The Builder Magazine
May 1929 - Volume XV - Number 5
The Future of Freemasonry
The Concluding Article of a Series on Ancient Freemasonry and Present Day Problems
BY BRO. HERBERT HUNGERFORD Author of Seeing Both Sides of Yourself
In this final article Bro. Hungerford points out the reasons for an optimistic outlook in regard to the future of the Craft. The old self-gratulatory spirit is passing away. Thinking brethren everywhere are comparing our practice with our Ideals in growing discontent; and in this growing dissatisfaction and disinclination to rest upon the laurels of the past lies the great hope for the future. For the Pharisee who thanks God that he is not as other men are there is no hope, it was to the Publican who confessed his sins that the promise of the future was given.
OUR PRINCIPAL OBJECTIVE in attempting this somewhat superficial survey of our ancient institution and its relations to some of the outstanding problems of our own times has been to formulate, or, at least, to suggest some forecast of the future of Freemasonry.
In this brief summing-up of the series, please bear in mind the point previously mentioned so frequently, that our purpose is far more suggestive than conclusive. In brief, as our previous articles have attempted to stimulate your own thinking along the lines of our discussion rather than to present complete and definite plans and programs to be carried out, so this final article will not undertake to prophesy future events in Freemasonry, but will be confined to pointing out certain observable tendencies and trends.
I certainly have no desire to pose as a prophet. Yet, I have no hesitancy in expressing my faith, or, at least, my hopes regarding the future possibilities of Freemasonry, based upon observation and study of our past progress and our present activities.
The Importance of Ideals
Some of the brethren who have participated in this series of discussions by contributing their criticisms or viewpoints on various topics we have touched upon, have raised the objection that the writer's attitude has been too idealistic; that he has been advocating principles and practices of perfection far beyond the power and abilities of the poor, frail mortals comprising the membership of our fraternity to live up to in the regular course of their customary activities.
Admitting that we have been advocating ideals of achievement and practices in human relationships far above the customary behavior of ordinary human beings, still we do not admit that such criticism of our attitude is justified, because we maintain that the ideals of our institution are not one whit lower than our articles have represented them. Furthermore, when the far-seeing founders of our fraternity established it as an art to be practiced, they thereby indicated the fact that Freemasonry was to be regarded as an idealistic institution. Every art is a striving towards certain ideals of perfection which are never exactly and completely attained. There are standards of perfection in all fields of activity. Those who parade these standards and uphold the highest ideals as the goal to be aimed at by the votaries of any order, surely should not be criticized as being "too visionary." Bear in mind the fact that "where there is no vision, the people perish."
The key-note of our theme throughout this series has been our conviction that, by shifting the emphasis in our Masonic programs so that less attention is paid to non-essential or side-line activities and our major effort given to the promotion of better understanding of the fundamental principles of Freemasonry and to the encouragement of a more universal practicing among the Craft of the true art of Freemasonry, we would thereby make a large contribution towards the solution of many of the world's problems in religion, education, politics and business.
In this final article, therefore, I propose to point out a few activities which seem to me to be indications of hopeful endeavor towards the goals of highest achievement. Because I have not hesitated to call attention to some of the faults and shortcomings of modern Masonic activities, some of my readers, possibly, may have classed me as a pessimistic critic. Possibly, however, after you have read my views as to the trends and prospects of our fraternity, you will change your opinion and put me down as "one of those incurable optimists." If you do, I shall not greatly object.
The High Repute of Freemasonry
To begin with, let me state that it is my sincere opinion, based upon a considerable amount of observation on this particular matter, that the vast majority of people in all walks of life today, outside of our Craft, look upon the Masonic Order as the greatest of all fraternities. I am not using the term as referring chiefly to size and extensiveness. I estimate that at least nine persons out of every ten hold Freemasonry in the highest esteem. If my observations are fairly accurate, the critics of Freemasonry, outside the Craft today, are few and their criticisms are, usually, feeble or futile. The caustic rantings of a few cantankerous professional scolds or fault-finders, such as Ed Howe or Hank Mencken, because some of us may find pleasure in rigging ourselves out in somewhat showy regalia, or in enjoying any of the other innocent indulgences of our various ceremonials, are but a drop in the bucket as compared to the high praise and almost universal commendation that Freemasonry receives from the general public.
Without apology for what might appear to be a somewhat egotistic attitude towards our Craft, I have no hesitancy in affirming my belief that Freemasonry is deserving of the high place in the esteem of the world that it has won for itself. It really is, I believe, the greatest fraternity in the world.
Furthermore, I regard it as greater today than ever in its history. Not for one minute do I think that modern Freemasonry is resting upon laurels of the past. Neither do I admit that there ever was a period in the history of the Craft when more of its members were deeply and sincerely concerned with the best ways of maintaining and promoting the highest and noblest ideals of the institution.
