hiram

Hiram Abiff everybody know about the story,
i want to know where is exact evidence of this story where it is written on how he was died how he was doing such magical things & who had killed him thx.

Well according to the "Higher Degrees" Hiram Abif is an allegory for Jacque DeMolay.
Although fictitious in its outward details each event in some way mirrors events and moral lessons from the life and times of Jacque DeMolay and The Knights Templar.
It is intended as an allegory to educate and indoctrinate individuals with a Jewish or Christian background.
Hiram Abif himself is a largely insignificant character in the Bible but there are several facets of the story the founders of Freemasonry seemed to think highly relevant.

The building of the First Temple by Hiram ties nicely into the attempts by the Knights Templar to reclaim the Holy Land and re-build the Temple of Solomon (The Second Temple)
In Freemasonry the objective to their "Universal Religion" is to build the Third Temple, a temple made of men not stone.
Thus creating a nice little series.

Hiram Abif is a mistranslation of his actual name Kharoum which occurred when the scriptures where scribed from Hebrew to English � this has several implications:
Knowing his real name makes no difference to the story in the Bible, so does it really matter if some facts are changed?
We can never be sure of �facts� in religion and history or anything else for that matter because we are imperfect, whether the mistranslation was intended or not, it happened and thus changed history.
Most importantly, maybe he is actually somebody other than he first appears to be.

On the more sinister side of things he is a "Master Mason" in respect that he unwittingly builds a temple that unites the people of Israel who are then led by Solomon (the first �Grand Master�) to conquer his homeland, he becomes immortalized for his work even though if he knew the outcome of his actions he surely would not have performed them.

Where and when does the Scottish Rite and the legend of Hiram Abif originate?
My guess is the mid 17th Century in France, there isn�t any record of the �Masonic� version of these events prior to that time.
Now prepare yourself for the inevitable wall of noise from our resident zombies�

Necros . . .

What you've posted is a bit of history mixed with mythology. Fairly innocuous. Even a good starting point for discussion. At the worst, you are wrong. Nothing terrible about that. Either you learn the truth or you don't. It says nothing about your character.

Your final line, however, shows that yet again, you are waging a campaign of self-alienation.

Well here we go then:

The Widow's Son
In 1997, Evidence was discovered, that the true symbolic origin of the Drama of
Hiram Abiff, may have been a real life actual event. The murdered King, or 'King
that was Lost' may have been Seqenenre Tao II of Egypt, 1554BC. Egyptologists
have now dated Seqenenre's rule to 1558 - 1554BC. King Seqenenre was killed by
at least two separate, distinctively different weapons. An Axe, a pointed iron
rod or possibly a stone maul. The placement and shapes of the skull shattering
marks on the mummy's head are only part of the proof.
"Some of these seventeenth-century manuscripts [preserving the 'Old Charges'] do
not refer to Hiram Abif, which has led some to believe that the character was an
invention of this relatively recent period. However, the name Hiram Abif was
only one designation for this central figure; he is also referred to as Aymon,
Aymen, Amnon, A Man or Amen and sometimes Bennaim. It is said that Amen is said
to be the Hebrew word for 'the trusted one' or 'the faithful one', which fits
the role of Hiram Abif perfectly. But we also know that Amon or Amen is the name
of the ancient creator god of Thebes, the city of Sequenere Tao II. Could there
be an ancient linkage here?"

"To the initiated Builder the name Hiram Abiff signifies 'My Father, the
Universal Spirit, one in essence, three in aspect.' Thus the murdered Master is
a type of the Cosmic Martyr - the crucified Spirit of Good, the dying god -
whose Mystery is celebrated throughout the world."
"The efforts made to discover the origin of the Hiramic legend show that, while
the legend in its present form is comparatively modern, its underlying
principles run back to remotest antiquity. It is generally admitted by modern
Masonic scholars that the story of the martyred Hiram is based upon the Egyptian
rites of Osiris, whose death and resurrection figuratively portrayed the
spiritual death of man and his regeneration through initiation into the
Mysteries. Hiram is also identified with Hermes through the inscription on the
Emerald Tablet."

