The History of Freemasonry - Vol. I

Author: Albert Gallatin Mackey, 33^o (1897 - 1881)

Copyright 1898

There are countless books on the history and origins of Freemasonry. A choice few are written on the basis of rigorous scholarly research. Many mix pieces of history and tradition with a generous helping of well-meaning elaboration of fact and a pinch of unvarnished imagination.   Still more start and end as pure flights of fancy and invention disguised as history, often believed outright through ignorance of the facts or the sheer enjoyment of a good moral tale. Finally, some scurrilously use fabrication and misinformation for the purpose of discrediting the Fraternity.

Volume I of this work occupies 266 pages and covers virtually all aspects of the 'prehistory' and mythology of the origins of Masonry up through the beginning of the reign of King James I (1566 - 1625), the first Stuart monarch of England (1603 - 1625) where Volume II begins.

Mackey introduces the idea in his preface that the history of Masonry should be divided into two parts. These are the legendary history and the authentic. Much of what we learn in the Lodge and in our private reading about the origins of the Fraternity comes down from a long series of writers and Masonic leaders as legend and tradition. For the period of its existence before formal, written records, it is difficult work to compare traditional Masonic legend with verifiable historic facts. Mackey set out to do just that and provides readers and scholars with a wealth of information on what is patently not historic and either highly improbable or obvious fabrication, what is probable and improbable, and what can be shown with historic documentation to have been the case.

He artfully details the traditional 'knowledge' familiar to almost all Masons, past and present. These are the familiar tales we find comforting and valuable as lessons in life, morality and the Masonic way. He then proceeds, with rigorous historic research to compare them with known facts. In every case, Mackey acknowledges and retains the value of tradition as allegory, even when the facts show events never really happened or have been badly misplaced in history. A great example is the Masonic legend of Abraham taking with him to Egypt his friend and teacher, Euclid, from whose teaching our Craft owes much. Early manuscripts of Masonic tradition, cited by Mackey in detail, are in wide agreement that "Thus did Euclid found in the land of Egypt the science which he named Geometry, but which has ever since been call Masonry." While it makes a grand and beautiful story, the unfortunate facts are that the earthly travels of these two great men were separated in time by more than two thousand years! 

Mackey carefully dissects legend across the entire (supposed) history of Masonry and with great humor dissects many of his writer colleagues who perpetrated falsehood as in this comment: "...Ramsey makes his statements with boldness, draws without stint upon his imagination, presents assumptions in the place of facts, and cites no authority for anything that he advances." Ouch!

Adam as first architect, Euclid and Abraham, Noah's kin saving the great knowledge from the flood, Nimrod and the Babylonians, Solomon's Temple, the Essenes, the Druids, the Crusades, the Templars and much more are examined carefully in relation to Masonic legend with constant care to preserve the dignity and value of our myths, allegories and symbols.   If you have a desire to truly understand Masonic tradition, it's a good read and worth the effort.