'Abif' - Why was Hiram, the builder, and ancient Grand Master called "Abif?" A Hebrew word, signifying "his father." It is often used in the Scriptures as a title of honor. It was given to Hiram, the Tyrian builder, probably because of his distinguished skill. The Scriptures refer to him as the "Widow's Son." of the tribe of Naphtali.

'Acacia' -Acacia is the name given to the wood of the Shittah tree, Shittim in the plural. It was used in the construction of the Tabernacle and making the sacred furniture. This tree is found in different species in various parts of Palestine. Its wood is very hard, and is esteemed sacred among the Hebrews. As an evergreen this tree presents an uninterrupted appearance of youth and vigor. Among Masons it is the symbol of the Immortality of the Soul. Exo. 25:10 One of the symbols of Israel's promised restoration. Isa. 41:19

Amen - What is the significance of the word Amen? The response to every Masonic prayer is "So mote it be," meaning Amen collectively. The word in Hebrew signifies "verily, truly, certainly". ..and is where one person confirms the word of another, and adds his wish for the success of another. It is a response to prayer. The Talmudists have many superstitions in respect to this word. Thus, in one treatise, it is said that whosoever pronounces it with fixed attention and devotion, to him the gates of Paradise will be opened; and, again, whoever enunciates the word rapidly, his days shall pass rapidly away, and whosoever dwells upon it distinctly and slowly, his life shall be prolonged.

Washington's Apron -This apron, a cherished memorial, was presented to George Washington at Mount Vernon by his long-time friend and Brother the Marquis de Lafayette. Many of the emblems of Freemasonry had been wrought in needlework upon the white satin by Madame Lafayette for the making of this apron, and it was conveyed from Paris to George Washington's home Lodge by Lafayette himself as a special honor. It is now the property of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania and preserved in a sealed case in their Museum and Library in Philadelphia. Funds for its preservation are provided by Continential Chapter, Order of Demolay, in York, Pennsylvania.

Blue Lodge - What is the peculiar characteristic of the color Blue? The three degrees of symbolic Masonry are clothed in or ornamented with blue, it is a color of truth or fidelity; and it is a remarkable fact that the brethren have ever remained true to the blue degrees, while the authenticity of the other degrees have often been disputed, and in many places altogether denied. This durable and beautiful color was adopted and worn by our ancient brethren as the peculiar characteristic of an institution which has stood the test of ages, and which is as much distinguished by the durability of its materials or principals, as by the beauty of its superstructure. It is an emblem of universal friendship and benevolence; and instructs us that, in the mind of a Mason, those virtues should be as expansive as the blue arch of Heaven itself.

Boaz - strength; in strength;
Boaz was the name of the left hand, or north pillar, that stood at the porch of King Solomon's Temple. It signifies "in strength," or in a fuller literal rendering, "in Thee is strength." Like the other of the two pillars which stood at the porch of the Temple, Jachin by name, this pillar was highly ornamented; but more important was its emblematical import. Gazing upon the Temple in all its splendor and beauty and perfections, one might naturally transpose the significance of this pillar into the words: "O Lord, thou art mighty, and thy power is established from from everlasting to everlasting." It is in this emblematic symbolism that "Boaz" has such an important place in Masonry. Biblical origin of the name Boaz...

1 Kings 7:21 - 2 Kings 25:13

1 Kings 7:21
And he set up the pillars in the porch of the temple: and he set up the right pillar, and called the name thereof Jachin: and he set up the left pillar, and called the name thereof Boaz.
2 Kings 25:13
And the pillars of brass that [were] in the house of the LORD, and the bases, and the brasen sea that [was] in the house of the LORD, did the Chaldees break in pieces, and carried the brass of them to Babylon.
2 Kings 25:17
The height of the one pillar [was] eighteen cubits, and the chapiter upon it [was] brass: and the height of the chapiter three cubits; and the wreathen work, and pomegranates upon the chapiter round about, all of brass: and like unto these had the second pillar with wreathen work.

One of the three precious jewels of a Fellowcraft. It symbolically teaches the initiate that the lessons which he has received from the instructive tongue of the Master are not to be listened to and lost, but carefully treasured in his heart, and that the precepts of the Order constitute a covenant which he is faithfully to observe.

