Masonically Inspired Essays

Remember the article “In Search of the Grand Master Hiram Abif?” where the lion rebutted the claim of Christopher Knight & Robert Lomas, authors of Hiram Key, that Grand Master Hiram Abif did not exist? Well, here’s an interesting update un the issue. In their recent book titled “The Book of Hiram” that was first published in the United Kingdom in 2003, it said in page 17.: “When we first heard this assumption (about Hiram Abif- GVG) we found it strange, and in the Hiram Key we said that the character of Hiram Abif does not seem to exist outside the rituals of Freemasonry. This observation caused a number of people to write us to tell us that we were mistaken, so let us here look more closely at what evidence there is in the Old Testament about the architect of Solomon’s Temple. First we are told that the Phoenician king of Tyre named Hiram supplied the design, workers and many materials for Solomon’s building works. This king’s name is variously spelled as Hiram, Hirom and Hur

Here is a bit of interesting news; the lodge that presently shelters the now-aging lion in this scenic island of Bohol is getting a distinct facelift on two distinctive fronts. Consider these. Through the very bold initiative of WM Eugene “Jack” Galbreath, incumbent master of the lodge, it decided to sell the lot where the old temple that was built in 1928 using the proceeds on the sale and the hard lumber that were retrieved from the demolished building. The hard lumber were recovered came from the timbers that were felled from the forests of Anda and Sierra Bullones some eighty years ago; and as the town of Anda is situated about a hundred kilometers away from Tagbilaran City and is at the opposite end of the island, one can well guess that these may have been towed via the open sea and should easily remind the reading brethren how the timbers were felled in Lebanon and brought on floats to Mount Moriah in Jerusalem where King Solomon’s Temple was erected. This new lodge was erected

(Lecture delivered at the Dagohoy Lodge No. 84 brethren during the October 8, 2005 stated meeting.) $: Worshipful Master and brethren. All of us are familiar with the name of the book that is atop our sacred altar. It is called the King James Version of the Holy Bible. Masonically, it is also called the Volume of the Sacred Law and so the question therefore is why it is identified by that peculiar phrase. Let me now tell you this short story. Bro. Milind G. Dravid, a fraternal brother from the Lodge of Golden Orange No. 304 at Nagpur in India and to whom this writer regularly corresponds with Masonically via e-mail, told this writer that out there in their lodge, five (repeat five) different books of the Holy Writings are laid upon their altar and explained why this is so. According to Bro. Milind, his mother lodge is one of the oldest lodges in India and was founded by a select group of British brethren who were members of the British Expeditionary forces, and some employees of the E