CHAPTER XXV.

JEWISH TRADITIONS AND CUSTOMS— CABLE TOW— CEREMONIES OF ANCIENT INITIATION— BOOK OF THE LAW.
"TpTNEFERENCE was made to Traditions in a previous cliapter of this I ^y work ; but now I want you to thoroughly understand, that if it
^"^ were not for traditions, we should not know the day of the week, the month, or the year that we are living in to-day. Therefore, in dealing with records that antedate authenticated history, as well as those symbols and allegories that belong to the Symbolic degrees of Free Masonry, we are compelled to depend upon Traditions for the elucidation and proper understanding of them.
Tradition signifies the transmission of knowledge, opinions, man- ners, customs, etc., by oral communications from one generation to another. Now, in order that you may better understand me, let me inform you that amidst the writings of the ancient Hebrews we find that " the words of the Scribes are lovely, above the words of the Law ; that the words of the Law are all weighty ; that the words of the Elders are weightier than the words of the Prophets." By which is meant that the Traditions delivered to them by the Scribes and Elders in the Mishna and Talmud are to be considered of more value than the Holy Scriptures.
Without the aid of Traditions, said the Rabbins, our knowledge would be very limited. We glean from this same source that Hillel, a celebrated Jewish Rabbin ; in fact, one of their greatest' Sages, was taunt- ingly asked by a Cairoite : " Master, how can you prove that Tradition is true, and what evidence does it rest upon ?" The Rabbin, pausing for a moment, crossing his arms over his breast and casting his eyes upwards in deep thought, then looking the man square in the face, said unto him : " Let me hear you repeat the first three letters of your alphabet." The man pronounced the letters " A B C," when the Sage said unto him : " How did you learn to pronounce those letters in that way, and no
584 EGYPT, THE CRADLE OF ANCIENT MASONRY.
other?" The man replied: "I so learned them from my Father." " And in this way your son shall learn them from you," rejoined Hillel, " and this is Tradition."
And thus it was long ages before writing was known, the ancients handed down from Father to Son a knowledge of their manners, customs. Arts, Sciences and Philosophies, which have been the admiration of all men of every age of the world's history. The Wisdom that belonged to these ancient peoples, as well as their manners and customs, has stepped across the threshold of the twentieth century for our own especial edifica- tion. If we care to see o?ie of the ancient customs of the Hebrew people, that has been handed down from generation to generation, let us go to one of their Abattoirs or slaughtering houses, where we may be enabled to see the Chocat kill a beef, in the same manner as it was done in the days of Abraham. They are just as particular now in performing the operation as they were then.
In order to kill a beef the Chocat uses a very long and sharp knife called a Chalef, of which he takes great care. It is honed or sharpened to a razor-like edge, and kept scrupulously clean ; and when the Chocat desires to kill- an animal for food, he cuts the throat with one contint:ous cut, being very careful not to touch the bone, for if he does, it is Trifa^ or impure ; but the veins and arteries must be severed b}^ one continuous cut from ear to ear. After which, the heart and lungs are thoroughly examined, to see if the animal was healthy and fit for food. Then if any of the parts were found in an unhealthy condition, the body was marked Trifa^ when it was divided in the centre and thrown away ; but if every- thing was found to be healthy and pure, it was marked Kosha, or pure, and good and fit for food.
The Jewish people, at the time of their forced stay in Persia, were perfectly familiar with the doctrines of both Persia and India, and mau}^ of them held some of the highest offices under the Persian Bmpire. No matter where they lived, they soon attained to some of the most promi- nent positions in those various countries, such as governors, judges, etc. When Cyrus gave them their freedom, with permission to return to Jerusalem in order to rebuild their temple, all of them were not desirous of going, for there were a great number who were perfectly willing to remain in Persia, where their children had been born, who spoke the
EGYPT, THE CRADLE OF ANCIENT MASONRY. 585
same language and, in fact, were like the people with whom they lived, having the same freedom. Thej^ may have been considered to be in bondage, but it is self-evident that they had equal rights among the Persians, with whom they lived, just as they are with us to-day.
Daniel was the Chief of the Babylonian College of Magi, and Min- ister and companion to the King. Mordecai became Prime Minister and Esther, his cousin, a Jewish damsel, became Queen, and helped her people. Look at Joseph, who was sold into bondage, and see to what prominence he attained ! Disraeli, in our own time, became Prime Min- ister of England under Victoria. I tell you, my dear Brothers and Friends, that we owe a great deal to the Hebrew people. Moses gave to us the Decalogue, the very foundation of our Laws and civilization. The Word was made manifest in the body and blood of Christ, a Jew. In fact, we depend upon Jewish biographies for an account of his life and work.
Aristobulus and Philo Judseus were both Jews, and at the head of the Jewish Greek school of philosophy in Alexandria, where the)' labored earnestly and incessantly to prove that the Jewish Scriptures were simply allegories, that contained within themselves the most profound Truths and philosophies of every other country and peoples, and that Plato received some of his grandest thoughts from this source. Aristobulus himself positively asserted that the ethics of Aristotle demonstrated the esoteric teachings of the law of Moses, and Philo tried his utmost to reconcile the writings of Moses with the Pythagorean school of Philoso- phy. Josephus, the Jewish historian, has demonstrated in his works that the Essenes were identical with the Egyptian Theraputse. Ammonius, a Christian philosopher, organized a Platonic school of Philosophy at Alex- andria in A. D. 232. He strived in vain to reconcile the various religious sects, by having them give up their strife and bickerings, telling them that they were all possessed of the same glorious Truths, and that the first thing for them to believe in was, or should be, the Universal Brother- hood of Man, in fact he tried to verify the teachings of Aristobulus and Philo Judseus.
