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Article C0ERE8P0NI>E^CE. ← Page 2 of 5 →
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C0ere8p0ni>E^Ce.
King Solomon . " In the original text , the word rendered "his father " by our translators , is , iu English characters , " Abif . " We have , therefore ,, in the Book of Kings , and of the Chronicles , six instances of the use of the architect ' s name , without the term " Abi , " or ¦ " Abif / ' and once with each of those terms . That the translators of our authorized version have correctly rendered the original texts , I presume no Hebrew scholar can for a moment doubt ; but , how the two Hebrew words Abi " and " Abif" came to be considered , as it were , surnames of Hiram , the widow ' s son , I am at a loss to imagine .
Let us examine the phrase " of Hiram my father ' s . " This rendering is correct . It may , however , be varied , and translated thus : — "belonging to my father , " thus giving a stronger meaning to theprefix , in the original , attached to the name Hiram .
The term "Abif" rendered " his father" is also correct ; but some may ask why such .. a term was used—Hiram certainly was not the father of Solomon ? The use of the term " father "in the Hebrew writings often occurs to denotechief , principal , head , leader , & c . I will adduce a few instances . " And Adah bare Jabal ; he was the father of such as dwell in tents , and of such as have cattle . " Genesis iv , 20 . ¦
The next verse has , ' " And his brother ' s name was Jubal ; he was the fatherof all such as handle the harp and organ . " In the 2 nd Kings , second chapter , twelfth verse , we read , " And Elisha saw it , and he cried my father , my father , the chariot of Israel , and the horsemen thereof . " Elisha here spoke of Elijah as his principal in the prophetic office . In the same book , fifth chapter , thirteenth verse , we find , " And his servants said , my father , if the prophet had bid thee dp some great thing , & c . " In this passage Kaaman ' s servants use the term " father " in the sense of chief or master .
In the sixth chapter of the same book , twenty-first verse , we read , " And the king of Israel said unto Elisha when he saw them , my father , shall I smite them . " The king used this term in . the sense of chief or principal prophet , as Elisha doubtless was in those days . Considering , then , all these circumstances , I cannot see how the term " Abif " can be maintained ; besides , is there an instance of a surname in the Old
Testament ? The only distinctive mark used in that Holy Book to distinguish individuals is , to append the name of their father , as , Saul , the son of Kish ; David , the son of Jesse ; and sometimes the patronymic term , as Heber , the Kenite ; Doeg , the
Edomite . Influenced by these considerations , I have ceased for many years to use the term " Abif ; " it is not necessary , and nothing is lost by rejecting it entirely . The term " widow ' s son " is quite sufficient to distinguish the architect from the king . I cannot forbear alluding to the incorrect manner of representing Hiram ' s name on the plinth of the altar . It is there represented as if "Abif" was two words , viz ., H . A . B . How my Companions of the Hebrew persuasion regard it , I know not ; but , as it is so on the altar in the S . G . C ., it is of course considered en r & cjle . —I am , dear Sir and Brother , Yours fraternally , February 2 nd , 1858 . P . Z .
MASONIC ANTIQUITIES . TO THE EDITOR OF THE PREEMAWONS' MAGAZINE AND MASONIC MIRROR . Sir and Brother , —In your last number , at p . 214 , P > ro . Smith has a query whether free be not derived from frere , and alluded to the brotherhood . I do not consider thin of much importance , unless in an etymological way , because one only became free of a body , or admitted to its privileges , by becoming * a frere or brother of the same . It is even quite possible that our English word free—which has many different meanings—may have different roots ; and that as far as applicable to societies or corporations , it may have come from frater or frerc .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
C0ere8p0ni>E^Ce.
King Solomon . " In the original text , the word rendered "his father " by our translators , is , iu English characters , " Abif . " We have , therefore ,, in the Book of Kings , and of the Chronicles , six instances of the use of the architect ' s name , without the term " Abi , " or ¦ " Abif / ' and once with each of those terms . That the translators of our authorized version have correctly rendered the original texts , I presume no Hebrew scholar can for a moment doubt ; but , how the two Hebrew words Abi " and " Abif" came to be considered , as it were , surnames of Hiram , the widow ' s son , I am at a loss to imagine .
Let us examine the phrase " of Hiram my father ' s . " This rendering is correct . It may , however , be varied , and translated thus : — "belonging to my father , " thus giving a stronger meaning to theprefix , in the original , attached to the name Hiram .
The term "Abif" rendered " his father" is also correct ; but some may ask why such .. a term was used—Hiram certainly was not the father of Solomon ? The use of the term " father "in the Hebrew writings often occurs to denotechief , principal , head , leader , & c . I will adduce a few instances . " And Adah bare Jabal ; he was the father of such as dwell in tents , and of such as have cattle . " Genesis iv , 20 . ¦
The next verse has , ' " And his brother ' s name was Jubal ; he was the fatherof all such as handle the harp and organ . " In the 2 nd Kings , second chapter , twelfth verse , we read , " And Elisha saw it , and he cried my father , my father , the chariot of Israel , and the horsemen thereof . " Elisha here spoke of Elijah as his principal in the prophetic office . In the same book , fifth chapter , thirteenth verse , we find , " And his servants said , my father , if the prophet had bid thee dp some great thing , & c . " In this passage Kaaman ' s servants use the term " father " in the sense of chief or master .
In the sixth chapter of the same book , twenty-first verse , we read , " And the king of Israel said unto Elisha when he saw them , my father , shall I smite them . " The king used this term in . the sense of chief or principal prophet , as Elisha doubtless was in those days . Considering , then , all these circumstances , I cannot see how the term " Abif " can be maintained ; besides , is there an instance of a surname in the Old
Testament ? The only distinctive mark used in that Holy Book to distinguish individuals is , to append the name of their father , as , Saul , the son of Kish ; David , the son of Jesse ; and sometimes the patronymic term , as Heber , the Kenite ; Doeg , the
Edomite . Influenced by these considerations , I have ceased for many years to use the term " Abif ; " it is not necessary , and nothing is lost by rejecting it entirely . The term " widow ' s son " is quite sufficient to distinguish the architect from the king . I cannot forbear alluding to the incorrect manner of representing Hiram ' s name on the plinth of the altar . It is there represented as if "Abif" was two words , viz ., H . A . B . How my Companions of the Hebrew persuasion regard it , I know not ; but , as it is so on the altar in the S . G . C ., it is of course considered en r & cjle . —I am , dear Sir and Brother , Yours fraternally , February 2 nd , 1858 . P . Z .
MASONIC ANTIQUITIES . TO THE EDITOR OF THE PREEMAWONS' MAGAZINE AND MASONIC MIRROR . Sir and Brother , —In your last number , at p . 214 , P > ro . Smith has a query whether free be not derived from frere , and alluded to the brotherhood . I do not consider thin of much importance , unless in an etymological way , because one only became free of a body , or admitted to its privileges , by becoming * a frere or brother of the same . It is even quite possible that our English word free—which has many different meanings—may have different roots ; and that as far as applicable to societies or corporations , it may have come from frater or frerc .