from a masonic point of view where did masonry start from, what I mean by that from which country did masonry start, who is king solomen and who is hiram abiff or abivv.
from a masonic point of view where did masonry start from, what I mean by that from which country did masonry start, who is king solomen and who is hiram abiff or abivv.
Thanks
Yasser
Yasser, those are big questions. VERY big.
The easiest one to start with is the identity of King Solomon. Finding literature on him shouldn’t be too difficult—the Old Testament pretty much covers the basics, but if you don’t want to peruse that, there’s an article on him on Wikipedia.
Where Masonry started from is a question too large to be answered. The specifics of the country of origin are hotly debated, even among Masons. MODERN Freemasonry, as it is today, most likely originated in Scotland. The theory that it started around the 15th century is backed up by more documentation than any other theory, in any case. Prior to that, it really is a bit of a mystery. There are many groups throughout history who have wanted power or fame, and some of them thought that they could get what they wanted by falsifying a historical tie to the Fraternity. Because of this, Masonry has many so-called “historical roots,” and it’s difficult to sort fact from fiction. It could be as young as Modern Freemasonry or as old as pre-Hyksos Egypt, depending on what sort of information you’re taking as fact—maybe even older than any of us realize. Ritualistically, we trace our symbolic roots back to the building of King Solomon’s Temple and the Masons who constructed it. According to our ritual, Hiram Abiff was one of those builders, but aside from that there are only passing references to him in other places. To put it simply, he’s one of the principle role models for Masons.
I hope this helps you out. Is there any particular reason why you are curious about these things, Yasser?
Solomon was a son of David, King of Israel. Solomon was given the task of building
the House of the Lord in Jerusalem. Solomon asked Hiram King if Tyre for help in
building the Temple, so he sent for Hiram Abif, a son of a woman of the daughters
of Dan. He was an operative Mason, very skilled in all phases of architecture. We
are speculative masons, building our spiritual temple from deep down in our souls.
No one knows for sure when Freemasonry started, but as I understand, it became
organized in 1717 England.
from a masonic point of view where did masonry start from, what I mean by that from which country did masonry start, who is king solomen and who is hiram abiff or abivv.
Thanks
Yasser
Yasser, those are big questions. VERY big.
The easiest one to start with is the identity of King Solomon. Finding literature on him shouldn’t be too difficult—the Old Testament pretty much covers the basics, but if you don’t want to peruse that, there’s an article on him on Wikipedia.
Where Masonry started from is a question too large to be answered. The specifics of the country of origin are hotly debated, even among Masons. MODERN Freemasonry, as it is today, most likely originated in Scotland. The theory that it started around the 15th century is backed up by more documentation than any other theory, in any case. Prior to that, it really is a bit of a mystery. There are many groups throughout history who have wanted power or fame, and some of them thought that they could get what they wanted by falsifying a historical tie to the Fraternity. Because of this, Masonry has many so-called “historical roots,” and it’s difficult to sort fact from fiction. It could be as young as Modern Freemasonry or as old as pre-Hyksos Egypt, depending on what sort of information you’re taking as fact—maybe even older than any of us realize. Ritualistically, we trace our symbolic roots back to the building of King Solomon’s Temple and the Masons who constructed it. According to our ritual, Hiram Abiff was one of those builders, but aside from that there are only passing references to him in other places. To put it simply, he’s one of the principle role models for Masons.
I hope this helps you out. Is there any particular reason why you are curious about these things, Yasser?
I am not curious, I like learning, knowledge is so important to me, so masonry started with king solomen the king of Israel who wanted to build a temple to worship god, so he sent asking for Hiram abiff the king of tyre to come and build this temple for him, hiram abiff was the king of tyre in Lebanon, and he traveled from Lebanon to Jerusalem to build the temple correct?
Solomon was a son of David, King of Israel. Solomon was given the task of building
the House of the Lord in Jerusalem. Solomon asked Hiram King if Tyre for help in
building the Temple, so he sent for Hiram Abif, a son of a woman of the daughters
of Dan. He was an operative Mason, very skilled in all phases of architecture. We
are speculative masons, building our spiritual temple from deep down in our souls.
No one knows for sure when Freemasonry started, but as I understand, it became
organized in 1717 England.
so based on what you said everything started when king solomen asked for hiram abif to come from tyre in Lebanon to Jerusalem in Israel to build the house of lord right?
Hiram King of Tyre and Hiram Abiff are two different people. One is a King and
the other is a skilled workman. Again, no one knows for sure when Freemasonry
started but it became organized in 1717.
so based on what you said everything started when king solomen asked for hiram abif to come from tyre in Lebanon to Jerusalem in Israel to build the house of lord right?
No! In the Masonic legend, King Hiram of Tyre sent Hiram Abiff to help King Solomon build the temple. There are three people involved in this.
