Читать книгу Unlocking the Masonic Code: The Secrets of the Solomon Key - Ian Gittins - Страница 10

The casual observer may be perplexed that Dan Brown finds the need to play historical hopscotch and concoct an alternative provenance for the Freemasons, as the colourful and vibrant history of the much-maligned movement is fascinating in its own right. Over the years the Masons have found themselves the enemies of kings, popes, dictators and democrats alike—there are few periods in history when the organization has not aroused fear and suspicion. Having survived the Inquisition and Nazi persecution, it’s safe to say that Freemasonry is unlikely to regard an assault by a pulp fiction novelist, albeit a highly successful one, as its darkest hour.

The practical roots of Freemasonry lie in the stonemasons’ guilds formed by working masons from the twelfth century on. However, its philosophical base is grounded far deeper—in the construction of King Solomon’s Temple on the sacred land of Mount Moriah, Jerusalem, in the tenth century BC by King David of Israel.

In Masonic lore, numerous rituals and ceremonies are based on King Solomon’s Temple, and specifically on a particularly grisly murder that is said to have been committed there. It is worth examining the history and the fanciful fables that are attached to this biblical-era temple, as they have echoes in almost every branch and aspect of Freemasonry as it exists today.