Access-restricted-item true Addeddate 2020-07-30 19:06:26 Associated-names Lomas, Robert, 1947- Boxid IA1885319 Camera USB PTP Class Camera Collection_set printdisabled External-identifier The authors of The Hiram Key propose a possible sequence of events that led to modern Freemasonry, although much of their narrative has been debated by historians and other researchers. A criticism of their approach by those unfamiliar with the science of "dialectical progression" is that the authors have gathered irrelevant and often unevidenced 'facts' to arrive at an equally unproven theory. Even those familiar with the application of dialectics may concede that the conclusion of such logic is only as good as its weakest link. All Historical study is based on dialectical appraisal of evidence, and all sources of information subject to interpretation as the "weakest link."

Jesus did not claim to work miracles, according to the authors. When Jesus claimed to have raised Lazarus from the dead, it was intended as an allegorical reference; followers were referred to as the "living" and others were referred to as the "dead" in certain Jewish esotericism of the time. Similarly, Jesus' turning water into wine merely meant elevating people to a higher status within the framework of the sect. The authors believe that Jesus' sect, the Jerusalem Church, operated some kind of "quasi-Masonic" initiation ceremonies and develop that line of thought to claim that Jesus was thus, in a sense, a Freemason. I would like to see a more detailed version of this work with more references and multiple threads of possibilities for their many conclusions. The “lost secrets of Freemasonry” in part refer to the lost king-making rituals at the time of Seqenenre Tao’s ascension, lost due to his assassination. Following the diaspora of the Templars due to their outlawing in 1307, many settled in Scotland; Rosslyn Chapel was built in the image of a “New Jerusalem”, with a floor-plan identical to Herod’s Temple, to house the Nasorean scrolls at a point corresponding with its Holy of Holies. Knight and Lomas believe they have identified this location based on the layout of pillars in the Chapel.The original “Hiram Abif” (in ritual, the architect of Solomon’s Temple), was actually Seqenenre Tao (c. 1614-1550 BCE), last Pharaoh of Thebes during the Seventeenth Dynasty of the Second Intermediate Period, whose death wounds (evidenced by his mummy) appear to correspond with those of Hiram Abif. Quatuor Coronati Lodge No 2067 the principal Lodge of Masonic research under the United Grand Lodge of England, has criticised the book as Pseudohistory, [4] and some Masonic libraries categorise the volume as fiction.

The Knights Templar, discovering the Qumran communities' records in the vaults under the Temple in Jerusalem, transported them to Rosslyn Chapel in Scotland. urn:lcp:hiramkeypharaohs0000knig:epub:232be1d2-c389-4ce0-8393-b1fd98635d41 Foldoutcount 0 Identifier hiramkeypharaohs0000knig Identifier-ark ark:/13960/t7mq42345 Invoice 1652 Isbn 0099175622 The Hiram Key, by Freemasons Christopher Knight and Robert Lomas, is a work of speculative non-fiction in the tradition of Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh’s The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail (which though uncredited, likely inspired Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code). It documents their quest to discover the answers to two mysteries of Masonic ritual: the nature of the “lost secrets of Freemasonry,” and the identity of Hiram Abif, whose assassination and resurrection figures significantly in their Third Degree. Potential spoilers ahead; along the way, some of their conclusions include: In Chapter 5 of the Hiram Key, Jesus Christ: Man, God, Myth, or Freemason?, the authors state: "We realise that this is a statement that will offend many Christians, and particularly many Roman Catholics," but the conclusion they came to, based upon historical context derived outside the accepted religious context, was that Jesus was a Freemason.The work has been subject to criticism [3] from within the established body of masonic-research, based on: When Scotland became unsafe for the Templars, they incorporated their beliefs and history into the rituals of Freemasonry as it is known today.

This book is very interesting and of very entertaining and agile reading. The authors know the art to express their ideas in a simple, straightforward and compelling way. You could almost say that it reads like an adventure novel. Knight and Lomas are not professional historians nor have they any qualifications in history or research, and their case is open to the criticism that they accept references that fit their theory and reject those that conflict with it. .The authors, both Masons, set out to find the origins of freemasonry they had no idea they would find themselves unravelling the true story of Jesus Christ and the original Jerusalem Church. Or at least that is part of the case they make in this book. They do make a reasonable case for many of the Masonic rituals and the parallels with the early – New Testament Bible. Are Jesus Christ and his disciples somehow directly connected with the freemasons? I am not convinced. I really enjoy their theory and think it would be cool if a genuine history of thousands of years for Masonry could be proven. For now, I'll accept it as a nice little fantasy that is fun to think about but is not grounded in any evidence close to certain. Of interest to pagans, they mention in passing the “five points of fellowship” that apparently correspond to the Gardnerian Great Rite refer to, in Masonry, a five-fingered grip used to “resurrect” the candidate during the Third Degree initiation. Moses merged this event with Sumerian and Egyptian mythology, symbols and philosophy, to create a putative 'royal line'. Am interesting read. Knight and Lomas weave a convincing "history" of freemasonry starting with Ancient Egypt, through King Solomon's Temple, to Jesus Christ, through the Knights Templar and on to modern Freemasonry, with plenty of more stops along the way.