over nearly all the island, except Scotland and Wales. He
promoted learning and civilization, and was reputed one
of the wisest of the Anglo-Saxon kings. He died without
issue October 27, 940, and was succeeded by his brother
Edmund.

Athanasius — Saint, a celebrated Greek Father of the
church, was born at Alexandria about A. D. 296. His
education was directed by Alexander, archbishop of Alexan-
dria. After he had been ordained as a deacon he was ap-
pointed a member of the General Council of Nice (A. D.
325), in which 'ie distinguished himself by his eloquence,
learning, and zeal against Arianism (a denial that the Son
was co-essential and co-eternal with the Father).

Bacchus (Gr., Dionysus) — The youthful and beautiful
god of wine, said to be the son of Jupiter. He taught men
the culture of the vine, and first produced from grapes
an intoxicating drink. His worship was spread over many

1 66

SUPPLEMENTAL ENCYCLOPEDIA

countries of the world, and the myth of Bacchus was
variously modified by different peoples.

Baldwyn Encampment — An original Encampment of
Knights Templar at Bristol in England, said to have
been established from time immemorial. (No doubt the
Masonified [excuse the term] lineal descendant of the Pre-
ceptories of the thirteenth century. See Knights Templar,
Masonic, page 152.) Four other Encampments of the same
character are said to have existed in London, Bath, York
and Salisbury. The Knights of Bristol were well-to-do
and had large possessions in that ancient city. In the
eighteenth century the Duke of Sussex received from the
"Order of the Temple," at Paris, the degree of Knights
Templar and the authority to establish a Grand Conclave
in England. He did so; and convened that body once,
only once. His authority came from the Templars of
France, who professed to have continued the Order by
authority of a charter given by James de Molay to Lar-
menius. During the remaining years of his life as Grand
Master, Templarism had no activity in England, for he, for
some cause or other, discountenanced all Christian and
chivalric Masonry. After his death some of his officers
and followers resolved to rescue the Order from its de-
graded position, and several of the Encampments met and
formed the Grand Conclave of England.

In the meantime, of the five original Encampments of
England, who claimed to be the genuine representatives
of the Knights of the Temple, four had expired, leaving
Bristol the sole relic of the Order, with the exception of
the Encampments that had been created in various parts
of the country, not holding under any legitimate authority,
but raised by Knights who had been created in the Baldwyn
Encampment at Bristol.

Under these circumstances the Knights of Baldwyn, feel-
ing that their place was at the head of the Order, would
not yield precedence to the Encampment of Observance

16;

SUPPLEMENTAL ENCYCLOPEDIA

(the original Encampment of the Duke of Sussex), derived
from a foreign and spurious source, the so-called Order
of the Temple in Paris, and refused to send representatives
to the forming of the Grand Conclave of England. They
also refused to acknowledge its authority in Bristol until
such time as their claim should be treated with the con-
sideration they believed it deserved.

In 1857 the Knights at Bristol sought a reconciliation
with the Grand Conclave of England, but were refused.
They then in the same year "revived" the "Ancient Supreme
Grand and Royal Encampment of Masonic Knights Tem-
plar," with a constituency of seven bodies. But this body
did not have a very long existence, for in 1860 the Camp
at Baldwyn surrendered its independence, and became a
rcognized constituent of the Grand Conclave of England
and Wales.

Belshazzar — Was the son of Nabonadius, the sixth and
last king of the second Babylonian period. His mother
was a daughter of Nebuchadnezzar, and probably the widow
of Neriglissar, the fourth king of the period. When of
sufficient age he was associated with his father on the
throne, and in the Book of Daniel is therefore called king.
The night of the fall of Babylon, 538 B. C, he made an
impious feast, at which he and his courtiers drank out
of the sacred vessels which had been carried away from
the temple at Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar. He was ter-
rified by the apparition of the .hand which wrote upon
the wall ; and in the same night was slain, and the city
taken by Cyrus of Persia. The importance of Babylon
rapidly declined soon after its capture by Cyrus, for he
made Susa the capital of his kingdom. "There was a town
on its site until the fourth century, and many Jews dwelt
there." But from this time onward Babylon ceases almost
to be mentioned ; even its ruins have not been discovered
until within the last two centuries. It is infested by noxious
animals, and perhaps in no place under heaven is the contrast

SUPPLEMENTAL ENCYCLOPEDIA

between ancient magnificence and present desolation greater
than here.

Bethany — A village on the eastern slope of Mount Oli-
vet, about two miles east-southeast of Jerusalem, and on
the road to Jericho. It was often visited by Christ. Here
Martha and Mary dwelt. It was from the midst of His
disciples, near this village which he loved, that Christ
ascended to heaven

Bethlehem — A celebrated city in the tribe of Judah, six
miles south of Jerusalem. It was beautifully situated on
an oblong ridge, twenty-seven hundred feet above the level
of the sea, and affording a fine view in every direction. The
hills around it were terraced, and clothed with vines, fig
trees, and almonds ; and the valleys around it bore rich
crops of grain. Its memory is delightfully associated with
the names of Boaz and Ruth ; it is celebrated as the birth-
place and city of David ; but, above all, it is hallowed as the
place where the Redeemer was born. Over that lonely
spot the guiding star hovered; there the eastern sages
worshiped the King of kings, and there, where David
watched his flock and praised God, were heard the songs of
the angelic host at the Saviour's birth.

Birthright — The privilege of the first-born son. Among
the Hebrews, as indeed among most other nations, the
first-born enjoyed particular privileges ; and wherever polyg-
amy was tolerated, it was highly necessary to fix them.
Besides the father's chief blessing, the first-born son of a
priest succeeded his father in the priestly office. Among
the sons of Jacob, Reuben, the first-born, forfeited the right
of the first-born and it was given to Levi. The first-born
was entitled to a share of his father's estate twice as large
as any of the other brethren received, and succeeded to the
official dignities and rights of his father.

Briton — A native or citizen of ancient Britain or Britan-
nia; a name given to the aboriginal or ancient inhabitants

169

SUPPLEMENTAL ENCYCLOPAEDIA

of that island. When Caesar invaded the island in 55 B.
C, he found in it two different peoples — the interior was
occupied by the primitive or indigenous Celtic inhabitants,
who had been driven back from the coasts by a people of
probable Gothic descent. The latter had colonized the
southeast part of the island, and were less numerous than
the Celtic Britons. Caesar was the first who gave the
name Britannia to this island, which before his time was
called Albion. The language of the southern Celtic Britons
was very similar to the present Welsh. "The Gauls and
Britons," says R. G. Lotham, "are fundamental popula-
tions of the British Isles." The Picts were either aboriginal
or intrusive. If aboriginal, they were, like the Gauls and
Britons, Celtic. The religion of the island was Druidism.

Byblos — A seaport and district of Phoenicia, north of
Beyroot, whose Scriptural or Hebrew name was Gebal.
The inhabitants were called Giblites, and denoted in the
Hebrew word rendered "stone-squarers" in I. Kings v.
18. Their land and all Lebanon were assigned to the
Israelites, but never fully possessed. It was an impor-
tant place, and the seat of the worship of Thammuz.

Caesarea — A city situated on the coast of the Mediter-
ranean Sea, between Joppa and Tyre. It was anciently a
small place called the Tower of Strato, but rebuilt with
great splendor, and strongly fortified by Herod the Great,
who formed a harbor by constructing a vast breakwater,
adorned the city with many stately buildings, and named
it Caesarea in honor of Caesar. This city was the capital
of Judea during the reign of Herod the Great and of Herod
Agrippa I., and was also the seat of the Roman power
while Judea was governed as a province of the empire. It
is now a heap of ruins.

Canaan — The land peopled by Canaan, the son of Ham
and grandson of Noah (Gen. ix. 18). His numerous pos-

170

SUPPLEMENTAL ENCYCLOPAEDIA

terity seem to have occupied Zidon first, and thence spread
in Syria and Canaan. This country has at different periods
been called by various names, either from its inhabitants
or some circumstances connected with its history.

(1) ''The land of Canaan," from Canaan, who divided
it among his sons, each of whom became the head of a
numerous tribe, and ultimately of a distinct people. This
did not at first include any land east of the Jordan (Gen.
x., xi.).

(2) "The land of promise," from the promise given to
Abraham that his posterity should possess it (Heb. xi. 9;
Gen. xii. 7).

(3) These being termed Hebrews, the region in which
they dwelt was called "the land of the Hebrews" (Gen. xl.

15).

(4) "The land of Israel," from the Israelites, or pos-
terity of Jacob, having settled there. This name compre-
hends all that tract of ground, on each side of the Jordan,
which God gave for an inheritance to the Hebrews. At a
later age this term was often restricted to the territory of
the ten tribes (Ezek. xxvii. 17).

(5) "The land of Judah." This at first comprised only
the region which was allotted to the tribe of Judah. After
the separation of the ten tribes, the land which belonged
to Judah and Benjamin, who formed a separate kingdom,
was distinguished by the appellation of "the land of Judah,"
or Judea, which latter name the whole country retained
during the existence of the second temple, and under the
dominion of the Romans.

