teslacoils2006
2006-02-06 21:56:42 UTC
The Legend of Hiram
I have surfed the Waters of the Web and I have found some speculative
and some operative information. None of which has been based on
completed evidence. Other that which is a direct copy from Biblical
data or various encyclopaedias. It is for the purpose of stimulating
conversation and debate.
Of interest to the Masonic mind:-
The First T.B. opens with the statement that "the usages and customs
among
Freemasons have ever borne a near affinity to those of the Ancient
Egyptians;
The Philosophers of Egypt, unwilling to expose their mysteries to
vulgar eyes,
concealed their systems of learning and polity under heiroglyphical
figures,
which were communicated only to their chief priests and wise men, who
were bound
by solemn oath never to reveal them. The system of Pythagoras was
founded upon
similar principles and maintained under the same conditions."
We might, therefore, reasonably expect that a study of the system
originated, or
adopted, by the great teacher, Pythagoras, would tend to throw some
light upon
this Masonic Craft of ours. There are four questions which we might put
to
ourselves in this connection:-
The Widow's Son
In 1997, Evidence was discovered, that the true symbolic origin of the
Drama of
Hiram Abiff, may have been a real life actual event. The murdered King,
or 'King
that was Lost' may have been Seqenenre Tao II of Egypt, 1554BC.
Egyptologists
have now dated Seqenenre's rule to 1558 - 1554BC. King Seqenenre was
killed by
at least two separate, distinctively different weapons. An Axe, a
pointed iron
rod or possibly a stone maul. The placement and shapes of the skull
shattering
marks on the mummy's head are only part of the proof.
"Some of these seventeenth-century manuscripts [preserving the 'Old
Charges'] do
not refer to Hiram Abif, which has led some to believe that the
character was an
invention of this relatively recent period. However, the name Hiram
Abif was
only one designation for this central figure; he is also referred to as
Aymon,
Aymen, Amnon, A Man or Amen and sometimes Bennaim. It is said that Amen
is said
to be the Hebrew word for 'the trusted one' or 'the faithful one',
which fits
the role of Hiram Abif perfectly. But we also know that Amon or Amen is
the name
of the ancient creator god of Thebes, the city of Sequenere Tao II.
Could there
be an ancient linkage here?"
A Connection with the Mystery Religions
"To the initiated Builder the name Hiram Abiff signifies 'My Father,
the
Universal Spirit, one in essence, three in aspect.' Thus the murdered
Master is
a type of the Cosmic Martyr - the crucified Spirit of Good, the dying
god -
whose Mystery is celebrated throughout the world."
"The efforts made to discover the origin of the Hiramic legend show
that, while
the legend in its present form is comparatively modern, its underlying
principles run back to remotest antiquity. It is generally admitted by
modern
Masonic scholars that the story of the martyred Hiram is based upon the
Egyptian
rites of Osiris, whose death and resurrection figuratively portrayed
the
spiritual death of man and his regeneration through initiation into the
Mysteries. Hiram is also identified with Hermes through the inscription
on the
Emerald Tablet."
The True King and Master of Egypt - 1554BC
In this instance the word King was exclusive. A word only used to
describe what
the Egyptians called their True King and Solar Lord. ..The Right of the
Egyptians to be 'Sons of God' and the 'Caretakers' of God's Word was
given to
them by the 'Olai', who were direct descendents of the 'Star Regents of
Atlantis'. God was called ' The Law of One' by the Atlantians.
..from the readings of Edgar Cayce
"When these Star Regents left that land, they left the rulership on the
hands of
''Caretakers', who were the 'Children of the Nephilim'. The Nephilim
are other
world beings who were from the 'fallen heaven', having created these
'children'
whom Thoth calls the 'Nomads'. They transferred the power and mysteries
to the
'Umosejhe', meaning 'caretakers', with the understanding that in the
future the
Olai would return to put into motion the spiritual birth of the
'Child', who
centuries later would incarnate in living flesh as the greatest of the
'Shepherd Kings'.
History would know this 'Child' as "Jesus Christ".
taken from.. 'New Age Bible interpretation Old Testament, Volume I', by
Corinne
Heline
but because God has only 'one begotten Son', he has many other names
and faces.
This site will include those 'other' Sons.
Sequenere Tao II?
"The only reasonable explanation that we had come across regarding the
actual
name of the Masonic hero was that Hiram meant 'noble' or 'kingly' in
Hebrew,
while Abif has been identified as old French for 'lost one', giving a
literal
description of 'the king that was lost'." "Masonic ritual refers to
Hiram Abif
as the 'Son of the Widow'... In Egyptian legend the first Horus was
uniquely
conceived after his father's death and therefore his mother was a widow
even
before his conception. It seemed logical therefore that all those who
thereafter
became Horus, i.e. the kings of Egypt, would also describe themselves
as 'Son of
the Widow'."
