THE ARCANE SCHOOLS - Fort Myers Beach Masonic Lodge No. 362

_Mishna_, which contains the record of the oral law, first committed to
writing in the second or third century, and the _Gemara_, or
commentaries
on it. In the Talmud much will be found of great interest to the
masonic
student.
TEMPLE. The importance of the temple in the symbolism of Freemasonry
will
authorize the following citation from the learned Montfaucon (_Ant._
ii.
1. ii. ch. ii.): "Concerning the origin of _temples_, there is a
variety
of opinions. According to Herodotus, the Egyptians were the first that
made altars, statues, and temples. It does not, however, appear that
there
were any in Egypt in the time of Moses, for he never mentions them,
although he had many opportunities for doing so. Lucian says that the
Egyptians were the first people who built temples, and that the
Assyrians
derived the custom from them, all of which is, however, very uncertain.
The first allusion to the subject in Scripture is the Tabernacle, which
was, in fact, a portable temple, and contained one place within it more
holy and secret than the others, called the _Holy of Holies_, and to
which
the _adytum_ in the pagan temples corresponded. The first heathen
temple
mentioned in Scripture is that of Dagon, the god of the Philistines.
The
Greeks, who were indebted to the Phoenicians for many things, may be
supposed to have learned from them the art of building temples; and it
is
certain that the Romans borrowed from the Greeks both the worship of
the
gods and the construction of temples."
TEMPLE BUILDER. The title by which Hiram Abif is sometimes designated.
TEMPLE OF SOLOMON. The building erected by King Solomon on Mount
Moriah,
in Jerusalem, has been often called "the cradle of Freemasonry,"
because
it was there that that union took place between the operative and
speculative masons, which continued for centuries afterwards to present
the true organization of the masonic system.
As to the size of the temple, the dimensions given in the text may be
considered as accurate so far as they agree with the description given
in
the First Book of Kings. Josephus gives a larger measure, and makes the
length 105 feet, the breadth 35 feet, and the height 210 feet; but even
these will not invalidate the statement in the text, that in size it
was
surpassed by many a parish church.
TEMPLE SYMBOLISM. That symbolism which is derived from the temple of
Solomon. It is the most fertile of all kinds of symbolism in the