Post by stepnwolf on Jan 28, 2013 22:04:27 GMT 9.5
Although the first BB of the Craft came from a Christian culture with a Christian concept of the deity, there was already an early effort to devise a general term for God that men of all religions could use.
1º = GAOTU; this term appears in Anderson's Constitutions (1723) and evidently was derived from the writings of the protestant theologian John Calvin. As the first “word” for God in use in the Craft, it is appropriate that it is introduced in the 1º.
2º = GGOTU; this acronym obviously was based on the 1º name. In the 2º our attention is directed to the seven liberal arts and sciences, two of which relate to mathematics. It seems appropriate to include geometry in the name of the deity in the 2º.
3º = MHG; אל עליון is a name of the deity found in the OT. אל (el) may be one of the earliest words in all the Semetic languages for God. In later writings it was used to lend a feeling of antiquity in literature. עליון (elyon) by itself can be translated as “most high” and seemed to be used particularly in poetry.
From what I have read the Operative Free Masons around 1700 referred to El Shaddai and TMH in their ritual (7 degrees). (It is not clear to me whether they regarded El Shaddai as the same as TMH.)
This might suggest that that statement "the first BB of the Craft came from a Christian culture" requires further investigation.
El Shaddai is commonly translated as The Almighty, although the term "shad" can translate as "breast" hence possibly a female god or perhaps a breathing god: The living god. (Were the other gods not living?) If derived from shaddad then it means God the Destroyer.
The Operatives correctly link TMH to the Pole Star (the Holy Arch)
As for El Elyon (TMH) by some accounts He was the tallest of the gods. This presumably means that He was/is a Titan - titanic in height.
Interestingly the Operatives had 3 Grand Masters one of which was ritually slain each year. This seems to predate the acquisition by the London Masons of the 3rd degree.
>there was already an early effort to devise a general term for God that men of all religions could use
It was an admirable effort, and the term GAOTU, being a functional rather than theological name, can be used to connect to the Source of the Universe(s)
The generally theologically neutral status of the term GAOTU is however somewhat undermined by the extensive use of Jewish legends and OT quotations in the ritual.
Perhaps it is time to revisit the mythological basis of Freemasonry.
(For many gnostics the GAOTU is a lesser god - demi-urge, but as it is most difficult for humans to see beyond Him/Her, it is a perfectly useful functional title)
El Shaddai is commonly translated as The Almighty, although the term "shad" can translate as "breast" hence possibly a female god or perhaps a breathing god: The living god. (Were the other gods not living?) If derived from shaddad then it means God the Destroyer.
A Christian might refer to this as the Holy Spirit. We are parts of the 'living, breathing god' ?
If we think about the One becoming Two (necessary for individualisation) and the interaction between them as Three one can see how the One can be creator and destroyer.
I am inclined to relate the breast to the heart rather than the female. The priest with the breastplate and the 12 stones?
>A Christian might refer to this as the Holy Spirit.
It is probably more accurate to derive the theological construct of the Holy Spirit from the Shekina - the female consort of Jehovah whom he left behind.