The True King and Master of Egypt - 1554BC
In this instance the word King was exclusive. A word only used to describe what
the Egyptians called their True King and Solar Lord. ..The Right of the
Egyptians to be 'Sons of God' and the 'Caretakers' of God's Word was given to
them by the 'Olai', who were direct descendents of the 'Star Regents of
Atlantis'. God was called ' The Law of One' by the Atlantians.
..from the readings of Edgar Cayce
"When these Star Regents left that land, they left the rulership on the hands of
''Caretakers', who were the 'Children of the Nephilim'. The Nephilim are other
world beings who were from the 'fallen heaven', having created these 'children'
whom Thoth calls the 'Nomads'. They transferred the power and mysteries to the
'Umosejhe', meaning 'caretakers', with the understanding that in the future the
Olai would return to put into motion the spiritual birth of the 'Child', who
centuries later would incarnate in living flesh as the greatest of the
'Shepherd Kings'.

History would know this 'Child' as "Jesus Christ".
taken from.. 'New Age Bible interpretation Old Testament, Volume I', by Corinne
Heline
but because God has only 'one begotten Son', he has many other names and faces.
This site will include those 'other' Sons.

Sequenere Tao II?
"The only reasonable explanation that we had come across regarding the actual
name of the Masonic hero was that Hiram meant 'noble' or 'kingly' in Hebrew,
while Abif has been identified as old French for 'lost one', giving a literal
description of 'the king that was lost'." "Masonic ritual refers to Hiram Abif
as the 'Son of the Widow'... In Egyptian legend the first Horus was uniquely
conceived after his father's death and therefore his mother was a widow even
before his conception. It seemed logical therefore that all those who thereafter
became Horus, i.e. the kings of Egypt, would also describe themselves as 'Son of
the Widow'."

The newly installed King became the God-Man, Horus, only after he was "raised
from the dead" in a living resurrection ceremony. The words to this ritual were
never written on any scroll, but they were handed down, learned and remembered
word for word. "Although there is evidence for a generic connection between the
Craft and the Ancient Mysteries, there is no explanation of how the material
might have been transmitted or how the tradition could remain hidden through the
rigors of the Dark Ages and the probing of the Inquisition."

The King that had 'died' and had post-presently been the God Horus, would become
the God Osiris at death providing 'the secret ritual words were spoken' and he
was 'resurrected' to the ultimate position of being the 'God of the Dead' and
the 'King of the Underworld'. Osiris, becoming immortal, could return to the
earth and 'incarnate' into a mortal man. In this state he could 'teach' the
people, be a 'civilizer' and 'legislator' and then return from whence he came.
If the King-God Osiris had lived a righteous life, if he was free of sin, he
achieved the status of being 'A MASTER in Heaven'. This consists of his soul
being weighed against the 'Feather of Maat'. If his soul is lighter than the
feather, Osiris becomes a Master. As Osiris departs, Horus becomes the New
God-King.. The Book of the Dead (from about 1800 BC),...reads very much like an
oratorio. Although there is no evidence that it was actually performed, the
ritual is full of theatrical elements. It describes the journey of the soul,
brought after death by the jackal-headed god Anubis into the Hall of Truth,
where the dead man's heart is weighed against a feather. If the heart, made
light by goodness, does not outweigh the feather, then the soul is brought
before Osiris and granted immortality. ..here Anubis checks the accuracy of the
balance, Thoth records the results and Ammit prepares to gobble down hearts
ladden with sin.