Albert Pike in " Morals and Dogmas," page 744, states that " All truly dogmatic religions have issued from the Kabalah and return to it ; everything scientific and grand in the religious dreams of all the illu- minati, Jacob Bcehme, Swendenborg, Saint Martin and others, is borrowed
586 EGYPT, THE CRADLE OF ANCIENT MASONRY.
from the Kabalali ; all the Alasonic associations owe to it their Secrets and their Symbols. The Kabalah alone consecrates the alliance of the Uni- versal Reason and the Divine Word ; it establishes, by the counterpoises of two forces apparently opposite, the eternal balance of being ; it alone reconciles Reason with Faith, Power with Liberty, Science with Mystery ; it has the keys of the Present, the Past and the Future.
" The Bible with all the allegories it contains, expresses in an incom- plete and veiled iranner only, the religious science of the Hebrews. The doctrine of Moses and the Prophets, identical at bottom with that of the ancient Egyptians, also had its outward meaning and its veils. The Hebrew books were written only to recall to memory the traditions ; and they were written in Symbols unintelligible to the Profane. The Penta- teuch and the prophetic poems were merely elementary books of doc- trines, morals or liturgy ; and the true secret and traditional philosophy was only written afterward, under veils still less transparent. Thus was a second Bible born, unknown to, or rather uncomprehended b}', the Chris- tians ; a collection, they say, of monstrous absurdities ; a monument, the adept says, wherein is everything that the genius of philosophy and that of religion have ever formed or imagined of the sublime ; a treasure surrounded by thorns ; a diamond concealed in a rough dark stone.
" One is filled with admiration on penetrating into the Sanctuar}^ of the Kabalah, at seeing a doctrine so logical, so simple, and at the same time so absolute. The necessary union of ideas and signs, the consecration of the most fundamental realities by the primitive characters ; the Trinity of Words, Letters and Numbers ; a philosophy simple as the alphabet, pro- found and Infinite as the Word ; theorems more complete and luminous than those of Pythagoras ; a theology summed up by counting on one's fingers ; an Infinite which can be held in the hollow of an infant's hand ; ten ciphers and twenty-two letters, a triangle, a square and a circle — these are all the elements of the Kabalah. These are the elementary principles of the written Word, reflection of that spoken Word that created the World."
From the preceding, m}' dear Brothers, you will see that the Hebrew peoples have been the medium through which we have received many very valuable Traditions, Symbols and Allegories, that are to be traced through the Symbolic into the Chapter and Council degrees of the York Rite. By
EGYPT, THE CRADLE OF ANCIENT MASONRY. 587
careful examination we shall find that they are very much mixed up. But at the same time we shall find them all there, and the earnest student will find a rich field for investigation among the ruins of the Temple, where he will be enabled to discover valuable knowledge and information respecting the Symbology, Allegories and Traditions of the Fraternity. It will require a great deal of patience and perseverance before he will be enabled to unravel, not only the tangled skein of the symbolic degrees, but that of the Royal Arch and Council also.
One of the very first things he will discover will be that the secrets which lie concealed in our symbols and allegories are not taught openly in the Lodges, Chapters and Councils. They are known most certainly, but thej^ are not given out promiscuously to every Brother. He is left to find the esoteric meaning of them, by and for himself alone. In his Entering, Passing and Raising in the Symbolic degrees he will realize that there are many things that will demand his time and most profound attention before he will find even a rudimentary explanation. But at length, when the first ray of " Light " permeates his mind, he will begin to realize that he is turning the tattered Archaic pages of a most profound and sublime philosophy. He will also discover that the key to the " Lost Word " is in his own hand. Again, when he and his com- panions wander among the fragmentary evidences of the Wisdom that belonged to the hoary civilization of a long, long past, he will not only see the " Light " but he will hear the faint echo of the " Lost Word " reverberating under the Living Arch. The " Light " will not illuminate his mind until he is ready to receive it, and the guttural vibrations of the Word itself will only be a paradox to him. When he passes into the higher degrees of our glorious Scottish Rite, thoroughl}^ comprehending what he has already learned, through the Light he carries within his own heart, to illuminate his mind, every sound and word he has heard in the preceding degrees will be a priceless jewel to help him on to higher planes, and the unveiling of more profound and grander Truths that are embodied in our most Illustrious Fraternity, the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite.
A great many of the craft claim that the first three, or Blue I/odge degrees, contain the whole of Masonr}'. Well — so it does to him who knows. — But how many are there who do know ? The whole of the sub-
588 EGYPT, THE CRADLE OF ANCIENT MASONRY.
lime philosophical teachings of IMasonry are latent in the S3'mbolic degrees, bvit it can never be thoroughly comprehended, nntil the Aspirant has taken the inefifable and profound philosophical degrees of our Scottish Rite.
