This is volume one of one of the most interesting and profound historical works about Freemasonry. It is a very rare book and published as ebook exclusively. As a bonus this edition includes a very detailed essay about Freemasonry and its origins, written by Hermann Gruber. Contents: Prolegomena Preface Introduction Book I – Fundamental Relations Of The Craft And The High Grades I - The Horizon Of The Craft Grades And The Tradition Therein Ii - The Mystery Of Building In Israel Iii - The Experiment Of The High Grades And The Claims Implied Therein Iv - The Chief Rites And Their Systems Book Ii - Development Of The High Grade In Respect Of The Ancient Alliance I - Of Grades Antecedent To The Symbolic Time Of The Third Degree Ii - Of Grades Subsequent To The Symbolic Time Of The Craft Degrees Iii - The Second House Of Doctrine And The Grades Belonging Thereto Book Iii – Of The New Alliance In Freemasonry I - Of Christian Symbolism In Connection With Temple Building Ii - The Grades Of St. Andrew Iii - The Grade Of Rose-Croix And Its Variations Book Iv – The Masonic Orders Of Chivalry I - The Putative Rite Of Ramsay Ii - The Theory Of The Strict Observance Iii - Grades Of Chivalry Incorporated By The Chapter Of Clermont Iv - The Council Of Emperors Of The East And West, And Of The Grades Of Chivalry In This System V - The Masonic Order Of The Temple Vi - The Charter Of Larmenius Vii - The Knights Beneficent Of The Holy City Of Jerusalem Viii - Additional Grades Of Chivalry In The Ancient And Accepted Scottish Rite Ix - Lesser And Independent Grades X - The Royal Order Of Scotland Xi - Conclusion On Masonic Chivalry

Explores the hidden history of Freemasonry from ancient Rome, through the Middle Ages, to the present • Shows the close connection between medieval masons and the Knights Templar • Illustrates the sacred nature of Roman and medieval trade associations • Reveals the missing link that connects the lodges of modern Freemasonry to the medieval brotherhoods of builders Historians often make a sharp distinction between the operative Masonry of the Middle Ages and the speculative Masonry of modern times, emphasizing that there is no direct bridge connecting the two. Modern historians also have scoffed at Masonic claims concerning the close relationship between the Lodge and the Temple. Using medieval archives housed throughout Europe, historian Paul Naudon reveals that there was in fact a very intimate connection between the Masons and the Knights Templar. Church records of medieval Paris show that most, if not all, the Masons of that time were residents of the Templar censive, which allowed them to enjoy great exemptions and liberties from both church and state as a result of the protection afforded them by this powerful order. Naudon shows that the origins of Freemasonry can be traced back to the collegia of ancient Rome. He traces the evolution of organizations such as the Comacine Masters, the Arab turuqs, and the brotherhoods of builders created under the aegis of the Benedictines and the Knights Templar, all of which provide the vehicle for the transmission of a sacred tradition from pre-Christian times to the modern era. This tradition is the source of Masonic ritual and symbolism, and it provides the missing link in the transformation of the operative Masonry of the medieval cathedral builders to the spiritual principles of modern speculative Masonry.

This is volume two of one of the most interesting and profound historical works about Freemasonry. It is a very rare book and published as ebook exclusively. As a bonus this edition includes a very detailed essay about Freemasonry and its origins, written by Hermann Gruber. Contents: Freemasonry – Its Origin And History I. Name And Definition Ii. Origin And Early History Iii. Fundamental Principles And Spirit Iv. Propagation And Evolution Of Masonry V. Organization And Statistics The Secret Tradition In Freemasonry, Volume 2 Book V – Of Alchemy In Masonry I - The Root-Matter Of The Alleged Hermetic Connection Ii - The School Of Alchemy: An Excursus Iii - Masonic Systems Of Alchemical Degrees) And, Firstly, The Hermetic Rite Of Abbé Pernety Iv - Masonic Systems Of Alchemical Degrees And, Secondly, The Hermetic Rite Of Baron Tschoudy V - Masonic Systems Of Alchemical Degrees And, Thirdly, The Rite Of Mizraim Vi - Masonic Systems Of Alchemical Degrees And, Fourthly, The Hermetic Elements In The Oriental Order Of Memphis Vii - Les Archives Mitho-Hermétiques Book Vi – Of Magical And Kabalistical Degrees I - The Horizon Of Ceremonial Magic Ii - Of Certain Isolated Systems Claiming Derivation From Magical And Kabalistical Sources, Or Working Their Particular Mysteries, And Of The Rite Of Schroeder Iii - The Masonic Rite Of Schroeppfer Iv - The Egyptian Masonry Of Cagliostro V - The Rite Of Martines De Pasqually Vi - The School Of Martinism Vii - The Grades Of Kabalism Book Vii – Of The Mysteries On Their Mystical Side And Of This Subject In Relation To Masonry I -Of Rosicrucianism In Its Connection With Masonry Ii - Of Masonic Rosicrucian Developments Iii - Concerning Grades Of New Religion And Of Swedenborgian Masonry Iv - A Hidden Rite Of Interpretation V - Reflections From High Grade Masonry To Modern Occult Research Vi - A Preliminary Excursus Concerning The Divine Quest Vii - Intimations Of The Term Of Research Viii - Of A Rite Within Masonry Ix - Last Words On The Mystery Of Building Appendices I - A Supplementary List Of Grades, Incorporated And Detached, Including Brief Descriptions Ii - Notes On The Recurrence Of Grades In The Various Rites Iii - Critical Annotations On The Text Volume The First Volume The Second Iv - The Latin Church And Freemasonry V - The Full Page Portraits

An exploration of Freemasonry and its history, philosophy, symbols and practices.