Preface

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FROM THE
BENNO LOEWY LIBRARY
COLLECTED BY
BENNO LOEWY
1854-1919 BEQUEATHED TO CORNELL UNIVERSITY
Cornell University Library
HS4S7 .SS6 1893
The general Ahlman rezon and freemason's
3 1924 030 272 144 oltn.anx
Cornell University Library
The original of tliis book is in tine Cornell University Library.
There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text.
http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924030272144
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GENERAL AHlli:^ REZON
Ain>
FREEMASON'S GUIDE:
OONTAININO
MONITORIAL INSTRUCTIONS
IN THE DEGREES OV
ENTERED APPRENTICE, FELLOW-CRAFT AND MASTER MASON,
WITH EXPLANATORY NOTES, EMENDATIONS, AND LECTURES.
TOGETRER iriTH THE
CEREMONIES OF CONSECRATION AND DEDICATION OF NEW LODGES
INSTALLATION 01' GRAND AND SUBORDINATE OFFICERS. LATINO
FOUNDATION STONliS, DEDICATION OP MASONIC HALLS,
GRAND VISITATIONS, BURIAL SERVICES, REGULATIONS
FOE PROCESSIONS, MASONIC CALENDAR, ETC.
TO WHlCn ARE ADDED A RITOAL FOR A
LODG-E OF SORROW
AND TRB CEREUONIGS OT
CONSECRATING MASONIC CEMETERIES
ALSO, AH APPUNDIX, WITR TBR
|0rms of glusanit gocuincnts, '^Insdnir ©rials, tit.
By DANIEL SICK ELS, 33%
SBCRETiTtT GENERAL OF TDK SUP. CODNOIL, HOBTB- JURUPICTIOJi, BTC.
NEW TORE:
ROBERT MACOY, PUBLISHER.
1893.
" I should say much more if I were not afraid of heing heard by those who are uninitiated ; because men are apt to deride what they do not understand ; and the ignorant, not -being aware of the weakness of their minds, condemn '^hat they ought most to venerate."— Ctbil, of Alexandria.
Entered according to act of Congress, in the year 1865, by
THE MASONIC TUBLISHING AND MANUFACTURING CO.,
In the Clerk's Office of the district Court of the United States for the Southern
District of New Yorlj.
CANDIDATE TA^.l^t. l..ROL,,U IHK ANCIUNT EGYPTIAN CLKEMONIE.
>Ji- IXITIATIOX.
"W"
TRACING BOARD— EIGHTEENTH CENTURY.
PASSING THE VEIL TO THE MYSTERIES-ASSASSINATION OF THE MASTER BUILDER.
JOHN W. SIMONS,
PABT GRAND IIASTER OP MASONS AND KNIGHTS TEMFLAB OF NEW TDBC!
JRAND TRKABUREE OF THE GRAND ENCAMPMENT OF THE UNITED STATBE
OKAKD TREASDREB OF THE GRAND LODGE OF NEW YORK;
SOVEREIGN GRAND INSPECTOR GENERAL, ETC., ETC.,
THIS BOOK IS RESPECTFULLY
iB AN APPBECIATION OF HIS INDEFATIOiBLE LABOES TS THE CAUSE OF THE
SCIENCE- OF FKEEMASONRI,
SUOnT TESTIMONIAL OF THE ESTEEM AND FEIENDSHIP ENTEETAlKEr FOn mM BY THE
AUTHOR.
iniMAN REZON.
SIONIFIOATION OF THE TEBU. BY WILLIAM S. KOOKWELL,
O&AND UAJBTSB Or OEOBOUu
These two words have acquired a wide Masonic celebrity. Tliej aonstituled the title of the Book of Constitationa, used by the divi- sion of Freemasons, which separated from the Grand Lodge of England in 1736, and have since become the usual dijRignation ol such works in this country. Deemott, in 1772, styled his book the True Ahiman Eezon, and he claimed for his portion of the Order the practice of Ancient Masoruy. The inference is obvious that there was a spurious work under this title then extant. An inquiry into their meaning is, therefore, not irrelevant.
I have met with no exposition of the signification of this phrase, except in the edition first published in South Carolina by Dr. Daxi- OHO, in 1807, and reprinted, with additions, in 1822; and afterward re-arranged and edited by Dr. Macket in 1852; and, also, in the "Ijcxicon of Freemasonry," by the last-mentioned distinguished author.
The following is Dr. DAiOHo's definition in the edition of 1822' "The Book of Constitutions is usually denominated Ahijus Rezon. The literal translation of ahiman is a prepared brother, fi-om manah, to prepare; and that of rezon, secret So that Ahiman Eezon literally means the secrets of a prepared brother. It is like- wise supposed to be a corruption of achi man ratzon, the thoughts or opinions of a true and faithful brother. "
There are several difficulties which seem to render this definition Inadmissible. The derivations do not appear to be in accordance with the straoture of the Hebrew language (if the words be Hebrew); and the phrase, with this view of its deri\ition, has no grammatical construction. The Hebrews were accustomed to a species of inversion, which in our language hs e no piU-allel : for exam- ple, the great work of Jehovah would be in Hebrew h~3n mn- nira, literally, work of Jehovah the greuL Ijow, if the phra.se under consid- eration was intended to import " the secrets of a prepared brother," Qjo oonstructiou would have been, according to the examyle jusi
VI ]1 AHIMAN REZON.
quoted, ahi rezon man. But there are further objections to thia reudering of the phrase into English. Tiiie, n:B MNS, to divide to number, in its piel form, signifies to appoint, to constitute, and. in that sense, to prepare; yet, in accordance with the genius of tha Hebrew tongue, it undergoes a change in its vocalization. Its stem- lotter is doubled, and the vowel sound softened; it is pronounced minnah, and its derivative should be ahiminnah. In Chaldeo, Tl BZ signifies a secret, and might be imported into the Hebrew, but ita plural is razin; besides, it is something of a misnomer to call a published book "Secrets of a prepared brother.''
The last suggestion of Dr. Dajlcho would seem more plausible, if it were not open to the same grammatical objection. MANotin not signify true oi faithful, unless derived from icu AMN, and then the compound word would be achiamon; and if the N ^1 of AM2i Buffered elision, it would indicate a different radical, and if no eli- siou took place, the two letters •i I and k A would not coalesce, but the 1 1 resumes its consonant sound as in pa'S^ BKIMIN (which we sound Benjamin), the vocalization would then be Ahhjaman.
Dr. Mackei thus renders it: — "This title is derived from three Hebrew words — ahim, brothers; manah, to select or appoint; and ratzon, the will or law — and it, consequenily, signifies "the law of appointed or selected brothers."
It is true, that this definition more nearly accords with what the