The legendary history of Freemasonry. Symbols and ideas of Freemasonry

Freemasons (Freemasons) are members of the oldest and most numerous fraternal secular societies existing in the modern world, which have their roots deep in the past.

Freemasonry in Russia

Like any significant social and cultural phenomenon, the Brotherhood of Free Masons of Russia has absorbed its spirit, its centuries-old history, religion and culture. Being unconditionally and inextricably linked with the history and traditions of the world Masonic community, it was permeated with purely Russian high spirituality and sacrifice, the desire to comprehend God and merge with him in the process of spiritual search and service to humanity.

Chronology of the Free Masons Order

926 or 936- Edwin, the legendary son of Athelstan, presided over a meeting of masons in York, and there were adopted some Precepts for the management of the brotherhood. Tradition.

1077 year- Cementarius (bricklayer) named Robert, who worked on the construction of St. Alban, was recognized as the most skillful bricklayer of the time.

From the history of the Grand Lodge of France

Today, for a couple of hundred dollars, you can take a sample of your saliva, send it to the laboratory, and in two weeks you can trace your genealogy back 5,000 years. It is a pity that we cannot take a sample of our brains and intelligence to find out what our ancestors thought about in the past, but for this we can use their records. To the delight of scholars of Freemasonry, there is more than enough documentation left over from the past several centuries to allow us to gain some insight into the philosophy and beliefs of our first brothers, which were largely related to religion.

Gallery "Famous Freemasons"

RENT Nikolay Fedorovich (1786-1859) - surgeon

As a military doctor, he participated in the wars of 1805-1807. and 1812-1814, chief physician of the Russian occupation corps in France, physician-in-chief of Emperor Nicholas I. On behalf of the emperor, he operated on the mortally wounded A.S. Pushkin. In 1847 he was appointed inspector of all institutions of the Department of Empress Maria Feodorovna. Founding member of the lodge "St. George the Victorious", 1818-1819, 3 gr.

History of Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite

The Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite is a hierarchical system of Masonic organizations that is a "superstructure" over symbolic Freemasonry. The Scottish Rite cannot be seen as an organization that governs symbolic Freemasonry - it is not officially recognized as Grade 1-3 Freemasonry. The Grand Lodges governing grades 1-3 are completely independent of the Scottish Rite organizations and no longer recognize high degree than the degree of a master mason (3 degrees). Rather, there is a dependence of the Scottish Rite on the Grand Lodges. Membership in the Scottish Rite organization is only possible by being a master freemason and by remaining an active member of a symbolic lodge. Regular Freemasons believe that ancient guild Freemasonry consists of only three symbolic degrees. This position was formally formulated as the maternal position for all Freemasonry by the Grand United Lodge of England in 1813 and since then the presence of three degrees has been one of the unchanging Landmarks.

List of notable masons

We present a list of the most famous Russian Masons without discussing their real contribution to history, culture and science. This list, of course, is far from complete. The only indisputable thing is that all of the following free masons influenced the development of our country, national culture or Russian Freemasonry. If you are interested in studying the biographies of these persons, then our researchers will always be happy to help you and begin to exchange information with you.

The first chapter of his book I.V. Helsing devotes to the history of the emergence of Masonic lodges. Here he adheres to the view characteristic of a number of modern researchers Freemasonry, claiming the deep antiquity of the origin of secret societies.

As B. Bashilov (one of the most authoritative researchers of modern Freemasonry) points out, “... the history of the order from the very moment of its inception was covered with a thick layer of legend.

There are many of these legends. According to the most common of these, the emergence of Freemasonry dates back to the time of King Solomon, who entrusted the architect Hiram with the management and leadership for the construction of the temple in Jerusalem, as we saw in the legend of Adoniram.

By this wise architect, the workers were divided into three classes; and so that they could recognize one another, words, signs, and touches were established. From here, in the opinion of the Freemasons, comes the establishment of the degrees of Freemasonry and the special symbolic language of the brothers of the Freemasons.

According to another legend, Freemasonry is the heritage of the scientists and priests of Chaldea, India and Egypt, who thus spread their moral teachings, views and educated their students and adherents on them.

The third legend indicates that Freemasonry comes from the Order of the Knights Templar (Templars), which over time fell into heresy and was defeated by the French king Philip IV and Pope Clement V for "Satanism, vilification of Christianity and money-grubbing."