Now ui}^ dear Brothers and friends, in order that 3'ou ma}^ f^^Hy understand me let me say, that the first three rules in arithmetic contain, in potentia, the whole of the science of numbers. We could not calculate anj-thing without a knowledge of addition, subtraction and multiplica- tion. Having just these three rules alone, what could we know of pro- portion, square root, mensiiration, trigonometr3^ etc., until we thoroughly understood the combinations and collocjltions that elucidate the higher
o
branches of mathematics ? In the same manner, we may sa^' that in music the octave contains, in potentia, all harmony ; so it does, to those who know how to combine the various notes so as to produce the di\ine harmony of the masters, such as Mozart, Rossini, Mej'erbeer, Mendels- slion and others.
I tell 3^ou, my dear friends, that the first three degrees of Masonrj^ form the foundation iipon which have been erected the " Higher degrees," these ineffa'ble and sublimely beautiful philosophical degrees which have come down to us from the Indian, Mazdean and ancient Egyptian Mysteries.
Gil. W. Barnard says in the IMa}^ number of " The Canadian Free- mason," pages 336 cf srq. : " Frequently we hear the remark that all of
Freemasour}' is contained in the first three degrees I cannot be
justlj' charged with partiality when I claim that all that belongs to Freemasonr)' is not contained in the Lodge degrees. The ]\Iark and Ro3-al Arch degrees of the chapter, as well as those of Ro3-al and Select Master, are not onl3^ essentialh' IMasonic in character, but are as much needed for a proper understanding of our legends and nn-steries as an3' part of the first three degrees. Some may sa3', (and truthfully-) that the Masonic portions of the degrees mentioned were taken from the second and third degrees, but that outy goes to prove my position. Another feature, and to me it is a much stronger argument for the usefulness of the so-called higher degrees, is that in the work of them we find an elabo- ration, and illustration in detail of the best and strongest points con- tained in the Lodge work Nothing is more Masonic than the
EGYPT, THE CRADLE OF ANCIENT MASONRY. 589
teaching regarding the work and wages of the Mark Master, and equally so is the lesson contained in the Royal Arch, and the Grand Omnific Royal Arch Word. Holiness to the Lord is the essence of Freemasonry.
Brethren, it is true beyond a question in my experience that
the lodsfe is strensfthened, and made more useful through the lessons received b}^ their members in chapter, council and commandery, and the beautiful, aye sublime teachings of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite."
I have written upon this particular subject, my dear friends and Brothers, in order that 3'ou may thoroughly understand that IF the first three degrees do contain the whole of Masonry, the Master Mason will never be enabled to comprehend but the rudimentary parts of any of them. In fact he will never attain to a thorough knowledge of any one of them, until he has been initiated into the higher degrees of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, and then only, will he be enabled to thoroughly appreciate the beauty of the Symbolic degrees, and realize that although they do not include the whole of Masonry, they do most certainly contain the /:cy to the sublime, profound Ineffable, Chivalric and Philosophical degrees of the Scottish Rite, which most assuredly con- tains the Whole of Masonry. Consequently every aspiring Brother who is desirous of fulfilling his first promise, to improve himself in Masonry, can never stop at the Third degree, because he has only been raised to Liglit and Lije^ so that he may be enabled to continue on to higher planes, and to a proper understanding of the profound Wisdom that pertains to the " Higher degrees '' in Masonry. As he climbs, his view widens out, and his horizon expands. He will begin to realize not only the honor that has been conferred upon him, but also the duties and responsibilities that belong to all those who have been permitted to receive the glorious teachings that are embodied in the various Rites and Ceremonies of the "Higher Degrees." One of the first things impressed upon the candidate will be that — " Man should not live for himself alone."
I tell yon my dear Brothers, that the " Cable Tow," binds us all in fraternal bonds of Love, uniting every Mason throughout the world uni- versal, teaching them that by practicing the three principal tenets of the Fraternity — Brotherly Love, Virtue, and Truth we may demonstrate to
590 EGYPT, THE CRADLE OF ANCIENT MASONRY.
the outer world that Ave not only teach, but practice morality, virtue, and are truthful in all our dealings with our fellow man. I assure you, my dear Brothers and Friends, that it is the bounden Duty of ever}' Mason to be a good and unselfish man, to labor for the benefit of poor strug- gling humanity, the advancement of his fellow man ; but above all to keep Yas first voiv hy subduing Jiis ou'ii aniv/al passional nature^ and thus improve hinisclj in Alasoiiry.
Brother Albert Pike tells us in "Morals and Dogmas," page 112: " Be faithful to Masonry, which is to be faithful to the best interests of mankind. Labor, b}' precept and example, to elevate the standard of Masonic character, to enlarge its sphere of influence, to popularize its teachings, and to make all men know it for the Great Apostle of Peace, Harmony, and Good-will on earth among men ; of Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity.
"Masonry is useful to all men : to the learned because it affords them the opportunity of exercising their talents upon subjects eminently worthy of their attention, to the illiterate, because it offers them import- ant instruction ; to the young, because it presents them with salutary precepts aiid good examples, and accustoms them to reflect on the proper mode of living ; to the man of the world, whom it furnishes with noble and useful recreation ; to the traveller, whom it enables to find friends and brothers in countries where else he would be isolated and solitary ; to the worthy man in misfortune, to whom it gives assistance ; to the afflicted, on whom it lavishes consolation ; to the charitable man, whom it enables to do more good, by uniting with those who are charitable like himself; and to all who have souls capable of appreciating its import- ance, and of enjoying the charms of a friendship founded on the same principles of religion, morality and philantlirophy.
