Ritual , Secrecy , and Civil Society
vault )— 一个隐蔽 、 神秘 , 但对神圣开放的地方 — 作为关键 的共济会传说 , 其起源因此根植于犹太教和基督教最古老 的 “ 秘传 ” 观点 。 此外 , 这些重要的宗教来源本能够在 18 世 纪被研究学术的共济会成员广为知晓 。
关键词 : 皇家拱门 ( Royal Arch ), 苏格兰礼仪 , 墓穴 , 共 济会秘传主义 ( Masonic esotericism )
Whether “ Royal Arch ” or “ Scottish Rite ,” degrees based on the legend of the Vault play a key role in most Masonic systems . Indeed , they are in all likelihood variants derived from the same English early high degree of “ Scots Master .” The symbolic framework of these degrees seems likely to have been established in two phases . Firstly , the British “ Scots Master ”— and its continental equivalent , “ Maître Écossais ”— were characterized by a legend placing them in the ruins of Solomon ’ s Temple , with the recipient rediscovering — on the ground , under a stone , at the base of a column , but otherwise unspecified — the lost secret of the true name of God . Subsequently — in an almost natural “ dramatic ” development — this discovery was transferred to a forgotten vault in the Temple ’ s foundations , with the Scots Master developing into the Royal Arch . The practice of continental , and in particular French , Masonry , would go on to bear traces of both developmental strata : thus , in the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite , the fifth degree of “ Maître Parfait ” ( Perfect Master ) appears to be a French equivalent of the very first Scots Masters , and the thirteenth degree of “ Chevalier de
2
Royal Arch ” ( Knight of the Royal Arch ) incorporates the legend of the Vault . In this , however , Freemasonry would appear to have merely adopted and built into the degree system a much older idea that can be found in the esoteric wing of the Judeo-Christian tradition , as sources alluding to the existence of a hidden , secret vault under Solomon ’ s Temple with supposedly divine attributes can be found in both Judaism and Christianity . Looking at these texts in chronological order , I will first refer to a number of Hebrew references that , as far as I am aware , have not previously been considered in connection with this legend , before reviewing the classic sources identified by English masonic historians .
I . In the Bible
Thought to have been written around 125 BC in Alexandria , in a community of Hellenistic Jews , the Second Book of the Maccabees provides an account of the struggles of the Israelites , and in particular , of course , of the Maccabean Revolt ( from 175 to 140 BC ) and the martyrdom of the Holy Maccabees . Faced with danger , the ser-