If you regard this optimistic viewpoint at variance with the criticisms of our Order that have been presented in our previous articles, let me hasten to show you why I believe these seemingly opposite points of view in reality are in perfect harmony.
Freemasonry today would be facing a serious crisis if the leaders in Masonic endeavors and activity held the same views that the world at large outside the Craft apparently holds. The wise observation that it is a dangerous condition when "all men speak well of you" applies to social groups as well as to individuals.
But, my personal observation leads to the opinion that the more thoughtful members of our fraternity are far from complacent regarding the present conditions of the Craft. Everywhere I come into touch with Masonic leaders, I find plenty of evidence of wholesome dissatisfaction which I regard as the most hopeful and healthy portent for the future of Freemasonry.
Many Cities Within Our Craft
There are thousands of Masonic leaders, I believe, who are diligently and sincerely seeking ways and means of applying the teachings of Freemasonry to the solution of present day problems. The many comments I have received on this series of articles coming from every section of the country, is one indication of this. Another of much greater significance is the generally critical tone of the principal articles in the Masonic press everywhere, excepting in the few back-patting and personal sheets which are too few and insignificant to be deserving of serious attention.
During the several years I was connected with the staff of speakers of the Masonic Bureau of Educational and Social Service of New York State, I was afforded considerable opportunity of observing the sort of speeches which made the biggest hits with the brethren. It appeared to me as a most gratifying fact that the old back-patting palaver style of speech was not applauded or appreciated nearly as much as the plain talks containing really constructive criticism and practical suggestions for the improvement of the Order.
Unless I have failed to read aright the signs of the times, Freemasonry is on the verge of the greatest era in the history of the institution. The unusual and not altogether beneficial conditions in the Craft which came as an aftermath of the world war are now passing. We are beginning to get away from the notion that progress is denoted by increase in numbers. We are losing our liking for big drives and mass movements, the direct resultant of the various drives and campaigns which were so necessary a part of war activities. We are beginning to think in terms of Masonic quality rather than mere quantity.
In brief, I am confident that we are beginning to shift the emphasis in our Masonic programs, so that in a steadily increasing number of Lodges, the activities are being centered upon the real fundamentals of our great Masonic teachings, instead of being concerned chiefly with the least important features of Masonic endeavor.
Please do not misunderstand that I am pretending that, throughout the Craft generally, we have already Shifted the emphasis. But I do insist that the tendency in this direction is plainly discernable. It has been my privilege to visit quite a number of lodges and to discuss the conditions of our Craft with a good many devoted brethren in all parts of the country. Everywhere the same thought has been uppermost in the minds of Masonic leaders: What can be done to encourage a larger percentage of our members to practice the real art of Freemasonry and live in accord with true Masonic teachings ?
There is a practical answer to this question, I sincerely believe; an answer that has been tried and proven worthy. Granting the fact that our discussions in this series have only scratched the surface and have not delved deeply into historical research or social or economic analysis; still, I feel sure every reader who has followed the series will admit that they have all pointed in one direction.
The point repeatedly emphasized is that no changes or modifications are necessary in the purpose, plans or programs of Freemasonry in order to answer the above vital question in a plain and practical way. All we need to do is to continue the shifting of the emphasis in our Masonic programs and activities in the ways already noted as being the tendency in many Lodges.
Getting right down to brass tacks, I contend, that the Masonic Study Club Movement, as fostered and directed by The National Masonic Research Society, offers the most effective answer to the question as to how any Lodge or any group of really interested brethren may stimulate and encourage the more widespread practice of the art of Freemasonry among all their fellows and brothers.
If you are anxious to develop the true Masonic spirit among the members of your Lodge, I doubt if you can find a more satisfactory and certain way of accomplishing this commendable aim than by organizing a Study Club. You are surely aware of the difficulty of deeply impressing the principles and teachings of Freemasonry through the frequently hurried administering of initiatory rites. Neither does sitting on the side lines listening to these ceremonials or even participating in them, bring out clearly and completely the noble ideals and practical teachings of our Order. Nor will a few brief talks or lectures by well-informed brethren fully accomplish this objective. All these things will help, of course, yet you will find no other means as effective in teaching Masonic ideals and inculcating the practices of Freemasonry as organizing and conducting a regular course of readings and discussions.
You will note, therefore, that although we have reached the final discussion in our series on Ancient Freemasonry and Present Day Problems, we have really just begun our endeavors towards the practical application of the points we have attempted to present during this series.
