The Origin of Freemasonry and Knights Templar ... - Lodge Prudentia

FREEMASONRY AXI) KNIGHTS TEMPLARKing David, and about six miles south of Jerusalem.The home of his mother, Mary, was Nazarethin Galilee, but she had to ccgneBethlehem with herhusband, Joseph, a descendant of David, in obedienceto a decree of enrollment and taxation whichseems to have required Joseph's presence at theoriginal home of his family. Mary is thought tohave been, like Joseph, descended from the royalhouse of Judah. Jesus is supposed to have beenborn on the 25th of December, four years before theafter his birthyear I A. D. On the eighth dayhe was circumcised, and on the fortieth day he wastaken to the temple, when the customary offeringsof purification were made by his mother. The visitof certain "wise men/' or magians, who cameprobably from Persia, to the infant at Bethlehem,with gifts proper for a king, and the inquiries madeby them previously at Jerusalem for a newly bornking of the Jews, excited the jealousy of Herodthe Great, then ruling over Juclea and the neighboringterritories under the protection of the Romans,and he issued orders for a massacre of youngchildren at Bethlehem. Joseph, being warned, tookthe young child and his mother by night and fledinto Egypt in time to escape the destruction, wherethey remained until again warned of Herod'sdeath a short time' after. Joseph seems to haveintended to rear the child at Bethlehem (thecity of David), but another warning caused him toreturn to Nazareth. Twelve years later Josephand Mary too'.c Jesus with them to Jerusalem tokeep the Passover, and he then showed that he wasalready conscious of a divine mission. He livedat Nazareth, however, for eighteen years longer,117