(6) "Holy Land." This name appears to have been
used by the Hebrews after the Babylonish captivity (Zech.
xv. 14).

(7) "Palestine" (Ex. xv. 14), a name derived from the
Philistines, who settled on the borders of the Mediterranean.
A name subsequently given to the whole country, though
the Philistines in fact possessed only a small part of it. By

171

SUPPLEMENTAL ENCYCLOPAEDIA

heathen writers, the Holy Land has been variously termed
Palestine, Syria and Phoenicia. Canaan was bounded on
the west by the Mediterranean Sea, north by Mount Leba-
non and Syria, east by Arabia Deserta, and south by Edom
and the desert of Zin and Paran. Its extreme length was
about one hundred and eighty miles, and its average width
about sixty-five. The soil of Canaan was highly productive.
Olives, figs, vines and pomegranates grew in abundance ;
the hills were clothed with flocks and herds, and the valleys
were covered with corn. The land of promise was cur-
rently described as "flowing with milk and honey." There
were eleven tribes, the lineal descendants of the patriarch
Canaan.

Canaan was conquered from the Canaanites by the He-
brews under Joshua, 1450 B. C., who divided it into twelve
confederate states according to the tribes. Saul united
it into one kingdom, and David enlarged its territories.
In 975 B. C. it was divided into the kingdoms of Israel
and Judah, the latter consisting of the tribes of Judah and
Benjamin, and the former of the rest of the tribes. Assyria
crushed the northern kingdom of Israel about 721 B. C.,
and Babylon crushed the southern kingdom of Israel about
588 B. C. Since then the country has been under foreign
domination, with hardly more than the shadow of independ-
ence at any time. Persians, Greeks and Romans succeeded
one another in the mastery. In the time of Christ under
the Romans, there were four provinces — Galilee, Samaria
and Judea on the west side of the Jordan, and Perea on
the east side. Since A. D. 637, when Palestine was con-
quered by the Saracens, it has, with little interruption, been
under Mohammedan power.

Ceres — The Roman name of the goddess of grain, fruit
and agriculture ; identical with the Grecian Demeter. Ceres
was the mother of Proserpine.

Chaldeans — See CITALDEA.

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SUPPLEMENTAL ENCYCLOPAEDIA

Chaldea — A country in Asia, the capital of which, in its
widest extent, was Babylon. It was originally of small
extent, but the empire being afterwards very much en-
larged, the name is generally taken in a more extensive
sense, and includes Babylonia. The Chaldeans were origi-
nally a warlike people, who at first inhabited the Koordish
Mountains north of Assyria and Mesopotamia. As the
Assyrian monarchs extended their conquests toward the
north and west, the Chaldeans also came under their do-
minion; and this rough and energetic people appear to
have assumed, under the sway of their conquerors, a new
character, and to have been transformed from a rude horde
into a civilized people. A very vivid and graphic descrip-
tion of the Chaldean warriors is given by the prophet Habak-
kuk, who probably lived about that time when they first
made incursions into Palestine or the adjacent regions
(Hab. i. 6-1 1 ). Of the date of their location in Babylonia
nothing is now known. The Babylonian Empire was found-
ed by Nimrod 2,000 years before Christ, and then embraced
the cities of Babel, Erech, Accad and Calneh. The most
ancient name of the country is Shinar; afterwards Babel,
Babylon and Babylonia became its common appellation,
with which, at a later period, Chaldea, or the land of the
Chaldeans, was used as synonymous, after this people had
got the whole into their possession. In the reign of King
Hezekiah, 713 B. C., a king of Babylon is mentioned, the
first of whom we read after Nimrod and Amraphel. About
one hundred years later we find the Chaldeans in possession
of the kingdom of Babylon. The first sovereign in the
new line appearing in history was Nabopolassar. His son
Nebuchadnezzar invaded Palestine and he was succeeded by
his son Evil-Merodach. After him came, in quick succes-
sion, Neriglissar, Laborosoarchod, and Nabonadius or Bel-
shazzar, under whom this empire was absorbed in the Medo-
Persian. The Babylonians were the descendants of Shem.

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Cyrus — Surnamed The Great, was the founder of the
Persian Empire. He was the son of Cambyses, king of
Persia, and Mandane, daughter of Astyages, king of the
Medes. The habits and manners of the two peoples were
alike, and the general motives of war were, for the most
part, wanting between them. No doubt there was certain
dependency — political, and perhaps tributary — of the Per-
sian upon the Median kings. For the purpose of educatiorf
and to learn refinement of manners, young Cyrus was
placed in charge of his grandfather, Astyages, at the court
of the Medes. According to a tradition, Astyages was
alarmed by a dream which portended that the offspring of
Mandane would become king, or conquer Media, and he
commanded an officer named Harpagus to kill Cyrus.
Harpagus promised to obey the order, but privily com-
mitted the boy to the care of a herdsman, who brought
him up with his own children. Cyrus, having discovered
the secret of his birth and having inured himself to the
hardy habits of the warlike Persians, incited the latter to re-
volt against the King of Media. With the encouragement
and assistance of his father, who was killed during the great
battle, he defeated Astyages, destroyed his army and took
him prisoner. The victory was so complete and overwhelm-
ing that his chiefs and generals gathered around him on the
battlefield and proclaimed him King of Media and Persia.
During his reign, among the many of his exploits was the
capture of Babylon in 538 B. C. In 536 B. C. he issued
that famous edict whereby the Jewish captives who had
been deported to Babylon were permitted to return to Jeru-
salem and rebuild their temple.

Herodotus states that Cyrus afterwards invaded the coun-
try of the Scythians, who were ruled by Queen Tomyris,
and that he gained several victories over her, but was
drawn into an ambush and killed In 529 B. C. He was
succeeded by his son Cambyses.

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SUPPLEMENTAL ENCYCLOPAEDIA

The kingdoms of Persia, Media and Babylon were con-
nected by royal family ties from the time of Nabopolassar
to that of Darius, by the marriage of Nebuchadnezzar,
son of Nabopolassar and King of Babylon, to Amyitis,
daughter of Astyages, King of Media. Cambyses, King
of Persia, married Mandane, daughter of Astyages, King
of Media. Cyrus the Great was the son of King Cambyses
and Mandane and the grandson of Astyages, King of Media.
Belshazzar was the son of Nabonadius, King of Babylon,
and the grandson of Nebuchadnezzar.

Damascus — A celebrated metropolis of Syria, and now
probably the oldest city on the globe. It stands on the
river Barada, in a beautiful and fertile plain on the east
and southeast of Ante-Lebanon. This plain is about fifty
miles in circumference; it is open to the desert of Arabia
on the south and east, and is bounded on the other sides
by the mountains. It is still celebrated, with the surround-
ing country, by all travelers as one of the most beautiful
and luxuriant regions in the world. The Orientals them-
selves call it the "Paradise on earth." It is the most purely
Oriental city yet remaining of all that are named in the
Bible. Its public buildings and bazaars are fine ; and many
private dwellings, though outwardly mean, are decorated
within in a style of the most costly luxury. Its position
has made it from the very first a commercial city; huge
caravans assemble here at intervals, and traverse, just as
of old, the desert routes to remote cities.

Darius, King of Persia — The successor of Cyrus and
Cambyses (Ahasuerus) on the throne of Persia, Babylon
and Media, was the son of Hystaspes, a member of the
noble family of Ach^emenidae. He was one of the seven
noble Persians who conspired against and killed the usur-
per Smerdis (Artaxerxes), whom he succeeded in 521 B. C.
lie married two daughters of Cyrus the Great, and organ-
ized the extensive empire which Cyrus and Cambyses had

SUPPLEMENTAL ENCYCLOPEDIA

enlarged by conquest. He preserved the friendly policy of
his predecessor Cyrus, in reference to the Jews, and con-
firmed the decrees of that monarch, which had been revoked
during the reign of Artaxerxes, by a new edict. In the
second year of his reign, Haggai and Zechariah, encouraged
by this edict, induced their countrymen to resume the work
of restoring the temple, which was finished four years after-
wards., Darius died in the year 485 B. C. and was suc-
ceeded by his son Xerxes.

Darius the Median — See Book of Daniel, chaps, v., vi.

Desert, or Wilderness — The Scriptures, by desert, gen-
erally mean an uncultivated place, a wilderness, or grazing
tract Some deserts were actually dry and barren; others
were beautiful, and had good pastures. David speaks of
the beauty of the desert (Psa. Ixv. 12, 13).

Desert of Kadish — See WILDERNESS OF PARAN.
Desert of Zin — See WILDERNESS OF PARAN.
Dionysus — See BACCHUS.
Edom (Gr., Idumea) — See EDOMITES.

