HISTORICAL ORIGINS OF FREEMASONRY

One of the many intriguing mysteries remaining in the scholarly research of Man's history has to do with the ancient origins of Freemasonry. Mountains of scholarly work have been published based on carefully preserved Masonic documents written from the year 1717 A.D. to the present day. But prior to 1717 A.D., its history becomes ever deeply enshrouded. Scientific evidence of its more ancient existence remains very sparse. Perhaps the best known and oldest document to be authenticated by historical scholars is the REGIUS MANUSCRIPT (or sometimes referred to as the Halliwell MS, named after the man who first published it in 1840 A.D.) which is today kept in The King's Library within the British Museum in London England. Its date of authorship has been placed c.1390 A.D.

The ancient practice of secrecy by Freemasons offers little hope to serious students of Masonic historical research of ever being able to establish its origins with any degree of overwhelming certainty. Yet, the fact that secrecy has been so important to Masons for so many centuries does provide researchers with an indication from whence modern Masonry may have originated. Principally, two main plausible theories are being propounded by scholars today. One is that some surviving members of the suppressed crusading order of the Knights Templar formed itself into a band for mutual protection from the pursuing Inquisition of the Church, which would place the birth of Freemasonry in the year 1307-8 A.D. The other is that Freemasons were the original medieval traveling cathedral builders of Europe, who formed stonemason guilds to protect their "building trade secrets", having bound themselves together by regulations very similar to and very probably derived from an ancient Roman organization known as the Collegium Artificum, or Collegium Fabrorum, which is known to have flourished under the Roman Empire. The year in which the first stonemason guild may have been formed is far less determinable. Proponents of both theories do cite relevent facts and practices within Freemasonry today which support both positions. What does seem to be emerging is the development of a stronger argument which supports both theories. Perhaps, it is that the Templars who were fleeing for their lives could have been given safe haven by the stonemason guilds and a means of re-emerging into medieval society with masonry skills for earning a living under new identities! After all, the argument goes, the monastic warrior Templars were idolized by the general population of medieval Europe and were in purposeful association with the castle builders in the Holy Lands during the crusades. Masonic historical research seems to be on the brink of perhaps the most plausible answer yet.

(Of course, there are a number of other theories and legends which dot the landscape of Masonic tradition. There is The Legend of Hermes, The Tower of Babel, The Legend of Euclid, The Legend of The Temple, The Legend of Hiram Abif, The Andersonian Theory, The Prestonian Theory, and The Hutchinsonian Theory just to name a few!)

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