There are a number of manuscripts that are historically important in the development of Freemasonry. The Masonic Square and Compasses. ...

The Halliwell Manuscript, or Regius Poem

The Halliwell Manuscript, also known as the Regius Poem, is the first known Masonic text. It consists of 64 written pages in poetic form. The poem begins by evoking Euclid and his invention of geometry in ancient Egypt and then the spreading of the art of geometry in "divers lands". This is followed by fifteen points for the master concerning both moral behaviour (do not harbour thieves, do not take bribes, attend church regularly, etc) and the operation of work on a building site (do not make your masons labour at night, teach apprentices properly, do not take on jobs that you cannot do etc). There are then fifteen points for craftsmen which follow a similar pattern. The Masonic Square and Compasses. ... Euclid (Greek: ), also known as Euclid of Alexandria, was a Hellenistic mathematician who flourished in Alexandria, Egypt, almost certainly during the reign of Ptolemy I (323–283 BC). ... Calabi-Yau manifold Geometry (Greek γεωμετρία; geo = earth, metria = measure) is a part of mathematics concerned with questions of size, shape, and relative position of figures and with properties of space. ...

The general consensus on the age of the document dates its writing to between the late 1300s and the middle of the 15th century. The manuscript was recorded in various personal inventories as it changed hands until it came into possession of the Royal Library. The manuscript was donated to the Library of the British Museum in 1757 by King George II.

During this time, the document was generally described as a poem of moral duties. The significance of the document as relating to Freemasonry was not realized until it was featured in an article on Freemasonry by James Halliwell in 1840.

The text of the document states that Freemasonry was brought to England during the reign of King Athelstan from 924 to 939. For the East Anglian king christened Æthelstan, see Guthrum the Old. ...

The manuscript is presently held by the British Library in the Royal Manuscript Collection, catalogue reference 17 A. I.

Les Statuts de Ratisbonne

The Statuts de Ratisbonne (1498) mark the transition of operative into speculative freemasonry in France^[1].

The Matthew Cooke Manuscript

The Matthew Cooke Manuscript is the second oldest known manuscript in Masonic history ^[2].

The manuscript was published by R. Spencer, London, in 1861 and it was edited by Mr. Matthew Cooke—hence the name. In the British Museum's catalogue it is listed as "Additional M.S. 23,198", and has been dated by Hughan at 1450 or thereabouts, an estimate in which most of the specialists have concurred. 1861 (MDCCCLXI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link with display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar) // January 1 - Benito Juárez captures Mexico City January 2 - Friedrich Wilhelm IV of Prussia dies and is succeeded by... The British Museum in London is one of the worlds greatest museums of human history and culture. ...

Dr. Begemann believed the document to have been "compiled and written in the southeastern portion of the western Midlands, say, in Gloucestershire or Oxfordshire, possibly also in southeast Worcestershire or southwest Warwickshire. The 'Book of Charges' which forms the second part of the document is certainly of the 14th century, the historical or first part, of quite the beginning of the 15th." (A.Q.C. IX, page 18)

The Cooke manuscript was most certainly in the hands of Mr. George Payne, when in his second term as Grand Master in 1720 he compiled the "General Regulations," and which Anderson included in his own version of the "Constitutions" published in 1723. Anderson himself evidently made use of lines 901-960 of the manuscript.

The Lodge Quatuor Coronati reprinted the manuscript in facsimile in Vol. II of its Antigrapha in 1890, and included therewith a Commentary by George William Speth.^[3]

The Kirkwall Scroll

The Kirkwall scroll is an ancient manuscript of uncertain origin which depicts several masonic devices. It hangs on the west wall of the temple of Lodge Kirkwall Kilwinning No. 38(2) in Orkney. The Masonic Square and Compasses. ... Location Geography Area Ranked 16th  - Total 990 km²  - % Water  ? Admin HQ Kirkwall ISO 3166-2 GB-ORK ONS code 00RA Demographics Population Ranked 32nd  - Total (2005) 19,590  - Density 20 / km² Politics Orkney Islands Council http://www. ...

It is believed to be the floor cloth recorded as having been given to the lodge by Bro. William Graeme in 1785. Various legends link the scroll to the Knights Templar and location of the Holy Grail. The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon (Latin: Pauperes commilitones Christi Templique Solomonici), popularly known as the Knights Templar or the Order of the Temple, were among the most famous of the Christian military orders. ... For historical artifacts associated with the cup of the Last Supper, see Holy Chalice. ...