In accepting the appointment as sort of a chairman for The Masonic Study Club Forum of THE BUILDER and general campaign manager for the extension of the Study Club Movement, I admit my deep appreciation of the honor and privilege of this service, but also wish to express my Obligations to, and my dependence upon the counsel, criticism and cooperation of my brethren in all parts of the country who have shown so much interest and given such splendid encouragement to all efforts on behalf of the extension of Masonic education. If those who have been encouraging my efforts in this series will continue their cooperation by helping to awaken interest in the Study Club Movement among the Craft everywhere and will also aid in organizing, conducting and passing along, through our Study Club Forum, any practical pointers brought out by actual Study Club activities, I certainly shall have no fears regarding the future of Freemasonry.
----o----
Where Are We Drifting?
By BRO. R. J. MEEKREN
Statistics Show Some Interesting Trends in Modern Masonry. They Are Graphically Presented in the Article Which Follows. The Light Thrown on Our Present System of Admissions Is an Important Contribution to the Craft.
WHAT is the actual condition of the Masonic Fraternity in America today? We know that it has well over three million members, and there is undoubtedly a certain prestige given by such huge numbers. But in itself this does not tell us much of real value. Those who have read, even occasionally, the Reports of our Grand Lodges during the past ten years know that there has been a great expansion since the War. They will also be aware that there has been considerable, though vague, uneasiness in regard to the increasing losses due to members dropping out of the organization. Some Grand Lodges have been so impressed by these fears that they have introduced regulations restricting the freedom of the individual Mason by denying him the right to dimission from his lodge, permitting him only to transfer his membership. Whether justified or not, this is undoubtedly an innovation in the "body of Freemasonry," although those who advocate it do not seem to realize the fact. But though such drastic attempts to stop the leaks are being made or advocated, no one seems to have any very clear comprehension of the amount of these losses and their relation to the total membership.
It is a very curious thing that this lack of definite knowledge should exist, and all the more curious in view of the fact that American Grand Lodges as a anywhere available in the Masonic world. Whenever dual or plural membership is suggested it almost always happens that the first objection advanced against it is the alleged difficulty it would cause in keeping accurate membership rolls. But such records are hardly worth while for their own sake and as an end in themselves.
As a preliminary essay in what is almost a virgin field of investigation I have prepared the accompanying charts to show certain relationships between the gains and losses in membership over a period of fifteen years. The basic figures used for this purpose have been taken from the tables that have been compiled annually since 1913 by Bro. George A. Kies, Grand Secretary of Connecticut, and published annually in the Proceedings of that Grand Lodge. Without this foundation to build upon it is doubtful whether I should ever have had the courage to undertake this task, even had time been available. Bro. Kies, therefore, should have at least half of whatever credit may be due.
As has already been mentioned, the official rulers and leaders of the Craft have very Frequently expressed grave fears in regard to losses from various causes, especially those by suspension for non-payment of dues. Rather less frequently, doubts have been voiced as to whether the growth in the last decade has not been altogether too rapid.
There are four avenues of loss, one of which is inevitable, that is death. The other three are dimission, suspension and expulsion. The first chart shows the relationship between these last. The graphic method of showing the relationship of varying figures is now so frequently used that most people are more or less familiar with it. The curves A and B show respectively the dimissions and affiliations for each year, according to the scale of numbers on the perpendicular axis. It must be borne in mind that on such a scale only round figures can be used. But this does not affect the general accuracy of the result so far as showing the relationship between them is concerned.
One thing is apparent immediately upon inspection of these two curves, A and B. that they very closely parallel each other over the whole period. It will be noted that in 1916, and again in 1923, the distance between them increases. This distance represents in each year the difference between the number of Masons dimitted and those affiliated. It is quite possible that economic and other external causes would account for this divergence of the curves at these two periods. The normal reason for dimission is change of residence. Whenever conditions lead to a general movement of population, such divergence is naturally to be expected. Whether the later divergence that appears in 1927 can be wholly accounted for in this way is not clear. For that we must wait and see. But on the whole we may conclude that the relationship between dimission and affiliation appears to be quite normal, and the difference no greater than should be naturally expected.
The curve E shows the expulsions. While 674, the total for 1927, is altogether too many - it means that in over 600 lodges there has been careless investigation, or too little courage in denying admission to unfit applicants, yet relatively the figures are so small as to have little significance in a broad survey. And while the number has nearly doubled in the fifteen years, the rate of increase has been much less in proportion than the rate of growth. This is certainly not a discouraging feature.