The Ceremony was not only secret, but preformed and known only by the two Senior
Priests of the Temple of Amen-Re, the Sun God. The Egyptians believed in Eternal
Life and they went to great extremes to insure that the King achieved this. Only
the One True Living God could have taught them this. In these pages you will see
why God chose the Egyptians to be the 'Keepers of the Word' and the 'Caretakers'
of the 'Knowledge'.
The Masonic Third Degree ceremony explains what happened that day over 3500
years ago in the Temple at Thebes, which is now Luxor, when the True King and
Master, Seqenenre Tao II was murdered. We concur with Knight and Lomas, that
this legend becomes the story and drama of the Master Builder, Hiram Abiff.

"The king-making ritual is known to have been performed in the pyramid of Unas.
As in a Masonic temple, the ceiling of the main chamber represents the sky with
stars in place. The commonly accepted view is that the ceremony was celebrated
on the last night of the waning moon, beginning at sunset and continuing all
night until sunrise, the purpose being a 'living resurrection ritual' which
identified the dead king with Osiris as an ascended "Master". The picture is the
former Temple at Thebes.
The real secrets of the Egyptian king-making ceremony, which included the
'raising' of Osiris, died with Seqenenre, the man Masons symbolically refer to
as Hiram Abiff, ..."the King that was lost". 'The Grand Master'. The 'one' who
knew the 'ALL'. This has also been referred to as the reason for the 'Lost Name
of God' and the 'Lost Word'. After these words were lost, no king could journey
to the afterlife to be one with Osiris.

The Egyptian hieroglyphic for the morning star has the literal meaning
'divine knowledge'. This seems to support our thesis that the candidate for
kingship was raised to the status of the new god/king Horus by sharing the
secrets of the gods in the land of the dead, where he learned the great secrets
before returning to Earth as the morning star broke the horizon just before
sunrise."
"At the coronation/funeral ritual, the old king was resurrected as the new one,
and proved himself a suitable candidate by traveling around the perimeter of the
entire country. This was really a symbolic act as the new king was conducted
around the temple room to show himself a worthy candidate to those present,
which included the god Re and his main assistant."

God's people and Israel. Bible references do not explain that there were two
ruling factors in Egypt at the same time. However this is confirmed by Egyptian
records and history. Consult 'The Second Intermediate Period of Egypt' for the
dating of this important factor. Seqenenre Tao II is placed in the XVII dynasty
of Thebes ( 1558 - 1554 ) which directly corresponds with Apepi I (Archl�s) of
Avaris, (Heliopolis) 1581-1541 in the XV dynasty.XIII Dynasty see at the top of
the page. However, in the XIV Dynasty of Xois or Avaris, we see an (Aph�phis I
)with no date. This is a Greek interpretation by Manetho . Apepi is also called
Aph�phis so he must be Aphophis I. We feel this is the correct Hyksos ruler who
sends Insults to Seqenenre.
The man who became known as 'Israel', Abraham, was a Hyksos himself, and a
priest from the land of Sumer. All evidence is that Abraham was a high-born man
from Ur, in the land of Sumer. In the KJ bible, God told the father of Abram to
go to Canaan and he gave the land of Jordan to Abram. The King of Salem was
Melchizedek and he was also a High Priest of God's word and a 'chosen son'.
Abraham becomes a High Priest following the order named after the King. In this
priesthood, he is also 'initiated' into the mysteries. This 'initiation'
supports the theory that two seperate groups of people had God's 'knowledge' at
the same time.

The legend says; After the destruction of the world, these two pillars were
discovered by Hermes, the son of Shem. Then the craft of masonry began to
flourish, and Nimrod was one of the earliest patrons of the art. "Abraham, the
son of Jerah, was skilled in the seven sciences and taught the Egyptians the
science of grammar. Euclid was his pupil, and instructed them in the art of
making mighty walls and ditches to preserve their houses from the inundations of
the Nile, and by geometry measured out the land, and divided it into partitions
so that each man might ascertain his own property. And he it was who gave
masonry the name of geometry".
One story proclaims that Abraham is to return to the land of 'his fathers' and
regain from them the secrets God left with the 'Caretakers'. It is said Abraham
became friends with the 'Pharoah', but this aludes to the Hyksos Ruler, not
Seqenenre Tao or the 'other' Thebian Royal House.. The family of Abraham
traveled to Egypt in 1780 BC. Hence the name "Shepherd Kings". The Umosejhe
(Egyptians ) were bound to the Hyksos in ways of Spirit beyond the personal will
because their ancestors came from the same place.. These 'usurpers' re-wrote the
history of Olai / Hyksos, making them enemies and conquerors of Egypt

