Wednesday 8 December 2010

History of Freemasonry - Speculative Freemasonry

Following on from my previous blog about the origins of Freemasonry from the operative sense.  Speculative Masonry began when Gentlemen who did not practice the craft of Freemasonry (building and working with stone) began to be admitted to lodges.

I think its an error to see the foundation of 'purely' speculative lodges as the foundation of Speculative Masonry - or the use of Freemason tools (such as the level) to be used as esoteric moralistic tools.  A local example of this is the finding of the Baal' Bridge Square (http://www.freemasonsnorthmunster.com/Baal's_Bridge_Square.htm)

If we look at the Egyptians (senses rolled eyes) - yes most Masons cite the Egyptians at some stage in their ramblings, and there are specifc reasons for this:  As the Egyptian's were developing their Hieroglyphics, they created the term for 'writing' or 'to write' - this they called "The Speech of the Gods".  Why is this an important fact?, well as the ancient Masons concentrated in more complex buildings,the Master Mason would have had to arrange training for the workers, the large gangs of masons who were working in the construction of the stone buildings.

 This training - some archeologists have said was conveyed in the use of hieroglyphics and oral catchechism - must like modern day masonic ritual conveys.

1 comment:

  1. There are also many Biblical references to speculative Freemasonry - so should I more correctly say - allusions to building terms in a spiritual sense -

    Amos 7:7-9 "measured his people Israel with a plumb line"

    Kings 21:13 "stretch over Jerusalem the measuring line of Samaria and the plummet of the house of Ahab"

    Isaiah 28:16 (foretelling the birth of Christ)"Behold I am laying in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tested stone, a precious corner stone, of a sure foundation"

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