The newly installed King became the God-Man, Horus, only after he was
"raised
from the dead" in a living resurrection ceremony. The words to this
ritual were
never written on any scroll, but they were handed down, learned and
remembered
word for word. "Although there is evidence for a generic connection
between the
Craft and the Ancient Mysteries, there is no explanation of how the
material
might have been transmitted or how the tradition could remain hidden
through the
rigors of the Dark Ages and the probing of the Inquisition."
The King that had 'died' and had post-presently been the God Horus,
would become
the God Osiris at death providing 'the secret ritual words were spoken'
and he
was 'resurrected' to the ultimate position of being the 'God of the
Dead' and
the 'King of the Underworld'. Osiris, becoming immortal, could return
to the
earth and 'incarnate' into a mortal man. In this state he could 'teach'
the
people, be a 'civilizer' and 'legislator' and then return from whence
he came.
If the King-God Osiris had lived a righteous life, if he was free of
sin, he
achieved the status of being 'A MASTER in Heaven'. This consists of his
soul
being weighed against the 'Feather of Maat'. If his soul is lighter
than the
feather, Osiris becomes a Master. As Osiris departs, Horus becomes the
New
God-King.. The Book of the Dead (from about 1800 BC),...reads very much
like an
oratorio. Although there is no evidence that it was actually performed,
the
ritual is full of theatrical elements. It describes the journey of the
soul,
brought after death by the jackal-headed god Anubis into the Hall of
Truth,
where the dead man's heart is weighed against a feather. If the heart,
made
light by goodness, does not outweigh the feather, then the soul is
brought
before Osiris and granted immortality. ..here Anubis checks the
accuracy of the
balance, Thoth records the results and Ammit prepares to gobble down
hearts
ladden with sin.
The Ceremony was not only secret, but preformed and known only by the
two Senior
Priests of the Temple of Amen-Re, the Sun God. The Egyptians believed
in Eternal
Life and they went to great extremes to insure that the King achieved
this. Only
the One True Living God could have taught them this. In these pages you
will see
why God chose the Egyptians to be the 'Keepers of the Word' and the
'Caretakers'
of the 'Knowledge'.
The Masonic Third Degree ceremony explains what happened that day over
3500
years ago in the Temple at Thebes, which is now Luxor, when the True
King and
Master, Seqenenre Tao II was murdered. We concur with Knight and Lomas,
that
this legend becomes the story and drama of the Master Builder, Hiram
Abiff.
"The king-making ritual is known to have been performed in the pyramid
of Unas.
As in a Masonic temple, the ceiling of the main chamber represents the
sky with
stars in place. The commonly accepted view is that the ceremony was
celebrated
on the last night of the waning moon, beginning at sunset and
continuing all
night until sunrise, the purpose being a 'living resurrection ritual'
which
identified the dead king with Osiris as an ascended "Master". The
picture is the
former Temple at Thebes.
The real secrets of the Egyptian king-making ceremony, which included
the
'raising' of Osiris, died with Seqenenre, the man Masons symbolically
refer to
as Hiram Abiff, ..."the King that was lost". 'The Grand Master'. The
'one' who
knew the 'ALL'. This has also been referred to as the reason for the
'Lost Name
of God' and the 'Lost Word'. After these words were lost, no king could
journey
to the afterlife to be one with Osiris.
The Egyptian hieroglyphic for the morning star has the literal meaning
'divine knowledge'. This seems to support our thesis that the candidate
for
kingship was raised to the status of the new god/king Horus by sharing
the
secrets of the gods in the land of the dead, where he learned the great
secrets
before returning to Earth as the morning star broke the horizon just
before
sunrise."
"At the coronation/funeral ritual, the old king was resurrected as the
new one,
and proved himself a suitable candidate by traveling around the
perimeter of the
entire country. This was really a symbolic act as the new king was
conducted
around the temple room to show himself a worthy candidate to those
present,
which included the god Re and his main assistant."
God's people and Israel. Bible references do not explain that there
were two
ruling factors in Egypt at the same time. However this is confirmed by
Egyptian
records and history. Consult 'The Second Intermediate Period of Egypt'
for the
dating of this important factor. Seqenenre Tao II is placed in the XVII
dynasty
of Thebes ( 1558 - 1554 ) which directly corresponds with Apepi I
(Archlês) of
Avaris, (Heliopolis) 1581-1541 in the XV dynasty.XIII Dynasty see at
the top of
the page. However, in the XIV Dynasty of Xois or Avaris, we see an
(Aphôphis I
)with no date. This is a Greek interpretation by Manetho . Apepi is
also called
Aphôphis so he must be Aphophis I. We feel this is the correct Hyksos
ruler who
sends Insults to Seqenenre.
