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

SUPPLEMENTAL ENCYCLOPAEDIAvillages (pagi) and the scattered settlers in the country(pagani). It is now used as a general term, including allpolytheistic religions (plurality of gods), in opposition toChristianity, Judaism and Mohammedanism; in the MiddleAgesit also included Mohammedanism.Palestine See CANAAN (No. 7).PatronAt an early period we find that the Christianchurch adopted the usage of selecting for every trade andoccupation its own patron saint, who issupposed to havetaken it under his especial charge. And the selection wasgenerally made in reference to some circumstance in thelife of the saint, which traditionally connected him withthe profession of which he was appointed the patron. ThusSt. Crespin, because he was a shoemaker, is the patronsaint of the "gentle craft," and St. Dunstan, who was ablacksmith, is the patron of blacksmiths. Amongthe ancientsevery temple, altar, statue or sacred place was dedicatedto some divinity. The dedication of a temple wasalways a festival for the people, and was annually commemorated.While the pagans dedicated their temples todifferent deities sometimes to the joint worship of severalthe monotheistic (one God) Jews dedicated theirreligious edifices to the one supreme Jehovah. There wasa distinction among the Jews between consecration anddedication, for sacred things were both consecrated anddedicated. This distinction has also been preserved amongall, con-Christians, many of whom, and, in the early ages,secrated their churches to the worship of God, but dedicatedthem to, or placed them under, the especial patronage ofsome particular saint. A similar practice prevails in theMasonic institution ; and therefore, while we consecrateour Lodges "to the honor of God's glory," we dedicatethem to the patrons of our Order. Tradition informs usthat Masonic Lodges were originally dedicated to KingSolomon, because he was our first Most Excellent Grand191