The curves C and D show the relationship between suspensions and reinstatements. As in the case of A and B. the distance between these two curves shows the balance of the number of Masons suspended over those reinstated in any given year. We see there was an increase in these from 1913 to 1915, and then, after some fluctuations, a decrease. Roughly, only with larger numbers, the suspended increased at much the same rate as the dimitted Masons until 1918-1919, when they began to decrease. There is no doubt that a proportion, perhaps a larger proportion - there is no means of determining - of suspensions are due to the same cause as dimissions. Brethren move to another locality but neglect to keep in touch with their lodge. It is especially noteworthy that while 1921 showed the smallest balance of unaffiliated Masons in any year after 1915, the number of reinstatements was actually greater than the suspensions. The year 1921 was a remarkable one in several ways. It is one of the indications of the relation between dimissions and affiliations being on the whole a normal one, that this year shows no greater balance of dimits over affiliations than appears in 1925, when suspensions were rapidly increasing and, as will be seen, accessions were still more rapidly falling.
The rapid increase of suspensions is undoubtedly a very unhealthy symptom, and should be carefully considered in the light of the curve of admissions in Chart II. Though here a word of warning must be given. The difference in scale must be taken into account. Were the curve A in Chart II drawn to the same scale as in Chart I, the peak in 1921 would be roughly six times as far from the base line as the curve of dimissions in the same year in the latter chart, which would take it a long way out of the page. The greater numbers involved in Chart II necessitated the reduction of scale. The larger scale was used in Chart I in order to show more distinctly the trend and fluctuations of the different curves.
Turning now to the second chart, the curve D shows the total losses through the three causes dealt with in Chart I. The interesting fact which strikes us first is that from 1913 to 1926 this line falls well below C, the curve of the losses by death during the same period. The death rate serves the purpose of a standard of comparison. The dotted straight line drawn through C shows that deaths have very steadily increased, which is a necessary consequence of the increase in membership. The year 1919 shows a sharp increase, due doubtless to the influenza epidemic. But the following years show a decreased rate which about balances it. Comparing this with curve D we may perhaps be justified in assuming that losses from other causes have not been critically serious. But unfortunately the year 1927 shows them to be greater than the losses by death. This may be no more than a temporary fluctuation, but it must be noted that since 1921 these losses have tended to increase too steadily, and too sharply, to be an altogether encouraging sign.
But confidence is somewhat restored by the curve of accessions, the line A. These have been so much greater than losses from all sources that, in spite of the latter, the membership has rapidly increased. Yet it is not an altogether healthy curve. It looks like - altogether too much like - a fever chart. The tremendous number of admissions from 1919 to 1921 could not possibly be normal. At least after this "temperature" there would be a period of indigestion, if nothing worse.
It is curious to note that the peak in 1921 was also, as already observed in dealing with Chart I, coincident with the lowest net loss in dimissions and a slight gain as between suspensions and reinstatements. These phenomena, it may be assumed, were all due to much the same causes, whatever they were. The same influences that led to the unparalleled influx from the outside into the Craft, led also to the renewal of lapsed memberships.
The Curve B is plotted from the total net losses from all causes, and here again cause for misgiving is shown. From 1921 on, these losses have been tending ever upward as shown by the dotted line; while, ignoring the steep drop after 1921, there has been, from 1923 on, an even sharper trend downward in accessions. This points to the two lines meeting, or even passing, in 1930; which means in effect that the Masonic birthrate will fall below the death-rate, and the organization come to a standstill, or start on the downward grade, so far as membership is concerned.
Chart III shows the cumulative gross increase over the same period. In this the scale has been still further reduced, as we are now dealing with millions instead of thousands. This increase has been roughly 2,400,000; an average of 160,000 a year, or a-little more than half of that for 1921.
In this chart the four curves are all divergent (with the exception that D is not uniformly so). This is because they show the successive totals in each year from 1912, and not merely the number for each year by itself, as in the first two charts. The greatly reduced scale also tends to iron out the annual fluctuations. The divergence between A and B shows the cumulative totals of losses from death, that between B and C the actual number of unaffiliated Masons, that between C and D the total of the suspended and expelled, while the space between D and the base line represents the number of members in good standing in excess of 1,400,000. If the base were to show zero it would have to be drawn as far below its actual position as the curve D is above it in 1923. When this is taken into account (and to visualize it a sheet of white paper with a base line ruled on it at the right distance might be laid on the page) it will be seen that the losses by non-affiliation and suspension form only a very narrow fringe or border to the area showing total membership. In short they do not give much support to alarmist views.
Coming now to the consideration of the curves in detail, we find that in 1927, in round numbers, 2,460,000 candidates had been admitted into the Order since 1912; while in the same period 444,000 Masons had deceased. In the last named year, 1927, there were 68,000 unaffiliated Masons - not a very large number when compared with millions - and 192,000 who were under sentence of suspension or expulsion; which number Is too large. According to this there were in good standing 3,157,000 Masons. This figure is between 80,000 and 90,000 less than those usually given. But there are many ways in which this discrepancy could have arisen. It must be remembered that returns come into each Grand Lodge at different times and there always has to be a certain amount of approximation. As these curves have been plotted from the positive data it is not probable that they are very far from giving the correct totals.