The man who became known as 'Israel', Abraham, was a Hyksos himself,
and a
priest from the land of Sumer. All evidence is that Abraham was a
high-born man
from Ur, in the land of Sumer. In the KJ bible, God told the father of
Abram to
go to Canaan and he gave the land of Jordan to Abram. The King of Salem
was
Melchizedek and he was also a High Priest of God's word and a 'chosen
son'.
Abraham becomes a High Priest following the order named after the King.
In this
priesthood, he is also 'initiated' into the mysteries. This
'initiation'
supports the theory that two seperate groups of people had God's
'knowledge' at
the same time.
The legend says; After the destruction of the world, these two pillars
were
discovered by Hermes, the son of Shem. Then the craft of masonry began
to
flourish, and Nimrod was one of the earliest patrons of the art.
"Abraham, the
son of Jerah, was skilled in the seven sciences and taught the
Egyptians the
science of grammar. Euclid was his pupil, and instructed them in the
art of
making mighty walls and ditches to preserve their houses from the
inundations of
the Nile, and by geometry measured out the land, and divided it into
partitions
so that each man might ascertain his own property. And he it was who
gave
masonry the name of geometry".
One story proclaims that Abraham is to return to the land of 'his
fathers' and
regain from them the secrets God left with the 'Caretakers'. It is said
Abraham
became friends with the 'Pharoah', but this aludes to the Hyksos Ruler,
not
Seqenenre Tao or the 'other' Thebian Royal House.. The family of
Abraham
traveled to Egypt in 1780 BC. Hence the name "Shepherd Kings". The
Umosejhe
(Egyptians ) were bound to the Hyksos in ways of Spirit beyond the
personal will
because their ancestors came from the same place.. These 'usurpers'
re-wrote the
history of Olai / Hyksos, making them enemies and conquerors of Egypt.
The full
explaination of this is on the Shepherd Kings page.
Appendix :-
—In Rabbinical Literature:
2. Artificer sent by Hiram, King of Tyre, to Solomon. He was apparently
of a mixed race; his father being a Tyrian, and his mother of the tribe
of Naphtali (I Kings vii. 13, 14) or of the tribe of Dan (II Chron. ii.
12 [A. V. 14]). The words "ḥuram abi," which terminate II Chron. ii.
11 (A. V. 13), generally translated "Huram my father's" (see No. 1),
are taken by some to be the name of the artificer; with this name
compare "Hammurabi," of which "Hiram Abi" may be a local variant or
misreading. The name is curiously used in Freemasonry. There is an
essential difference, as regards the nature of Hiram's technical
specialty, between I Kings and II Chronicles. According to the former,
Hiram was an artificer only in brass; and the pieces which he executed
for the Temple were the two pillars Jachin and Boaz,
Bible text:
Chron. ii. 13 [14] it is said that Hiram was "skilful to work in gold,
and in silver, in brass, in iron, in stone, and in timber, in purple,
in blue, and in fine linen, and in crimson; also to grave any manner of
graving." Thus he seems to have superintended all the work of the
Temple. Josephus says ("Ant." viii. 3, § 4) that Hiram's father was Ur
of the stock of the Israelites, that he was skilful in all sorts of
work, but that his chief skill lay in working in gold, silver, and
brass. Josephus apparently interprets the words "ish ẓori" to mean a
man who lived in Tyre, and the name of "Ur" probably originated in the
confusion between "Hiram" and "Bezaleel." In I Kings vii. 40 (A. V.
margin) the form "Hirom" ( ) occurs.E.
1 Kings 7
The Temple's Furnishings
13 King Solomon sent to Tyre and brought Huram, [7] 14 whose mother was
a widow from the tribe of Naphtali and whose father was a man of Tyre
and a craftsman in bronze. Huram was highly skilled and experienced in
all kinds of bronze work. He came to King Solomon and did all the work
assigned to him.
15 He cast two bronze pillars, each eighteen cubits high and twelve
cubits around, [8] by line. 16 He also made two capitals of cast bronze
to set on the tops of the pillars; each capital was five cubits [9]
high. 17 A network of interwoven chains festooned the capitals on top
of the pillars, seven for each capital. 18 He made pomegranates in two
rows [10] encircling each network to decorate the capitals on top of
the pillars. [11] He did the same for each capital. 19 The capitals on
top of the pillars in the portico were in the shape of lilies, four
cubits [12] high. 20 On the capitals of both pillars, above the
bowl-shaped part next to the network, were the two hundred pomegranates
in rows all around. 21 He erected the pillars at the portico of the
temple. The pillar to the south he named Jakin [13] and the one to the
north Boaz. [14] 22 The capitals on top were in the shape of lilies.
And so the work on the pillars was completed.
