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On Freemasonry. The Spurious Freemasonry Of Ancient Times.
ON FREEMASONRY . THE SPURIOUS FREEMASONRY OF ANCIENT TIMES .
BY THE REV . G . OLIVER , D . D .
No . 2 .
( Continued from p . 18 , vol . 4 , March 1837 J IN estimating the character of the first inhabitants of the world subsequently to the deluge , it is erroneous to suppose that they were a race of savages , unacquainted with the arts and sciences , and destitute of the advantages which result from the social institutions of civilized life ; although
this is a favourite theory with some modern philosophers . We have a series of evidence to show that the most refined knowledge had been introduced by the Noachidae , the posterity of the diluvian Freemasons , and prevailed amongst mankind at a very early period . The construction of the Mysteries displays an extraordinary degree of genius and
intelligence ; embodying , as will be clearly shown in this paper , a knowledge of astronomy of no very common character . It is true , some contend that the first Egyptian hierophants were ignorant of this science , ancl that
consequently it could not be coeval with the Mysteries in that country . These hold that it was introduced into Egypt by the Israelites under Jacob and Joseph : while others ascribe the communication of it to Abraham , during his brief sojourn amongst the Egyptians . But neither of these conjectures is probable ; for the earliest colonies of Egypt
have left behind them , in the construction of the Pyramids , a practical proof of their astronomical attainments , for these vast edifices not only face the four cardinal points of the compass ; but , as we are assured by a writer in the Classical Journal , " whoever built the Great Pyramid , knew how to take a meridian ; which is more than the moderns knew
two hundred and fifty years since . According to the report of some writers , the northern side of the Great Pyramid is illuminated by the rays of the sun at mid-day , from the vernal equinox to the autumnal ; but casts a shadow from the autumnal equinox to the vernal . Thus at mid-day at each equinox , the sun will be seen precisely at the apex of the Pyramid , by those who place themselves at the centre of the north base . " VOL . IV . 3 ic
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
On Freemasonry. The Spurious Freemasonry Of Ancient Times.
ON FREEMASONRY . THE SPURIOUS FREEMASONRY OF ANCIENT TIMES .
BY THE REV . G . OLIVER , D . D .
No . 2 .
( Continued from p . 18 , vol . 4 , March 1837 J IN estimating the character of the first inhabitants of the world subsequently to the deluge , it is erroneous to suppose that they were a race of savages , unacquainted with the arts and sciences , and destitute of the advantages which result from the social institutions of civilized life ; although
this is a favourite theory with some modern philosophers . We have a series of evidence to show that the most refined knowledge had been introduced by the Noachidae , the posterity of the diluvian Freemasons , and prevailed amongst mankind at a very early period . The construction of the Mysteries displays an extraordinary degree of genius and
intelligence ; embodying , as will be clearly shown in this paper , a knowledge of astronomy of no very common character . It is true , some contend that the first Egyptian hierophants were ignorant of this science , ancl that
consequently it could not be coeval with the Mysteries in that country . These hold that it was introduced into Egypt by the Israelites under Jacob and Joseph : while others ascribe the communication of it to Abraham , during his brief sojourn amongst the Egyptians . But neither of these conjectures is probable ; for the earliest colonies of Egypt
have left behind them , in the construction of the Pyramids , a practical proof of their astronomical attainments , for these vast edifices not only face the four cardinal points of the compass ; but , as we are assured by a writer in the Classical Journal , " whoever built the Great Pyramid , knew how to take a meridian ; which is more than the moderns knew
two hundred and fifty years since . According to the report of some writers , the northern side of the Great Pyramid is illuminated by the rays of the sun at mid-day , from the vernal equinox to the autumnal ; but casts a shadow from the autumnal equinox to the vernal . Thus at mid-day at each equinox , the sun will be seen precisely at the apex of the Pyramid , by those who place themselves at the centre of the north base . " VOL . IV . 3 ic