john-r-bennett-the-origin-of-freemasonry-and-knights-templar

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLARress, from the dark, dead and frigid north to therefulgent east a pilgrimage. The moral teachingof these Mysteries w^s the same as, that of theMysteries of Osiris.In the time of King Solomon, the ancient cityof Tyre, in Phoenicia, was celebrated as the residenceof King Hiram, and to that monarch, Solomonand his father, David, were greatly indebtedfor assistance in the construction of the Templeat Jerusalem.The inhabitants of Tyre were distinguished fortheir skill as artificers, especially as workers inbrass and other metals; and it is said to have beenthe principal seat of that skillful body of architectsknown as the Fraternity of Dionysian Architects.The priests of Bacchus or Dionysus, havingdevoted themselves to architectural pursuits, foundedthis society, which was exclusively confined tothe privilege of erecting temples and other publicbuildings ; they were linked together by the secretties of the Dionysian Mysteries, into which theyhad all been initiated. They were distinguishedby many peculiarities that strikinglyassimilate itto our Order. For the facilities of labor and government,they were divided into communities, eachof which was governed by a Master and Wardens.They employed in their ceremonial observancesmany of the implements which are still to be foundamong Freemasons, and used, like them, a universallanguage, by which one brother could distinguishanother in the dark as well as in the light,and served to unite the members scattered overIndia, Persia and Syria, into one common brotherhood.The existence of this order in Tyre, at the13