Freemasonry: The Study of a PhenomenonFreemasonry has long been a powerful presence in Britain and abroad. Outsiders often regard the international fraternity, with its elaborate secret rituals, as an alien and inherently hostile institution. Yet masons past and present have included such luminaries as Mozart, Oscar Wilde, Winston Churchill, Duke Ellington, Peter Sellers and the Duke of Edinburgh. In this thought-provoking study of freemasonry as a system of ideas, Professor Piatigorsky reveals what masons themselves think of masonry and how they have tried to counter their sinister public image. With his background in comparative religion, he is able to place masonry within a wider intellectual framework than most other books on the subject. He traces British masonic history from the founding of the Grand Lodge in London in 1717 to the present day, and explores the rituals and symbolism within which all of the principal masonic religious ideas find their place. |
Contents
Secrecy Privacy and Provocation | 3 |
Freemasonry as Theme and a Thing Apart | 11 |
Method Phenomenology and Religion in General | 17 |
Copyright | |
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Freemasonry: The Study of a Phenomenon Aleksandr Moiseevich Pi︠a︡tigorskiĭ No preview available - 1999 |
Common terms and phrases
A. E. Waite Ahiman Rezon ALEXANDER PIATIGORSKY already American Masonry ancient Anderson Anderson's Constitutions anti-Masonic Architect Ashtart aware became become beginning body Brethren British Brother Builder building called Candidate ceremonies character Christian Church concrete consciousness context core plot cultural death eighteenth century emblem English existence fact Fellow Craft Findel Foundation Sacrifice Fraternity Free Freemasonry Freemasons Gnostic Gould Grand Lodge Grand Master Hiram Abiff Hiramic legend idea Idem ideological institution Jews King King Solomon knowledge latter Lodge of England London Masonic history Masonic legend Masonic religion Masonic Ritual Master Mason means Melkart modern moral myth mythological natural non-Masons objective particular person phenomenon pillars political position present Preston priest principle regarded religious situation rites Royal Arch secrecy secret seventeenth century social society Solomon Solomon's Temple speaking speculative symbolism syncretic Temple theme things tradition universal Wardens whole Word