�In Rabbinical Literature:


2. Artificer sent by Hiram, King of Tyre, to Solomon. He was apparently of a mixed race; his father being a Tyrian, and his mother of the tribe of Naphtali (I Kings vii. 13, 14) or of the tribe of Dan (II Chron. ii. 12 [A. V. 14]). The words "ḥuram abi," which terminate II Chron. ii. 11 (A. V. 13), generally translated "Huram my father's" (see No. 1), are taken by some to be the name of the artificer; with this name compare "Hammurabi," of which "Hiram Abi" may be a local variant or misreading. The name is curiously used in Freemasonry. There is an essential difference, as regards the nature of Hiram's technical specialty, between I Kings and II Chronicles. According to the former, Hiram was an artificer only in brass; and the pieces which he executed for the Temple were the two pillars Jachin and Boaz,

Bible text:
Chron. ii. 13 [14] it is said that Hiram was "skilful to work in gold, and in silver, in brass, in iron, in stone, and in timber, in purple, in blue, and in fine linen, and in crimson; also to grave any manner of graving." Thus he seems to have superintended all the work of the Temple. Josephus says ("Ant." viii. 3, � 4) that Hiram's father was Ur of the stock of the Israelites, that he was skilful in all sorts of work, but that his chief skill lay in working in gold, silver, and brass. Josephus apparently interprets the words "ish ẓori" to mean a man who lived in Tyre, and the name of "Ur" probably originated in the confusion between "Hiram" and "Bezaleel." In I Kings vii. 40 (A. V. margin) the form "Hirom" ( ) occurs.E.

1 Kings 7

The Temple's Furnishings
13 King Solomon sent to Tyre and brought Huram, [7] 14 whose mother was a widow from the tribe of Naphtali and whose father was a man of Tyre and a craftsman in bronze. Huram was highly skilled and experienced in all kinds of bronze work. He came to King Solomon and did all the work assigned to him.
15 He cast two bronze pillars, each eighteen cubits high and twelve cubits around, [8] by line. 16 He also made two capitals of cast bronze to set on the tops of the pillars; each capital was five cubits [9] high. 17 A network of interwoven chains festooned the capitals on top of the pillars, seven for each capital. 18 He made pomegranates in two rows [10] encircling each network to decorate the capitals on top of the pillars. [11] He did the same for each capital. 19 The capitals on top of the pillars in the portico were in the shape of lilies, four cubits [12] high. 20 On the capitals of both pillars, above the bowl-shaped part next to the network, were the two hundred pomegranates in rows all around. 21 He erected the pillars at the portico of the temple. The pillar to the south he named Jakin [13] and the one to the north Boaz. [14] 22 The capitals on top were in the shape of lilies. And so the work on the pillars was completed.

All these objects that Huram made for King Solomon for the temple of the LORD were of burnished bronze. 46 The king had them cast in clay molds in the plain of the Jordan between Succoth and Zarethan. 47 Solomon left all these things unweighed, because there were so many; the weight of the bronze was not determined.
48 Solomon also made all the furnishings that were in the LORD's temple:

1 Kings 8

The Ark Brought to the Temple

17 "My father David had it in his heart to build a temple for the Name of the LORD , the God of Israel. 18 But the LORD said to my father David, 'Because it was in your heart to build a temple for my Name, you did well to have this in your heart. 19 Nevertheless, you are not the one to build the temple, but your son, who is your own flesh and blood-he is the one who will build the temple for my Name.'