" A Freemason, therefore should be a man of honor and of conscience, preferring his duty to everything beside, even to his life ; independent in his opinions, and of good morals ; submissive to the laws, devoted to humanitv, to his country, to his family ; kind and indulgent to his brethren, friend of all virtuous men, and readj^ to assist his fellows by all means in his power."
I referred previously to the " cable tow," that binds us all in bonds of Love. This investiture comes down to us from ancient India. The
EGYPT, THE CRADLE OF ANCIENT MASONRY. 591
god Siva of the Hindu Trinity is very often found represented in the character of a contemplative philosopher, with the Brahmanical thread around him. In which character he endeavors to teach men the necessity of subduing the animal passional nature within their own hearts. At the Upanayana^ or Initiation, a boy was not considered worthj^ to receive the title Dvi-ja (twice born), until he had been invested with the sacred thread and spiritually regenerated by the act of investiture. In fact, no Brah- man of the present day has an}' right to be called by any other name than I'lpra^ until he becomes initiated and invested with the yajnopvita or sacred thread, then he is known as Dvi-ja. This thread or cable tow (?) of the Hindu consists of three strands or threads, twisted into one thread, and three of these (three-fold strands) twisted together thus make a string or thread, of three times three, or nine strands in one.
Sir William Monier informs us in his " Brahmanism and Hinduism," page 378, that when a Brahman is " once invested with this hallowed symbol of second birth, the twice born man never parts with it. In this respect he has an advantage over his Christian brother. For the latter is admitted into the Church by a single ceremony performed in his in- fancy, and brought to his recollection by one other ceremony only ; whereas the Indian twice-born man has a sacred symbol always in con- tact with his person, which must always be worn and its position changed during the performance of his dailj^ religious services, constantly remind- ing him of his regenerate condition, and with its three white threads, united by a sacred knot (which they called braniah granthi) perpetually setting before him a typical representation of what may be called the triads of the Hindu religion. For example, it is probable that the triple form of the sacred thread symbolizes that the Supreme Being is Exist- ence, Thought and Joy, that He has been manifested in three forms as Creator, Preserver, and Disintegrator of all material things ; that He pervades the three worlds, Earth, Air and Heaven; that He has re- vealed His will in three principal books called the Rig, Yajur and Sama Vedas, with other similar dogmas of the Hindu system in which the sacred number three constantly recurs."
When the Candidate was received into the Indian Mysteries, he was compelled to make the circuit of the cavern, being conducted through the ceremonies by an expert who held him by the " cable-tow " or sacred
592 EGYPT, THE CRADLE OF ANCIENT MASONRY.
thread. Ever}^ time the Aspirant passed the meridian at the South, he would be taught to sa}- that he followed the course of the sun god, from East to West, and West to East again. In fact, all through the S^^m- bolic degrees he represented the sun, going to his death at the winter Solstice, being assaulted on his journey by the three wicked aiitumnal signs of Libra, Scorpio and Saggitarius, each one in turn attacking him on his downward path. Libra is the first to make the assault; then the deadlj' Scorpio inflicts a terrible stroke upon him ; but it is Saggitarius who strikes the fatal blow with his quivering dart, which gives him his death and eventuall}^ lays the sun god low, for after being smitten with the fatal dart he staggers on until he -falls dead at the winter Solstice.
"Morals and Dogmas," 361, tells us that: "The Initiate was invested with a cord of three threads, so twined as to make three times three, and called Zcntiar. Hence comes our cable-tow. It was an emblem of their triuue Deit}-, the remembrance of whom we also preserve in the three chief officers of our Lodges, presiding in the three quarters of that Universe which our Lodges represent ; in our three greater, and three lesser lights, our three movable and three immovable jewels, and the three pillars that support our Lodges.
" The Indian mysteries were celebrated in subterranean caverns and grottoes hewn in the solid rock ; and the Initiates adored the Deit}^, sym- bolized b}- the solar fire. The candidate long wandering in darkness, trul}'- wanted Light, and the worship taught him was the worship of God, the Source of Light."
Jos. E. IMorcombe informs us in the " American Tyler," of Septem- ber 15th, 1900: "That in the mysteries of India the aspirant was invested with a sacred cord or girdle, which he was commanded to vs-ear next his skin, and b}- means of which his conductor might lead him through the caves of initiation. It consisted of a cord composed of three times three threads, and was said to possess the power of preserving its Avearer from personal danger. Virgil says : ' I bind thee with three pieces of list, and I carr}- thee three times about the altar.' Pierson, without giving his authorit}^, sa3^s that the word cable-tow is derived from the Hebrew words ' Kha-Ble Tu,' meaning ' the pledge.'
" The initiation into the ancient mysteries, occurring in temples or other places accounted holy, the aspirant was required to remove his
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shoes that the greater humility might be shown, and also that no pollu- tion from the world without might be carried into the sacred precincts. When the Egyptians worshipped they removed their foot covering in token of reference. ' Worship the Gods with your feet uncovered,' is among the precepts of Pythagoras. In the Indian mysteries the aspirant was sprinkled with Avater in token of purification and then divested of his shoes. Ovid describes Madea as having arm, breast and knee made bare, and both feet made slip-shod. Dido according to Virgil, ' Now resolute on death, having one foot bare, ascend the altar.' ....