These curves bring out certain features that are not so easily observable in the two previous charts. They confirm the inference that the number of unaffiliated Masons is on the whole a normal one. Naturally there must always be some unaffiliated Masons - unless every Grand Lodge followed the novel method of forbidding dimission altogether. The greater the total number of Masons, the greater must be the actual number of those who, for one or other of a multitude of good and legitimate reasons, desire to leave one lodge and join another. As this must take, at the least, several months in each case, there must always be a balance of those who are for the time being unattached. The regularity of the divergence between B and C shows conclusively that this proportion has not increased, if anything it appears to have somewhat lessened, when it is compared with the divergence between A and B. For the loss by death must in the long run be about the same among Masons as for the community at large, and thus it gives us a norm by which to judge the other losses.
The curve D does not show quite the same regularity as C, for after having diverged rather too rapidly from 1913 to 1919 it then begins to approach C, and in 1920, 1921 and 1922 runs almost exactly parallel to it, which means that the total remained stationary during those years. But after 1922 it begins to diverge again more rapidly than ever. Whether or not this is merely temporary, a result of the "indigestion" following the orgy of the years 1920 to 1923, remains for the future to show us.
This preliminary and hasty survey at least shows a very promising field for further investigation and research, in which the statistics compiled annually by each Grand Lodge may be made to give up their real significance. Every institution, as every individual, exists in time. A wider realization of this fact is one result of the popular interest in the mathematical theories of relativity propounded by Einstein. As has been well said, history is not the bare record of a series of isolated facts but the representation of a process. We cannot understand any situation unless we have some idea of how it came to be. Without some knowledge of the past it is impossible to even guess at the future. The apparent conclusion to be drawn from this consideration of the history of the growth of the Masonic Fraternity in recent years is mixed. There is no cause for alarm apparently, yet we cannot say that it is wholly healthy and as we could desire it to be.
APPENDIX
As it may be convenient for reference, the round totals as used in preparing the graphs for the article are here given, as taken from the Proceedings of the Grand Lodge of Connecticut. Except in the case of expulsions, all figures below the hundreds have been omitted, and in some eases those higher than that have been approximated; as for example, 983 may be estimated as practically one thousand.
One thing may be gathered from this table which was not represented in the charts, and that is the relationship of the number of lodges to total membership. The average membership per lodge in 1927 was somewhat under 200, in 1913 it was a little over 100. This again is a characteristic and not reassuring symptom. The average number of suspended Masons to each lodge is very nearly twelve.
Year
Raised
Died
Dimitted
Affll'd
Suspended
Reinstated
Expelled
Membership
Lodges
1913
92,280
21,636
22,660
20,700
14,400
6,498
384
1,519,000
14,114
1914
104,300
22,700
25,300
22,300
17,700
7,200
400
1,607,000
14,145
1915
104,000
22,300
25,800
22,200
19,100
6,900
450
1,681,000
14,698
1916
109,700
25,200
30,200
2.1,400
20 000
9,600
470
1,749,000
14,712
1917
117,600
25,800
29,000
23,800
19 000
9,800
400
1,822,000
14,800
1918
130,200
26,600
26,500
21,900
20,700
9,000
350
1,932,000
14,920
1919
153,000
35,300
26,400
21,200
15,900
10,800
300
2,037,000
15,069
1920
218,700
31,100
23,800
15,500
13,100
12,700
300
2,238 000
15,168
1921
293,300
29,600
46,500
43,300
12,400
12,800
300
2,521 000
15,426
1922
263,000
29,300
46,700
42,600
15,300
10,000
500
2,721,000
15,696
1923
185,400
32,400
45,000
38,700
22,600
9,600
700
2,872,000
15,951
1924
173,300
32,900
40,700
36,000
26,900
10,200
670
2,978,000
15,997
1925
170 600
35,000
40,600
37,600
30,600
11,100
700
3,009,000
16,257
1926
147 900
34,600
40,900
36,100
40,200
11,600
640
3,131,000
16,400
1927
138,500
38,800
38,000
30,900
47,900
14,200
674
3,243,000
16,470
----o----
"G"; Gematria; Theology
By BRO. L. F. STRAUSS, Massachusetts
ONCE upon a time long, long ago, there was an Organization, Federation, Community of men living, working, praying, on the banks of the Jordan and the Nile, on the shores of the Dead Sea, in the Desert of Arabia, in the town of Engada and near an oasis at the foot of Mt. Sinai. A strange confederation, a strange community of men, yea the strangest, the most wonderful Brotherhood the world had ever seen for "By their fruits ye shall know them" was once upon a time proclaimed by the Master.
