The Freemen Freemason Part I

In I Kings V; Hiram the King of Tyre, sent a representative to King Solomon, after learning he had replaced his friend, King David on the throne. King Solomon replied by having King Hiram’s representative deliver a message… ‘I therefore plan to build a temple…so now have cedars of Lebanon cut down for me…’

 There is then a detailed account of the construction of the temple by both King Solomon’s builders and King Hirams. Upon the completion of the temple a decision was made to cast two bronze pillars to adorn the structure with.

 King Hiram sent his father, a bronze worker, who came and performed the bronze work for King Solomon. His name was Huram-abi, he was also skilled in the use of gold, silver, iron and wood… he was competent in engraving of all kinds and was well known for his competence in performing these tasks.

   This is the story contained in Freemasonry which has remained constant from lodge to lodge, age to age and rite to rite! The legend is known as Hiram Abiff or sometimes Adoniram, which is Hebrew for Lord, thus the master builder of Solomon’s Temple was referred to as Lord Hiram.

   Abiff is the derivative for the word “father”. Hiram Abiff would therefore mean the king’s father. Thus being associated with the royal Phoenician, house of Tyre. Hiram Abiff was a master in the use of geometry to apply meaning to the use of shapes, measurements, the secrets of numbers and architecture. It therefore shouldn’t be surprising to anyone when modern archaeologists have stated that many Phoenician temples that have been discovered and studied meet the description of Solomon's Temple given in the Old Testament.

  Tyrian temples were erected to worship the goddess Astarte. In Tyre, Astarte was known as the queen of heaven, also the ‘star of the sea’ or Stella Maris.Astarte was worshiped from hilltops-Mount Hermon comes to mind, which was populated with shrines to Astarte. King Solomon not only worshiped the Israel God but also worshiped Astarte.

        I Kings XI :3:

 Solomon loved Yahweh: he followed the precepts of David his father, except that he offered sacrifice and incense on the high places.

       
 I Kings IX :1-5

 When Solomon grew old his wives swayed his heart to other gods; and his heart was not wholly with Yahweh his God as his father David’s had been. Solomon became a follower of Astarte, the goddess of the Sidonian's…

  The ‘song of Solomon’ is a hymn to Astarte:

        Come from Lebanon, my promised bride,

        Come from Lebanon, come on your way.

        Lower your gaze, from the heights of Amanna,

        From the crests of Senir and Hermon.

   This certainly raises questions about Solomon’s Temple. Solomon’s Temple was built by a master Phoenician builder, but was it dedicated to the God of Israel? Could it have perhaps been dedicated to Astarte?

   Solomon brought Hiram to Jerusalem to build the temple, over- see thousands of slave laborers, also free-men or free-masons. Whom were professional craftsmen from Tyre.

   These men were paid for their services. They were divided into three pay grades or degree’s. Apprentices, fellows and masters. Since they were so numerous Hiram didn’t know all of them or their degree.

   They were given passwords, apprentices were given the word ‘Boaz’ after one of the two immense brass pillars supporting the temple porch.

   Fellow’s were given the name ‘Jachin’, after the second column. Masters were initially given the name ‘Jehovah’. Each of these three words was also given a sign or placement of the hands, a particular grip or handshake.

   On payday when wages are distributed the freemen would meet with Hiram, give the appropriate word, sign and grip so Hiram would know his rank, only then would he receive payment.

   When the structure was near completion, and Hiram was praying after others had left, he was accosted by three criminals. They were trying to gain knowledge of the more superior master degree. When Hiram refuses they attacked him.

  He was struck three times, once on the head with a hammer, on his right temple with a plumb and his left temple with a level. They accosted him while trying to flee the temple, first at the western door, than trailing blood, he was again accosted at the south door, again trailing blood he manages to make his way to the north entrance where he is again assaulted and finally makes his way to the east entrance where he dies.

  In a modern Masonic Temple this is where the master stands to officiate, and of course where the Alter is located in a church. The three criminals then tried to hide the body, and most historical accounts represent that a nearby mountainside, in a shallow grave, was used to conceal the body.

   A sprig from a nearby acacia plant was removed and placed in the grave to make the soil look undisturbed. The acacia plant is the sacred plant of freemasonry.   According to legend seven days later, Master Masons were searching for their master, one of them climbed the mountainside and reaching for the acacia to use as a handhold, the plant pulls free from Hiram’s grave where the murdered man is discovered.

   When the nine masters try to remove the body by grasping the fingers and wrist, the rotting flesh slides away, one of the masters exclaims ‘macbenae’ !

  Macbenae is thought to mean the corpse is rotten, or by some accounts the ‘death of a builder.’ This becomes the new password for Master Mason’s, which was changed for fear that Hiram may have disclosed the password before his death.

  Hiram’s remains were exhumed from the mountainside and interred with ceremony at the Temple of Solomon. All of the masters wore aprons and gloves of white hide, to show that they didn't have blood on their hands.