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Article THE TEMPLE OF SOLOMON AS A SYMBOL OF FKE... ← Page 11 of 15 →
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The Temple Of Solomon As A Symbol Of Fke...
selected as an elementary symbol of concord and harmony , virtues which are not more essential to the preservation and perpetuity of our own Society than they are to that of every human association . The perfect ashlar , therefore—the stone thus fitted for its
appropriate position in the temple—becomes not only a symbol of human perfection ( in itself of course , only a comparative term ) , but also , when we refer to the mode in which it was prepared , of that species of perfection which results from the concord and union of men in society . It is , in fact , a symbol of the social character of the institution .
There are other elementary symbols , to which I may hereafter have occasion to revert ; the three , however , already described —the rough ashlar , the perfect ashlar , and the trestle-board—and which , from their importance , have received the name of " Jewels , " will be sufficient to give some idea of the nature of what may be called the
" symbolic alphabet" of Masonry . Let us now proceed to a brief consideration of the method in which this alphabet of the science is applied to the more elevated and abstruse portions of the system , and which , as the Temple constitutes its most important type , I have chosen to call the " Temple symbolism of Masonry . ' V
Both Scripture and tradition inform us that , at the building of King Solomon ' s Temple , the masons w ere divided into different classes , each engaged in different tasks . We learn , from the second chapter of Chronicles , that these classes were the bearer of burdens , the hewers of stones , and the overseers , called by the old Masonic writers the Ish sabal , the Ish chotzeb , and the Menatzchim . 3 STow , without pretending to say that the modern institution has preserved
precisely the same system of regulations as that which was observed at the Temple , we shall certainly find a similarity in these divisions to the Apprentices , Fellow Crafts , and Master Masons of our own day . At all events , the three divisions made by King Solomon in the workmen at Jerusalem have been adopted as the types of the three degrees now practised in speculative Masonry ; and as such we are therefore to consider them . The mode in which these three divisions
of workmen laboured in constructing the temple has been beautifully symbolized in speculative Masonry , and constitutes an important and interesting part of Temple symbolism . Thus we know , from our own experience among modern workmen , who still pursue the same method , as well as from the traditions of the Order , that the implements used in the quarries were
few and simple , the work there requiring necessarily , indeed , but two tools , namely , the twenty-four inch guage , or two-foot rule , and the common gavel , or stonecutter ' s hammer . With the former implement the operative mason took the necessary dimensions of the stone he was about to prepare , and with the latter , by repeated
blows , skilfully applied , he broke off every unnecessary protuberance , and rendered it smooth and square , and fit to take its place in the building . And thus , in the first degree of speculative Masonry , the Entered VQJj . IT , 2 Q
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Temple Of Solomon As A Symbol Of Fke...
selected as an elementary symbol of concord and harmony , virtues which are not more essential to the preservation and perpetuity of our own Society than they are to that of every human association . The perfect ashlar , therefore—the stone thus fitted for its
appropriate position in the temple—becomes not only a symbol of human perfection ( in itself of course , only a comparative term ) , but also , when we refer to the mode in which it was prepared , of that species of perfection which results from the concord and union of men in society . It is , in fact , a symbol of the social character of the institution .
There are other elementary symbols , to which I may hereafter have occasion to revert ; the three , however , already described —the rough ashlar , the perfect ashlar , and the trestle-board—and which , from their importance , have received the name of " Jewels , " will be sufficient to give some idea of the nature of what may be called the
" symbolic alphabet" of Masonry . Let us now proceed to a brief consideration of the method in which this alphabet of the science is applied to the more elevated and abstruse portions of the system , and which , as the Temple constitutes its most important type , I have chosen to call the " Temple symbolism of Masonry . ' V
Both Scripture and tradition inform us that , at the building of King Solomon ' s Temple , the masons w ere divided into different classes , each engaged in different tasks . We learn , from the second chapter of Chronicles , that these classes were the bearer of burdens , the hewers of stones , and the overseers , called by the old Masonic writers the Ish sabal , the Ish chotzeb , and the Menatzchim . 3 STow , without pretending to say that the modern institution has preserved
precisely the same system of regulations as that which was observed at the Temple , we shall certainly find a similarity in these divisions to the Apprentices , Fellow Crafts , and Master Masons of our own day . At all events , the three divisions made by King Solomon in the workmen at Jerusalem have been adopted as the types of the three degrees now practised in speculative Masonry ; and as such we are therefore to consider them . The mode in which these three divisions
of workmen laboured in constructing the temple has been beautifully symbolized in speculative Masonry , and constitutes an important and interesting part of Temple symbolism . Thus we know , from our own experience among modern workmen , who still pursue the same method , as well as from the traditions of the Order , that the implements used in the quarries were
few and simple , the work there requiring necessarily , indeed , but two tools , namely , the twenty-four inch guage , or two-foot rule , and the common gavel , or stonecutter ' s hammer . With the former implement the operative mason took the necessary dimensions of the stone he was about to prepare , and with the latter , by repeated
blows , skilfully applied , he broke off every unnecessary protuberance , and rendered it smooth and square , and fit to take its place in the building . And thus , in the first degree of speculative Masonry , the Entered VQJj . IT , 2 Q