Who were these men? What is the name given by the lips of men to this Community, this Brotherhood?
The appellation was coined from the Greek word meaning "holy"; from which term Josephus wrote "Essaes"; from which Philo Judaeus made "Essenoi," and Pliny the Younger made "Essenes" (although the critic is not sure about the exact coinage of Pliny).
The name used by contemporaries and by the common people was "Hasidim," which term is translated into English by the word "saints." The designation given by the Apostle Paul was also translated as "saints."
The self-designation of this Brotherhood, which should be of special interest to Freemasons, was "Banaim." This word translated into English means Builders. The universal aim of every member, called "Banus" by Josephus, was to build a bridge between this world and the other, to become an architect under the direction of and guided by the example of the Great Architect.
The term (h)agioi, the appellation used by Paul, is of interest to the philologist. From ago, agere, egg actus we have the English active, action, actor. The Latin is closely connected with the Greek ago, ayeix, with the same meaning. The Greeks by means of the spiritus aspen that is by prefixing the sign for the aspirate, or rough breathing (for they had no letter for H), indicated a reverential feeling. Thus Paul gives "hagiois" "hagioy." This word, to a Greek mind, would indicate men working, especially active for, a holy cause. The translation of "hagioi" in our Bible is "saints." This word "hagioi" we find in Chapter xvi of Paul's Letter to the Corinthians, a chapter of great importance to the faithful, and of special interest to the historian, the scholar, the philologist, and psychologist.
A very strange phenomenon is there presented. The translation of the first two verses of this chapter is, to use a mild expression, erroneous. Here we find quite a variety of renderings, of translations. For historical, philological and psychological reasons the translators were puzzled.
Thus the Revised Version has:
Now concerning the collection for the saints as I have given order to the churches of Galatia even so do ye upon the first day of the week, let every one of you lay by him in store as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.
What a rendering, what a translation! The devil laughs and the angels weep. We have here in Greek three terms, three words which puzzle the unsophisticated reader: " (h) agiois," "logia," "sabbatou." ( H ) agiois rendered by "saints" as before stated. But for the term "logia" to be rendered "collection" !
Philologically logia is related to logos, meaning "word"; to the Latin loquor, loqui from which we have the English "colloquy" and "loquacious." Then the translation of the Greek sabbatou by "the first day the week."
This last, most glaring falsification is of modern date. The Vulgate, the Latin version, is here superior, more truthful. "The sabbath," at least is faithfully kept in this translation, as by some few others, by Martin Luther for example. He kept the Sabbath, too, in his translation and for "logia" he gives "steuer" or "tax."
Now the word Sabbath is used in the Bible, in both the Old and the New Testaments, very many times; and this word always designates the seventh day of the week, a day of rest. What here puzzled the truth seeking translator was "a collection of money" or, to Luther, an "imposition of tax" on the Sabbath.
Another small point of information: the rendering of Matthew xxviii, v. I, as "end of Sabbath" is erroneous. The Greek word signifies evening, and the translation here should be "Sabbath eve." At the time of Jesus and His Apostles and in the orthodox Jewish world of today the term Sabbath eve means Friday evening, the beginning and not the end of the Sabbath. "One half of the world knows not how the other half lives" or thinks.
We will here give the literal translation of the first two verses of Paul's epistle to the Corinthians.
About the bequests (dedication) for the saints (church workers missionaries) as I ordained (decreed) to the churches of Gaiatia, so do ye also. On some Sabbath each one of you bequeath (dedicate) of his treasure (fortune) whatever to him seems befitting (becoming or proper) so that not when I come a dedication (bequest) will have to be made.
The term logia, a word of Hebrew-Hellenic coinage, translated in our Bible by "collection," was connected with the Hebrew Divine service on the Sabbath, even as in the Orthodox Jewry of today.
If in this case the term will arouses the curiosity of some readers of THE BUILDER a dissertation will be given in a succeeding article.
After this brief excursion into the Biblical realm, made primarily because in the word hagioi, translated "saints," we find a reference to our ancestors, that is, our Masonic ancestors; let us now return to our subject, to our heroes bearing such a different appellation, the Essenes, self-designated "Banaim" or Builders. From this term Builders we have our modern "Masons" and the name of our highly appreciated magazine, THE BUILDER.
Paul's hagioi furnished the pioneers the propagandists, to use a modern word the missionaries, who preached and eventually founded what is today Christianity. A miracle, a most undisputable miracle. A comparatively small number of men a group of despised, poor Jews conquering, overcoming the Roman empire, transforming, transmuting the Graeco-Roman civilization, converting the Celtic, the Germanic, the Slavonic world. What a miracle!
