THE ORIGIN OF MASONRY

I. From Operative To Speculative

By E. Cromwell Mensch

THE NEW AGE - JULY 1948

The most prolific source of Masonic literature is that dealing with the
origin of the Craft. It is a theme which has filled many volumes, and
one which invariably follows the same pattern to the point of monotony.
Practically all research along these lines starts with the stone masons
of Europe, and ends up with the guilds, or associations, of ancient
Rome. The Temple itself as a source of origin is avoided for two
reasons, the first of which is a fear of encroaching upon the secret
work of the Order. The s econd reason is a more logical one, for it is
founded in the fact that very little is known about the Temple. There
were three Temples built at Jerusalem, each of which was to replace an
earlier structure. The last Temple was built by Herod, and is supposedly
described by Josephus, the historian. He was an eyewitness to the
destruction of this last Temple, but his lack of technical knowledge is
painfully evident from his description of its structural details. The
Temple previous to Herod's was built by Zeru bbabel, a very brief
account of which is set forth in the Book of Ezra. The so-called first
Temple was built by Solomon, and a fairly complete description of it is
set forth in the first Book of Kings.

However, Masonry was founded long before the Temple of Solomon was
built. The identification of our Craft with the Temple came about
through the ambition of David. It was he who realized the importance of
the Tabernacle of Moses, and planned the Temple as s substitute
therefor. Through it he sought credit for the establishment of the house
and kingdom of God. This ambition of David is described in the second
Book of Samuel, but more particularly in the words of II Samuel 7:13,
"He shall build an house for m y name, and I will stablish the throne of
his kingdom for ever." These words are supposedly the Lord's, uttered
through the medium of Nathan, the prophet. However, they were prompted
by David, for Nathan was a member of David's court.

What David really sought was a vehicle which would perpetuate the divine
power of the Tabernacle. That this structure was possessed of such power
is quite evident from the fact that, within its confines, Moses
established the word of God among men. The Word has come down to us
practically intact in the form of the Pentateuch, or first five books of
the Bible; and the House still stands today! Its original form is
essentially unchanged, although some of its parts have been destroyed by
the violence of fire a nd the quantity of water, which have been visited
upon it from time to time. This House and this Book were founded at one
and the same time, and both are an integral part of Masonry.

This particular phase of the inquiry into the origin of Masonry deals
with the shift from operative to speculative, for our ritual tells us
that we no longer work in operative, but speculative Masonry only. An
entirely new approach to this subject is to be had through the medium
which has never changed since our Order was founded. That medium is the
Holy Bible, which is placed in the same setting as Moses placed it in
the beginning. Save for the legendary part of our ritual, it contains
all the factual deta ils of our Craft. When these factual details are
worked out to their ultimate conclusion, it will be found  that the
legendary part of our ritual comprises but a very small percentage of
the whole. That the operative phase of our Order was in effect during
the time of Moses is stated in Exodus 1:11, "And they built for Pharaoh
treasure cities, Pitham and Raamses." It was from the builders of these
two cities that Moses recruited the founders of our Order. They were the
enslaved workers of Ramses II.

Ramses II reigned over Egypt from 1292 to 1225 B.C. His reign was
singularly marked by a wealth of building activities. He completed
Seti's Temple at Abydos, and added to the Temples at Luxor and Karnak.
He constructed at Thebes the great mortuary Temple of the Rameseum, with
its colossal statues of himself; and he built the rock-cut temple at
Abu-Simble. During the early part of his reign Ramses II engaged in an
important campaign against the Hittites, and fought an indecisive battle
at Kadesh on the Oront es River in Syria. In these forays across
Palestine, and into Syria, the victor found a means to augment his
labour supply in the form of prisoners of war. They were put to work
building such cities as Pithom and Raamses, and it was from their ranks
that Moses recruited the people of his Exodus. It is specifically stated
that some of them worked in brick and mortar (Exodus 1:14). Any attempt
to connect our membership with operative masonry at a later period in
history is an inconsiste ncy, for it was these b uilders of Pithom and
Raamses who established speculative Masonry when they built the
Tabernacle on Mt. Rinai.

The Tabernacle was really the first Temple, for it was, and still is, a
masterpiece of the builder's art. Every part of it has a symbolic
meaning far beyond anything incorporated into the Temple built by
Solomon. The superb engineering employed in the design of the Tabernacle
indicates that several years of study went into this feature alone prior
to its actual building. Since Moses was a royal scribe by calling, he
undoubtedly planned the Tabernacle in collaboration with an architect.
This period of planni ng took place while they were still in Egypt, for
a great many of its features were borrowed from those to be found in the
Temples along the Nile. Its design was too intricate to have been
improvised in the desert of Sinai.

Ramses II died in 1225 B.C., and was succeeded by Merneptah. From all
the evidence available, it is quite plain the Exodus must have taken
place fairly close to this change in the administration of the affairs
of Egypt. In summing up, operative Masonry flourished during the reign
of Ramses II, and the transition to speculative Masonry took place
during the reign of Merneptah.

The transition to the speculative phase is definitely stated in the
words of Exodus 36:8, "And every wise hearted man among them that
wrought the work of the tabernacle made ten curtains of fine twined
linen." This is the first of a long list of specifications, wherein
Moses describes the manner in which the Tabernacle was built. It is
placed first because these ten curtains of fine twined linen symbolized
a pair of hands raised in supplication. Symbolically, they were so
placed that Moses might tell us tha t no man should ever enter upon any
great or important undertaking without first invoking the blessing of
God.

As a protege of the royal household, Moses was raised in the pagan
worship of Osiris, a deified king. The domain of Osiris was centred in
an underground heaven, sealed with the doom of perpetual darkness. This
great king of the spiritual world was flanked with a myriad of lesser
deities, to whom tribute had to be paid before the novitiate could hope
to enter. Associated with this monopoly of the Egyptian hierarchy was
the tyranny and oppression of its rulers.

As Moses grew to manhood he saw that the beneficence of God came from
above, and that it was the Light from the celestial sphere which caused
all nature to blossom forth and prosper. His problem was to present this
new doctrine to a people whose ancestors had been steeped in paganism
for centuries. To this end he endowed his House with the attributes of
the heavens by making every part thereof symbolic of some feature of the
celestial sphere. This master plan, of course, called for the utmost
secrecy, and w as tied in with a key. The plan itself he concealed by
scattering it throughout all five of the books of the Pentateuch, but
the key was left for future ages to discover. Since every one of the
7,625 parts of the Tabernacle played a part in its symbolic meaning, the
'building of this House coincided with the commencement of the
speculative phase of Masonry.