Edomites — They were the descendants of Jacob's twin
brother Esau (called Edom), and inhabited a territory
bounded on the north by Judea and on the west by the
Mediterranean Sea. It was called Edom, or, in Greek, Idu-
mea. At one time it comprised parts of Judea as far
north as Hebron, and in Arabia the peninsula of Petraea.
It was annexed to Judea by David and later by the
Maccabees. The relations between the Jews and the Edom-
ites were always hostile and full of hatred, even after the
Jews had received an Edomite dynasty in the son of Herod
the Great, in whose time the Edomites were, however,
Jews in religion (Gen. xxxvi.).

Fatimites — A family of Arabian caliphs, who took their
name from the fact that they claimed descent from Fatima,

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SUPPLEMENTAL ENCYCLOPAEDIA

the daughter of the prophet Mohammed. They ruled from
909 till 1171, chiefly at Cairo, and at the period of their
widest sway ruled all north Africa, with Syria and Pales-
tine. *

Feasts — The Jews have established several festivals, or
days of rest and worship, to perpetuate the memory of great
events wrought in their early history: the Sabbath com-
memorated the creation of the world; the Passover, the
departure out of Egypt, because, the night before their
departure, the destroying angel, who slew the first-born
of the Egyptians, passed over the houses of the Hebrews
without entering them, they being marked by the blood of
the lamb; the Pentecost, celebrated the fiftieth day after
the sixteenth day of Nisan, which was the second day of the
feast of the Passover. The Hebrews call it the "feast of
weeks," because it was kept seven weeks after the Passover.
It was instituted, first, to oblige the Israelites to repair to
the temple of the Lord, and there acknowledge his dominion
over their country and their labors, by offering to Him the
firstfruits of all their harvests. Secondly, to commemorate,
and to render thanks to God for the law given from Mount
Sinai, on the fiftieth day after their coming out of Egypt.
The Tabernacle was instituted in memory of the forty years'
wanderings of the Israelites in the desert, and also as a
season of gratitude and thanksgiving for the gathering
in of the harvest; whence it is also called the Feast of the
Harvest. At the three great feasts of the year, the Pass-
over, Pentecost, and that of Tabernacles, all the males of
the nation were required to visit the temple. The other
festivals were the Feast of Trumpets for New Moon}, Pu-
rim, Dedication, the Sabbath Year and the Year of Jubilee.
The Hebrews were a hospitable people, and were wont to
welcome their guests with a feast and dismiss them with an-
other. The returning prodigal was thus welcomed. Many
joyful domestic events were observed with feasting — birth-
days, marriages, sheep-shearing and harvesting. During

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SUPPLEMENTAL ENCYCLOPAEDIA

the repast and after it various entertainments were provided ;
enigmas were proposed, eastern tales were told ; music and
hired dancers, and often excessive drinking, etc., occupied
the time.

Feast of the Passover — See FEASTS.

Feast of the Pentecost — See FEASTS.

Feast of the Sabbath— See FEASTS.

Feast of the Tabernacle — See FEASTS.

Gedaliah — A son of Ahikam, appointed by Nebuchadnez-
zar to govern Judea after the destruction of Jerusalem.
Like his father, he honored and befriended Jeremiah. He
began the administration of his government at Mizpeh with
wisdom, but in two months was treacherously murdered
by one Ishmael (Jer. xli.).

Gibeonites — See GIBEON.

Gibeon — A city of the Hivites (descendants of Canaan),
afterwards a Levitical city in the tribe of Benjamin. It
lay near Geba and Gebeah, and is sometimes wrongly taken
for Geba. Its Canaanite inhabitants secured a treaty with
Joshua and the elders of Israel by stratagem, and were
made hewers of wood for the sanctuary. Here the taber-
nacle was set up for many years. It stood on an eminence,
six miles north of Jerusalem. The inhabitants were called
Gibeonites.

Goshen — See LAND OF GOSHEN.

Haran — An ancient city, called in the New Testament
Charran, situated in the northwest part of Mesopotamia.
Here, after leaving Ur, Abraham dwelt till his father Terah
died ; and to this old homestead Isaac sent for a wife, and
Jacob fled from the wrath of Esau. Haran was rav-
aged by the Assyrians in the time of Hezekiah (713 B. C).
Here also Crassus, the Roman general, was defeated and
killed by the Parthians (53 B. C.). The Parthians were

SUPPLEMENTAL ENCYCLOPEDIA

great horsemen and would seem to have borne no very dis-
tant resemblance to the modern Cossacks. It is said they
were either refugees or exiles from the Scythian nation.
Harran, as it is now called, is situated on a branch of the
Euphrates, in a flat and sandy plain, and is only peopled
by a few wandering Arabs, who select it for the delicious
water it furnishes.

Hebrews — That branch of the posterity of Abraham
whose home was in the land of promise. The name Hebrew
is first applied to Abraham in Gen. xv. 13, and is generally
supposed to have been derived from Heber, the last of the
long-lived patriarchs. Heber outlived six generations of
his descendants, including Abraham himself, after whose
death he was for some years the only surviving ancestor
of Isaac and Jacob. Hebrews appears to have been the
name by which the Jewish people was known to foreigners,
in distinction from their common domestic name, "the chil-
dren of Israel." The name of Jews, derived from Judah,
was afterwards applied to them as inhabitants of Judea.

Hebron — On of the most ancient cities of Canaan, being
built seven years before Tanis, the capital of Lower Egypt.
It was anciently called Mamre, and was a favorite residence
of the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Here, too,
they were buried. Under Joshua and Caleb the Israelites
conquered it from the Canaanites, and it was afterwards
made a Levitical city of refuge. It was David's seat of
government during the seven years when he reigned over
Judah only. Here Absalom raised the standard of revolt.
It was fortified by Rehoboam, the son and successor of
Solomon.

At present Hebron is an unwalled city of about 8,000
inhabitants, of whom some 600 are Jews and the remainder
Turks and Arabs. It lies in a deep valley and on the ad-
jacent hillside, in the ancient hill country of Judea, about
twenty miles south of Jerusalem. Its modern name, El-

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Khulil, is the same which the Moslems give to Abraham,
"the friend of God"; and they profess to hold in their
keeping the burial-place of the patriarchs, the "cave of
Machpelah." It is covered by a small mosque surrounded
by a stone structure 60 feet high, 150 feet wide, and 200
feet long. Within this no Christian is permitted to enter :
but it is evidently of very high antiquity, and may well
be regarded as enclosing the true site of the ancient tomb.
The environs of the city are very fertile, furnishing the
finest vineyards in Palestine, numerous plantations of olive
and other fruit trees and excellent pasturage.

Horus — The child of Osiris and Isis. He came into the
world to avenge his father. As a youth he takes the name
of Buto. Then he becomes the Strong Horus, the great
helper, the pillar of the world. Horus was the god of light,
turning the gloom of winter into the verdure and life of
spring.

Holy Land— See CANAAN (Par. 6).
Ishmael — See ISHMAELITES.

Ishmaelites— The descendants of Ishmael, the son of
Abraham and Hagar, who was born in the year 1910 B. C.
Hagar was the Egyptian handmaid of Abraham's wife
Sarah. Ishmael was at first regarded as "the son of the
promise," but after the birth and weaning of Isaac, he was
driven from his father's house, at the age of about seventeen,
and with his mother took their way towards Egypt, her na-
tive land. Overcome with heat and thirst, and then miracu-
lously relieved (Gen. xxi.), he remained in the wilderness of
Paran, "and his mother took him a wife out of the land of
Egypt," and he became the father of twelve sons, heads of
Arab tribes. He seems to have become on friendly terms
with Isaac, and to have attended at the bedside of their dying
father. At his own death he was 137 years old. The
Ishmaelites were said in the days of Moses to have dwelt in

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SUPPLEMENTAL ENCYCLOPAEDIA

the northwestern part of Arabia. Subsequently they, with
the descendants of Joktan, the fourth son of Shem, and
Joksham, the son of Abraham by Keturah, occupied the
whole peninsula of Arabia, located near their "brethren"
the Jews, they have always led a roving, wild and preda-
tory life. To a great degree unchanged, they are to this
day the untamed though tributary masters of the desert

Jebusites — See JERUSALEM.

Jericho — Once one of the most flourishing cities of Pales-
tine, seven miles westward from the Jordan and eighteen
miles northeast from Jerusalem. Westward from Jericho
lies a waste tract of limestone mountains rising in stages;
but the immediate vicinity is well watered and fruitful,
yielding dates, raisins, etc. ; in early times a favorite abode
of poisonous snakes. The capture of Jericho by the Israel-
ites on their first entry into Canaan, its destruction and
the rebuilding of it by Hiel the Bethelite in the reign of
Ahab, about 918 B. C, are found recorded in Joshua vi. ;
I. Kings xvi. 34. It appears to have been afterwards the seat
of a school of prophets, and was the residence of Elisha.
Herod the Great resided in Jericho and beautified it. In
the time of the Crusades it was repeatedly captured and at
last completely destroyed. At the present day its place
is occupied by a miserable village called Richa or Erisha
The road from Jericho to Jerusalem ascends through narrow
and rocky passes amid ravines and precipices. It is an
exceedingly difficult and dangerous route, and is still in-
fested by robbers, as in the time of the good Samaritan
(Luke x. 30-34).