The order went underground and secretly continued its activities. "Jacques de Molay (leader of the order)," says Albert Pike, a freemason of the degree of Kadosh, "and his comrades died at the stake, but before his execution, the heads of the doomed order organized and established what late start be called occult, hidden or Scottish Freemasonry. "

Helsing writes in his research that “Freemasons are one of the oldest organizations in existence today.

Papyrus scrolls, which were found in 1888 during excavations of the Libyan desert, describe secret meetings of such corporations as far back as 2000 BC. These construction corporations have already taken part in the construction of the Temple of Solomon, performing something like the functions of today's trade unions, while at the same time observing mystical traditions. The masons proclaimed the goal of their movement to wander through the stages of spiritual development, with respectful fear experienced before the deity. This god was called, because the Freemasons belonged to various religions, "The Great Architect of the Universe."

Other indications of the above fact are contained in the Egyptian "Book of the Dead", where the god Thoth is already called a term corresponding to the modern concept of grandmaster. Grandmaster is the usual title of the supreme leader. The spiritual knowledge of Freemasons was expressed through symbolism, allegories and rituals, which simultaneously served as communication means ...

(The secret language of symbols, for example, the Masonic handshake, the pyramid, the pentagram, the use of the numbers 3, 7, 13 and 33 in the coat of arms, emblems and modern brand names and names).

The most important symbol for many organizations, including the Freemasons, is the apron. The apron, initially extremely unpretentious and devoid of all kinds of ornaments, was replaced around 2200 BC. By the Priests of MELCHIZEDEK on a white sheep's skin, and in this form it has been used to this day.

In ancient Egypt, the gods, who, according to ancient legends, flew on "divine boats" (UFOs), were represented in the temple murals as wearing aprons. power over the people in the role of the governors of the gods.

Already around 3400 BC. the apron was worn by members of the "BROTHERHOOD OF THE SNAKE", thus showing their subordination to the gods who descended from the sky on "flying wheels". It is highly questionable whether the original use of the apron is known to the inferior members of the individual lodges that exist today.

In the fourteenth century we meet for the first time with the supreme initiation of the "BROTHERHOOD OF THE SNAKE" and their knowledge, which under Latin name"ILLUMINATES" became known all over the world and especially in Germany. (The ancient biblical word "snake", "nekhesh" comes from the root NHSH, which means "to decipher, to discover"; Latin "illuminare" means "to enlighten, learn, know" ).

As W. Cooper testifies:

"One of the oldest secret societies, the Brotherhood of the Serpent, also called the Brotherhood of the Dragon and exists under many other names. The Brotherhood of the Serpent is dedicated to preserving the" secrets of generations "and recognizing Lucifer as the one and only God.

Even if you do not believe in God, Lucifer or Satan, you must understand that there is great amount people who believe. I do not believe in racism, but millions do, and their beliefs and actions based on that belief affect me as well. It's clear that religion has always played important role towards the actions of the above societies.

Houses of worship and sacrifices existed in ancient cities. These were in fact temples built in honor of many gods. These buildings were often a meeting place for philosophers and mystics who were believed to have penetrated the secrets of nature.

These people were often united in separate philosophical and religious schools. The most significant of these schools is the Brotherhood of the Serpent, or Dragon, simply known as the Mysteries. The snake and dragon are symbols of wisdom.

The Father of Wisdom is Lucifer, also called the Bearer of Light. The object of worship for the Mysteries was Osiris, another name for Lucifer. Osiris was the name of a star that, according to the beliefs of the ancients, fell to the ground.

The literal meaning of Lucifer is "light bearer" or "morning star". After Osiris was expelled from heaven, the ancients saw the Sun as a depiction of Osiris or, more precisely, Lucifer.

Osiris appeared to be the sun.

Albert Pike.

How skillful are you who fell from the sky, O Lucifer ...

It is said that after the fall of Lucifer from Heaven, he brought with him the power of thought as a gift to humanity.

Fred Gittins, Symbolism and Occult Art

Most of the greatest minds ever living were initiated into the society of the Mysteries through rituals, some of which were very cruel. Some of the most celebrated were known as Osiris, Isis, Sabazius, Sibele, and Ileuzis. Plato was one of the initiates and he describes some of the sacraments in his manuscripts.