" Oliver quoting Tertullian says, ' the successful probationer for the Persian mysteries was brought into the cavern of initiation; where he was received upon the point of a sword pointed to his heart,' by which he was slightly wounded.' The Greeks tested the fortitude of the neophyte .upon his reception by the infliction of wounds with a heated iron or with the point of a sword, and this he must endure without shrinking. Entrance into the Mexican mysteries was gained after the candidate had been cut with knives or seared with heated stones or iron instruments."
The course of the candidate in the ancient initiations was from East to West by way of the South. He who was conducted through the caves of India was instructed to say : " I follow the course of the Sun in his benevolent path,'' at the same time making his movements and repeating the phrase each time upon reaching the South. On solemn occasions, the Druids passed three times in procession about their sacred enclosures, and thrice repeated their invocations. Nothing among the Ancient Britons was accounted sacred until it had been passed about in proces- sion, according to the apparent path of the Sun. Going backward, or opposite to the Sun, was a Gothic method of invoking the infernal power.
The sun was worshipped bj- the Persians, who looked upon it as the source of all Light and Life. They saw in its diurnal and annual motions the immortality of the soul. In their Mithraic mysteries they practiced some of the most horrible cruelties upon all those who crossed through their portals for initiation. In fact, history informs us that they actually sacrificed some of the Aspirants who could not stand the terrible ordeals they had to pass through. These Mithraic mysteries were the principal of all others in Rome at the beginning of the Christian Era, or during the reign of Trojan. They grew into such terrible repute on account of the
594 EGYPT, THE CRADLE OF ANCIENT MASONRY.
horrible cruelties that were practiced during the initiatory services, that Adrianus prohibited the Alithraic rites and ceremonies in Rome during his reign. But, under that of Commodus (the cruel), they began to grow into surprising magnificence and splendor, when the horrible cruelties and tortures were renewed and continued. In fact the Emperor himself sacrificed a victim to Mithras. These Persian mysteries were generally practiced in caves amid the most gorgeous astronomical allegories, at which times the most cruel tests were required of all who were initiated.
In the Zoroastrian Caves of initiation, the magnificent stellary vault above or ceiling, was adorned with a central sun surrounded by the vari- ous planets, and the Zodiac was to be seen, starred in with gems and gold. Each star or planet represented the true place upon the roof or ceiling, in its relation to the central sun. The candidate in these mys- teries was always received upon the point of a sharp sword that wounded his naked left breast, and caused the blood to flow freely from the wound. If he failed not, he would then be crowned with a circle of olive, and anointed with oil, his wound would be dressed, and afterwards he would be purified with Fire and Water, and permitted to pass through the seven stages of evolution, in order to reach perfection.
During these ceremonies he would undergo most trying ordeals and terrible trials, both mentally and physically, until he reached the topmost rung of the ladder of seven rounds. During his ascent, or initiatory path, he would pass through the valley of death where he would see the tor- tures of the damned in Hell. Eventually he would fall into the midst of the blessed, and be received with rejoicings by all the initiated and redeemed, who had gone before him, and who were especially assembled there to receive him on his arrival ; he having passed through the valley of death to the representation of Life Eternal. Then the Archimagus, or Hierophant, clothed in most gorgeous vestments would receive him, and administer unto him the solemn obligation and vow that bound him to Secrec}^ and Obedience ; after which all the various incidents of the initiatory services would be explained to him. He would be instructed in the true meaning of the legend of Onnuzd, and Ahriman, and intrusted with the meaning and nature of the One Absolute, known as Zeruane Akherene.
EGYPT. THE CRADLE OF ANCIENT MASONRY, 595
The similarity of the various rites and ceremonies of the ancient mysteries most certainly demonstrates that they all had their origin in some ancient and primitive source, and from my own personal observa- tions and researches, in the Eastern countries, I firmly believe that they have come down to us, as I have hereinbefore stated, — from India or the " Land of the Vedas." We also find that the three principal officers are always placed in the East, West and South, and in the Indian mys- teries they represented the Indian Tri-une Deit}^ — Brahma, Vishnu, and Siva.
No matter where we force our investigations, either in India, Persia, Eg3'pt or any of the other Eastern countries, we shall find that the very same events have been perpetuated by the use of the same rites, cere- monies, and symbols. This clearl}^ demonstrates that although the people who practiced those peculiar ceremonies, and taught the same grand philosoph}', and believed in the same grand Truths, were in many instances, widel}^ separated one from the other ; yet notwithstanding this fact, it must prove to the thinking Man and Mason, that it originated in some one source, and from some one people. Now I do most firmly believe that, that source was India, and that it ramified from there with those people who migrated from that country to Persia and the valley of the Nile. Thus from the very shadows of the Himalaya Mountains, the ver}^ cradle and birthplace of the Ar3'an Race, came the Indian, ]\Iazdean and ancient Eg3'ptian mysteries, of which our own beloved Scottish rite is a lineal descendant.