All these objects that Huram made for King Solomon for the temple of
the LORD were of burnished bronze. 46 The king had them cast in clay
molds in the plain of the Jordan between Succoth and Zarethan. 47
Solomon left all these things unweighed, because there were so many;
the weight of the bronze was not determined.
48 Solomon also made all the furnishings that were in the LORD's
temple:
1 Kings 8
The Ark Brought to the Temple
17 "My father David had it in his heart to build a temple for the Name
of the LORD , the God of Israel. 18 But the LORD said to my father
David, 'Because it was in your heart to build a temple for my Name, you
did well to have this in your heart. 19 Nevertheless, you are not the
one to build the temple, but your son, who is your own flesh and
blood-he is the one who will build the temple for my Name.'
Solomon's Prayer of Dedication
27 "But will God really dwell on earth? The heavens, even the highest
heaven, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built! 28
Yet give attention to your servant's prayer and his plea for mercy, O
LORD my God. Hear the cry and the prayer that your servant is praying
in your presence this day. 29 May your eyes be open toward this temple
night and day, this place of which you said, 'My Name shall be there,'
so that you will hear the prayer your servant prays toward this place.
30 Hear the supplication of your servant and of your people Israel when
they pray toward this place. Hear from heaven, your dwelling place, and
when you hear, forgive.
41 "As for the foreigner who does not belong to your people Israel but
has come from a distant land because of your name- 42 for men will hear
of your great name and your mighty hand and your outstretched arm-when
he comes and prays toward this temple, 43 then hear from heaven, your
dwelling place, and do whatever the foreigner asks of you, so that all
the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you, as do your
own people Israel, and may know that this house I have built bears your
Name.
1 Kings 9
The LORD Appears to Solomon
3 The LORD said to him:
"I have heard the prayer and plea you have made before me; I have
consecrated this temple, which you have built, by putting my Name there
forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there.
1 Corinthians 3
8The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each
will be rewarded according to his own labor. 9For we are God's fellow
workers; you are God's field, God's building.
10By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert
builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be
careful how he builds. 11For no one can lay any foundation other than
the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12If any man builds on
this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw,
13his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it
to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the
quality of each man's work. 14If what he has built survives, he will
receive his reward. 15If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he
himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.
16Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's
Spirit lives in you? 17If anyone destroys God's temple, God will
destroy him; for God's temple is sacred, and you are that temple.
Huram is a name used by the Chronicler for Hiram, king of Tyre. 2
Chronicles 2.3-16
Huram-abi is a name used by the Chronicler for the craftsman, Hiram. 2
Chronicles 2.13, 14; 4.11-16
2 Chronicles 2:
2:7 "Now send me a man who is skilled in working with gold, silver,
bronze, and iron, as well as purple, crimson, and violet colored
fabrics, and who knows how to engrave. He will work with my skilled
craftsmen here in Jerusalem and Judah, whom my father David provided.
2:13 Now I am sending you Huram Abi,22 a skilled and capable man, 2:14
whose mother is a Danite and whose father is a Tyrian.23 He knows how
to work with gold, silver, bronze, iron, stones, and wood, as well as
purple, violet, white, and crimson fabrics. He knows how to do all
kinds of engraving and understands any design given to him. He will
work with your skilled craftsmen and the skilled craftsmen of my lord
David your father.
It would seem a reasonable conclusion. That if, we are inclined to hold
the Egyptian foundation up as the origins of Masonic structure. Then as
with most stories, like the size of fish they change with the
proportions of time between the telling of the tale. We must recognise
that the art of reading and writing was far from easily available to
the general populous at this time frame. There would have been a great
reliance on remembrance and we all know as I said the tale changes from
telling to telling. But, most often carries with it the basics of the
original story.
We then blend into this tale the fundamentals of being able to move
around the then known world in safety and in an organised manner. If
there was already a pattern laid down, that was proven to be safe and
efficient, then it would be a realistic proposition to follow that
pattern.
Are these the foundation stones of the Masonic structure? The fact,
that this system of safe travel from one ‘Lodge’ to another. The
safe movement of funds. I would point out that the Israeli Banking
system of the Middle Ages was drawn on such trust. The Knights Templer
appear to have adopted many of these practices.
Is it a simple as that? If an Idea works then, steal it.
We can speculate on the Egyptian origin, I am not sure that it is that
important to conclude this point. Other than, there was a great
upheaval in this part of the world with the Upper and Lower empires of
Egypt, fighting over the Deity. One and only True God or many Gods.
There are scholars that support the Exodus as the Israelites bringing
out of Egypt the concept of the True and Living God. The one and only
God. Omnipotent.
We just do not have available to us defining evidence to support any of
these hypothesis.
We are left with the preponderance of the evidence. All you can due is
ask of yourself how would you have decided in those circumstances.
