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

Chapter 5 - Technical Terminology 323
This long process was a consequence of the admittance of non-masonic members
into the lodges, who were noblemen, members of the royal court, or men of
different professions, all called "accepted" Masons. They brought with them
transcendental and Rosicrucian ideas, which changed the pure operative
symbolism of the craft. This developed into the "Craft," the "Royal Art," as we
know it today. (See also Chapter 2.) The IFL defines the lodges in which the
operative masons and the speculative Freemasons met as follows: "Im
Sprachgebrauch der freimaurerischen Geschichtsschreiber bedeutet daher
operativ die Werkloge, spekulativ dagegen die geistige Freimaurerloge." 988 The
word, "speculative," was first mentioned in an operative masonic manuscript in
the early 15 th century, but was not used Masonically as a technical term before
the middle of the 18 th century:
Speculate means to contemplate, to ponder, to meditate, to theorize, and
to conjecture. The word was first used Masonically in the Cooke MS. of
the early 15 th century. [...] ... the word was there used in the sense of
theoretical or academic as distinguished from actual working with stone.
[...] The terms used in Scotland were Domatic for the operative and
Geomatic for the speculative. The word, speculative, came into Masonic
use about the middle of the 18 th century. [...]
Speculative Freemasonry is also called symbolic Freemasonry, since
the working tools of operative Masonry are used as symbols to teach
moral and philosophical lessons. 989
23. Spurious Freemasonry
According to Coil, "[a]ny pretended Freemasonry or body that is prohibited
or not genuine, authorized, or legitimate is called spurious or clandestine. 990 This
definition dates back to Dr. George Oliver, a prominent English Freemason who
lived from 1782 till 1867. He was one of the most voluminous writers on
Freemasonry, but, as Coil states, "not a reliable one." 991 His biographers attribute
to him "a too easy credulity and a too great warmth of imagination." 992 Oliver
used the term "spurious" in a special sense, now obsolete. He thought that since
the times of Adam there were two forms of Masonry, a "true and primitive
Freemasonry," and a false doctrine. According to Oliver, real Freemasonry was
inherited from Adam by Seth, and the false doctrine goes back to Cain. Whereas
Seth, Enoch, and Noah preserved the true Freemasonry for future generations,
Cain's false doctrine was introduced via the building of the tower of Babel and
988 IFL, p. 1488.
989 CME, p. 629.
990 Ibid, p. 630.
991 Cf. ibid, p. 456.
992 Cited in CME, p. 456.