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Article THE TEMPLE OF SOLOMON AS A SYMBOL OF FKE... ← Page 8 of 15 →
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The Temple Of Solomon As A Symbol Of Fke...
application and the religions consecration of the ' . rules- and principles , the language , the implements and materials of operative masonry to the veneration of ( rod , the purification of the heart , and the inculcation of the dogmas of a religious philosophy .
I have said that the operative art is symbolized—that is to say , used as a symbol—in the speculative science . Let us now inquire , as the subject of the present essay , how this is done in reference to a system of symbolism dependent for its construction on types and figures derived from the temple of Solomon , and which we hence call the " Temple Symbolism of freemasonry . '
Bearing in mind that speculative Masonry dates its origin from the building of King Solomon ' s Temple by Jewish and Tyrian artizans , * the first important fact that attracts the attention is , that the operative Masons at Jerusalem were engaged in the construction of an earthly and material temple , to be dedicated to the service and worship of God—a house in which Jehovah was to dwell visibly by his Shekinah , and whence he was , by the TJrim and Thummim , to
send forth his oracles for the government and direction of his chosen people . Now , the operative art having , for us ceased , we , as speculative Masons , symbolize the labours of our predecessors by engaging in the construction of a spiritual temple in our hearts , pure and spotless , fit for the dwelling-place of Him who is the Author of purity—where God is to be worshipped in spirit and in truth , and whence every evil thought and unruly passion are to be banished , as the sinner and the Gentile were excluded from the sanctuary of the Jewish temple .
This spiritualizing of the temple of Solomon is the first , the most prominent , and most pervading of all the symbolic instructions of Freemasonry . It is the link that binds the operative and speculative
divisions of the Order . It is this which gives it its religious character . Take from Freemasonry its dependence on the temple—leave out of its ritual all reference to that sacred edifice and to the legends connected witli it—and the system itself must at once decay and die ,
or at best remain only as some fossilized bone , imperfectly to show the nature of the living body to which it once belonged . Temple worship is , in itself , an ancient type of the religious sentiment in its progress toward spiritual elevation . As soon as a nation emerged , in the world ' s progress , out of Fetiehism , or the worship of visible objects , the most degraded form of idolatry , its people began to establish a priesthood and to erect temples . f The Scandinavians ,
* This proposition I ask to be conceded ; the evidences of its truth are , however , abundant , were it necessary to produce them . The craft , generally , will , I presume , assent to it . f " The groves were ( Ws first templeB . Ere man learned m To hew the shaft , and lay the architrave , And spread the roof above tliera—ere he framed The lofty vault , to gather and roll back The sound of anthems—4 n the darkling wood ,
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Temple Of Solomon As A Symbol Of Fke...
application and the religions consecration of the ' . rules- and principles , the language , the implements and materials of operative masonry to the veneration of ( rod , the purification of the heart , and the inculcation of the dogmas of a religious philosophy .
I have said that the operative art is symbolized—that is to say , used as a symbol—in the speculative science . Let us now inquire , as the subject of the present essay , how this is done in reference to a system of symbolism dependent for its construction on types and figures derived from the temple of Solomon , and which we hence call the " Temple Symbolism of freemasonry . '
Bearing in mind that speculative Masonry dates its origin from the building of King Solomon ' s Temple by Jewish and Tyrian artizans , * the first important fact that attracts the attention is , that the operative Masons at Jerusalem were engaged in the construction of an earthly and material temple , to be dedicated to the service and worship of God—a house in which Jehovah was to dwell visibly by his Shekinah , and whence he was , by the TJrim and Thummim , to
send forth his oracles for the government and direction of his chosen people . Now , the operative art having , for us ceased , we , as speculative Masons , symbolize the labours of our predecessors by engaging in the construction of a spiritual temple in our hearts , pure and spotless , fit for the dwelling-place of Him who is the Author of purity—where God is to be worshipped in spirit and in truth , and whence every evil thought and unruly passion are to be banished , as the sinner and the Gentile were excluded from the sanctuary of the Jewish temple .
This spiritualizing of the temple of Solomon is the first , the most prominent , and most pervading of all the symbolic instructions of Freemasonry . It is the link that binds the operative and speculative
divisions of the Order . It is this which gives it its religious character . Take from Freemasonry its dependence on the temple—leave out of its ritual all reference to that sacred edifice and to the legends connected witli it—and the system itself must at once decay and die ,
or at best remain only as some fossilized bone , imperfectly to show the nature of the living body to which it once belonged . Temple worship is , in itself , an ancient type of the religious sentiment in its progress toward spiritual elevation . As soon as a nation emerged , in the world ' s progress , out of Fetiehism , or the worship of visible objects , the most degraded form of idolatry , its people began to establish a priesthood and to erect temples . f The Scandinavians ,
* This proposition I ask to be conceded ; the evidences of its truth are , however , abundant , were it necessary to produce them . The craft , generally , will , I presume , assent to it . f " The groves were ( Ws first templeB . Ere man learned m To hew the shaft , and lay the architrave , And spread the roof above tliera—ere he framed The lofty vault , to gather and roll back The sound of anthems—4 n the darkling wood ,