The Constitutions

The Constitutions of the Free-Masons was a constitution written for the Premier Grand Lodge of England, to standardize the rituals and practices of Freemasonry. The constitution laid the foundation of the legend of Hiram Abiff, King Solomon's Master Builder, along with the pyramid style organizational model of freemasonry. The first and second edition were written by Rev. James Anderson in 1723 and 1738. The Premier Grand Lodge of England was founded on 24 June 1717 and it existed until 1813 when it united with the Antient Grand Lodge of England to create the United Grand Lodge of England. ... The Masonic Square and Compasses. ... Hiram Abiff is an allegorical figure mentioned in Masonic ritual, who is figuratively the master of the construction of King Solomons Temple. ... Events February 16 - Louis XV of France attains his majority Births February 24 - John Burgoyne, British general (d. ... Events February 4 - Court Jew Joseph Suss Oppenheimer is executed in Württenberg April 15 - Premiere in London of Serse, an Italian opera by George Frideric Handel. ...

History

The Constitutions of Anderson were based the Old Masonic Manuscripts and on the General Regulations which had been compiled first by George Payne in 1720^[4]. The full title of the 1723 edition was The Constitutions of the Freemasons, Containing the History, Charges, Regulations, & of that most Ancient and Right Worshipful Fraternity, For the Use of the Lodges^[5]. // Events January 6 - The Committee of Inquiry on the South Sea Bubble publishes its findings February 11 - Sweden and Prussia sign the (2nd Treaty of Stockholm) declaring peace. ... Events February 16 - Louis XV of France attains his majority Births February 24 - John Burgoyne, British general (d. ...

When in 1738, the Grand Lodge changed its name from Grand Lodge of London and Westminster into the Grand Lodge of England, the constitution was rewritten by Anderson. The title of the second, rewritten, edition of 1738 was The New Book of Constitutions of the Antient and Honourable Fraternity of Free and Accepted Masons, Containing Their History, Charges, Regulations, & Collected and Digested by order of the Grand Lodge from their old Records, faithful Traditions and Lodge-Books, For the Use of the Lodges^[6]. Events February 4 - Court Jew Joseph Suss Oppenheimer is executed in Württenberg April 15 - Premiere in London of Serse, an Italian opera by George Frideric Handel. ... Events February 4 - Court Jew Joseph Suss Oppenheimer is executed in Württenberg April 15 - Premiere in London of Serse, an Italian opera by George Frideric Handel. ...

The 1723 edition of the Constitutions was edited and reprinted by Benjamin Franklin in Philadelphia in 1734, becoming the first Masonic book printed in America. Events February 16 - Louis XV of France attains his majority Births February 24 - John Burgoyne, British general (d. ... Benjamin Franklin (January 17 [O.S. January 6] 1706 – April 17, 1790) was one of the most well known Founding Fathers of the United States. ... Nickname: Motto: Philadelphia maneto - Let brotherly love continue Location in Pennsylvania Coordinates: Country United States Commonwealth Pennsylvania County Philadelphia Founded October 27, 1682 Incorporated October 25, 1701 Government  - Mayor John F. Street (D) Area  - City 369. ... Events January 8 - Premiere of George Frideric Handels opera Ariodante at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. ... Motto: (Out Of Many, One) (traditional) In God We Trust (1956 to date) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington D.C. Largest city New York City None at federal level (English de facto) Government Federal constitutional republic  - President George Walker Bush (R)  - Vice President Dick Cheney (R) Independence from...

A new edition of the Constitutions was published in 1754, by John Entick. He reverted to the Charges as drawn up in 1723 into which, especially in the first Charge, Anderson had introduced various modifications in the 1738 edition. It is this edition of the Charges which forms the basis of the Ancient Charges to be found today in the Constitutions of the United Grand Lodge of England, with only small verbal modifications, except with regards to the first Charge on God and religion^[7]. 1754 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... The United Grand Lodge of Englands Coat of Arms Headquarters of The UGLE. The United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE) is the main governing body of Freemasonry within England, and certain jurisdictions overseas (normally ex-British Empire and Commonwealth countries). ...

The Constitutions of 1723

The first section of the Constitution on religion that Masons can be of any faith and that they need only adhere to the Religion in which all Men agree, comes very close to the concept of a Natural Religion, a popular idea during the Enlightenment. Natural theology is the knowledge of God accessible to all rational human beings without recourse to any special or supposedly supernatural revelation. ... Look up Enlightenment in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

• I - Of GOD and RELIGION.
  • A Mason is obliged by his Tenure, to obey the moral law; and if he rightly understands the Art, he will never be a stupid Atheist nor an irreligious Libertine. But though in ancient times Masons were charged in every country to be of the religion of that country or nation, whatever it was, yet it is now thought more expedient only to oblige them to that religion in which all men agree, leaving their particular Opinions to themselves: that is, to be Good men and True, or Men of Honor and Honesty, by whatever Denomination or Persuasion they may be distinguished; whereby Masonry becomes the Centre of Union and the Means of conciliating true Friendship among persons that must have remained at a perpetual distance.
• II - Of the CIVIL MAGISTRATES, supreme and subordinate.
• III - Of LODGES.
• IV - Of MASTERS, Wardens, Fellows and Apprentices.
• V - Of the Management of the CRAFT in working.
• VI - Of BEHAVIOR, viz.:
  • 1. In the Lodge while constituted.
  • 2. After the Lodge is over and the Brethren not gone.
  • 3. When Brethren meet without Strangers, but not in a Lodge.
  • 4. In Presence of Strangers not Masons.
  • 5. At Home and in the Neighborhood.
  • 6. Toward a strange Brother.