Solomon's Prayer of Dedication

27 "But will God really dwell on earth? The heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built! 28 Yet give attention to your servant's prayer and his plea for mercy, O LORD my God. Hear the cry and the prayer that your servant is praying in your presence this day. 29 May your eyes be open toward this temple night and day, this place of which you said, 'My Name shall be there,' so that you will hear the prayer your servant prays toward this place. 30 Hear the supplication of your servant and of your people Israel when they pray toward this place. Hear from heaven, your dwelling place, and when you hear, forgive.

41 "As for the foreigner who does not belong to your people Israel but has come from a distant land because of your name- 42 for men will hear of your great name and your mighty hand and your outstretched arm-when he comes and prays toward this temple, 43 then hear from heaven, your dwelling place, and do whatever the foreigner asks of you, so that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you, as do your own people Israel, and may know that this house I have built bears your Name.

1 Kings 9


The LORD Appears to Solomon
3 The LORD said to him:
"I have heard the prayer and plea you have made before me; I have consecrated this temple, which you have built, by putting my Name there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there.

1 Corinthians 3

8The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. 9For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building.
10By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. 11For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. 14If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. 15If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.
16Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you? 17If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him; for God's temple is sacred, and you are that temple.

Huram is a name used by the Chronicler for Hiram, king of Tyre. 2 Chronicles 2.3-16
Huram-abi is a name used by the Chronicler for the craftsman, Hiram. 2 Chronicles 2.13, 14; 4.11-16

2 Chronicles 2:
2:7 "Now send me a man who is skilled in working with gold, silver, bronze, and iron, as well as purple, crimson, and violet colored fabrics, and who knows how to engrave. He will work with my skilled craftsmen here in Jerusalem and Judah, whom my father David provided.

2:13 Now I am sending you Huram Abi,22 a skilled and capable man, 2:14 whose mother is a Danite and whose father is a Tyrian.23 He knows how to work with gold, silver, bronze, iron, stones, and wood, as well as purple, violet, white, and crimson fabrics. He knows how to do all kinds of engraving and understands any design given to him. He will work with your skilled craftsmen and the skilled craftsmen of my lord David your father.

It would seem a reasonable conclusion. That if, we are inclined to hold the Egyptian foundation up as the origins of Masonic structure. Then as with most stories, like the size of fish they change with the proportions of time between the telling of the tale. We must recognise that the art of reading and writing was far from easily available to the general populous at this time frame. There would have been a great reliance on remembrance and we all know as I said the tale changes from telling to telling. But, most often carries with it the basics of the original story.

We then blend into this tale the fundamentals of being able to move around the then known world in safety and in an organised manner. If there was already a pattern laid down, that was proven to be safe and efficient, then it would be a realistic proposition to follow that pattern.

Are these the foundation stones of the Masonic structure? The fact, that this system of safe travel from one �Lodge� to another. The safe movement of funds. I would point out that the Israeli Banking system of the Middle Ages was drawn on such trust. The Knights Templer appear to have adopted many of these practices.

Is it a simple as that? If an Idea works then, steal it.

We can speculate on the Egyptian origin, I am not sure that it is that important to conclude this point. Other than, there was a great upheaval in this part of the world with the Upper and Lower empires of Egypt, fighting over the Deity. One and only True God or many Gods. There are scholars that support the Exodus as the Israelites bringing out of Egypt the concept of the True and Living God. The one and only God. Omnipotent.

We just do not have available to us defining evidence to support any of these hypothesis.

We are left with the preponderance of the evidence. All you can due is ask of yourself how would you have decided in those circumstances.

So you pays your money and you takes your choice.

But in Masonic terms Hiram means, Fidelity and Trust. You can not obtain any understanding of Masonic principles unless you accept the concepts of symbolism and learning through that symbolism.

I'd get the Priory's opinion on this as well =X

And, once more, Necros gets it wrong... ya gotta love him for the consistency of being wrong, though...

