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          Commentary on "An American Asks Why Only in
          England"
          by
          W. J. "Bill" Malina, MPS
          
          Several questions crossed my mind as I read Howard R.
          Stewart's article "An American Asks Why Only in England,"
          published in the December 1995 issue of the Philalethes
          Magazine. I have been a student of Christian history and, to
          some degree, Christian doctrine since I was seventeen
          years old. I have been a Mason for almost forty years and for
          most of those years have considered the formation of the
          Grand Lodge in London in 1717 AD as the beginning of what
          we know today as Freemasonry. Believing that
          Freemasonry's teaching is from "time immemorial," I left it at
          that, until about the middle of 1994 when I was reading a
          history of Peter Waldo (Valdez) and the Waldensees (or
          Waldensians), whose traditional motto was "In Darkness
          Light." Modern Waldensees now prefer to use, "Light Shining
          in Darkness." I soon concluded that Freemasonry may not
          have originated within the operative crafts of builders and
          stone masons.
          It just may be that we are looking in the wrong place for the
          beginnings of Freemasonry. The detailed study of anything,
          history in particular, requires paying close attention to
          terminology and connotation provided by sentence structure.
          Many times the same object is known by more than one
          name, for example the words "car" and "automobile" both
          can be used to name an identical object, however, the word
          "car" can also be applied to other types of vehicles which
          cannot be called "automobiles." Therefore it might be said
          that "Freemasonry" and "esoteric philosophy" are
          synonymous, but it must me acknowledged that all "esoteric
          philosophies" are not "Freemasonry."
          In order to pursue any study of the beginnings of
          Freemasonry it is necessary to divide them into at least three
          subdivisions: 1 - Formal organizational beginning, i.e., 1717
          AD with the formation of the Grand Lodge at London; 2 -
          Acceptance of non-craft men into the membership of
          operative mason's lodges prior to 1717 AD; and 3 -
          Philosophic origins. For the purpose of this discourse, I will
          focus upon the possible (or probable) philosophic origins of
          Freemasonry.
          There should be no question in any Mason's mind that the
          teachings, rituals, and lectures of Freemasonry are based
          upon Judeo-Christian philosophy. However, it must be
          recognized that all of what Freemasonry teaches is not
          necessarily in accord with mainstream Christianity, nor with
          mainstream Judaism.
          The Masonic concept of "the Fatherhood of God and the
          Brotherhood of Man" is not of Masonic origin, nor is it
          proprietary to Freemasonry. It is safe to say that the concept
          of "the Fatherhood of God and the Brotherhood of Man" was
          known to the Psalmist David (see Psalm 68:5) and the
          Prophet Isaiah (see Isaiah 64:8), but was not generally
          taught by the mainstream Judaism of the Old Testament.
          The concept of "the Fatherhood of God and the Brotherhood
          of Man" comes out very clearly in the teachings of the Great
          Christian Master, particularly in what we know as the "Lord's
          Prayer" -- "Our Father which art in heaven,  . . . " (Matthew
          6:9 KJV).
          Realistically, it cannot be said that Jesus of Nazareth was a
          proponent of mainstream Judaism, else he would not have
          been in constant conflict with its leaders. Much of Jesus'
          teaching was not new, but rather was based upon the
          philosophic wisdom that found its way into Hebrew culture
          around the time of the building of the Hebrew palatial
          complex at Jerusalem, during the reigns of Kings David and
          Solomon. Some of that philosophic wisdom was preserved
          by non-mainstream factions or sects, such as the Essences,
          among whom Jesus is supposed to have lived and studied
          before he embarked upon his public ministry.
          For all practical purposes Christianity remained a sect or
          faction of the Jewish religion until it was made an accepted
          state religion of the Roman Empire by Emperor Constantine.
          Constantine later caused an empire wide council to be
          convened in Nicaea in Asia Minor in 325 AD to settle
          doctrinal disputes among the several factions within the
          church. Although the council more or less defined what
          doctrines were to be taught officially, it did not completely
          prevent the teaching of what it considered heretical and
          unauthorized doctrine.
          At this point it must be recognized that a person does not
          really change his religious beliefs when he finds them, or is
          told that they are, contrary to official or established doctrine.
          Also at this point, it may be well to introduce a new term to
          this discussion -- "Teaching/Learning Circles." There is, or
          should be, no question that heretical or unauthorized
          doctrines and philosophies continued to be taught by their
          proponents. When they could not teach in public, the
          teachers did it secretly and in private, in what we can safely
          call informal "teaching/learning circles."
          It is logical to assume that such secret teaching/learning
          circles existed in abbeys, monasteries, centers of learning,
          and even in some large and influential churches of
          bishoprics. Throughout the years, their teachings surfaced in
          religious movements such as the Waldensees (or
          Waldensians) and among the Reformers. It is also safe to
          assume that some of their teachings emerged as
          Freemasonry in England in the seventeenth century AD.
          It is necessary to take a brief look at the cathedral builders or
          operative masons in both England and Europe during the
          great building era between 900 and 1720 AD. First of all the
          building trade (operative masonry) was led by men of no little
          education, wisdom, and knowledge, some of whom
          undoubtedly found their way into mystery religions and
          movements. Even the newest operative apprentice was
          taught how to make use of geometry and mathematics in
          order to carry out his responsibilities. It is improbable that all
          of the most educated or learned leaders of the operative
          craft would have unequivocally accepted all of the official
          teaching of the church. Undoubtedly the operative masons
          would have come in contact with the secret
          "teaching/learning circles," if they existed among those who
          were their employers. Hence, such secretive and
          unauthorized doctrines could have become intertwined with
          the principles of operative masonry and have formed the
          basis of speculative or Freemasonry.
          It is not logical to assume that speculative masonry existed
          only in England, there are too many indications, in the higher
          or advanced degrees of Freemasonry, that there did indeed
          exist secretive "teaching/learning circles" among the
          operative masons in Europe. Then why did organized
          Freemasonry surface in England? Who knows? Perhaps,
          Europe was so occupied with the aftermath of the
          Reformation and Counter-Reformation that the
          "teaching/learning circles" in the operative craft chose not to,
          so to speak, "come out of the closet.