A Cable Tow is a rope or line for drawing or leading. Gaedicke says that, "according to the ancient laws of Freemasonry, every brother must attend his Lodge if he is within the length of his cable tow." The old writers define the length of a cable tow, which they sometimes called, "a cable's length," to be three miles for an Entered Apprentice. But the expression is really symbolic and, as it was defined by the Baltimore Convention in 1842, means the scope of a man's reasonable ability.

The corner stone is the stone that lies at the corner of two walls, and forms the corner of the foundation of an edifice. In Masonic buildings it is now always placed in the northeast; but this rule was not always formally observed. The symbolism of the corner stone when duly laid with Masonic rites is full of significance, which refers to its form, to its situation, to its permanence, and to its consecration. As to form, it must be perfectly square on its surfaces, and its solid contents a cube. The square is a symbol of Morality, and the cube of Truth. The situation at the corner of the north and east, the north representing darkness and the east representing light, presents the symbol of Masonic progress from darkness to light, and from ignorance to knowledge. The Corner-stone is supposed to be of a more permanent and durable quality than any other part of the building, lasting beyond the decay and ruin of the building, and therefore reminding the Mason that when his earthly Tabernacle of his shall have pass away, he has within him a sure foundation of eternal life, a corner-stone of immortality emanating from the Divine Spirit, and which will survive the tomb, returning to his Creator and God, above the decaying dust of immortality and the grave. The proper setting of the stone by the implements of Operative Masonry -- the square, the level, and the plumb -- reminds the Mason that his virtues must be tested by temptation and trial, by suffering and adversity, and he must be declared to be "well formed, true, trusty" by the Master Builder before he can become "a living stone for that house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens." In Masonic symbolism, it signifies a true Mason, and therefore it is the first character which the Apprentice is made to represent after his initiation has been completed.

The corn, wine and oil in Operative Masonry were the wages a Fellow-Craft was paid for the performance of his duties. In Masonic rites they are elements of consecration of the Lodge, and in other forms of consecration rites. Corn, the emblem of food, reminds the Mason that he is to be nourished by the hidden Manna of Righteousness; wine, the emblem of refreshment, reminds him that he is to be refreshed with the word of the Lord; oil, the emblem of Divine anointing, reminds him that he is to rejoice with joy unspeakable in the riches of Divine grace. The carrying of Corn, Wine and Oil in a procession reminds a Mason that in the pilgrimage of life he is to give bread to the hungry, cheer to the sorrowful, and consolation to the sick and afflicted. In Speculative Freemasonry, the ritual explains Corn, Wine and Oil to wit: "It is emblematical of nourishment, refreshment, and joy and teaches Masons this important lesson... That we should be ever-ready to nourish the needy, refresh the destitute, and pour the oil of joy in the hearts of the afflicted."

Freemasons are to take great care in seeing that a lodge of Masons is tiled. The Tyler is charged with guarding against the approach of cowans and eavesdroppers. It is believed that Speculative Masonry derived from the Operative Freemasons. These operative masons were a high class of artists. The Masons of old possessed the secrets associated with their craft. The secrets were presumed to be geometry, one of the seven ancient sciences. It is well documented that geometry was also referred to, in the days of Euclid and the beginning of the Roman Empire, as Masonry. The terms Geometry and Masonry were often interchangeable.

These secrets of geometry or Masonry, were guarded closely by the operative masons. Knowing only some of the secrets and attempting to apply them would lead to an unsuitable building. Any such unsuitable building attributed to the Masons would lead to ill repute for the fraternity. The secrets had to be taught in total, to qualified men who applied themselves for years and practiced under accomplished Masters. Letting the least bit of knowledge fall to those less trained could be disastrous.

Master Masons were the original architects. It was, as tradition explains, the designs of the Master on the Trestle Board that determined how a building was constructed. An Entered Apprentice was first instructed in the squaring of the blocks or stones to be used. If you can picture in your mind the enormous amount of work to produce the perfect ashlar cut from a quarry, you can imagine that there was need for less trained workmen.