As was noted above by Bill so eloquently, Hiram is a person from the bible, but in Masonry he is an allegorical figure, to teach certain moral truths about honor and integrity. He is NOT an allegory for any person from history, and certainly not of Jacques DeMolay, though that is an... interesting assertion.

And not all masonic rituals have Hiram Abiff contained within them.

Truth, not for the weak of heart.

Seriously, since when was Jacques ever Hiram or visa versa??? That is like more than a 1,000 years difference doOoOooOod~!! Thank you for setting this straight though Theron!

[edit on 4-11-2004 by boombye]

I thought I saw some where some mummify bodies claiming to belong to him and somebody else.

I did read some books on the history of the masons. I got so caught up on the political spin I forgot about all these other threads.

Originally posted by nimda
Hiram Abiff everybody know about the story,
i want to know where is exact evidence of this story where it is written on how he was died how he was doing such magical things & who had killed him thx.

According to Rev. Martin Wagner's book "Freemasonry Interpreted", there is a rabbinic legend that after the construction on the Temple of Jerusalem was completed, Hiram was raised to heaven in a manner similar to that of Enoch, and it is this legend that evolved into the Masonic legend concerning him. Although Rev. Wagner's book is written from an anti-Masonic perspective, many of his conclusions appear generally correct, and his theory concerning the Hiramic legend is probably pretty accurate.
Necros' claim that Hiram represents Jauques DeMolay is almost certainly incorrect, seeing that Templar legends were not introduced into Freemasonry until long after the Hiramic Legend became universal within the Fraternity.

However, Hiram does no "magical things", at least in the Masonic legend (the rabbinic legend of having him raised to heaven could possibly be magical though, like Enoch's legend mentioned in Genesis). In the Masonic legend, Hiram is accosted and murdered by three fellowcrafts because he has refused to disclose to them the Word of a Master Mason, which, according to legend, allows craftsmen to travel in foreign countries and receive Master Mason's wages. Due to the death of Hiram, the Word is lost, which forms the basis of the so-called "higher degrees".

There are several variations on the Hiramic legend, but most are similar. For more info concerning interpretations the Hiramic Legend, I would recommend "Encyclopedia of Freemasonry" by Albert G. Mackey and "Legenda of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry" by Albert Pike.

Fiat Lvx.

Two Masons were quite intrigued by the story of Mr. Abif. So they wrote a book. Good reading for the unbasis..

It covers everything and more listed here...

The Hiram Key by Christopher Knight, Robert Lomas


For what it's worth, the "Great Light" er I mean Masonic bible has landed in my hands ala estate sale. The Bible is a 1800's print. AND it's the actual alter bible used in ceremonies. VERY interesting stuff...particularly the initiations and how they are fed misleading information.

Being an artist myself I recgonize the printed lithography (pictures of Solomon's temple, underground alters , etc) as quite unique for it's time. I'll elaborate more in future posts...

I would be very interested to here about this Masonic Bible. I am not aware of masonic Bible that contain ritual?

Maybe masonic 'Light' can throw some on this. It certainly is not so in the UK.

It should be the KJV of the Bible, there is sometimes some ornate work on it but should not be any inside.

One day Mr Necros is going to write something that will be supported by facts and not his eccentric concepts of delusion. I have a feeling that that day may be a very long time in coming.

Brother Gerard

LOL, masonic Bibles do not contain ritual. It's just a bible with an Albert Pike intro. King James, I believe. I'll have to check.

Originally posted by billmcelligott
I would be very interested to here about this Masonic Bible. I am not aware of masonic Bible that contain ritual?

Maybe masonic 'Light' can throw some on this. It certainly is not so in the UK.

It should be the KJV of the Bible, there is sometimes some ornate work on it but should not be any inside.

Brother Bill,

You are absolutely correct. Masonic Bibles are no more than the King James Version, with a Masonic emblem on the cover. Some of these Bibles contain Masonic indexes, while others do not...however, none of them of course contain ritual.

