The Origins of Freemasonry
The text of this concise account of the "Origins of Freemasonry" has been prepared by Bro. Prof. Dr. U. Gauthamadas, referring to several books, and documents. In case any details are to be reproduced in any manner, it is expected that due credit and acknowledgement will be appropriately given to to the website of Lodge Prudentia No. 369 GLI.
“…we must despair of ever being able to reach the fountain‑head of streams which have been running and increasing from the beginning of time. All that we can aspire to do is only to trace their course backward, as far as possible, on these charts that now remain of the distant countries whence they were first perceived to flow" (Brand's Popular Antiquities, 1849)
Preamble
Having explored the history of Freemasonry in Madras, I wanted to explore the origin of Freemasonry. I had recourse to a few historical treatises and the plethora of (authenticated) material on the Web and decided to give it a shot.
Little did I know what I was getting into! It is said that fact becomes history when written down; otherwise it remains a legend and, ultimately becomes a myth. Having said that, we must also keep in mind that all that is written down, as history, need not be fact. Much of the available material is a mix of legend, myth, and unfounded extrapolation of facts with a generous dash of fanciful conjecture. It was quite a task to wade through it and tease out recorded facts. Moreover, most of the material consists of prodigious accounts laid out, sometimes, in exhaustive detail mixing masonry, with Freemasonry and other crafts, and in no particular chronological, or historical order. Space constraints have also required me to confine the narrative to the history of Stone Masonry as it relates to Freemasonry. However, I trust that I have managed to put forth a fairly concise and chronological sequence of recorded events, having rarely to resort to an educated guess to produce a meaningful narrative. Any errors are my own.
The Legend of Freemasonry:
The earliest complete reference to the origin of Freemasonry is to be found on a parchment roll (estimated to be dated between 1660 and 1680) presented to the Grand Lodge of England by George Buchanan, Whitby, on March 3, 1880. The gist of the legend is as follows:
The craft of Masonry was first introduced in the form of geometry by Jaball, an ancestor of Noah, who built the first house in stone. Jaball and his 2 brothers Juball and Tuball, and sister Naamah founded the crafts of Geometry, Music, Metal work, and Weaving, and inscribed them on two pillars of stone. These pillars were found, after the great flood by Hermes, the father of wise men, who taught the craft of masonry to others. The craft was used in the building of the Tower of Babylon by Nemorth, the King of Babylon who was himself a mason. Nemorth, gave two charges of the craft to 60 masons and sent them to his cousin the King of Neneveh, and herein originated the charges of masonry.
Euclid
Abraham, a descendant of Noah, who had learned the seven sciences, taught them to the Egyptians when he migrated there. Euclid, a worthy disciple of Abraham, taught the science of Geometry to the sons of the nobles of Egypt, that they may practice an honest craft. He also gave them charges. And they used Geometry to develop the craft of masonry to build great monuments.
David, king of Jerusalem, loved masons and employed them to build the Temple of Jerusalem after giving them charges similar to those by Euclid.
And after the death of David, his son Solomon who succeeded him, gathered together 24,000 masons from far and wide and finished the temple started by his father.
Among these masons was one named Mamon Grecus, who travelled to France and taught the craft to people there. And among his pupils was one called Carolus Martill who became the King of France, and propagated the craft throughout France.
St. Alban, the first British Christian martyr, who was himself a mason, employed many masons and obtained a charter for them from the king. And after the death of St. Alban, England was invaded by the people from other nations and Masonry was destroyed till the rule of King Athelstan of York, the first King of a Unified England from 927 A.D. King Athelstan introduced masonry at the annual assembly convened by him. And his son Edwin, who learned Geometry and Masonry, obtained a charter from his father to convene an annual assembly of masons to monitor the craft. In these assemblies, he made the members recount the charges or understandings of the charges and manners of masons in England or any other country, and commissioned a book in which they were gathered. And these became the Ancient Charges of masonry.
Finis
The players in this story, belonging to different historic periods from those described, Douglas Knoop, in his “Genesis of Freemasonry”, considers that this account may have been conceived with the objective of providing the masons with something resembling the charters, or records of privileges, possessed by craft gilds at that time. Or, that some clergyman, or other relatively learned person connected with the building industry, may have compiled such a history out of an interest in the craft and a desire to show how ancient and honorable it was.
We will now try to trace how Freemasonry may actually have originated.