The men employed for the heavier, less skilled work were called cowans, rough layers, foreigners or similar titles denoting their lower status. Cowans were referred to as irregular workmen as opposed to regular, or Masonic workers. Brother Mackey makes the distinction later in his work when he says: "The possession of those secrets, simple as they were, distinguished the Freemasons from the Rough Layers of England, from the Cowans of Scotland, and from the Murer, or wall builders of Germany." Wall building being considered the work of unskilled men. This appears to give the term "cowan" a Scottish origin.

In fact, Brother Mackey attributes the term "cowan" and it’s use in our ritual to Scottish Freemasons. He writes: "In Scotland the Masons of the Guild, who were called, certainly as early as the middle of the 17th century, Freemasons, were distinguished from the Masons who were not ‘free (and) of the guild’, and who were called cowans,…With the Cowans, Freemasons were forbidden to work." Many guilds of the middle ages such as tailors and Fullers (cloth workers), whose charters are preserved today from the 13th and 14th century forbids their guild members from working with the uninitiated. The "Charges of a Free Mason" said to be extracted from the ancient records and published in 1723 made it very clear that no association with uninitiated ‘masons’ be allowed. This exclusiveness extended to lodges that had not been ‘legally constituted.’ In the Landsdowne manuscript with a supposed date of 1560, the Lodge is recognized as the place where operative masonry is practiced and the Freemason is forbidden to set the cowan to work within or without the lodge. German Masonic Constitutions from the mid 1400’s also strongly forbid the communication between Freemason and cowan.

We learn from the writing of Brother Mackey that in early times, cowans were the rough labors, later in time as our secrets were discovered by others who claimed to be masons, they were classified as cowans. Always have the Guild Masons or Freemasons claimed a special place or class for themselves. To ensure their ability to earn a wage, to protect their reputation, provide for their families, aid their fellow brothers, and to keep their fraternity free from impostors, Masonry has remained vigilant against cowans.

Freemasonry has always jealously protected their secrets. Governments would typically leave the settlement of any controversies to Masonic Law as the accepted authority. To retain this trust and privilege Masonry has always taken the guarding against cowans and eavesdroppers as the first as well as the last great care of Masons while convening.

As a side note you may be interested in learning that 'Cowan' is a purely Masonic word. You will not find it in modern dictionaries. Webster's Dictionary published in 1913 does list it as "One who works as a mason without having served a regular apprenticeship." And basically notes it as a Masonic word.

Daubing is to put a rough coat of mortar upon a wall to give it the appearance of stone; rough-cast; To paint in a coarse or unskillful manner is called daubing.

Plundered by Shishak 956 B.C. 1 Kings 14:25-26. Hezekiah forced by Sennacherib to pay tribute. At that time did Hezekiah cut off the gold from the doors of the temple of the Lord, and from the pillars which Hezekiah king of Judah had overlaid, and gave it to the king of Assyria. 2 Kings 18:13-16 And in the fifth month on the seventh day of the month, 599 B.C. which is the nineteenth year of king Nebuchasnezzar, king of Babylon, came Nebuzar-adan, captain of the guard. See 2 Kings 25:1-17 for complete destruction of the temple.

An emblem is an occult representation of an idea, principle, or truth which cannot be seen with the natural eye, but may be perceived by the mind and heart. Thus, the square is in Freemasonry an emblem of morality; a plumb line, of rectitude of conduct; and a level, of equality of human conditions. Emblem is very generally used as synonymous with symbol, although the two words do not express exactly the same meaning; an emblem is a visible object representing an idea; a symbol represents an idea or truth by an image whether that image is presented by a tangible object or through words uttered in the form of a parable, legend, tradition, or myth. All emblems are symbols; but all symbols are not emblems. Like the Bible, Masonic history and teachings are filled with emblems, as well as symbols.

In Esoteric Freemasonry, the rituals and ceremonies of the different degrees of Symbolic Masonry, are conferred in emblems, symbols, allegories, legends, and must be committed to memory by the candidate following each degree and before advancing to the succeeding degree. Instructions are given the candidate in private by some brother. From time immemorial it has been required that before accepting a candidate for the advancing degrees he must pass a credible examination on the work of the previous degree in open Lodge. The necessity for an adequate comprehension of the mysteries of each degree before passing to the succeeding degree, of proficiency in the work through which the candidate has already passed, is absolutely essential.