Jerusalem — Its origin and early history are very obscure.
The Jebusites, who were the descendants of Canaan, were
the first known occupants of that elevated ground upon
which rests the city, which they called Jebus, and we know
that the Jebusites retained possession of the strong position

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SUPPLEMENTAL ENCYCLOPAEDIA

of the hill of Zion for a considerable time after the conquest
of Canaan, and even after the storming of Jerusalem, while
the tribes of Judah and Benjamin occupied the lower city.
They were finally dispossessed by David. The name of
Jerusalem is first mentioned in Josh. x. I. It lies upon
the original border of Judah and Benjamin, the line of
which runs through the Valley of Hinnom, so that Zion
and the northern city lay within the territory of Benjamin.
Its historical importance dates from the time of David, who
there fixed his residence, calling it by the name of the
"City of David," transporting to it the ark of the covenant.
The building of the temple under Solomon was the con-
summation of the dignity and holiness of Jerusalem, which
was further enlarged, strengthened, and beautified by this
king and his successors. It suffered a diminution of political
importance through the revolt and secession of the ten
tribes, from which date its history is identified with that
of the kingdom of Judah. It was pillaged (971 B. C.) by
Shishak, King of Egypt ; by Joash, King of Israel ; and
finally (588 B. C.) it was taken, after a siege of three years,
by Nebuchadnezzar, who razed its walls and destroyed
the temple and palaces by fire. Having been rebuilt after
the Captivity (536 B. C), it was again taken and pillaged
under Ptolemy Lagos (320 B. C), an Egyptian king, who
carried thousands away slaves to Egypt. Antiochus IV.
succeeded to the throne of Syria in 176 B. C. and deliberately
began to plan the extinguishment of the Jewish people. He
sent an army to Jerusalem, which entered on a Sabbath
day (168 B. C.), made havoc of the inhabitants and leveled
the city walls. Pompey took the city (63 B. C), put 12,000
of the inhabitants to the sword, and razed the walls to the
ground. A few years later (56 B. C.) it was pillaged by
Crassus ; and from these beginnings date the continued
series of Roman aggressions, which terminated in the
complete destruction of the city and dispersion of the Jewish
race under Vespasian and Titus, A. D. 70.

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SUPPLEMENTAL ENCYCLOPAEDIA.

Jethro — "Moses' father-in-law," a shepherd prince or
priest of Midian. When the Hebrews were at Mount
Sinai he visited Moses, gave him some wise counsel as to
the government of the tribes, and then returned to his own
people. Jethro was a worshiper of God, and some infer
that he was a descendant of Abraham through Midian.

Jones, Inigo — One of the most celebrated of English
architects and hence called the Vitruvius of England. He
was born at London July 15, 1573, and died June 21, 1652,
in the seventy-ninth year of his age. He was successively
the architect of three kings — James I., Charles I. and
Charles II., and during his long career superintended the
erection of many of the most magnificent public and pri-
vate edifices in England, among which was the old church
of St. Paul's. He was elected Grand Master under James
I. in 1607. During his administration several learned
men were initiated into the Order, and the society con-
siderably increased in consequence and reputation. The
Communications of the Fraternity were established, and
the annual festivals regularly observed.

Joppa — One of the most ancient seaports in the world.
It was a border town of the tribe of Dan, on the coast of
the Mediterranean Sea, about thirty-five miles northwest
of Jerusalem. Here, according to the classical myth, it
was that Andromeda was chained to the rock, and ex-
poesd to the sea monster; a story that has been sup-
posed to shadow out in an obscure way, the early in-
tercourse between Greece and Syria. Its harbor i?
shoal and unprotected from the winds; but on ac-
count of its convenience to Jerusalem it became the
principal port of Judea and is still the great landing-
place of pilgrims. Here the materials for building both
the first and the second temple, sent from Lebanon and
Tyre, were landed. Joppa was twice destroyed by the
Romans. It attained its highest prosperity in the times
of the Crusades, when it became the principal land-

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SUPPLEMENTAL FNCYrLOlYKDIA

ing-place of the warriors of Christendom. In 1/99 it was
stormed and sacked by the French, and twelve hundred
Turkish prisoners, said to have broken their parole, were
put to death. The present town of Joppa, sometimes called
Jaffa, or Yafa, is situated on a promontory jutting out into
the sea, rising to the height of about one hundred and fifty
feet, crowned with a fortress, and offering on all sides pic-
turesque and varied prospects. The town is walled round
on the south and east, toward the land, and partially so on
the north and west, toward the sea. The inhabitants arc
mostly Turks and Arabs.

Joseph of Arimathea — A native of Arimathea, but at
the time of Christ's crucifixion a resident of Jerusalem.
He was a member of the Jewish Sanhedrim, and opposed
in vain their action in condemning the Saviour (Luke xxiii.
51). When all was over he "went in boldly unto Pilate, and
craved the body of Jesus." It was now night and the
Jewish Sabbath was at hand. He therefore, with the aid
of Nicodemus, wrapped the body in spices for the time, and
laid it in his own tomb.

Kabbalah — The mystical philosophy or theosophy of the
Jews is called the Kabbalah. The word is derived from
the Hebrew kabal, signifying to receive, because it is the
doctrine received from the elders. Practically speaking, the
doctrine of Kabbalah refers to the system handed down by
oral transmission, and is nearly allied to tradition. It has
sometimes been used in an enlarged sense, as comprehending
all the explanations, maxims and ceremonies which have
been traditionally handed down to the Jews ; but in that
more limited acceptation in which it is intimately connected
with the symbolic science of Freemasonry, the Kabbalah
may be defined to be a system of philosophy which em-
braces certain mystical interpretations of Scripture, an'l
metaphysical speculations concerning the Deity, man, and
spiritual beings. In these interpretations and speculations,

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SUPPLEMENTAL ENCYCLOPAEDIA

according to the Jewish doctors, were enveloped the most
profound truths of religion, which, to be comprehended by
finite beings, are obliged to be revealed through the medium
of symbols and allegories. *

Kadesh-Barnea — See WILDERNESS OF PARAN.
Kingdom of Judah — See CANAAN (Par. 5).
Land of Canaan— See CANAAN (Par. i).
Land of Chaldeans — See CHALDEA.

Land of Goshen — The land of Goshen appears to have
been that tract of country in Egypt which was inhabited by
the Israelites from the time of Jacob to that of Moses. It
was probably the tract lying east of the Pelusian arm of the
Nile, toward Arabia. Ramses was the capital of Goshen.
a city built by the Hebrews during their servitude in Egypt.
From it they commenced their united exodus from Egypt.
It is thought to have been on the line of the ancient canal
from the Nile to the Red Sea, and some thirty-five miles
northwest of Suez. In this district, or adjacent to it, was
the city of On, or Heliopolis. The inhabitants of Egypt
may be considered as including three divisions : the Copts,
or descendants of the ancient Egyptians; the Fellahs, or
husbandmen, who are supposed to represent the people in
Scripture called Phul ; the Arabs, or conquerors of the coun-
try, including the Turks, etc. Its early history is involved
in great obscurity. Their religion consisted in the worship
of heavenly bodies and the powers of nature. The priests
were the most honored, and powerful of the castes into
which the people were divided.

Land of Hebrews — See CANAAN (Par. 3).
Land of Israel — -See CANAAN (Par. 4).
Land of Judah — See CANAAN (Par. 5).
Land of Promise — See CANAAN (Par. 2).

Land of Shinar — See CHALDEA.

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SUPPLEMENTAL ENCYCLOPAEDIA

Lot — The son of Haran, and nephew of Abraham, fol-
lowed his uncle from Ur, and afterwards from Haran, to
settle in Canaan. Abraham always had a great affection
for him, and when they could not continue longer together
in Canaan, because they both had large flocks and their shep-
herds sometimes quarreled, he gave Lot the choice of his
abode. Lot chose the plain of Sodom, which appears then
to have been the most fertile part of the land. Here he
continued to dwell until the destruction of Sodom and the
adjacent cities (Gen. xix.).

