What Are The Branches Of The Freemasons

History of the Freemasons

Although their legends trace their lineage back to biblical times, the real history of the Freemasons begins with the operative stone masons of the middle ages, the builders of the great cathedrals and castles of Europe. In this time period the stone masons jealously guarded the secrets of their trade, developing secret handshakes and passwords to identify with fellow members of the craft. Stone masons were often viewed as a sort of magician because of their abilities in crafting stone into art and structures. Many people sought to be a stonemason but were denied access to this sacred group. It wasn’t until the Enlightenment Period when a group of wealthy aristocrats approached the masons and offered to buy their way

Both branches require masons to go through three levels or “degrees’. The first degree is known as “the entered apprentice”, the second is the “fellow craft” and the third is a “master mason”. Different from other branches who only offer 3 degrees, the Scottish Rite offers 33 additional degrees and the York Rite offers 10 additional degrees. Each degree conveys a different moral and ethical principle and obligates you to a different commitment within the craft (Jeffers, 2006). In the York Rite the highest degree in which you can earn is the Masonic Order of Knights Templar. It is specifically a Christian organization and in order to join you must be a professed Christian. This is a special organization being that it is the only organization that requires you to be of a specific religion to join. Other than in the Knights Templar the Freemasons are not partial to any certain

In 1888 an unidentified man in the Whitechapel district of London was making his name as a serial killer. Wandering the dark pithy streets of the night a man was murdering multiple women by gutting them of their internal organs and leaving them for dead. At one of the crime scenes a message was left next to the body. The message said “The Juwes are the men that will not be blamed for nothing”. It is the belief of many that the word “Juwes” is referring to Jubela, Jubelo, and Jubelum, the 3 “Juwes” who killed Hiram Abiff . Hiram Abiff was the chief architect of King Solomon’s Temple otherwise known as the worlds’ greatest structure (Tabbert, 2005). When Hiram refused to divulge the master masons secret passwords he was murdered by the 3 brothers. The legend of Hiram Abiff has been an intrinsic part of one of the Freemasons most solemn ceremonies: The 3rd Degree, the raising of a fellow to a master mason. Along with relation to Hiram, a strange clue was ordered to be erased by London’s top police official, Sir Charles Warren, who was also a Freemason. Regardless of the claims made the Freemasons say that they have never used the term “Juwes” in any ceremony and have no relations to the