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

Chapter 10 - Conclusion 857
tradition, there was no uniformity gained since numerous different ritualistic
versions were circulated. In America, they mostly appeared in cipher, many
States using a different form of thereof. Maybe we can compare it to the Bible:
of it, there also exist different versions, e.g. the King James' Bible, or Luther's
translation, but after all - Bible is Bible, the teaching remains the same. Such it is
the case in Masonry. The principles of Freemasonry stay the same, regardless of
minor differences in their verbiage. So we come to the question whether
uniformity in the verbiage is indispensable at all.
Uniformity in all things is not absolutely necessary, nor was it ever so
considered. It cannot be expected that different persons will
communicate the same ideas in precisely the same language; besides
language changes in its import and ideas change with the progress of
science and advance of philosophy. It was well enough for the ancients
to advance that the sun rises in the East, that this earth is stationary [...],
and that the sun moves around this little globe [...]. Now, by a change of
verbiage, the ideas are expressed consistent with sound philosophical
principles, as the sun in the east opens and adorns the day, etc., and thus
it must necessarily be in relation to Masonic language and Masonic
ideas. The language used to express an idea several thousand years ago,
or even a few hundred years ago, would be unintelligible, and not
understood. To expect uniformity of language for all time, is a vain
expectation, and can never be attained. 2108
Thus, it seems as if uniformity of the Masonic language is not so crucial at
all. However, the Masons have acquired a good deal of universality regarding
their diction. We will now see whether it is possible to categorize the language of
Freemasonry and to compare it with other forms of language not considered the
standard.
Firstly, we will compare the Masonic language to a hieroglyphic language,
the Egyptian one. As has been stated before, especially in the 19 th century
Masonic historians have tried to trace back their fraternity to the ancient
Egyptian mysteries, which resulted from the error of equalizing the picture
writing of the two. However, there is a striking difference between Egyptian
picture writing and the Masonic one, which becomes evident when one tries to
tell a whole story using only Masonic symbols - this does not work. The
Egyptians were able to "write" entire stories using pictures:
Picture writing whether of the Egyptian, Indian, or Mongolian forms,
can tell a connected story with qualifications and modifications, but
each symbol, Masonic or otherwise, presents simply a single, separate,
stereotyped idea, thought, or principle with no provision for
interrelation or serial composition. The difference will be at once
2108 Quoted in Duncan, p. 269, from a then popular Masonic journal, the Key Stone.