The removal of shoes from off one's feet is customary to-day in mau}^ countries, more especiall}' is thig so in Egypt, India, and other countries among the natives. This custom is as old as the Aryan Race itself. It is peculiar to see the large number of shoes ,lying around in. the gateways or entrances to the Alosques of Egypt, Turkey and also the temples of India. At some of the Mosques I have visited during my travels in man}' of these Eastern countries, I was compelled to remove my shoes before they would permit me to enter within its sacred pre- cincts, while at others they would furnish me covering to draw on over my own shoes, which in this case, seemed to answer the same purpose as removing my own. Many of these ancient customs of the East have been preserved and handed down from generation to generation, at the same
596 EGYPT, THE CRADLE OF ANCIENT MASONRY,
time many others have become obsolete, and a great many entirely changed in order to suit another people's ideas.
The chequered pavement and tessellated border, with the star in the center, is very seldom seen upon the floor of our lodge rooms to-day, for it has been replaced by more gorgeous colorings, and the lessons which they taught are lost to our aspiring candidate of to-day, but future years will reproduce them.
The Ark of the Royal Arch has come down to us from the Ancient Egyptians, although we read that Moses was commanded to manufacture one (Exodus 25 : 10), for the express purpose of holding the offerings of the people, who gave willingly to the Lord. It was considered so sacred that it is recorded that the Lord smote, or destroj^ed fifty thousand and three score people of Beth-Shemesh, because some of them simply looked into the Ark (see ist Samuel 6: 19). The Jews certainly regarded it as the most sacred thing belonging to them and their religion, because, the}' declared, that it was a token of God's Covenant with His chosen people.
We find that in the ancient Egyptian mysteries, and also in those of Greece, they used similar boxes that were adorned very much like the Ark of the Covenant. This was long before they knew anything at all about the Hebrew people, or what took place in the Sanctum-Sanctorum of their temple in Jerusalem. In the early days of Egyptian history, the -river Nile was the great highway for those people, and during their gorgeous ceremonial processions, when they exhibited many of their most sacred symbols, the chief among them was the image of their god or the image that represented him, placed in a ba)'i or boat. It was sometimes exposed to the public gaze, at other times it was hidden from view by being placed inside a box or shrine and deposited in the middle of a boat or bari^ wherein was laid the bodies of the embalmed dead, that were to be ferried across the river Nile for sepulture in the Libyan hills near Thebes.
These boats were represented, in the paintings of the ancient temples, artistically curved at both ends, in the center of which was placed the sacred shrine containing either the god himself or his creative organs, surrounded by the most sacred emblems of these ancient people. Now, it is on just such a model as this shrine, or chest, that the Ark of
EGYPT, THE CRADLE OF ANCIENT MASONRY. 597
the Covenant, of the Jewish people, was constructed, and which is said to have contained " The tables of the Law, The Pot of Manna, and Aaron's budding rod." In the grand processions of these Ancient Egyptians, the ark or bail' was richly decorated with most magnificent ornamentation of gold and precious gems, representing sacred emblems of the m3'steries, and contained, as I have above stated, either the god himself or his Ling/tain, or the organs of generation of Osiris, which was emblematic of the sun god Ra.
This Egyptian Ark, or bart, was overshadowed by the wings of two kneeling figures of the goddess of Truth, both figures wearing the feather of Truth upon their heads. Now if we compare the Egyptian Ark with the Hebrew, we shall find a very close resemblance. I do not wish to make all these assertions, without proof from other writers, in relation to this subject, therefore I will quote you from Brother Hewitt Brown, 32°, " Stellar Theology," wherein he says, page 91-2 :
" The Ark was one of the principal features of the Egyptian Mysteries. Speaking of the religious ceremonies of the ancient Egyptians, Wilkinson says : ' One of the most important ceremonies was the ' procession of the shrines,' which is mentioned in the Rosetta Stone, and is frequently represented on the walls of the temples. The shrines were of two kinds, the one a sort of canopy, the other an ark, or sacred boat, which may be termed the great shrine. This was carried with great pomp by the priests, a certain number being selected for that duty, who supported it on their shoulders by means of long staves pass- ing through metal rings at the side of the sledge on which it stood, who brought it into the temple, where it .was placed on a stand or table, in order that the prescribed ceremonies might be performed before it. The same is said to have been the custom of the Jews in some of their religious processions, as in carrying the Ark ' to its place, in the oracle of the house, to the most holy place,' when the temple was built by Sol- omon,' (i Kings 8). See Ancient Egyptians^ Vol. I, page 267.
" ' Some of the sacred boats, or arks, contained the emblems of life and stability, which, when the veil was drawn aside, were partly seen, and others contained the figure of the divine spirit Nef^ or Noii^ and some presented the sacred beetle of the sun, overshadowed by the wings of the two figures of the goddess of Tliemi or Truth, which calls to mind the
598 EGYPT, THE CRADLE OF ANCIENT MASONRY.
cherubim of the Jews, Ancient Egyptians^ vol. I, page 270.' The prin- cipal difference between the Jewish and Egyptian Arks is that the Egyptian was more like a boat in shape, according to our ideas of a boat, while the Jewish ark is described as being of an oblong square form ; this, however, it maj^ be observed, was the exact form of Noah's ' ark,' as described b}' the Jewish historian in Gen. 6: 14-16. The idea of a boat is, therefore, characteristic of both of these ancient emblems, as, indeed, the ver}- name ' ark ' denotes
"This mysterious ark or chest which figured in the Mysteries of Egypt much more nearly resembled the Jewish ark in form. After Typhon had slain Osiris he enclosed him in a chesi and cast him into the sea {river Nile), thus plunging all heaven in grief and sadness. Isis, when she learned the melanchol}^ news refused all consolation, despoiled herself of her ornaments, cut off her tresses, robed herself in the habiliments of mourning, and wandered forth through the world. Disconsolate and sor- rowful, she traveled into all countries, seeking the mj^sterious chest which contained the body of the lost Osiris. In the meanwhile the chest was Avashed ashore at B3^blos, and thrown into the centre of a bush, which having grown up into a beautiful tree, had entirely inclosed it. At length, however, the tree was cut down by a King of that country, and used by him in the construction of a new palace. But Isis finally learned the singular fate of the chest, and her persevering love was rewarded by the possession of it. The plant which thus indirectly led to the discovery of the mutilated bod}' of Osiris was held sacred b}' the Egyptians.