Here we would refer the reader to previous articles by the author published in THE BUILDER: "Joshua ben Joseph" (called "Jesus the Christ"), "The Essenes," "The Kabala," "The Kabala and Freemasonry," and "Gematria."
Learned scholars make Jesus the Christ a member of the Essenes. The Apostle Paul informs us that he had sat at the feet of Gamaliel, a recognized teacher of "Essenism." Masonic authorities make John the Baptist and John the Evangelist members of the Order of Essenes and claim them as fathers of Masonry.
In this matter the psychologist finds a strange lesson and valuable information. Some Christian historians object, repudiating the "descent." We might learn from our opponents. In the Catholic Encyclopedia we find such statements as:
Deists and continental rationalists strive to metamorphose the Essenes into predecessors from whom gradually and naturally developed Christianity, etc.
Freemasons pretended to find in Essenism pure Christianity, etc.
Why this objection to Christian Essenic relationship by the Holy Roman Catholic Church? Why this unfriendly attitude toward the Essenes? For the contemplation of the Holy Father, the Pope and his bishops we will give the opinion, the judgment of an impartial "contemporary," a careful observer, in a way an eye witness, the testimony of Pliny, a good and noble Roman.
Ab oeeidente litora "Esseni fugiunt," usque qua nocent gens sola et in toto urbe praetor eeteras mira; sine ulla femina, omni venere abdicata, sine pecunia, socia palmarum in diem exaeque convenarum turba renascitur, large frequent-antibus quos vita fessos admores eorum fortuna fluetibus agit. Ita per saeculorum milia incredibile gens eterna est in qua nemo naseitur tam fecundia illis aliorum vitae poenitentia est.
Now this will be of interest: In The History of the World, commonly called "the Natural Historie of G. Plinius Secundus," translated into English by Philemon Holland, Doctor in Physicke, Londini, Impensis G. B., 1601," we find in the eighty-eighth chapter, headed "The People Esseni," the following rendering of the above citation:
Along the west coast inhabite the Esseni, a nation that is living alone and solitaire and of all others throughout the world admirable and wonderful. Women they see not-carnall lust they know not- they handle no money- they lead their lives by themselves and keep companie only with Date trees. Yet nevertheless the countri is evermore well peopled for that daily numbers of strangers report thither in great frequenei from other parts and namely such as be wearie of this miserable life are by the surging waves of frowning fortune driven thither to sort with them in their manner of living. Thus for many thousand years (a thing incredible and yet most true) a people had continued without any supply of new breed and generation. So mightily increase they evermore by the wearisome state and repentence of other men.
Now there might be an objection to, a denial of, Essenic fatherhood of Christianity or of Freemasonry but there cannot be, there is not a rejection, a denial of Essenic paternity of a something called the Kabala.
And this other fact is just as indisputable; the nomenclature, the terminology for Masonic presentation has been taken from that same Kabala.
In a previous article by the author, published in THE BUILDER, such a list of names was given. To this list we wish now to add the term En Soph. As the fingers write this word the hand trembles. This word, this term En Soph in the Essenic or Banaic realm stands for the Highest, whose Representative here on the Earth is given the name Supreme Architect. In the Masonry of England the word En Soph is a most important figure of speech, in a way a leading landmark.
Right here stands, ante ocalos, one scene in Masonic panorama; the ingenuity of man is exhausted in an effort for calling special attention to some certain things, certain forms, in an attempt to arouse at least what is called curiosity; and we hear, "Search."
Let us now briefly consider the sign. The symbol, the most conspicuous and ever present letter "G." Again this writer refers the reader to a previous article in THE BUILDER, entitled "Gematria." We will here restate this much: the modus and opus operandi of a community called Hagioi (saints) Essenes-Kabalists, self-styled Banaim (builders) was, is, called Gematria. We will also remind the reader of a well known statement: "There are more things in heaven and earth that are dreamt of in our philosophy," and recall also a certain oath of secrecy. And then there comes the injunctions of the Master: "Give not that which is holy unto dogs." "Cast not your pearls before swine lest they turn and rend you." "To you it is given to know the Kingdom of heaven; to them we speak in parables."
We also wish to here remind the reader of this fact: The pre- Christian Essenes had the idea, the doctrine, of what today is called the Copernican or heliocentric theory of the solar system. The exact wording of this doctrine was given in an article published in THE BUILDER. To the Mason interested in occultism in general, and in Masonic ideas and symbolism, we recommend the reading and contemplation of Francis Bacon's New Atlantis.
In this we are introduced to "Solomon's House"; we are informed that Moses by a secret Kabala ordained the laws of Ben Salem, and are told "We are here in God's bosom, a land unknown."
