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          Published in the August 1994 Issue.
          
                     MASONIC BLUE
                          by
                   Leon Zeldis, FPS
          Blue is the color traditionally connected with the three Craft
          or Symbolic degrees of Freemasonry. It appears not only on
          the Mason's apron, but also in the decoration of the Lodge
          room or Temple. Why this particular color should have been
          chosen for our Craft is not clear, and various explanations
          have been advanced in the past, based mostly on moral or
          religious considerations, or on pseudo-historical
          speculation.
          The purpose of this paper is to attempt to find a rational
          explanation for the choice of blue, based on demonstrable
          facts.
          Traditional theories
          Although over seventy years ago one respected Masonic
          author flatly declared that "there is no recognized scheme or
          science of colors in Freemasonry" , other scholars have
          proposed different explanations for the choice of certain
          colors. The best known theory was first proposed by Bro.
          F.J.W. Crowe, , who suggested that the deep-blue color of
          the regalia worn by Officers of the Grand Lodge of England
          was borrowed from the ribbon of the Most Noble Order of
          the Garter. When the "Garter" was instituted, about 1348, its
          color was light blue - like the color of the regalia in private
          English Lodges - but soon after the accession of George I,
          in 1714, this light blue was changed to the present deep
          blue shade.
          The same author connects the crimson worn by Grand
          Stewards to the ribbon of the Order of the Bath, revived by
          George I in 1725, while the Grand Lodge of Scotland
          presumably took its green from the Order of the Thistle,
          restored by James II in 1687 and reestablished by Queen
          Anne in 1703. Following the same line of thought, the author
          then proceeds to suggest that the light blue regalia of the
          Grand Lodge of Ireland anticipated the light blue of the
          Order of St. Patrick, founded by George III in 1783. Bro.
          Crowe's theories received the support of Bro. Henry Sadler,
          another well known Masonic writer, and are approvingly
          quoted by Bro. Bernard E. Jones in a chapter of his
          Freemason's Guide and Compendium entitled "Masonic
          Colors and their Symbolism", 
          The flimsy factual basis for these assumptions is a reference
          to "Garter blue silk" to describe the exact shade of blue, that
          appears in an order for aprons dated 1734. Three years
          before, the minutes of the Grand Lodge of 17th March,
          1731, state that "The Grand Master, his Deputy and
          Wardens shall wear their jewels in Gold or Gilt pendant to
          blue ribbons about their necks, and white leather aprons
          lined with blue silk". No specific shade was laid down, but on
          the strength of the reference mentioned above, it was
          assumed that it was the deep blue - also known in England
          as Oxford blue - then used for the regalia of the Order of the
          Garter. At the same time, Masons in Private Lodges were
          still enjoined to wear plain white aprons. 
          White, the original color
          This brings us to the first incontrovertible fact that we can
          use in our research. The fact that white was the color of the
          apron (which was the only item of "regalia" then known)
          universally used by Masons before 1732 or thereabouts. As
          late as 24th June, 1727, a Grand Lodge resolution orders
          the W.M. and Wardens of all Private Lodges to wear the
          jewels of Masonry hanging from white ribbons. Moreover,
          the engraved portrait of Anthony Sayer, the first Grand
          Master of the Premier Grand Lodge in 1717, copied from a
          painting by Joseph Highmore, shows the Grand Master
          wearing a plain white apron without any decoration. 
          The importance of this fact cannot be overstated. It means
          that the use of blue in Craft Lodges is not a tradition coming
          from "time immemorial", but was rather a "modern"
          invention, devised after the founding of the Premier Grand
          Lodge by the same group of Brethren who composed the
          rituals of the time, who devised the three-degree system and
          who, in short, fashioned Symbolic Freemasonry as we know
          it to this day. 
          The description of color
          Much weight was given by earlier commentators to the fact
          that the shade of blue to be used by Grand Lodge officers
          was described as "Garter blue".
          As a matter of fact, only in the 19th century was it possible
          to start measuring color and using scientific definitions
          based on wavelengths of light. Until then, the accepted
          method to specify color was to use a sample, or to refer to
          some accepted example to identify the kind of shade that
          was meant. This practice continues even today in ordinary
          language.
          Thus, we refer to daffodil yellow, lemon, burgundy red,
          cherry, aqua green, anthracite gray, moss green, and so on.
          There are hundreds of such names in use, both in the
          clothing industry and in every other field that uses colors.
          Sometimes the names are allegoric or metaphorical, like
          "midnight blue" or "tango red" but, for the most part, the
          names of the shades refer to specific material examples.
          The use of the expression "Garter blue", then, means
          nothing more than a description of the shade intended, and
          any other interpretation is pure speculation. In fact, as
          already noted, the same shade is also known as "Oxford
          blue", and the lighter shade used in the regalia of private
          Lodges in England is called "Cambridge blue", but no
          connection between these two universities and the Craft has
          ever been put forward. 
          The Hebrew connection
          No student of Masonic rituals can fail to notice the large
          number of passwords and "secret" words used in different
          ceremonies, that appear to have a Hebrew origin. The high
          esteem in which the Bible was held, the study of Hebrew as
          a classic language required in order to fully understand the
          Holy Book, and the many connections between Masonic
          legends and King Solomon's Temple, they all contributed to
          this abundance of Hebrew terms. In the course of time,
          some of the words were mispronounced and became
          corrupted, to the point that a Hebrew speaker of today has
          difficulty trying to guess what were the original word or
          words. Others, on the other hand, have passed from one
          generation to another without change.