Mesopotamia — The Greek name of the country be-
tween the rivers Euphrates and the Tigris, northwest of
Babylonia. In Hebrew, "Aram-Naha-raim" (Aram of the
two rivers), or "Padan-aram" (the plain of Aram), or
simply Padan (the plain), in distinction from the "Moun-
tains" of Aram. Aram, in Hebrew, is synonymous with
Syria, a large district of Asia, lying, in the widest accepta-
tion of the name, northeast of Palestine, extending from
the river Tigris on the east, nearly to the Mediterranean
on the west, and to the Taurus range on the north. It was
named after Aram, the son of Shem. Thus defined, it
mcludes also Mesopotamia; that is, in Hebrew, Syria of
the two rivers. Mesopotamia is a region associated with
the earliest history of the human race both before and after
the flood. Eden was not far off; Ararat was near to it on
the north, and the land of Shinar on the south. The traveler
here reaches what is truly "the old world," and is sur-
rounded by objects compared with which the antiquities of
Greece and Rome are modern novelties. This was the home
of the patriarchs who preceded Abraham — Terah, Heber,
Peleg, etc. Here Abraham and Sarah were born, and the
wives of Isaac and Jacob, and most of the sons of Jacob,
the heads of twelve tribes. Mesopotamia is also mentioned
in Scripture as the abode of the first oppressor of Israel
in the times of the judges (Judg. iii. 8-10) : and in the
history of the wars of David (II. Sam. x. 16).

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SUPPLEMENTAL ENCYCLOPAEDIA

Middle Ages — These are supposed by the best histo-
rians to extend from the year 400 B. C. to the end of the
fifteenth century, the last important event being the doub-
ling of the Cape of Goo^ Hope in 1497.

Midianites — An ancient Arabian race, numerous and
rich in flocks, herds and camels, the descendants of Midian,
the fourth of the six sons of Abraham by Keturah (Isa.
Ix. 6). They appear to have dwelt mainly to the south of
Moab, and covered a territory extending to the neighbor-
hood of Mount Sinai. Midianites were idolaters, and
often led Israel astray to worship their gods. They also
not unfrequently rendered the Hebrews tributary and op-
pressed them. Often when the Israelites had sown, and their
harvest was nearly ready to be gathered in, the Midianites
and Amalekites came down like locusts in countless swarms,
with their cattle and tents and camels to devour and carry
off the fruits of the ground, and not only rob but destroy
their owners. And often did the Jews, lacking the strength
or the faith or the leadership necessary for effectual re«ist-
ance, seek refuge in mountain dens and caverns till the in-
vaders retired. Gideon was their deliverer in one such
period of oppression (Judg. vi. 7). The Tawarah Arabs,
now dwelling in the Sinaitic peninsula, are supposed to be
their descendants.

Moabites — They were the descendants of Moab, the
son of Lot by his eldest daughter (Gen. xix. 37). An idola-
trous people, they were hostile to the Israelites, in spite of
the relationship between them. The southern boundary of
the Moabites was the brook Zered, which empties into the
southeast corner of the Dead Sea. Their territory was
about twenty miles from east to west, and at one time
extended as far north (fifty miles) as the mountains of
Gilead. They were subdued by David, but regained their
independence after the dismemberment of the Hebrew king-
dom, and disappeared from history after the conquest of

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SUPPLEMENTAL ENCYCLOPAEDIA

Nebuchadnezzar (604-561 B. C). The Moabite Stone,
which celebrates the achievements of one of their kings,
Masha (about 900 B. C), is one of the most interesting
discoveries of modern times. It was found Aug. 19, 1868,
by the Rev. Mr. Klein, at Dhiban, just north of the Arnon,
and is now in London. (See ROSETTA STONE.)

Monk — Originally, a man who retired from the world
for religious meditation and the practice of religious duties
in solitude ; a religious hermit ; in later years, a member
of a community or fraternity of men formed for the prac-
tice of religious devotions and duties, and bound by the
vows of poverty, celibacy and obedience to a superior ;
specifically, a regular male denizen of a monastery. The
term monastery strictly includes the abbey, the priory,
nunnery and the friary, and in this broad sense is syn-
onymous with convent. Communities of a more or less
monastic character in Palestine and Egypt before the
diffustion of Christianity were the Essence and Thera-
peutae.

Essences were mystics, and most of them were celibates.
The greater part of them lived by themselves near the north-
west shore of the Dead Sea. The first distinct trace of them
is about no B. C., and they disappear from history after
the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans.

Therapeutaes were kindred to, though distinct from, the
Essences. Their chief seat was on Lake Marcotis in Egypt.
They were not strictly celibate, but rejected wine and animal
food.

The ordinary Christian life of the first three centuries.
even when not celibate, was largely ascetic and in commu-
nities. Christian monasticism in a definite form originated
in Upper Egypt in the third or fourth century with St.
Anthony, an eminent anchorite, who is called its founder.
The first monks were anchorites ; those who lived alone,
in caves and solitary places in the deserts of Palestine,
Egypt and Syria, to which, in some cases, they were driven

r88

SUPPLEMENTAL ENCYCLOPEDIA

by persecution. The first monastery was founded by Pach-
omius on the island of Tabenna in the Nile, about the year
340; the first nunnery by his sister some eight years later.
Various developments o^ the monastic system are to be
found in the Middle Ages, as the military orders, friars
(often distinguished from monks proper), etc. Since the
Reformation, and especially since the French Revolution,
monachism has declined in Western countries, or has been
overshadowed by the society of Jesuits (a religious ojder
of the Roman Catholic Church), but still continues to
flourish in Eastern churches.

Moses — The son of Amram and Jochebed, of the tribe
of Levi, and the younger brother of Miriam and Aaron,
was born about 1571 B. C. His history is divided into
three periods, each of forty years. The first extends from
his infancy, when he was exposed in the Nile, and found
and adopted by the daughter of Pharaoh, to his flight to
Midian. During this time he lived at the Egyptian court,
and "was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and
was mighty in words and in deeds" (Acts vii. 22). This
is no unmeaning praise ; the "wisdom" of the Egyptians,
and especially of their priests, was then the profoundest in
the world. The second period was from his flight till his
return to Egypt, during the whole of which interval he
appears to have lived in Midian — it may be much after the
manner of the Bedaween sheikhs of the present day. Here
he married Zipporah, daughter of the wise and pious Jethro,
and became familiar with life in the desert. What a con-
trast between the former period, spent amid the splendors
and learning of a court and this lonely nomadic life. Still
it was in this way that he prepared himself to be the instru-
ment of deliverance to his people during the third period
of his life, which extends from the exodus out of Egypt to
his death on Mount Nebo. The life and institutions of
Moses breathe a spirit of freedom, purity, intelligence,
justice and humanity elsewhere unknown; and, above all,

189

SUPPLEMENTAL ENCYCLOPAEDIA

of supreme love, honor and obedience to God. They molded
the character of the Hebrews and transformed them from
a nation of shepherds into a people of fixed residence and
agricultural habits. Through that people, and through the
Bible, the influence of these institutions has been extended
over the world; and often where the letter has not been
observed the spirit of them has been adopted. Thus it was
in the laws established by the Pilgrim Fathers of New Eng-
land ; and no small part of what is of most value in the
institutions which they founded is to be ascribed to the
influence of the Hebrew legislator. Moses was the author
of the Pentateuch, as it is called, or the first five books of
the Bible. In the composition of them he was probably
assisted by Aaron, who kept a register of public transactions.

Mount Sinai — See SINAI.

Nicodemus — A member of the Jewish Sanhedrim, at
first a Pharisee (a Jew, but differing in some points of
doctrine and practice), and afterwards a disciple of Jesus.
In John vii. 45-52, we see him cautiously defending the
Saviour before the Sanhedrim. At last, in the trying scene
of the crucifixion, he avowed himself a believer, and came
with Joseph of Arimathea to pay the last duties to the body
of Christ, which they took down from the cross and laid in
the sepulchre.

Olympiad — A period of four years reckoned from one
celebration of the Olympic games to another, by which the
Greeks computed time from 776 B. C, the reputed first
year of the first Olympiad. To turn an Olympiad into a
year B. C., multiply by 4, add the year of the Olympiad
i , and subtract from 780.

Padan-Aram — See MESOPOTAMIA.

Pagan (Paganism) — One who worships false gods. A
name for heathenism, originated among the Christians when
Christianity gained superiority in the cities and the worship
of the old Greek and Roman gods was confined to remote

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SUPPLEMENTAL ENCYCLOPAEDIA

villages (pagi) and the scattered settlers in the country
(pagani). It is now used as a general term, including all
polytheistic religions (plurality of gods), in opposition to
Christianity, Judaism and Mohammedanism; in the Middle
Ages it also included Mohammedanism.

Palestine — See CANAAN (No. 7).

