[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
.It is also the intention of this work to unlock this allegory,and to show the true scientific and astronomical meaning, as37 Stellar Theology and Masonic Astronomywell as moral application, not only of all the legends, but of allthe emblems and symbols of freemasonry which have anyclaim to antiquity.The real character and true origin of the peculiar symbol-ism of freemasonry and its allegories have been a great puzzleto most members of the fraternity.The great moral truthswhich those symbols and allegories teach are plain enough;the only mystery is, how came those truths to be taught bythose peculiar symbols and in that peculiar manner?It is also worthy of remark that, while the moral truthswhich our emblems, symbols, and legends teach are still wellunderstood, yet those great scientific truths, which are equallysaid to illustrate and teach, are wholly lost, and at least theirconnection with them.This lost connection between ouremblems, symbols, and legends, and many of the profoundesttruths of science, will be restored in the pages of this work.Oliver and Hutchinson have both, with much labor, andthe former with great learning, attempted to prove that themaster-mason's degree is a Christian institution not in thesense of its being pervaded with the spirit of Christianity,which is true, but a Christian institution in the same sense asthe Church or the rite of baptism is.Dr.Mackey correctly saysthey have "fallen into a great error." The theory that our frater-nity had its origin in the building societies of the middle agesis sufficiently disproved by our ritual itself, which has manyfeatures that are totally inconsistent with any such theory, andpoint to a far more remote era; although many things relatingto operative masonry were no doubt then ingrafted on it.Dr.Mackey, Oliver, and others, will not accept the astro-nomical theory, and thus the whole matter remains, so far asthey are concerned, a mystery.The astronomical theory is,however, the only correct one, as the following pages will suf-ficiently show.The great difficulty is, that it has never been properly andat the same time fully presented.It has been advanced mainly38 Chapter 2.The Ancient Mysteries Describedby antimasons, who understood many other things much bet-ter than they did our ritual and the legends and symbolism ofour order; or by skeptics, endeavoring at the same time to teardown the Christian religion.The advocacy of the astronomicaltheory by this kind of writers, especially the latter, has donemuch to render it unpopular, and induced many authors andthinkers to discard it without a due and fair examination.Manymasons, like Dr.Oliver, seem to have an illogical and almostsuperstitious fear of having the astronomical character of oursymbolism established.The fact is, however, that the greatmoral truths of freemasonry are indestructible, and stand inde-pendent of the symbolism intended to illustrate them, and toconceal them also, in past ages, when disclosure exposed theinitiated to persecution and death, as an unbeliever in theactual divinity of the sun, moon and stars.The great moralteachings of freemasonry will not suffer any danger of destruc-tion or damage if it is fully established that the emblems bywhich they are illustrated, like the imagery of the Bible, aremainly astronomical instead of mechanical.The following pages, it is believed, contain convincingproofs of the real character and origin of our symbolism.Por-tions of the masonic ritual, and a few of the emblems, have ina general way been shown by several writers to be of astro-nomical origin, and the assertion has been frequently madethat the whole system has an astronomical significance.But itis believed that this work contains the only full and completedemonstration of the purely astronomical and scientific importof the whole ritual, and all the details of the solar allegory, asapplied to masonry accompanied by a particular expositionof the astronomical import and origin of all of its ancientemblems, symbols, and legends, over seventy in number (seeindex), that has ever been made.The traditions and emblemsof freemasonry have been made to speak for themselves,and they tell their own origin and meaning in a languagewhich can not fail to convince any reader, who combines a39 Stellar Theology and Masonic Astronomyknowledge of the lodge and chapter degrees with the mainoutlines and leading principles of astronomy and geometry.These sciences, so often alluded to in our ritual, are eminentlymasonic, and without some knowledge of them what is to fol-low will not be fully understood.It is hoped that this work will also not be without interestto the uninitiated.They will at least, be able to see, unfoldedin its pages, a beautiful and impressive astronomical allegory,which, by the use of sublime and august emblems, teaches theunity of God and the immortality of the soul.The work alsothrows much light upon the religion of the ancient Egyptians,Greeks and Romans, as well as mythology in general.How farthe solar allegory may be truthfully applied to freemasonrythey, of course, will not be able fully to determine for them-selves, except in a general way and on minor points.As forthe rest, they will be expected to be complacent enough totake the opinion of well-informed members of the fraternity.40 Chapter 3A CHAPTER OFASTRONOMICALFACTSIN ORDER TO PROPERLY UNDERSTANDwhat is to follow, some knowledge of the leading factsof astronomy is required [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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.It is also the intention of this work to unlock this allegory,and to show the true scientific and astronomical meaning, as37 Stellar Theology and Masonic Astronomywell as moral application, not only of all the legends, but of allthe emblems and symbols of freemasonry which have anyclaim to antiquity.The real character and true origin of the peculiar symbol-ism of freemasonry and its allegories have been a great puzzleto most members of the fraternity.The great moral truthswhich those symbols and allegories teach are plain enough;the only mystery is, how came those truths to be taught bythose peculiar symbols and in that peculiar manner?It is also worthy of remark that, while the moral truthswhich our emblems, symbols, and legends teach are still wellunderstood, yet those great scientific truths, which are equallysaid to illustrate and teach, are wholly lost, and at least theirconnection with them.This lost connection between ouremblems, symbols, and legends, and many of the profoundesttruths of science, will be restored in the pages of this work.Oliver and Hutchinson have both, with much labor, andthe former with great learning, attempted to prove that themaster-mason's degree is a Christian institution not in thesense of its being pervaded with the spirit of Christianity,which is true, but a Christian institution in the same sense asthe Church or the rite of baptism is.Dr.Mackey correctly saysthey have "fallen into a great error." The theory that our frater-nity had its origin in the building societies of the middle agesis sufficiently disproved by our ritual itself, which has manyfeatures that are totally inconsistent with any such theory, andpoint to a far more remote era; although many things relatingto operative masonry were no doubt then ingrafted on it.Dr.Mackey, Oliver, and others, will not accept the astro-nomical theory, and thus the whole matter remains, so far asthey are concerned, a mystery.The astronomical theory is,however, the only correct one, as the following pages will suf-ficiently show.The great difficulty is, that it has never been properly andat the same time fully presented.It has been advanced mainly38 Chapter 2.The Ancient Mysteries Describedby antimasons, who understood many other things much bet-ter than they did our ritual and the legends and symbolism ofour order; or by skeptics, endeavoring at the same time to teardown the Christian religion.The advocacy of the astronomicaltheory by this kind of writers, especially the latter, has donemuch to render it unpopular, and induced many authors andthinkers to discard it without a due and fair examination.Manymasons, like Dr.Oliver, seem to have an illogical and almostsuperstitious fear of having the astronomical character of oursymbolism established.The fact is, however, that the greatmoral truths of freemasonry are indestructible, and stand inde-pendent of the symbolism intended to illustrate them, and toconceal them also, in past ages, when disclosure exposed theinitiated to persecution and death, as an unbeliever in theactual divinity of the sun, moon and stars.The great moralteachings of freemasonry will not suffer any danger of destruc-tion or damage if it is fully established that the emblems bywhich they are illustrated, like the imagery of the Bible, aremainly astronomical instead of mechanical.The following pages, it is believed, contain convincingproofs of the real character and origin of our symbolism.Por-tions of the masonic ritual, and a few of the emblems, have ina general way been shown by several writers to be of astro-nomical origin, and the assertion has been frequently madethat the whole system has an astronomical significance.But itis believed that this work contains the only full and completedemonstration of the purely astronomical and scientific importof the whole ritual, and all the details of the solar allegory, asapplied to masonry accompanied by a particular expositionof the astronomical import and origin of all of its ancientemblems, symbols, and legends, over seventy in number (seeindex), that has ever been made.The traditions and emblemsof freemasonry have been made to speak for themselves,and they tell their own origin and meaning in a languagewhich can not fail to convince any reader, who combines a39 Stellar Theology and Masonic Astronomyknowledge of the lodge and chapter degrees with the mainoutlines and leading principles of astronomy and geometry.These sciences, so often alluded to in our ritual, are eminentlymasonic, and without some knowledge of them what is to fol-low will not be fully understood.It is hoped that this work will also not be without interestto the uninitiated.They will at least, be able to see, unfoldedin its pages, a beautiful and impressive astronomical allegory,which, by the use of sublime and august emblems, teaches theunity of God and the immortality of the soul.The work alsothrows much light upon the religion of the ancient Egyptians,Greeks and Romans, as well as mythology in general.How farthe solar allegory may be truthfully applied to freemasonrythey, of course, will not be able fully to determine for them-selves, except in a general way and on minor points.As forthe rest, they will be expected to be complacent enough totake the opinion of well-informed members of the fraternity.40 Chapter 3A CHAPTER OFASTRONOMICALFACTSIN ORDER TO PROPERLY UNDERSTANDwhat is to follow, some knowledge of the leading factsof astronomy is required [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]