In the theological ladder, the explanation of which forms a part of the ritual of the First Degree in Masonry, faith, is said to typify the lowest round. Faith, here, is synonymous with confidence or trust, and hence we find merely a repetition of the lesson which had been previously taught that the first, the essential qualification of a candidate for initiation, is that he should trust in God. In the lecture of the same degree, it is said that "Faith may be lost in sight; Hope ends in fruition; but Charity extends beyond the grave, through the boundless realms of eternity." And this is said, because as faith is "the evidence of things not seen," when we see we no longer believe by faith but through demonstration; and as hope lives only in the expectation of possession, it ceases to exist when the object once hoped for is at length enjoyed, but charity, exercised on earth in acts of mutual kindness and forbearance, is still found in the world to come.

The form of a Freemason's Lodge is said to be an oblong square, having the greatest length from east to west, and thus its greatest breadth from north to south. This oblong form of the Lodge, has, as Brother Mackey thought, a symbolic illusion that has not been averted to by any other writer. If, on a map of the world, we draw lines which shall circumscribe just that portion which was known and inhabited at the time of the building of Solomon's Temple, these lines, running a short distance north and south of the Mediterranean Sea, and extending from Spain to Asia Minor, will form an oblong square, whose greatest length will be from east to west, and whose greatest breadth will be from north to south. There is a peculiar fitness in this theory, which is really only making the Masonic Lodge a symbol of the world. It must be remembered that, at the era of the Temple, the earth was supposed to have the form of a parallelogram, or oblong square.

"Not bound, not in captivity"; The word "Free" in connection with "Mason" originally signified that the persons so called were free of the company of Guild or incorporated Masons. During the middle ages the craftsman that were trained in the Roman Colleges of Artificers were serfs, bondsmen, and were declared free to travel throughout Europe, building cathedrals, monasteries, and other religious buildings. The Masons who were selected to build the Temple of Solomon were declared free, and were exempted, together with their descendants, from imports, duties and taxes. They had also the privilege to bear arms. At the destruction of the temple by Nebuchadnezzer, the posterity of these Masons were carried into captivity with the ancient Jews. But the good-will of Cyrus gave them permission to erect a second temple, having set them at liberty for that purpose. It is from this epoch that we bear the name Free and Accepted Masons.

There is one peculiar feature in the Masonic Institution that must command it to the respect of every generous mind. In other associations it is considered meritorious in a member to exert his influence in obtaining applications for admission; but it is wholly uncongenial with the spirit of our Order to persuade any one to become a Mason. Whosoever seeks a knowledge of our mystic rites must first be prepared for the ordeal in his heart; he must not only be endowed with the necessary moral qualifications which would fit him for admission into our ranks, but he must come, too, uninfluenced by friends and unbiased by unworthy motives. This is a settled landmark of the Order; and, therefore, nothing can be more painful to a true Mason than to see this landmark violated by young and heedless brethren.

In the system of Freemasonry, the Temple of Solomon is represented as having a gate on the east, west, and south sides but none on the north. In reference to the historical Temple of Jerusalem, such a representation is wholly incorrect. In the walls of the building itself there were no place of entrance except the door of the porch, which gave admission to the house. But in the surrounding courts there were gates at all of the points of the compass. The Masonic idea of the Temple is, however, symbolic. The Temple is to the Speculative Mason only a symbol, not an historical building, and the gates are imaginary and symbolic also. They are, in the first place, symbols of the progress of the sun in his daily course, rising in the east, culminating to the meridian in the south, which it is the object of the third degree to illustrate, symbols of the three stages of youth, manhood, and old age, or, more properly of birth, life, and death.