Patron — At an early period we find that the Christian
church adopted the usage of selecting for every trade and
occupation its own patron saint, who is supposed to have
taken it under his especial charge. And the selection was
generally made in reference to some circumstance in the
life of the saint, which traditionally connected him with
the profession of which he was appointed the patron. Thus
St. Crespin, because he was a shoemaker, is the patron
saint of the "gentle craft," and St. Dunstan, who was a
blacksmith, is the patron of blacksmiths. Among the an-
cients every temple, altar, statue or sacred place was dedi-
cated to some divinity. The dedication of a temple was
always a festival for the people, and was annually com-
memorated. While the pagans dedicated their temples to
different deities — sometimes to the joint worship of sev-
eral— the monotheistic (one God) Jews dedicated their
religious edifices to the one supreme Jehovah. There was
a distinction among the Jews between consecration and
dedication, for sacred things were both consecrated and
dedicated. This distinction has also been preserved among
Christians, many of whom, and, in the early ages, all, con-
secrated their churches to the worship of God, but dedicated
them to, or placed them under, the especial patronage of
some particular saint. A similar practice prevails in the
Masonic institution ; and therefore, while we consecrate
our Lodges "to the honor of God's glory," we dedicate
them to the patrons of our Order. Tradition informs us
that Masonic Lodges were originally dedicated to King
Solomon, because he was our first Most Excellent Grand

191

SU1TLKM ENTAL ENCYCLOPEDIA

Master. In the sixteenth century St. John the Baptist
seems to have been considered as the peculiar patron of
Krecmasonry ; but subsequently this honor was divided
between the two Saints John, the Baptist and the Evan-
gelist; and the Modern Lodges, in this country at least,
are universally erected or consecrated to God, and dedi-
cated to the holy Saints John.

Pharaoh — The term applied in the Bible to the kings
of Egypt, of which many explanations have been proposed.
It seems quite impossible to connect it with the name of any
Egyptian monarch, and it must have been a common appel-
lation like Khan, Caesar or Czar.

Phidias — The greatest sculptor of Greece, perhaps of
all ages and lands. He was born at Athens, 500 B. C. He
is supposed to have had a long life and to have died from
poison about 432 B. C.

Philistines — A people who occupied the southern sea-
coast of Palestine during most of the period of Biblical
history, and were almost constantly at war with the Israel-
ites. As they are not mentioned among the occupants of
the land in the time of Joshua, it is inferred that they were
later invaders who came from the island of Crete during
the obscure early period of the Judges. Their race affini-
ties have been much disputed. The genealogical table in
Genesis x. seems to derive them from Ham, through Miz-
raim, but many commentators nevertheless consider them a
Semitic people closely related to the Phoenicians, and not
distantly connected with the Israelites themselves. The
Philistines shared the fate of the Israelites in successive sub-
jection to Assyria, Babylon and Egvr>t, and disanneared
altogether from history previous to the Christian era.

Phoenicia— See PHOENICIANS.

Phoenicians — A people who occupied a tract of coun-
try in the north of Palestine, alone the shores of the Medi-
terranean, of which Tyre and Sidon were the principal

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SUPPLEMENTAL ENCYCLOPEDIA

cities. The inhabitants themselves called their country
Canaan. The history of its people , is aphoristic, and in
many points utterly insufficient. The Phoenicians have left
no literature and no artistic monuments; a few coins and
a few inscriptions. They were principally a commercial
and not an industrial people. They transferred goods with-
out manufacturing them; they spread the arts without in-
venting them. Nevertheless, Tyre must have been the seat
of considerable industrial skill and activity, since King
Hiram could supply Solomon with all kinds of workmen.
Modern researches confirm the assertions made that the
language spoken by the Jews and the Phoenicians was
almost identical ; a statement interesting to the Masonic
student as giving another reason for the bond which ex-
isted between Solomon and Hiram, and between the Jewish
workmen and their fellow-laborers of Tyre in the con-
struction of the temple.

Praxiteles — A Greek sculptor, head of the Attic school
born at Athens about 392 B. C. Praxiteles has been called
the sculptor of the beautiful, as Phidias was of the sublime.

Proserpine (Gr., Persephone}— The daughter of Jupiter
and Ceres, wife of Pluto and queen of the infernal regions.
She was worshiped generally in connection with her mother,
as the goddess of vegetation. She was carried off by Pluto,
the god of Hades, to the lower world, but afterward per-
mitted by him to spend half of the year in the upper world.

Queen of Sheba— The land of Sheba of Scripture ap-
pears to be the Saba of Strabo, situated towards the south-
ern part of Arabia, at a short distance from the coast of
the Red Sea, the capital of which was Mareb. This region,
called also Yemen, was probably settled by Sheba, the son
of Joktan, of the race of Shem. The Queen of Sheba, who
visited Solomon and made him presents of gold, ivory and
costly spices, was probably mistress of this region. The
tradition of this visit of the ueen of Sheba to Solomon

SUPPLEMENTAL ENCYCLOPAEDIA

has maintained itself among the Arabs, who call her Balkis,
and affirm that she became the wife of Solomon.

Rabbah (Rehoboth) — A city on the Euphrates, south
of Carshemish.

Ramses — See LAND OF GOSHEN.

Religion of Masonry — Webster has given two distinct
definitions of religion :

1. Recognition of God as an object of worship, love and
obedience.

2. Any system of faith and worship.

It is plain that in the first sense in which we may take
the word religion, Masonry may rightfully claim to be called
a religious institution. No disbeliever in the existence of
a God can be made a Mason. All practical piety and per-
formance of the duties we owe to God and to our fellow-men
arise from and are founded on a principle of obedience to
the divine will. It is idle to say that the Mason does good
simply in obedience to the statutes of the Order. These
very statutes owe their sanction to the Masonic idea of the
nature and perfections of God, which idea has come down
to us from earliest history of the institution, and the pro-
mulgation of which idea was the very object and design of
its origin.

The second definition does not appear to be strictly appli-
cable to Masonry. Masonry has no pretension to assume
a place among the religions of the world as a sectarian
"system of faith and worship" in the sense in which we
distinguish Christianity from Judaism, or Judaism from
Mohammedanism. In this meaning of the word we do not
and can not speak of the Masonic religion, nor say of a
man that he is not a Christian, but a Mason. The tendencv
of all true Masonry is towards religion. Its ancient land-
marks, its sublime ceremonies, its profound symbols and
allegories — all inculcate religious doctrine, command relig-
ious observance and teach religious truth.

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SUPPLEMENTAL ENCYCLOPEDIA

Rephidim — An encampment of the Israelites between
the wilderness of Zin, on the east shore of the Gulf of
Suez, and Mount Sinai. Mere the Amalekites attacked
them, and were defeated. It is thought to have been in the
valley now called Esh-Sheikh, a day's march northwest of
Sinai, and near the western border of the Horeb group of
mountains.

Riblah — A city of Syria, in the country of Hamath, at
the northeast extremity of Canaan. Its site is probably
found in the modern village of Rebleh, on the river Orontes.
at the northern end of the great Valley of Lebanon.
'Through this valley, by way of Hamath and Riblah, was
the readiest access to Palestine from the north. At Riblah,
in 609 B. G, King Jehoahaz was taken and deposed by
Pharaoh-Necho, and carried away captive to Egypt ; here
also Nebuchadnezzar established his headquarters when
warring against Judah. In 588 B. C. he takes and destroys
Jerusalem, burns the temple and carries the people, with
Zedekiah, whose sons he had slain, captive in chains to
Babylon. This terminated the kingdom of Judah, 468 years
from the accession of David, 388 years from the revolt of
the ten tribes, and 134 years from the ruin of the kingdom
of Israel.

Rosetta Stone — In 1799, what is known as the Rosetta
Stone was discovered by some of Napoleon's men while
making an excavation at Rosetta, in lower Egypt. The
stone contained an inscription written in three different
characters: first, Hieroglyphic; second, Demotic, or com-
mon character of the Egyptians; third, Greek. From the
Greek it was discovered that the inscription was tri-lingual ;
that is, each of the writings was a translation of the others.
In 1822 Champollion deciphered the word Cleopatra from
an obelisk found at Philas. Afterwards, continuing his
researches, he completed the translation of the Rosetta
Stone, thereby opening up the whole field of Egyptian writ-
ings to the long-baffled scholars of the West.

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SUI'I'LKM ENTAL ENCYCLOPEDIA

Samaritans — They were originally the descendants of
the ten revolting tribes of Israel who had chosen the city
of Samaria for their metropolis. Subsequently, the Samar-
itans were conquered by the Assyrians under Shalmane-
ser, who carried the greater part of the inhabitants into
captivity, and introduced colonists in their place from
Babylon, Cultah, Ava and Sepharavain. These colo-
nists, who assumed the name of Samaritans, brought
with them, of course, the idolatrous creed and practices
of the region from which they emigrated. The Samaritans,
therefore, at the time of the rebuilding of the second temple,
were an idolatrous race, and as such abhorrent to the Jews
(II. Kings xvii. 24-41).

Sanhedrim — Was a council of seventy senators among
the Jews, usually with the addition of the high priest as
president, who determined the most important affairs of
the nation. It was supposed to have originated after the
second temple was built, about the year 69 B. C, during
the cessation of the prophetic office, and in imitation of
Moses* council of seventy' elders (Num. xi. 16-24). Jews
in foreign cities appear to have been amenable to this court
in matters of religion. The right of judging in capital cases
belonged to it, until this was taken away by the Romans
a few years before the time of Christ. There appears also
to have been an inferior tribunal of seven members in every
town, for the adjudication of less important matters.