Bill McElligott 20/02/03
I have surfed the Waters of the Web and I have found some speculative
and some operative information. None of which has been based on
completed evidence. Other that which is a direct copy from Biblical
data or various encyclopaedias. It is for the purpose of stimulating
conversation and debate.
Of interest to the Masonic mind:-
The First T.B. opens with the statement that "the usages and customs
among
Freemasons have ever borne a near affinity to those of the Ancient
Egyptians;
The Philosophers of Egypt, unwilling to expose their mysteries to
vulgar eyes,
concealed their systems of learning and polity under heiroglyphical
figures,
which were communicated only to their chief priests and wise men, who
were bound
by solemn oath never to reveal them. The system of Pythagoras was
founded upon
similar principles and maintained under the same conditions."
We might, therefore, reasonably expect that a study of the system
originated, or
adopted, by the great teacher, Pythagoras, would tend to throw some
light upon
this Masonic Craft of ours. There are four questions which we might put
to
ourselves in this connection:-
The Widow's Son
In 1997, Evidence was discovered, that the true symbolic origin of the
Drama of
Hiram Abiff, may have been a real life actual event. The murdered King,
or 'King
that was Lost' may have been Seqenenre Tao II of Egypt, 1554BC.
Egyptologists
have now dated Seqenenre's rule to 1558 - 1554BC. King Seqenenre was
killed by
at least two separate, distinctively different weapons. An Axe, a
pointed iron
rod or possibly a stone maul. The placement and shapes of the skull
shattering
marks on the mummy's head are only part of the proof.
"Some of these seventeenth-century manuscripts [preserving the 'Old
Charges'] do
not refer to Hiram Abif, which has led some to believe that the
character was an
invention of this relatively recent period. However, the name Hiram
Abif was
only one designation for this central figure; he is also referred to as
Aymon,
Aymen, Amnon, A Man or Amen and sometimes Bennaim. It is said that Amen
is said
to be the Hebrew word for 'the trusted one' or 'the faithful one',
which fits
the role of Hiram Abif perfectly. But we also know that Amon or Amen is
the name
of the ancient creator god of Thebes, the city of Sequenere Tao II.
Could there
be an ancient linkage here?"
A Connection with the Mystery Religions
"To the initiated Builder the name Hiram Abiff signifies 'My Father,
the
Universal Spirit, one in essence, three in aspect.' Thus the murdered
Master is
a type of the Cosmic Martyr - the crucified Spirit of Good, the dying
god -
whose Mystery is celebrated throughout the world."
"The efforts made to discover the origin of the Hiramic legend show
that, while
the legend in its present form is comparatively modern, its underlying
principles run back to remotest antiquity. It is generally admitted by
modern
Masonic scholars that the story of the martyred Hiram is based upon the
Egyptian
rites of Osiris, whose death and resurrection figuratively portrayed
the
spiritual death of man and his regeneration through initiation into the
Mysteries. Hiram is also identified with Hermes through the inscription
on the
Emerald Tablet."
The True King and Master of Egypt - 1554BC
In this instance the word King was exclusive. A word only used to
describe what
the Egyptians called their True King and Solar Lord. ..The Right of the
Egyptians to be 'Sons of God' and the 'Caretakers' of God's Word was
given to
them by the 'Olai', who were direct descendents of the 'Star Regents of
Atlantis'. God was called ' The Law of One' by the Atlantians.
..from the readings of Edgar Cayce
"When these Star Regents left that land, they left the rulership on the
hands of
''Caretakers', who were the 'Children of the Nephilim'. The Nephilim
are other
world beings who were from the 'fallen heaven', having created these
'children'
whom Thoth calls the 'Nomads'. They transferred the power and mysteries
to the
'Umosejhe', meaning 'caretakers', with the understanding that in the
future the
Olai would return to put into motion the spiritual birth of the
'Child', who
centuries later would incarnate in living flesh as the greatest of the
'Shepherd Kings'.
History would know this 'Child' as "Jesus Christ".
taken from.. 'New Age Bible interpretation Old Testament, Volume I', by
Corinne
Heline
but because God has only 'one begotten Son', he has many other names
and faces.
This site will include those 'other' Sons.
Sequenere Tao II?
"The only reasonable explanation that we had come across regarding the
actual
name of the Masonic hero was that Hiram meant 'noble' or 'kingly' in
Hebrew,
while Abif has been identified as old French for 'lost one', giving a
literal
description of 'the king that was lost'." "Masonic ritual refers to
Hiram Abif
as the 'Son of the Widow'... In Egyptian legend the first Horus was
uniquely
conceived after his father's death and therefore his mother was a widow
even
before his conception. It seemed logical therefore that all those who
thereafter
became Horus, i.e. the kings of Egypt, would also describe themselves
as 'Son of
the Widow'."