" The whole stor}' of the death of Osiris and the finding of his body is admitted to be an astronomical allegory of the death of the sun-god, slain by Typhon when the sun was in Scorpio, which was at that time on the autumnal equinox.
" Plutarch informs us that ' when the sun was in Scorpio, in the month of Athyr^ the Egyptians inclosed the body of their god, Osiris, in an ark or chesty and during this ceremon}- a great annual festival was celebrated. Three days after the priests had inclosed Osiris in the ark, they pretended to have found him again. The death of Osiris was lamented b}' them when the sun, in Scorpio, descended to the lower hem- isphere ; and, when he arose at the vernal equinox, then Osiris was said to be born anew.'
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" The use made of the ark, or sacred chest, in certain Masonic degrees, derives no one of its particulars from anything narrated in the Bible. On the contrary, it bears so striking an analogy to the ark of the Egyptian Mysteries as to at once disclose the original from which it was copied. The Masonic ark, like that of the Eg3'ptian Mysteries, is lost or hidden, and after a difficult search it was at last found. The Masonic, it is true, does not, like the Egyptian one, contain the body of the slain sun-god, Osiris. It does, however, contain something symbolically repre- senting the true God, and also certain matters which, it is claimed, lead to a superior knowledge of him. The analogy is, therefore, perfect, and the astronomical allegor}' is strictly preserved."
Albert Pike in " Morals and Dogmas," page 376, says : " When Isis first found the body, where it had floated ashore near Byblos, a shrub of erica or tamarisk near it had, by the virtue of the body, shot up into a tree around it, and protected it ; and hence, our sprig of acacia
" In the Mysteries, the nailing of the bod}^ of Osiris upon the chest or ark was termed aphanisin^ or disappearance (of the Sun at the Winter Solstice, below the Tropic of Capricorn), and the recover}' of the different parts of his bod}' by Isis, the Eurcsis, or finding. The Candidat-e went through a ceremony representing this, in all the Mysteries everywhere. The main facts in the fable were the same in all countries, and the promi- nent Deities were everywhere a male and a female.
" In Egypt they were Osiris and Isis ; in India, Mahadeva and Bhavani : in Phoenicia, Thammuz (or Adonis) and Astarte ; in Phrygia, Atys and Cybele ; Persia, Mithras and Asis ; in Samothrace and Greece, Dionusos, or Sabazeus and Rhea ; in Britain, Hu and Ceridwen ; and in Scandinavia, Woden and Frea ; and in every instance these Divinities represented the Sun and Moon.
" The Mysteries of Osiris, Isis and Horns seem' to have been the model of all the other ceremonies of initiation subsequently established among the different peoples of the old world. Those of Atys and Cybele, celebrated in Phrygia, those of Ceres and Proserpine, at Eleusis and many other places in Greece, were but copies of them. This we learn from Plutarch, Diodorus Siculus, Lactantius and other writers ; and in the absence of direct testimony should necessarily infer it from the similarity of the adventures of these Deities, for the ancients held that Ceres of the
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Greeks was the same as the Isis of the Egyptians, and Dionusos or Bac- chus as Osiris."
My dear Brothers and Friends, you will see from the above that the ark of the ancient Egyptians, and the ark of the Covenant of the Jewish people was very much alike, and there is no question in my mind but that the Hebrews copied their ark from that of the Egyptians, during the time that they were held in captivity or bondage by those people, for many of the pictures of the Osirian chest or ark that are to be seen upon the walls of the various temples, in the valley of the Nile, will most cer- tainly prove to be the pattern by which the Hebrew peoples made theirs.
1 do not ask you, my dear Brothers, to go to Egypt in order to verify this assertion, I simply ask you to look at some of the pictorial descriptions of the interior decorations of the Egyptian tombs and temples, or to refer to such a work as Kitto's Cyclopaedia of Biblical Literature. Then compare the ark of the Covenant with the ark of Osiris, and j'ou will most assur- edly agree with me upon this subject.
Now with respect to what is said to have been the contents of the ark of the Covenant, let us consider this matter and carefully examine what it is said to have contained. {See Hebrews 9 and 4.) Leaving aside Aaron's budding rod (for account of which see Numbers 17th chapter) and the Manna which the Lord rained down upon the children of Israel when they sighed for the fleshpots of Egypt ; {see Exodus i6th chapter), we will confine ourselves to the ^' Book of the Law" and leave the rod of Aaron and the pot of Manna out of our consideration.
