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

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Chapter 2 – Historical Background
(5) the death of Abel,
(6) the entry of Noah into the Ark,
(7) the mourning of Joseph for Jacob,
(8) an astronomical problem,
(9) death and resurrection of Christ,
(10) the persecution of the Templars or the execution of Jacques de Molai,
(11) the violent death of Charles I,
(12) a drama invented by Cromwell to aid him against the Stuarts,
(13) a representation of Old Age,
(14) the drama of regeneration,
(15) a savage ceremony of initiation,
(16) a reminder of the murder of Thomas à Becket,
(17) an appropriate little drama to make a stirring ritualistic ceremony. 81
This partial list does not include all suggestions. The political interpretations
are refuted by Bankl as absurd. 82 The sense of the Hiramic legend as the quest
for the "lost word," not mentioned in the list above, will be illustrated in Section
8.1.1. on the ritual of the three Craft degrees. The American Christian
"mainstream" Masons conceive the Hiramic legend primarily as a sublime lesson
of immortality, and since this dissertation deals above all with Freemasonry in
the United States, this interpretation will be accepted as a guideline through the
following sections. For the Masonic candidate, Hiram Abiff thus symbolizes his
way through life with all its trials and dangers, and a final reward in heaven: "We
may find in the journey of Hiram the symbol of man's journey through life. In
this journey, man encounters many obstacles [...]. They may be considered as
accosting him from the three aspects of his being -- the mental, spiritual and
physical. Three of these enemies are Ignorance, Doubt, and Prejudice." 83
However, the performance of the Third Degree ritual is not merely an illustration
of symbols and moral teachings, but an "art," of which has been proudly said that
[i]n the legend of Hiram we may find the lesson of immortality, and we
may also find one of the greatest tragedies ever conceived by man.
Edwin Booth, the famous Shakespearian actor, referred to the legend of
Hiram as the most sublime tragedy; and said that in its portrayal in a
Masonic lodge, he would rather play that part without applause, than to
play the greatest tragedy Shakespeare ever wrote. 84
81
Cf. CME, p. 316.
82
Cf. Bankl, p. 68.
83
Quoted from "The Symbolism of the Third Degree" by Ball, cited in Little Masonic Library, IV, p.
198.
84
Ibid.