The newly installed King became the God-Man, Horus, only after he was
"raised
from the dead" in a living resurrection ceremony. The words to this
ritual were
never written on any scroll, but they were handed down, learned and
remembered
word for word. "Although there is evidence for a generic connection
between the
Craft and the Ancient Mysteries, there is no explanation of how the
material
might have been transmitted or how the tradition could remain hidden
through the
rigors of the Dark Ages and the probing of the Inquisition."
The King that had 'died' and had post-presently been the God Horus,
would become
the God Osiris at death providing 'the secret ritual words were spoken'
and he
was 'resurrected' to the ultimate position of being the 'God of the
Dead' and
the 'King of the Underworld'. Osiris, becoming immortal, could return
to the
earth and 'incarnate' into a mortal man. In this state he could 'teach'
the
people, be a 'civilizer' and 'legislator' and then return from whence
he came.
If the King-God Osiris had lived a righteous life, if he was free of
sin, he
achieved the status of being 'A MASTER in Heaven'. This consists of his
soul
being weighed against the 'Feather of Maat'. If his soul is lighter
than the
feather, Osiris becomes a Master. As Osiris departs, Horus becomes the
New
God-King.. The Book of the Dead (from about 1800 BC),...reads very much
like an
oratorio. Although there is no evidence that it was actually performed,
the
ritual is full of theatrical elements. It describes the journey of the
soul,
brought after death by the jackal-headed god Anubis into the Hall of
Truth,
where the dead man's heart is weighed against a feather. If the heart,
made
light by goodness, does not outweigh the feather, then the soul is
brought
before Osiris and granted immortality. ..here Anubis checks the
accuracy of the
balance, Thoth records the results and Ammit prepares to gobble down
hearts
ladden with sin.
The Ceremony was not only secret, but preformed and known only by the
two Senior
Priests of the Temple of Amen-Re, the Sun God. The Egyptians believed
in Eternal
Life and they went to great extremes to insure that the King achieved
this. Only
the One True Living God could have taught them this. In these pages you
will see
why God chose the Egyptians to be the 'Keepers of the Word' and the
'Caretakers'
of the 'Knowledge'.
The Masonic Third Degree ceremony explains what happened that day over
3500
years ago in the Temple at Thebes, which is now Luxor, when the True
King and
Master, Seqenenre Tao II was murdered. We concur with Knight and Lomas,
that
this legend becomes the story and drama of the Master Builder, Hiram
Abiff.
"The king-making ritual is known to have been performed in the pyramid
of Unas.
As in a Masonic temple, the ceiling of the main chamber represents the
sky with
stars in place. The commonly accepted view is that the ceremony was
celebrated
on the last night of the waning moon, beginning at sunset and
continuing all
night until sunrise, the purpose being a 'living resurrection ritual'
which
identified the dead king with Osiris as an ascended "Master". The
picture is the
former Temple at Thebes.
The real secrets of the Egyptian king-making ceremony, which included
the
'raising' of Osiris, died with Seqenenre, the man Masons symbolically
refer to
as Hiram Abiff, ..."the King that was lost". 'The Grand Master'. The
'one' who
knew the 'ALL'. This has also been referred to as the reason for the
'Lost Name
of God' and the 'Lost Word'. After these words were lost, no king could
journey
to the afterlife to be one with Osiris.
The Egyptian hieroglyphic for the morning star has the literal meaning
'divine knowledge'. This seems to support our thesis that the candidate
for
kingship was raised to the status of the new god/king Horus by sharing
the
secrets of the gods in the land of the dead, where he learned the great
secrets
before returning to Earth as the morning star broke the horizon just
before
sunrise."
"At the coronation/funeral ritual, the old king was resurrected as the
new one,
and proved himself a suitable candidate by traveling around the
perimeter of the
entire country. This was really a symbolic act as the new king was
conducted
around the temple room to show himself a worthy candidate to those
present,
which included the god Re and his main assistant."
God's people and Israel. Bible references do not explain that there
were two
ruling factors in Egypt at the same time. However this is confirmed by
Egyptian
records and history. Consult 'The Second Intermediate Period of Egypt'
for the
dating of this important factor. Seqenenre Tao II is placed in the XVII
dynasty
of Thebes ( 1558 - 1554 ) which directly corresponds with Apepi I
(Archlês) of
Avaris, (Heliopolis) 1581-1541 in the XV dynasty.XIII Dynasty see at
the top of
the page. However, in the XIV Dynasty of Xois or Avaris, we see an
(Aphôphis I
)with no date. This is a Greek interpretation by Manetho . Apepi is
also called
Aphôphis so he must be Aphophis I. We feel this is the correct Hyksos
ruler who
sends Insults to Seqenenre.
