The Universal Language of Freemasonry - ArchiMeD - Johannes ...

Chapter 4 - Signs & Symbols 229
Masonic textbooks and manuals generally depict the whole burying scene in
which the workmen of the temple carry the coffin of Hiram Abiff to King
Solomon's temple. He was re-interred as near to the Sanctum Sanctorum as the
Israeli laws would permit, because according to these laws, nothing unclean was
allowed to enter there. An exception was provided for the High Priest who
entered once a year after many purifications. 659
The acacia has acquired several meanings in the course of history, which
were transferred into Freemasonry. Regarded as a sacred plant, it is a sign for
initiation, innocence, and immortality. Among the ancient Hebrews, this
evergreen was considered a sacred wood, and was called "Shittim" (which is the
plural of "Shittah") in the Bible. We read in Exodus xxv.-xxvii. that Moses was
ordered to make from it the tabernacle, the ark of the covenant, the table for the
shewbread, and other sacred furniture. In Isaiah, the prophet tells the Israelites, in
recounting the promises of God's mercy on their escape from captivity, that he is
going to plant in the wilderness the cedar, the shittah, the fir, etc. for their
refreshment. Last, but not least, a sprig of acacia was planted on Mount Calvary,
where Christ died for humanity in order to save the immortality of the soul.
The first meaning of "acacia" is "initiation." Many ancient religious mysteries
employed a peculiar plant in their initiation ceremonies, and thus, with an
esoteric meaning applied to it, it became a symbol of the initiation itself. For
example, in the mysteries of Adonis, it was the lettuce; in the Brahmanical rites
of India, it was the lotus, which from them was adopted by the Egyptians, who
also revered the erica. Among the Druids, it was the mistletoe; in Greece, it was
the myrtle. Freemasonry has chosen the acacia as its medium to impart the same
lesson. 660
The second meaning of "acacia" is "innocence." In this sense, the word
"Acacian" designates a Mason who is free from sin if he lives in accordance with
his obligations:
A word introduced by Hutchinson, in his Spirit of Masonry, to designate
a Freemason in reference to the akakia, or innocence with which he was
to be distinguished [...]. The Acacians constituted an heretical sect in the
primitive Christian Church, who derived their name from Acacius,
Bishop of Cæsarea; and there was subsequently, another sect of the
same name Acacius, Patriarch of Constantinople. But it is needless to
say that the Hutchinsonian application of the word Acacian to signify a
Freemason has nothing to do with the theological reference of the
term. 661
Preeminently, in Masonic symbolism the acacia is esteemed as the emblem
of the immortality of the soul, and as such it figures in the Order's impressive
funeral services. Furthermore, the closing sentences of the monitorial Third
659 Cf. Dove, p. 169. Illustration taken from Sickels, p. 177.
660 Cf. EOF, p. 9.
661 EOF, p. 9.