Seljooks, or Seljuks Turks— A small Turkish tribe set-
tled in the plains on the northeastern border of the Caspian
Sea, who received their name from Seljook, one of their
chiefs, who in the latter part of the tenth century moved
in a southeastern direction, conquered Bakjara, and em-
braced Mohammedanism, and under whose successors they
rapidly grew by absorbing other Turkish-Tartarian tribes,
and developed a marvelous energy during 'the course of
several centuries. The only source, however, of this energy

196

SUPPLKMKXTAi, r.A CYCLOPEDIA

seems to have been religious fanaticism. About the year
1041 the great Togrol Beg, grandson of Seljook, commenced
the invasion of Khorassan and other provinces of Persia,
and in 1061 completed th!*conquest of the whole of Persia,
and assumed the title of Sultan. In 1073 Melek Shah, a
descendant of Seljook, came into power and conquered
Arabia, Syria and Palestine, Asia Minor and Armenia, and
ruled from the Mediterranean to the Chinese frontier, and
from the Caspian to the Arabian Sea. At his death the
Seljook Empire was divided between his four sons, and
soon a large number of small, independent sultanates was
formed, which circumstance finally caused the ruin of the
Seljook dominion. With the overthrow of the Seljook
dynasty in 1299, and on the ruins of its dominion, arose the
Turkish Empire. *

Shechem — A city of central Canaan, thirty-four miles
north of Jerusalem. It is first mentioned in the history of
Abraham, who here erected his first altar in Canaan, and
took possession of the country in the name of the great
Jehovah. Jacob bought a field in its neighborhood, which,
by way of overplus, he gave to his son Joseph, who was
buried there. After the conquest of Canaan it became a
Levitical city of refuge in Ephraim, and a gathering-place
of the tribes. Here Rehoboam gave the ten tribes occasion
to revolt (I. Kings xii.). After the ruin of Samaria by
Shalmaneser, Shechem became the capital of the Samaritans.
At tjie present day it is also the seat of the small remnant
of the Samaritans. It was called by the Romans Neopolis.
from which the Arabs have made Napolose or Nabulus
(John iv.).

Shiloh — A famous city of Ephraim, about ten miles
south of Shechem, and twenty-four north of Jerusalem.
Here Joshua assembled the people to make a second dis-
tribution of the land of promise ; and here the tabernacle
was set up when they were settled in the country. The ark

and the tabernacle continued at Shiloh from 1444 B. C. to

197

SUPPLEMENTAL ENCYCLC HVKDIA

1116 B. C, when it was taken by the Philistines under the
administration of the high priest Eli.

Sidon — Xow called Saida. Tt was a celebrated city
of IMimiicia, on the Mediterranean Sea, twenty miles north
of Tyre and as many south oi" I'.eyroot. It is one of the
most ancient cities in the world, and is believed to have
been founded by Zidon, the eldest son of Canaan. In the
time of Homer (850 B. C.) the Zidonians were eminent
for their trade and commerce, their wealth and prosper-
ity, their skill in navigation, astronomy, architecture and
for their manufactures of glass, etc. They had then a
commodious harbor, now choked with sand and inacces-
sible to any but the smallest vessels. Upon the division
of Canaan among the tribes of Joshua, Great Zidon fell
to the lot of Asher; bu\ that tribe never succeeded in
obtaining possession. The Zidonians continued long
under their own government and kings, though some-
times tributary to the kings of Tyre. They were subdued
successively by the Babylonians, Egyptians and Romans,
the latter of whom deprived them of their freedom. It
is at present, like most of the other Turkish towns in
Syria, dirty and full of ruins, though it still retains a
little coasting trade, and has about five thousand inhab-
itants.

Sinai — A mountain, or mountain range, in Arabia
I'etnea in the peninsula formed by the two arms of the
Red Sea. and rendered memorable as the spot where,, the
law was given to Israel through Moses. The upper region
of Sinai forms an irregular circle of thirty or forty miles
in diameter, possessing numerous sources of water, a tem-
perate climate and a soil capable of supporting animal and
able life; for which reason it is the refuge of all the
I'edaweens when the low country is parched tip. This,
therefore, was the part of the peninsula best adapted to the
residence of nearly a year, during which the Israelites
were numbered, and received their laws from the Most

[98

SUPPLEMENTAL EXCYCLOP/ED1 A

High. In the highest and central part of the region, seven
thousand feet above the- level of the sea, rises tin- sacred
summit of llorel, or Sinai. The two names are used almost
indiscriminately in the T>ible. iScripttire passages rather
show that Horeb was the general name for the group, and
Sinai the name of the sacred summit.

Symbol — A symbol is defined to be a visible sign with
which a spiritual feeling, emotion or idea is connected.
It was in this sense that the early Christians gave the name
of symbols to all rites, ceremonies and outward forms which
have a religious meaning; such, for instance, as the cross
and other pictures and images, and even the sacraments and
the sacramental elements. At a still earlier period the Egyp-
tians communicated ,the knowledge of their esoteric phi-
losophy in mystic symbols. "The first learning of the
world," says Stukely, "consisted chiefly of symbols. The
wisdom of the Chaldeans, Phoenicians, Egyptians. Jews, of
all the ancients that is come to our hand, is symbolic."
"Symbolical representations of things sacred," says Dr.
Barlow, "were coeval with religion itself as a system of
doctrine appealing to sense, and have accompanied its
transmission to ourselves from the earliest known period
of monumental history." Egyptian tombs and stiles exhibit
religious symbols still in use among Christians. Similar
forms, with corresponding meanings, though under differ-
ent names, are found among the -Indians, and are seen on
the monuments of the Assyrians, the Etruscans and the
Greeks. The Hebrews borrowed much of their early relig-
ious symbolism from the Egyptians, their later from the
Babylonians, and through them this symbolic imagery, both
verbal and objective, has descended to ourselves.

Syria — In Hebrew, Aram, a large district of Asia,
lying, in the widest acceptation of the name, between the
Mediterranean Sea on the west, the Taurus range on the
north, the Tigris River on the east, and Arabia Deserta and

199

SUPPLEMENTAL ENCYCLOPAEDIA

Palestine, or rather Judea, for the name Syria included
also the northern part of Palestine, on the south. It was
named after Aram, the son of Shem. Thus defined, it
includes also Mesopotamia, which the Hebrews named
Aram-Naha-raim (Aram 'of the two rivers — Tigris and
Euphrates), or Padan-Aram (the plains of Aram or Syria),
in distinction from the "mountains" of Aram. At the time
of the Jewish exile Syria and Phoenicia were subject to the
king of Babylon, and they afterwards were tributary to
the Persian monarchs. Syria is now in the possession of
the Turks. Its better portions have' been thickly populated
from a very early period, and travelers find traces of nu-
merous cities wholly unknown to history.

Speculative Masonry — The lectures of the symbolic
degrees instruct the neophyte in the difference between the
Operative and the Speculative divisions of Masonry. They
tell him that "we work in Speculative Masonry, but our
ancient brethren wrought in both Operative and Specula-
tive."

To the Freemason this Operative art has been sym-
bolized in that intellectual deduction from it which has
been correctly called Speculative Masonry. At one time
each was an integral part of one undivided system. Op-
erative Masonry was, in the inception of our history,
and is in some measure even now,, the skeleton upon
which was strung the living muscles and tendons and
nerves of the Speculative system. It was the block of
marble, rude and unpolished it may have been, from
which was sculptured the life-breathing statue.

Speculative Masonry (which is but another name for
Freemasonry in its modern acceptation) may be briefly
defined as the scientific application and the religious
consecration of the rules and principles, the language, the
implements and materials of Operative Masonry to tin-
veneration of God, the purification of the heart and the incul-
cation of the dogmas of a religious philosophy.

200

SUPPLEMENTAL ENCYCLOPAEDIA

*

Tadmor — A city founded by Solomon in the 1 >•
of Syria, on the borders of the Arabian Desert towards the
Euphrates. It was remote from human habitation-- on an
oasis in the midst of a dteary wilderness ; and it is probable
that Solomon built it to facilitate his commerce with the
East, as it afforded a supply of water, a thing of utmost
importance in an Arabian desert. It was about 120 miles
northeast of Damascus, more than half the distance to the
Euphrates. The original name was preserved till the time
of Alexander, who extended his conquest to this city, which
then exchanged its name Tadmor for that of Palmyra, both
signifying that it was a "City of Palms." It submitted to
the Romans about the year 130, and continued in alliance
with them during a period of 150 years. In the third century
of our era, Odonathus, a native of Palmyra, established an
independent Palmyrene kingdom, which was further ex-
tended, comprising the whole of Syria and parts of Mesopo-
tamia, and brought to great prosperity by his widow. Queen
Zenobia. P>ut, when the queen refused to acknowledge the
authority of Aurelian, the Roman emperor, he defeated her
army, dissolved her empire, captured her capital and carried
her away captive to Rome. When the Saracens triumphed
in the East, they acquired possession of this city and re-
stored its ancient name. It is still called Tadmor. Of the
time of its lirst ruin there is no authentic record, but Ma-
sonic tradition ascribes it as having been destroyed by the
Chaldeans and Babylonians about the year 600 B. C. It
is thought, with some probability, that its last destruction
occurred during the period in which it was occupied by the
Saracens.