The man who became known as 'Israel', Abraham, was a Hyksos himself,
and a
priest from the land of Sumer. All evidence is that Abraham was a
high-born man
from Ur, in the land of Sumer. In the KJ bible, God told the father of
Abram to
go to Canaan and he gave the land of Jordan to Abram. The King of Salem
was
Melchizedek and he was also a High Priest of God's word and a 'chosen
son'.
Abraham becomes a High Priest following the order named after the King.
In this
priesthood, he is also 'initiated' into the mysteries. This
'initiation'
supports the theory that two seperate groups of people had God's
'knowledge' at
the same time.
The legend says; After the destruction of the world, these two pillars
were
discovered by Hermes, the son of Shem. Then the craft of masonry began
to
flourish, and Nimrod was one of the earliest patrons of the art.
"Abraham, the
son of Jerah, was skilled in the seven sciences and taught the
Egyptians the
science of grammar. Euclid was his pupil, and instructed them in the
art of
making mighty walls and ditches to preserve their houses from the
inundations of
the Nile, and by geometry measured out the land, and divided it into
partitions
so that each man might ascertain his own property. And he it was who
gave
masonry the name of geometry".
One story proclaims that Abraham is to return to the land of 'his
fathers' and
regain from them the secrets God left with the 'Caretakers'. It is said
Abraham
became friends with the 'Pharoah', but this aludes to the Hyksos Ruler,
not
Seqenenre Tao or the 'other' Thebian Royal House.. The family of
Abraham
traveled to Egypt in 1780 BC. Hence the name "Shepherd Kings". The
Umosejhe
(Egyptians ) were bound to the Hyksos in ways of Spirit beyond the
personal will
because their ancestors came from the same place.. These 'usurpers'
re-wrote the
history of Olai / Hyksos, making them enemies and conquerors of Egypt.
The full
explaination of this is on the Shepherd Kings page.
Appendix :-
—In Rabbinical Literature:
2. Artificer sent by Hiram, King of Tyre, to Solomon. He was apparently
of a mixed race; his father being a Tyrian, and his mother of the tribe
of Naphtali (I Kings vii. 13, 14) or of the tribe of Dan (II Chron. ii.
12 [A. V. 14]). The words "ḥuram abi," which terminate II Chron. ii.
11 (A. V. 13), generally translated "Huram my father's" (see No. 1),
are taken by some to be the name of the artificer; with this name
compare "Hammurabi," of which "Hiram Abi" may be a local variant or
misreading. The name is curiously used in Freemasonry. There is an
essential difference, as regards the nature of Hiram's technical
specialty, between I Kings and II Chronicles. According to the former,
Hiram was an artificer only in brass; and the pieces which he executed
for the Temple were the two pillars Jachin and Boaz,
Bible text:
Chron. ii. 13 [14] it is said that Hiram was "skilful to work in gold,
and in silver, in brass, in iron, in stone, and in timber, in purple,
in blue, and in fine linen, and in crimson; also to grave any manner of
graving." Thus he seems to have superintended all the work of the
Temple. Josephus says ("Ant." viii. 3, § 4) that Hiram's father was Ur
of the stock of the Israelites, that he was skilful in all sorts of
work, but that his chief skill lay in working in gold, silver, and
brass. Josephus apparently interprets the words "ish ẓori" to mean a
man who lived in Tyre, and the name of "Ur" probably originated in the
confusion between "Hiram" and "Bezaleel." In I Kings vii. 40 (A. V.
margin) the form "Hirom" ( ) occurs.E.
1 Kings 7
The Temple's Furnishings
13 King Solomon sent to Tyre and brought Huram, [7] 14 whose mother was
a widow from the tribe of Naphtali and whose father was a man of Tyre
and a craftsman in bronze. Huram was highly skilled and experienced in
all kinds of bronze work. He came to King Solomon and did all the work
assigned to him.
15 He cast two bronze pillars, each eighteen cubits high and twelve
cubits around, [8] by line. 16 He also made two capitals of cast bronze
to set on the tops of the pillars; each capital was five cubits [9]
high. 17 A network of interwoven chains festooned the capitals on top
of the pillars, seven for each capital. 18 He made pomegranates in two
rows [10] encircling each network to decorate the capitals on top of
the pillars. [11] He did the same for each capital. 19 The capitals on
top of the pillars in the portico were in the shape of lilies, four
cubits [12] high. 20 On the capitals of both pillars, above the
bowl-shaped part next to the network, were the two hundred pomegranates
in rows all around. 21 He erected the pillars at the portico of the
temple. The pillar to the south he named Jakin [13] and the one to the
north Boaz. [14] 22 The capitals on top were in the shape of lilies.
And so the work on the pillars was completed.
