Today, these degrees are more philosophical.”ĭid you know? The Regius Poem, or Halliwell Manuscript, contains the earliest reference to Freemasons and was published in 1390. While not a secret society, per se, it does have secret passwords and rituals that originate with the medieval guild, says Jacob: “In the original guild, there were three stages: Apprentice, Fellowcraft and Master Masons who oversaw everyone working on a site. Today, “Freemasons are a social and philanthropic organization meant to make its members lead more virtuous and socially oriented lives,” says Margaret Jacob, professor of history at University of California, Los Angeles, and author of Living the Enlightenment: Freemasonry and Politics in Eighteenth-Century Europe. Grounded in the Enlightenment, the organization “still conveys core values, religious tolerance, thirst for knowledge sociability,” says Cécile Révauger, a freemason, historian of Freemasonry and professor at the University of Bordeaux.
With the decline of cathedral building, the focus of the society shifted. The Freemasons Are the Oldest Fraternal Organization in the World.įreemasons belong to the oldest fraternal organization in the world, a group begun during the Middle Ages in Europe as a guild of skilled builders. But who are the Freemasons and what do they stand for? Is there really a secret Freemason handshake? Here are seven things you may not know about Freemasons. In modern times, Masons are known for donating millions to charity. Members of the enigmatic Masonic brotherhood include prominent politicians, Founding Fathers and titans of business. Freemason secrets allegedly lurk behind everything from the planning of our nation’s capital to murder.
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