However, it should be highlighted that this is a Masonic Legend not an actual fact. otherwise the death of such an important person as Hiram Abiff would have been specifically reported in the Old Testament. This is a story based upon and set during the building of King Solomon’s Temple, it is an allegorical tale that illustrates lessons regarding perseverence, fidelity and honour, amongst other things.
from a masonic point of view where did masonry start from, what I mean by that from which country did masonry start,
This is a very simple question that many people have tried to complicate in order to make money from writing books
Freemasonry began in Britain, there are two distinct Masonic traditions prior to the 1700s one in England and one in Scotland. Both came out of the operative stone masons trade. During the 1700s they developed into the speculative format that we have today, it is at this time that people started dreaming up different origins but it wasn’t until the 1800s that peopls started talking about Egypt and stuff..
so based on what you said everything started when king solomen asked for hiram abif to come from tyre in Lebanon to Jerusalem in Israel to build the house of lord right?
No! In the Masonic legend, King Hiram of Tyre sent Hiram Abiff to help King Solomon build the temple. There are three people involved in this.
However, it should be highlighted that this is a Masonic Legend not an actual fact. otherwise the death of such an important person as Hiram Abiff would have been specifically reported in the Old Testament. This is a story based upon and set during the building of King Solomon’s Temple, it is an allegorical tale that illustrates lessons regarding perseverence, fidelity and honour, amongst other things.
thanks for clearing that up for me, i always thought that Hiram abiff is the same Hiram king of tyre.
so based on what you said everything started when king solomen asked for hiram abif to come from tyre in Lebanon to Jerusalem in Israel to build the house of lord right?
No! In the Masonic legend, King Hiram of Tyre sent Hiram Abiff to help King Solomon build the temple. There are three people involved in this.
However, it should be highlighted that this is a Masonic Legend not an actual fact. otherwise the death of such an important person as Hiram Abiff would have been specifically reported in the Old Testament. This is a story based upon and set during the building of King Solomon’s Temple, it is an allegorical tale that illustrates lessons regarding perseverence, fidelity and honour, amongst other things.
but another question comes to mind so if this is just a legend why a Master mason degree is so important to masons? especially that in your response it looks like that your doubting the existence of hiram abiff and if you think that he has never existed that means he was never raised, do you realize that what your saying is that the whole master mason degree is bogus
Yassar, as the Masons who answered your question tried to explain, it is the Lessons that surround the Legend that are important to Freemasonry, not the veracity of the Legend. It is one of the problems with trying to explain “everything”. I’m afraid that this part of our ritual cannot be explained without experiencing it. There are many similar lesson in Freemasonry. Some things cannot be explained in a written answer. This is one of them. And it is one of the things that make this degree so special, not bogus.
I hope that helps. Brother Mike explained the basis of the Masonic origin. And should settle this matter. The specifics of how the degree was created would require another thread.
I will be closing this unless someone feels we should keep it open.
To understand your questions, you need only understand allegory. Take the allegory of the cave by Plato…the actual characters in the allegory are not what is important. It is a story used to explain certain things and convey a message. Masonic ritual is based on an allegory of such a nature. That allegory includes some figures known to have lived, and others who may or may not have existed. Some Masonic authors such as Knight and Lomas would suggest that Hiram Abif DID exist, while others are convinced he is fictional. Regardless of whether Hiram Abif existed or not, the allegory stands as a story meant to teach.
Another way of understanding the Hiramic Legend is to look at the story of Creation in the first two chapters of Genesis. Most people, even true believers, don’t really believe that Adam and Eve were real people and that the events of the Fall of Man were historical fact. However, this does not prevent me, or other believers, from asserting that this story is a true one: it reveals truth about the nature of the Cosmos, the nature of human beings, and the nature of the Creator. An allegory (or a parable) can be as true as an encyclopedia; it’s just a different kind of truth.
Another way of understanding the Hiramic Legend is to look at the story of Creation in the first two chapters of Genesis. Most people, even true believers, don’t really believe that Adam and Eve were real people and that the events of the Fall of Man were historical fact. However, this does not prevent me, or other believers, from asserting that this story is a true one: it reveals truth about the nature of the Cosmos, the nature of human beings, and the nature of the Creator. An allegory (or a parable) can be as true as an encyclopedia; it’s just a different kind of truth.
I’d be careful with that comparison if I were you. Many christians, (and most southern baptists I’ve met) will tell you straight up that Genesis is literal, and Adam and Even were exactly who the bible says they are.
That’s why i like my Plato example. :) I like treading on sturdy ground.
Another way of understanding the Hiramic Legend is to look at the story of Creation in the first two chapters of Genesis. Most people, even true believers, don’t really believe that Adam and Eve were real people and that the events of the Fall of Man were historical fact. However, this does not prevent me, or other believers, from asserting that this story is a true one: it reveals truth about the nature of the Cosmos, the nature of human beings, and the nature of the Creator. An allegory (or a parable) can be as true as an encyclopedia; it’s just a different kind of truth.
I’d be careful with that comparison if I were you. Many christians, (and most southern baptists I’ve met) will tell you straight up that Genesis is literal, and Adam and Even were exactly who the bible says they are.
That’s why i like my Plato example. :) I like treading on sturdy ground.
Ah, Dan, I know that very well (I was raised a fundamentalist). If anyone views the Bible as entirely inerrant and literally true, that’s fine with me; I wouldn’t attempt to argue the point. My point was that for those who are not prepared to take that view, there is the alternative of taking it as an allegory which is just as true, and as worth while, as the literal reading. This exchange of views is something that could never take place in a tyled lodge. That’s one of the great things about this Forum.