All these objects that Huram made for King Solomon for the temple of
the LORD were of burnished bronze. 46 The king had them cast in clay
molds in the plain of the Jordan between Succoth and Zarethan. 47
Solomon left all these things unweighed, because there were so many;
the weight of the bronze was not determined.
48 Solomon also made all the furnishings that were in the LORD's
temple:
1 Kings 8
The Ark Brought to the Temple
17 "My father David had it in his heart to build a temple for the Name
of the LORD , the God of Israel. 18 But the LORD said to my father
David, 'Because it was in your heart to build a temple for my Name, you
did well to have this in your heart. 19 Nevertheless, you are not the
one to build the temple, but your son, who is your own flesh and
blood-he is the one who will build the temple for my Name.'
Solomon's Prayer of Dedication
27 "But will God really dwell on earth? The heavens, even the highest
heaven, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built! 28
Yet give attention to your servant's prayer and his plea for mercy, O
LORD my God. Hear the cry and the prayer that your servant is praying
in your presence this day. 29 May your eyes be open toward this temple
night and day, this place of which you said, 'My Name shall be there,'
so that you will hear the prayer your servant prays toward this place.
30 Hear the supplication of your servant and of your people Israel when
they pray toward this place. Hear from heaven, your dwelling place, and
when you hear, forgive.
41 "As for the foreigner who does not belong to your people Israel but
has come from a distant land because of your name- 42 for men will hear
of your great name and your mighty hand and your outstretched arm-when
he comes and prays toward this temple, 43 then hear from heaven, your
dwelling place, and do whatever the foreigner asks of you, so that all
the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you, as do your
own people Israel, and may know that this house I have built bears your
Name.
1 Kings 9
The LORD Appears to Solomon
3 The LORD said to him:
"I have heard the prayer and plea you have made before me; I have
consecrated this temple, which you have built, by putting my Name there
forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there.
1 Corinthians 3
8The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each
will be rewarded according to his own labor. 9For we are God's fellow
workers; you are God's field, God's building.
10By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert
builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be
careful how he builds. 11For no one can lay any foundation other than
the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12If any man builds on
this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw,
13his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it
to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the
quality of each man's work. 14If what he has built survives, he will
receive his reward. 15If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he
himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.
16Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's
Spirit lives in you? 17If anyone destroys God's temple, God will
destroy him; for God's temple is sacred, and you are that temple.
Huram is a name used by the Chronicler for Hiram, king of Tyre. 2
Chronicles 2.3-16
Huram-abi is a name used by the Chronicler for the craftsman, Hiram. 2
Chronicles 2.13, 14; 4.11-16
2 Chronicles 2:
2:7 "Now send me a man who is skilled in working with gold, silver,
bronze, and iron, as well as purple, crimson, and violet colored
fabrics, and who knows how to engrave. He will work with my skilled
craftsmen here in Jerusalem and Judah, whom my father David provided.
2:13 Now I am sending you Huram Abi,22 a skilled and capable man, 2:14
whose mother is a Danite and whose father is a Tyrian.23 He knows how
to work with gold, silver, bronze, iron, stones, and wood, as well as
purple, violet, white, and crimson fabrics. He knows how to do all
kinds of engraving and understands any design given to him. He will
work with your skilled craftsmen and the skilled craftsmen of my lord
David your father.
It would seem a reasonable conclusion. That if, we are inclined to hold
the Egyptian foundation up as the origins of Masonic structure. Then as
with most stories, like the size of fish they change with the
proportions of time between the telling of the tale. We must recognise
that the art of reading and writing was far from easily available to
the general populous at this time frame. There would have been a great
reliance on remembrance and we all know as I said the tale changes from
telling to telling. But, most often carries with it the basics of the
original story.
We then blend into this tale the fundamentals of being able to move
around the then known world in safety and in an organised manner. If
there was already a pattern laid down, that was proven to be safe and
efficient, then it would be a realistic proposition to follow that
pattern.
Are these the foundation stones of the Masonic structure? The fact,
that this system of safe travel from one ‘Lodge’ to another. The
safe movement of funds. I would point out that the Israeli Banking
system of the Middle Ages was drawn on such trust. The Knights Templer
appear to have adopted many of these practices.
Is it a simple as that? If an Idea works then, steal it.
We can speculate on the Egyptian origin, I am not sure that it is that
important to conclude this point. Other than, there was a great
upheaval in this part of the world with the Upper and Lower empires of
Egypt, fighting over the Deity. One and only True God or many Gods.
There are scholars that support the Exodus as the Israelites bringing
out of Egypt the concept of the True and Living God. The one and only
God. Omnipotent.
We just do not have available to us defining evidence to support any of
these hypothesis.
We are left with the preponderance of the evidence. All you can due is
ask of yourself how would you have decided in those circumstances.
Bill McElligott 20/02/03