For information about the band, see Atheist (band). ... Libertine has come to mean one free from restraint, particularly from social and religious norms and morals. ...

The Constitutions of 1738

The section on religion of 1738 refers to the Seven Laws of Noah, which are a list of seven moral imperatives which, according to the Talmud, were given by God to Noah as a binding set of laws for all mankind^[8]. The Rainbow is the ancient symbol of the Noahide Movement reminiscing the seven coloured rainbow that appeared after the Great Flood of the Bible. ... The first page of the Vilna Edition of the Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Berachot, folio 2a. ...

• I - Of GOD and RELIGION.
  • A Mason is obliged by his tenure to observe the moral law as a true Noachide; and if he rightly understands the Craft, he will never be a stupid Atheist nor an irreligious Libertine, nor act against conscience. In ancient Times, the Christian Masons were charged to comply with the Christian usages of each country where they traveled or worked; being found in all nations, even of divers religions. They are generally charged to adhere to that religion in which all men agree (leaving each brother to his own particular opinions); that is, to be good men and true, men of honor and honesty, by whatever names, religions, or persuasions they may be distinguished; for they all agree in the three great articles of Noah, enough to preserve the cement of the lodge. Thus Masonry is the Center of Union, and the happy means of conciliating persons that otherwise must have remained at a perpetual distance.

The Rainbow is the ancient symbol of the Noahide Movement reminiscing the seven coloured rainbow that appeared after the Great Flood of the Bible. ... Christianity percentage by country, purple is highest, orange is lowest Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Wycliffe Tyndale · Luther · Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Pope · Archbishop of Canterbury Patriarch... Noahs Ark, Französischer Meister (The French Master), Magyar Szépművészeti Múzeum, Budapest. ...

The Constitutions of 1813

When the United Grand Lodge of England was created with the union of Antients and Moderns, a new version of the Constitution was drafted. It was a synthesis of the Constitution of Anderson of the Moderns and the Ahiman Rezon of the Antients. The United Grand Lodge of Englands Coat of Arms Headquarters of The UGLE. The United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE) is the main governing body of Freemasonry within England, and certain jurisdictions overseas (normally ex-British Empire and Commonwealth countries). ... The Premier Grand Lodge of England was founded on 24 June 1717 and it existed until 1813 when it united with the Antient Grand Lodge of England to create the United Grand Lodge of England. ...

• I - Of GOD and RELIGION.
  • A Mason is obliged, by his tenure, to obey the moral law; and if he rightly understand the art he will never be a stupid atheist nor an irreligious libertine. He, of all men, should best understand that God seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh at the outward appearance, but God looketh to the heart. A Mason is, therefore, particularly bound never to act against the dictates of his conscience. Let a man's religion or mode of worship be what it may, he is not excluded from the order provided he believe in the glorious architect of heaven and earth, and practise the sacred duties of morality.

This article discusses the term God in the context of monotheism and henotheism. ... Great Architect of the Universe (GAOTU) is a term used within Freemasonry to denominate the Supreme Being which each member individually holds an adherence to. ...

See also

• Ahiman Rezon

References

1. ^ Les Statuts de Ratisbonne
2. ^
   Wikisource has original text related to this article:

   Matthew Cooke Manuscript

   The Matthew Cooke Manuscript with translation. Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon A.F. & A.M.. Retrieved on February 6, 2006. Image File history File links Wikisource-logo. ... The original Wikisource logo. ... February 6 is the 37th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ...

3. ^ "The Old Charges"
4. ^ General Regulations
5. ^ Anderson's Constitutions of 1723, Masonic Service Association, ISBN 0766100731
6. ^ Anderson, James, Anderson's Constitutions of 1738, ISBN: 0766133613
7. ^ Book of Constitutions
8. ^ The Noachide Faith in Masonic Sources

Source

• Bro. H. L. Haywood (1923). The old charges of Freemasonry. The Builder. Retrieved on February 6, 2006.
• "Some literary contexts of the Regius and Cooke MSS"; Andrew Prescott; in "The Canonbury Papers, Volume 2: Freemasonry in Music and Literature"; 2005; CMRC;UK
• "The Documentary Early History of the Masonic Fraternity"; Henry Leonard Stillson; Kessinger Publishing

February 6 is the 37th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ...

External links

• Halliwell Manuscript, with translation
• The Kirkwall Scroll at Lodge No 38' Kirkwall Kilwinning