          The same Brethren active in England during the first half of
          the 18th century who, as already noted, shaped modern
          Freemasonry, were well acquainted with Holy Scripture,
          both in translation and in the original. Therefore, when
          looking for a reason for the choice of blue in Masonic
          regalia, we should look in that direction.
          Bro. Jones, in the chapter already quoted, also turned his
          attention to this possibility and mentions the liturgical uses
          of blue found in the Bible, citing "...thou shall make the robe
          of the ephod all of blue" (Exodus, 28:31). The Hebrew
          original uses the word "tchelet" (pronounced with a soft "ch"
          like in German), which means hyacinth blue, and in the Bible
          usually appears together with the word "argaman", or
          purple. Jones also remarks that "to the ancient Jews, blue
          was a chief religious color - the High Priest had a blue robe,
          and one of the veils in the tabernacle was of a blue color
          known as tekelet [sic] (implying perfection). It is said that in
          ancient days the most solemn oaths were sworn on blue
          altars."
          It is surprising that, having progressed thus far, Jones and
          the other writers who have studied the subject did not
          pursue further this line of inquiry. 
          Tchelet and Argaman
          The color known in the Bible as tchelet as been variously
          described as dark blue, purple-blue, light-blue and even
          greenish . The most widely accepted interpretation is that it
          refers to a shade of sky-blue, the deep blue of southern
          Mediterranean skies, rather than the pale northern ones. For
          generations, scholars argued about the exact meaning of
          "tchelet" and "argaman", which often appear joined together,
          for example in Exodus 26:1, where instructions are given to
          make ten curtains for the tabernacle, of finely twisted linen
          yarns of blue, purple and scarlet. The blue in this verse is
          "tchelet", the purple is "argaman" and the scarlet, which
          does not concern us for our study (though it is relevant to
          the symbolism of the Royal Arch!), is "shani". 
          The relation between tchelet and argaman was finally solved
          a few years ago, when scientists in Israel made a chemical
          study of the dying methods and materials used by the
          Phoenicians, who made the purple of Tyre the best known in
          the classical world. The dyestuffs needed were extracted
          from several kinds of mollusks, found in great quantities
          along the shores of the Eastern Mediterranean, and in other
          parts of the world as well. 
          It turns out that both colors have similar chemical
          composition, the difference being that tchelet has an
          additional bluish colorant (called Indigotin), which armagan
          lacks, and that makes it redder than tchelet. The
          fundamental shade of tchelet, then, is a purplish blue, also
          known as hyacinth.
          The ephod
          Another place where tchelet and argaman appear together
          is in Exodus 28, where instructions are given on how to
          make the sacred garments of the High Priest (these were a
          breastpiece, ephod, robe, woven tunic, turban and sash):
          "Have them use gold, and blue, purple and scarlet yarn..."
          (28:5). The same materials are specifically indicated for the
          ephod (28:6) and the breastpiece (28:15). The robe was to
          be all in blue (tchelet) (28:31). It is clear, then, that blue was
          the dominant color in the clothing of the High Priest.
          Furthermore, the shape and manner of wearing the ephod
          made it resemble an apron, particularly the full-length apron
          we usually associate with other trades (baker, smith), and in
          fact some dictionaries define the ephod as a sort of apron . 
          It is highly reasonable, therefore, to imagine our
          18th-century Brethren deciding to wear blue Masonic aprons
          in imitation of the blue apron (ephod) worn by the ancient
          Hebrew priests. 
          Sapphire and the V.S.L.
          There are, however, additional reasons to see in blue the
          perfect color for Masonic regalia.
          The Hebrew word root s-p-r (samekh-peh-resh) gives origin
          to several words with related meanings: the verbs and
          nouns relating to counting, recounting or narrating, and
          numbering. Cipher and zero come from the same root, which
          also serves to build the name of the precious blue stone: the
          sapphire. In fact, the etymology of the word sapphire goes
          back to the original Hebrew word "sapir", passing into the
          European languages through Greek. 
          Sapphire was the stone beloved of Saturn, and in the Bible,
          Ezequiel sees God sitting on a throne made of sapphire
          (1:26). 
          Furthermore, the word "sphere" in Hebrew has the same
          root (in Hebrew, f and p are the same letter). The celestial
          spheres, are of azure or "tchelet", as indicated above. The
          color and the sphere of the heavens have the same name. 
          Finally, s-p-r pronounced "sefer" means book, and the
          quintessential book is the Book of Books, the Bible. 
          We have now completed our search. There is a direct, clear
          connection between blue and both the vestments of the
          Priests in the Temple of Jerusalem, and the V.S.L., held in
          such veneration in our Lodges. 
          No other color could have been chosen, because no other
          color has such plethora of meanings and symbolisms dear
          to the heart of Freemasons. White was retained for the E.A.
          and F.C. degrees, by virtue of its semantic connections with
          innocence and initiation, but blue became the irreplaceable
          attribute of the Master Mason.