Fiat Lvx.

I have two of them, one labled Heirloom Masonic Bible, and is big enough to hold open Large Doors:



and was given to me by my lodge when I was raised. The other is much smaller, and was my grandfather's bible given to him when HE was raised.

Both contain some general "historical" data on masonry and pages for brothers and officers to sign that are present at the raising...

Certainly NO masonic ritual is contained in this, and the book is otherwise a King James Version of the bible.

If you want to look further into the DeMolay/Hiram thing they seek out a copy of "The Book Of Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite Freemasonry" by Charles T McClenechan and also Albert Pikes "Morals & Dogma Of Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite Freemasonry."
Once I publish a copy of the former on the Internet then I'll be glad to link all the relevant info.

Basically the Hiram Key is "faction" at best, there is very little to no evidence to support any of it, it's a case of two guys going in search of something and finding exactly what they wanted to find by just making all the right assumptions.

The higher degrees make it quite clear that the lessons of "Practical Masonry" (the lower degrees) have very little if any truth to them, they are obscured by many "veils" to protect the secrets from the unworthy.

They are intended as allegory and not to be taken literally at all.

It is important to realise how insignificant Hiram Abif was, he wasn't a nobel so its unlikely he would have been mumified for a start, even if he was really good at his job.

The higher degrees make it quite clear that the lessons of "Practical Masonry" (the lower degrees) have very little if any truth to them, they are obscured by many "veils" to protect the secrets from the unworthy.

Hence, Scottish Rite or York Rite Masonry, for those who want to learn more and continue their Masonic studies . . . . or are you suggesting something different?

Maybe your right, maybe these bibles DON'T have rituals/ceremonies in them, but then again, maybe your wrong. This one does. I will be happy to take some pictures of the pages and post them.

I'm NOT trying to stir up controversy, I am only sharing what I have in my possession. And after I post the pictures I'm sure some of you will still challenge what I am saying, and that's fine- feel free. I have done my fair share of research on this subject and yet I'm unwilling to commit myself in either direction. I prefer to "just absorb" as much as possible from every perspective and let the truth rise to the top.

AND if this old book (which is really big, roughly 11 x 17 with very intricate gold leaf decor) turns out to be... "insignificant" so be it. It still looks great in my collection.

Would it matter that the deceased owner of the book was a 33rd degree Mason of the Scottish Rite? Maybe. Maybe not.

Regarding my reference to "The Hiram Key"... sure it was self-indulging on the authors part, and yes, I found many holes in their story- but it made for interesting reading. Take what you will from ANY book you read.

Think Free

Mr. Necross
It is important to realise how insignificant Hiram Abif was, he wasn't a nobel so its unlikely he would have been mumified for a start, even if he was really good at his job.

I think you have made a very good point here. We have to ook at the name hiram, which some have suggested is hebrew for my Father.

Was this man born with this name, or was he given the name by his King.

Let us speculate on what you have intimated, suppose Solomon loved this man so much he just declared him , Father like. That would place him on alevel with king David. He could not have bestowed a higher rank on any commoner.

No proof of course, but with these theories one has to go with the proponderence of thr evidence, in other words what makes the most sense ?

As far as Masonry is concerned you are right it does not matter , it is the lesson that is important not the individual Characters.

Serum 39
AND if this old book (which is really big, roughly 11 x 17 with very intricate gold leaf decor) turns out to be... "insignificant" so be it. It still looks great in my collection.

Well, you indicated a date around 1800. we have to remember that was a very different period , and what was acceptable then may not be acceptable now.

What concerned me what any suggestion that there was a special Masonic Bible. it is the New and Old Testament Bible of KJV that is used.

You will note that the US president is sworn in on a bible, that is when requested a masonic bible , it is the same one used for each of the presidents that request it . It is the KJV bible.

I thought you might have an elaborate ritual book, whcich in the past has been mistakenly called the masonic Bible.

Could you describe the contents some more.