"G." Idea, Primary Principle: All creation has developed through emanation from the En Soph. Remember, O remember, dear reader, En Soph constitutes one of the most important symbols in modern Freemasonry. The first degrees of that evolution are the ten Sephiroth, from the last of which Kingdom (Thy Kingdom come) developed the twenty-two letters of the [Hebrew] alphabet. Through the latter the whole finite world has come. These are dynamic powers, symbolized by the written signs we call letters. Since these powers are numbers, everything which has sprung from them is also number. Number is the essence of things.
Mr. Carey Lee of Philadelphia has written a strange little booklet entitled Equivalent Numbers of Elementary Bodies. In this he introduces the reader to a kind of Gematria in the realm of chemistry. Space allows of only short quotations. The author says:
It has been the object of this paper to develop as far as possible those universal relations existing between the atomic weights of elements, etc.
In this way, little by little, the materials are collected for future generalizations with the reasonable hope of eventually arriving at an intimate knowledge of the true constitution of the materials which compose our globe.
With the advent of Christianity there ensued a division in the realm of the Essenes. We do not deem it expedient to state particulars, to give details. There arose, there was born, a Christian Kabalism, a Greek Gematria.
The Rev. T. S. Lea, D. D., an English clergyman, informs us in his work entitled Gematria, that:
. . . it is during the last half of the 19th century that the complete connection of the earliest Christianity with Greek Mithraic and other mysteries has been brought to light. These mysteries have a connection, by no means unimportant, with the symbolism of names and numbers.
The same . . . may be said of the Essenes, the Neopythagoreans and all the many embryonic forms of Gnosticism which were like microbes in the air, naturally infecting more or less every religious growth within their sphere or influence. The disputants of past generations were unaware of most of these things. Yet the Primitive Christian was an Initiate plainly enough and had a disciplini areani, even as other Initiates. But the Christian Mysteries were unique in that they brought with them the "open door," and offered an initiation of a more universal nature than was allowed in the Eleusinian and manifold other rites which are multiplying at and about the time of the formation of the first Christian society, etc.
There is very early Christian authority for this Gematria. In the gospel according to the Hebrews, quoted by Origen and St. Jerome. (See also Acts of St. Thomas.) Hence it will be seen that the phoneen eremo is the germ of the three-fold Logus plus the power of baptism, that being the second operation of the same power of the Trinity becomes manifest. It will be remembered in this connection that Ioannes stands for the triple Logos. Three is the number of the greatest and most profound of the Christian Mysteries.
Let us now come to an exemplification of the Hebrew Gematria. The sacred Tetragrammaton, the Name of God, I H V H as transliterated into our letters (of which Jehovah is the familiar form) may be integrated in many ways. The following four are the usual ones adopted. It must be remembered that in Hebrew and other Semitic languages, as was also the case in Greek, the letters of the alphabet were commonly used to represent numbers. Alph, the first letter, stood for one, beth, the second, for two, and so on. The later letters were used for tens, hundreds and thousands. In this way any group of letters might equally spell a word or represent a certain sum. The four chief ways of enumerating the sacred Name above mentioned are the following:
(1) Jot, Hei, Foif, He=45.
(2) Yot, He, V. H.=52.
(3) Yot, Hei, Foif, Hi=63.
(4) Jot, H. V. H.=72.
Vulliaud, a French author, gives the following:
Jave=26, Adonai=25, Ahih=61, Ja he donai=91, making a total of 203. And he says in respect to this, the passage has been freely translated:
This number, 203, is equivalent to the word "beer" or fountain (strictly speaking, a well) which numerically taken, Beth 2, Aleph 1, Resch 2000, which added together is 203. This word "beer" is the symbol of the fountain or spring from whence flows the love of God (Jehovah); the power of God (Adonai), the truth of God (Ehyeh) and so on.
The same author also informs us that it is from the Kabbalistic Science that:
. . Christianity has drawn its dogmatic system, and very probably its ethics also the Essenico-Kabbalistic morality.
And he says further:
The word "Essaios" according to the most correct etymology is derived from the Syro-chaldaic word, assa, signifying, "to cure," and thus it gives us a literal translation of the Greek name Therapeutes, or in Latinized form, Therapeutae.
The Christian Greek Gematria may now be set forth. Some of these figures have been woven into the outer garments, and might be found in the innermost shrine of modern Freemasonry.
First; the name Ioannes (our name John). I=10, O=800, A=1, N=50, N=50, E=8, S=200, making a total, 1119.
Second; the name Iesous, which is the Greek form of Jesus. I=10, E=8, S=200, O=70, U=400, S=200, which makes 888. The letter represented by "o" in Ioannes is Omega, the last letter of the Greek alphabet. The "o" in Iesous is Omicron, the fifteenth, which explains the apparent inconsistency in numerical value.