In taking up the subject of the " Book of the Law" I feel that it will interest every Masonic student, and will prove a most interesting subject to all Royal Arch Masons. Their ancient traditions, which have been preserved for so long a time within the Chapter, will now have to undergo a test of investigation in order to prove the verity of the asser- tion, " Book of the Law." But no matter if we are able to prove that it never existed, as is generally understood, the teachings that underlie the sacred symbol, will ever remain one of the grandest features pertaining to the rites and ceremonies of the Holy Royal Arch.
It is not with any irreverence toward the so-called " Book of the Law " that I approach this subject, but it is with the most profound ven- eration for the writings contained in the Old Testament. I simply wish
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to show you, my dear friends and companions, that it could not have been, what it is generally supposed to be, the canon of the Old Testa- ment and the New combined ; known as the " Holy Bible,'' which is generally used in the ceremonies of the Exaltation.
I have inquired iu many countries by what authority it is used, but could get no definite information in relation to my question. Now this " Book of the Law " that is supposed to have been found and generally used in our Chapters of the Royal Arch is purely and simply the Holy Bible. I shall not enter into a long discussion upon the various transla- tions of the Bible, or try to prove which one is the most correct, but will endeavor to find out something about the " Book that was Lost."
History informs us that after the captivity, when the Jews were rebuilding their temple under their leader Zerubbabel, and while this was going on, three ver^^ earnest sojourners applied for and received permis- sion to assist in the good work, and that one of the very first things that resulted from their labors was the discovery of the " Book of the Law," which is said to have been lost since the time when Solomon lived and reigned. The " Book of the Law," long lost was now found, and they gave praise to the Lord, and from that time it has been preserved with other discoveries that were made at or about the same time.
Now, the only place in the Bible that refers to the discovery of the " Book of the Law " is in 2nd Kings, 22-S, where it tells us that Hilkiah, the High Priest, told Shapan, the Scribe, that he had discovered the " Book of the Law " in the house of the Lord, and possibly this dis- covery was the origin of the Book itself There is one thing that is positively certain, and that is, the book that was found by our ancient companions did not include the New Testament with the account of the Life and Death of Christ, therefore we must omit that and confine ourselves strictly to the Old Testament, if we desire to find the " Book of the Law."
Now, if we are very careful in our investigations, we shall find that there is no certainty about the compilation of the various writings that compose the Old Testament, or by whom, or in what manner, or what time they were compiled. According to some of the Hebrew Rabbis, Kzra was the one who began the compilation of the many historical, poetical and prophetical writings that composed the Old Testament, but
602 EGYPT, THE CRADLE OF ANCIENT MASONRY.
we do not consider this information as thoroughly reliable. There is one thing certain, however, and that is, the compilation was not made until after the exile. Ezra may possibly have commenced the compilation of this great work, which was, no doubt, continued b}^ his successors, who eventually completed it, somewhere about the early part of the second century B. c.
In order to accomplish this great undertaking, it was necessary to write new works based upon the traditions of these people, until at last the work was finished. We now have the Old Testament, a very valuable and important collection of writings ; but it is not the book for which we are looking. This compilation is not the " Book of the Law," although it ma}^ contain it. Therefore, in order to make our search complete, and our investigation thorough, we shall have to strike out those books that were composed after the reign of Solomon, and search for the book that had been lost for so man}' hundred years. Consequently we will begin our elimination with Ezra, Joel, Chronicles, Nehemiah, Ecclesiastes, Daniel, Malachi and Jonah, because these works were written after the Jews had been freed from their bondage in Persia, and, in fact, long after Ezra had' died and their temple had been completed. We must also throw out those beautiful poetical works, the Psalms, Lamentations and the Song of Solomon, as well as the whole of those, profound philo- sophical aphorisms that are contained in the Book of Proverbs. -
We shall also have to eliminate Samuel, Ruth, Esther, Judges, Kings, Micah, Amos, Hosea, and, in fact, we are compelled to exclude the whole of the various works, or books, that go to make up the canon of the Old Testament, with the exception of the first five books, or the Pentateuch, which is composed of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronom}^ Joshua may have been written at about the same time that the preceding works were composed ; but we will leave Joshua aside, and continue our search in the Pentateuch for the long lost Book of the Law.
There is one thing that is positively certain, and that is, previous to the exile, there was no Old Testament such as we have to-day. There was, however, a great man}' writings no doubt held in great veneration by the Jewish people. The first form that all these promiscuous and scattered writings assumed was the Pentateuch, or the first five books
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compiled and bound together into one volume, which was really and truly a compendium of History and Law, beginning with the Creation of the Universe in Exodus, and ending with the death of Moses in Deuter- onomy. These five books have been generally ascribed to Moses, but from the general concensus of opinions of various authorities, I find that no less than four different people were the authors of these books. In order to converge them, and make them appear the work of one hand, the redactor was compelled to put in additions of his own writings, so as to make them appear and read as one continuous history. But if you will go over these works carefull}', you will easily discover where they have been pieced or connected together. After they were completed and formed into one volume it was called and known as " The law."
There are three distinct legal codes in the Pentateuch, and 3'et not one of them refers to either of the others, and in some cases they are contradictory. Now this fact alone would most assuredly prove that they were written by different authors. The first collection is said to have been given b}^ God to Moses at Mount Sinai, and is knowm as the '■''Book of the Covenant^'' see Exodus, chapter 20. For an account of the second, see Leviticus, chapter 26. The tliini and last code, we find in Deuter- ononi}', was given to Moses on the East side of Jordan, Deuteronomy