The Masonic Book Club, Vol. 17A. Ancient and Early Medieval Historical Characters in Freemasonry - John H. Van Gorden

Freemasonry is a moral philosophy based upon ethical principles. It teaches those principles and demonstrates them through ritual and dramas that illustrate the practical application of its doctrines. In developing these illustrative rituals and dramas, Freemasonry has relied upon two main sources, the Holy Bible and secular history.

As the basic principles of Freemasonry arise from Biblical teaching, incidents in the Bible and the lives of Biblical figures provide the main sources of material for the ritual and dramas. In an earlier work, BIBLICAL CHARACTERS IN FREEMASONRY, the author considered the relationship between Freemasonry and the Bible. But Freemasonry is not a religion and its ethical teachings are not confined to those that arise directly or inevitably from the Bible. To illustrate these-and to augment the Biblical themes, as well-Freemasonry turns to secular history for examples.

Through these examples from secular history, Freemasonry attempts to develop themes not found in the Bible or not elaborated upon there. These themes do not run counter to Biblical teaching, but, instead, are developed within the moral and ethical parameters set by the Bible. These themes, therefore, augment or elaborate upon Biblical teaching. They remain consistent with that teaching, although they are not necessarily identical with it.

Any consideration of the relationship between Freemasonry and history requires some discussion of the nature of history, the theories applied to it and the methods of its study and application. That discussion must necessarily be very limited. An exhaustive examination in these areas would require many volumes. In fact, a vast number of volumes have been written by historians, not on the subject matter of their field, but in trying to define that field and to explain why they bother to study it.