Beneath the Stone: The Story of Masonic Secrecy

by Hunter, C. Bruce; Hawkins, Phil

• ISBN13: 9781566641470
• ISBN10: 1566641470
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1999-07-01
• Publisher: Alexander Books

Summary

Of Masonic symbols, one of the most important but least known is the building stone. It appears again and again in the ritual, playing a central role in Masonic teachings. But what lies beneath this stone? Is the foundation on which it rests merely a fraternal organization? Or is it an international conspiracy? Does it embrace moral lessons or a secret doctrine? Does it teach fellowship and brotherly love, or is a hidden agenda buried beneath its pomp and ceremony?

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	xii
Prologue	ix
Chronology	xv
The Controversy	1	(6)
The Ritual	7	(8)
A Problem with a History	15	(6)
The Early Days	21	(6)
The City and the See	27	(16)
Athelstan and the Masons	43	(6)
The Legend Writers	49	(14)
The Truth Behind the Legend	63	(10)
A New Direction	73	(4)
The Templars	77	(24)
The Downfall	101	(18)
The Charges	119	(8)
The York Connection	127	(12)
Toward a Modern Craft	139	(8)
The Paper Trail	147	(8)
The Penalty of the Obligation	155	(8)
Captain William Morgan	163	(10)
A Price to Pay	173	(12)
The Mason Word	185	(12)
The Lost Word	197	(4)
Form and Function	201	(8)
Symbol and Secret	209	(12)
What It All Means	221	(4)
Epilogue	225	(4)
List of Appendices	229	(48)
The Regius Poem---A Poem of Moral Duties	230	(1)
The Regius Poem---Modern Translation	230	(10)
The Regius Poem---Original Text	240	(9)
The Charges from the Roberts Constitutions	249	(4)
The Grand Mystery of Free-Masons Discover'd	253	(8)
Ramsay's Oration	261	(8)
The Anti-Masonic Declaration and Independence	269	(8)
Bibliography	277	(8)
Index	285