Tamarisk — The sacred tree of the Egyptian Mysteries,
classically called the Erica. An evergreen tree, similar to
the acacia.

Temple of Solomon — The foundations of this mag-
nificent edifice were laid by Solomon in the year 1012 B. C.,
about 480 years after the exodus and the building of the

20 1

SUPl'LKM KXTAL ENCYCLOPEDIA

tabernacle ; and it was finished 1004 B. C, having occupied
seven and a half years in the building. It retained its pris-
tine splendor but thirty-three years, when it was plundered
by Shishak, king of Egypt. After this period it underwent
sundry profanations and pillages from other foreign rulers,
and was at length utterly destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar,
king of I'.abylon. 588 15. C, having stood 424 years. After
lying in ruins for fifty-two years, the foundations of the
second temple were laid by Zerubbabel and the Jews who
had availed themselves of the privilege granted by Cyrus
and returned to Jerusalem. After various hindrances, it
was finished and dedicated in 515 B. C., twenty years
after it was begun. In the year 163 B. C. this temple was
plundered and profaned by Antiochus, who completely sus-
pended the worship of Jehovah. After three years it was
repaired and purified by Judus Maccabaeus, who restored
the divine worship and dedicated it anew.

King Herod, in the first year of his reign, 37 B. C., put
to death all the Sanhedrim, except two, and after nearly
twenty years of peace, through remorse of conscience, he
resolved to rebuild and beautify the temple which at this
time was in a state of decay. After two years in preparing
the material for the work, the temple of Zerubbabel was
pulled down in 17 B. C. and rebuilt in nine and a half
. yet a great number of laborers and artificers were
still employed in carrying on the outbuildings all the time
of our Saviour's abode on earth. The temple of Herod
was considerably larger than that of Xerubbabel, as that of
/erubbabel was larger than Solomon's. All the Jewish
writers praise this temple exceedingly for its beauty and
the costliness of its workmanship. The whole structure
above ground was completely demolished by Roman soldiers
under Titus, A. H. 70.

Titan — The father of a race of giants called Titans, who
contended with Saturn for the sovereignty of heaven, until
Jupiter cast them by his thunderbolts into Tartarus, the

202

SUPPLEMENTAL ENCTCD >IVEDIA

place of punishment in Hades, or the lower world. The
Titans, in their wars, are said to have piled mountains upon
mountains to scale heaven,, and they are taken as the types
of lawlessness, gigantic fcize and enormous strength.

Typhon — The rival and opponent of his brother Osiris,
whom he destroyed. He was considered the author of all
the evil in the world. As Osiris was a type or symbol of
the sun, Typhon was the symbol of winter, when the vigor,
heat, and, as it were, life of the sun are destroyed, and of
darkness as opposed to light.

Tyre — The celebrated emporium of Phoenicia, the seat
of immense wealth and power, situated on the coast of the
Mediterranean, within the limits of the tribe of Asher as
assigned by Joshua, though never reduced to subjection.
There was a close alliance between David and Hiram, king
of Tyre, which was afterwards continued in the reign of
Solomon ; and it was from the assistance afforded by the
Tyrians, both in artificers and materials, that the house of
David, and afterwards the temple, were principally built.
Tyre possessed the empire of the seas, and drew wealth
and power from numerous colonies on the shores of the
Mediterranean and Atlantic. The inhabitants of Tyre were
filled with pride and luxury, and all the sins attendant on
prosperity and immense wealth. It was the wealthiest and
most magnificent of all Phoenician cities, and flourished for
3,000 years. Although taken and devastated successively
by Shalmaneser, Nebuchadnezzar, Alexander the Great, the
Saracens, the Crusaders and Salim I., it was always rebuilt.
It stood twenty miles south of Sidon, and the locality it
occupied was as strong in a military point of view as it
was advantageous in commercial respects. One part of it
was on the continent and the other on an adjacent island;
the narrow sound which separated these two parts formed
its harbor. After conquering the continental part of the
city, Alexander the Great built a mole to the island by

20T,

SUPPLEMENTAL ENCYCLOPAEDIA

means of which he succeeded in conquering the insular part,
too. This mole has in the course of time been transformed
by alluvial deposits into a peninsula. But otherwise the
remains which are left of this magnificent city are few and
utterly insignificant. Its renowned manufactures are en-
tirely dead, its commerce totally gone and a miserable vil-
lage straggles along the site where once stood the richest
storehouses and the most splendid palaces.

Ur — The country of Terah, and the birthplace of Abra-
ham. It is usually called "Ur of the Chaldees," and is
located, with strong probability, in the northwest part of
Mesopotamia. The city of Orfah, to .which the Jews make
pilgrimages as the birthplace of Abraham, is a flourishing
town of 30,000 inhabitants, seventy-eight miles southwest
of Diarbekir. Some, however, place Ur in Lower Chaldea,
at extensive ruins now called Warka.

Venus — The goddess of love, gracefulness, beauty and
pleasure. Said to have sprung from the sea.

Wilderness of Paran — A large tract of desert country
lying south of Palestine, and west of the valley El-Arabah,
which runs from the Dead Sea to the Gulf of Akaba. It
was in and near this desert region that the Israelites wan-
dered thirty-eight years. It extended on the south to within
three days' journey of Sinai, if not to Sinai itself. On the
north it included the deserts of Kadesh and Zin. Tn the
dovrt of Kadesh was situated the city of Kadesh- Barnea,
which was said to lie in the "uttermost border of Edom,"
and was probably situated very near the great valley of
El-Arabah, south of the Dead Sea. Kadesh was twice
visited by the Israelites in their wanderings; once after
they left Mount Sinai, and again thirty-eight years after.
At the first visit the mission and return of the twelve spu-*--
took place, the rebellion of the people, and their presump-
tuous effort to enter Canaan by the pass Zephath, imme-
diately north of Kadesh. At their second visit occurred

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the death of Miriam, the murmurings of the people for
water, the miraculous supply, the sin of Aaron and Moses
in smiting the rock, and the fruitless request for a passage
through Edom (Num. xx. 1-22). In the desert of Zin,
Hagar and Ishmael dwelt (Gen. xxi. 14-21).

Wilderness — See DESERT.

Wren, Sir Christopher — One of the most distinguished
architects of England, born October 20, 1632 ; was the son
of Dr. Wren, dean of Windsor and chaplain in ordinary
to Charles I. ; was distinguished in boyhood for mathemati-
cal and inventive genius ; entered Wadham College, Oxford,
at the age of fourteen. He built many fine buildings and
churches, but his fame rests chiefly on St. Paul's Cathedral,
which he built in 1675-1710. He was elected Grand Master
of the Masons in 1685, an office he held until after the death
of Queen Anne (1714), when he was removed by George I.
He passed the few remaining years of his life in serene re-
tirement. He was found dead in his chair after dinner on
February 25, 1723, in the ninety-first year of his age, and
was buried in the crypt of St. Paul's.

York — (Lat, Eboracum} — It is the capitahof Yorkshire,
at the confluence of the Ouse and Foss, and is one of the
oldest and most interesting cities of England. It is sur-
rounded with walls, and generally closely built with narrow
streets and curious, old-fashioned houses. Its cathedral,
built from the eleventh to the fourteenth century, is one
of the finest specimens of Gothic architecture in the world.
It is built in the form of a cross, 524 feet long, 250 feet
broad across the transepts, with square, massive tower 225
feet high, rising over the crossing, and two elegant towers
196 feet high, flanking the western front. In the time of
the Romans, York was the seat of the general government
for the whole province of Britannia; and here Constantine
the Great was proclaimed emperor. In the period of the
Scots and the Danes it offered a fierce resistance to William

SUPPLKM ENTAL K\ CYCLOPEDIA

the Conqueror, who, after taking it, razed it to the ground.
It was only partially rebuilt, and suffered much by fire in
1137. This city is celebrated for its traditional connection
with Masonry in that kingdom. No topic in the history of
Freemasonry has so much engaged the attention of modern
Masonic scholars or given occasion to more discussion than
the alleged facts of the existence of Masonry in the tenth
century at the city of York, as the prominent point of the
calling of a congregation of the Craft there in 926, of the
organization of a General Assembly and the adoption of a
Constitution. "During the whole of the last and the greater
part of the present century the fraternity in general have
accepted all of these statements as genuine portions of
authentic history." (A. G. Mackey.)

Ziklag — A city of Judah and Simeon, on the borders
of the Philistines, who held it until the time of Saul, when
Achish, king of Gath, gave it to David. Hither many other
refugees from Judah resorted, and David was thus enabled
to aid Achish, and to chastise the Amalekites, who had
sacked Ziglag during his absence.

206

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