The Common Gavel is one of the working tools of the Entered Apprentice Mason. It is made use of by the Operative Mason to break off the corners of the rough ashlar, and thus fit it the better for the builder's use, and is therefore adopted as a symbol in Speculative Masonry, to admonish us of the duty of divesting our hearts and consciences of the vices and superfluities of life, thereby fitting our minds as living stones for that spiritual building, that house made not with hands, eternal in the heavens. It borrows its name from its shape, being that of the gable or gavel end of a house; and this word again comes from the German gipfel, a summit, top, or peak -- the idea of a pointed extremity being common to all... The true form of the gavel is that of the stonemason's hammer. It is to be made with a cutting edge, that it may be used to break off the corners of rough stones, an operation which could never be effected by the common hammer or mallet. The gavel thus shaped will give, when looked at in front, the exact representation of the gavel or gable end of a house, whence, as has been already said, the name is derived. The gavel of the Master is also called a Hiram, because, like the architect, it governs the Craft and keeps order in the Lodge, as he did in the Temple.

Mt. Moriah, where the temple was built is symbolically called the ground floor of the Lodge. This sacred spot was once the threshing-floor of Ornan the Jebusite and from him David purchased the site for six hundred shekels of gold. A tradition of Masonry is that Entered Apprentice's Lodges were held on the ground floor of King Solomon's Temple, and that symbolically this is true today.

Chronicles 21:18
Then the angel of the LORD commanded Gad to say to David, that David should go up, and set up an altar unto the LORD in the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite.

The word "hail" is used in several Masonic terms, referring to signs, tokens, and words. The word as used in the oaths of obligation descends from the Saxon root word "HELAN," meaning to conceal or hide. A Hailing Sign then, in this sense, refers to certain secrets or concepts that we are sworn to protect, preserve, and practice.

Hele is almost invariable associated with the word "conceal" (as it should be) and "Hele and conceal" may be translated by transposition - "conceal and Hele". "Hele" is old Angle-Saxon belan, meaning to conceal. "Conceal" is Norman, and means to hide. Dr. Pease has well brought out that in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries language in England was part Norman-French and part Angle-Saxon and that early ritual writers, desiring to make sure that no misunderstanding was possible, often expressed ideas in word pairs, one word from each language. Hence such phrases as "Hele and conceal", "parts and points", "Free will and accord", etc.

Lodge of the Holy Saints John of Jerusalem and Lodge of St. John: Masonic tradition has it that the primitive, or mother, Lodge was held at Jerusalem and dedicated to St. John the Baptist, and then to St. John the Evangelist, and finally to both. This Lodge was therefore called "The Lodge of the Holy Saints John of Jerusalem." From this Lodge all other Lodges are supposed, figuratively, to descend.

Is the right-hand pillar facing eastward, that is, on the south, that stood at the porch of King Solomon's Temple. Dividing this name into syllables, we find the first syllable is Jah, the name of Jehovah in poetry; while the word (iachin), means to establish, therefore linking the two together we have, "With God's help to establish."

Kings 7:21
"And he set up the pillars in the porch of the temple: and he set up the right pillar, and called the name thereof Jachin: and he set up the left pillar, and called the name thereof Boaz."

Chronicles 3:17
"And he reared up the pillars before the temple, one on the right hand, and the other on the left; and called the name of that on the right hand Jachin, and the name of that on the left Boaz."

In the lecture of the First Degree we are told that a Lodge has three symbolic Lesser Lights; one of these is in the East, one in the West, and one in the South. There is no light in the North, because King Solomon's Temple, of which every Lodge is a representation, was placed so far north of the ecliptic that the sun and moon, at their meridian height, could dart no rays into the northern parts thereof. The North we therefore Masonically call a place of darkness. This symbolic use of the Lesser Lights is very old, being found in the earliest lectures of the eighteenth century. The three lights, like the three principal officers and the three principal supports, refer, undoubtedly, to the three stations of the sun--its Rising in the East, its Meridian in the South, and its setting in the West; and thus the symbolism of the Lodge, as typical of the world, continues to be preserved.

In the lecture used in the United States in the early part of the nineteenth century, and in some parts of the country almost as recently as the middle of the century, the Apprentices at the Temple were said to wear their Aprons in the peculiar manner characteristic of that class that they might preserve their garments from being defiled by untempered mortar. This is mortar which has not been properly mixed for use, and it thus became a symbol of passions and appetites not duly restrained. Hence the Speculative Apprentice was made to wear his Apron in that peculiar manner to teach him that he should not allow his soul to be defiled by the "untempered mortar of unruly passions."