Plato's dedication consisted of a three-day burial in Great Pyramid during which he died (symbolically), was reborn and initiated into the secrets that he had to keep.

Three early secret societies that can be directly attributed to their modern descendants are the cults of Roshania, Mithras and their opposition - the Builders. They have a lot in common with modern Freemasons and other Illuminati groups. For example, the Brotherhood's common symbolic rebirth into another life without passing through the gates of death during initiation; an appeal to the "Lion" and to the "Lion's Paw" at the highest level of the Masonic hierarchy; the three hierarchical levels are the same as those of the ancient Masons, to which other levels were added only later; a staircase of seven steps; male membership only; "all-seeing eye".

Especially interesting in our time is the Afghan Illuminati Society of Roshania, which includes selected Masons. The society turns to a mystical cult rooted in ancient history, to the House of Wisdom in Cairo.

The main dogmas of this cult were: the abolition of private property, the elimination of religion; abolition of states; the belief that enlightenment comes from a Supreme Being who chooses a class of perfect people to organize and rule the world; belief in the plan of transformation social system peace through the control of states one by one; the belief that upon reaching the fourth degree, the initiate can contact unknown observers endowed with the knowledge of the ages.

The members of Roshania also refer to themselves as members of the Order. Initiates take an oath that frees them from any obligations other than loyalty to the Order, and sounds like this:

"I give myself to eternal science and unshakable loyalty and submission to the Order ... People who do not fall under our secret sign are our legitimate prey."

The oath has remained almost the same to this day. The secret sign is to run your hand over your forehead, palm inward; the opposite sign is to take the ear with your fingers, supporting the elbow with your free hand. Sounds familiar, doesn't it? The Order is the Order of the Search. The cult preached that there was no heaven or hell, only a spiritual state completely different from the life we ​​know. The spirit could continue to be strong on earth through a member of the Order, but only if the spirit was a member of the Order before death. Consequently, the members of the Order strengthen their power by taking it from the spirits of the deceased members.

The word "freemason" comes from the English mason - "mason", "mason", and in this form it was borrowed by other European languages, but after it lost its original meaning in England. True, until recently, and to be precise, until the last quarter of the 19th century, there were two terms in use - "freemason" ("free mason", from English frank mason) and simply "freemason".

Freemasons are members of a moral and ethical movement that emerged in the 18th century as a secret international organization with rituals and symbols that illustrate the principles and ideals of Freemasonry.

The difference between them is that if the first term was used to refer to ordinary bricklayers-workers (operating masons, as they were called in England), then the second - to masons-thinkers (speculating masons), who were associated with the artisan workshop of masons purely nominally. The latter were most often seen either as "Templar Knights" (ie, the Templars), hiding under the guise of Freemasons after the defeat of their order by Philip the Fair, or a group of scientists and philosophers who entered the Masonic workshop to hide their humanitarian and philanthropic goals from hostile the government tuned in to them.

Indeed, initially the brotherhood of Freemasons was a "guild of free masons", and the history of Freemasonry itself dates back to the XIV-XV centuries, when ordinary masons and contractors trading in stone, like other fellow artisans, decided to create their own organization - the so-called guild, which acted would, as we would say today, in the role of a trade union, defending the interests of the people of this profession. In this guild, as in any other professional workshops that united fellow craftsmen, there was also its own classification or ranks, that is, masons were divided into apprentices, apprentices and craftsmen.

This state of affairs existed until the end of the 17th century, when the guilds of masons began to admit people from outside, people who were not masons by their professional background, but who, from the point of view of leadership, could be very useful to the guild. We do not know whether these "lodges" had any goal for themselves, but since all the meetings of the masons always took place in taverns or inns, it can be assumed that most of the new members joined the guild out of a sense of camaraderie and solidarity so characteristic of "their company ", spending leisure time with a glass of ale.

The oldest documents that have come down to us, depicting the situation of the British construction workers, date back to the middle of the 14th and the beginning of the 15th century.

These are the statutes of an artel working at the Church of St. Peter in York, drawn up by the church chapter that directed its work. From the statutes it is clear that the work of the artel was carried out in a covered room, the so-called lodge, which at the same time served as a bedroom for single workers; the order of work and behavior of the bricklayers was monitored by the senior master and overseers, while the highest supervision remained in the hands of the representative of the chapter - the supervisor; joining the artel, the workers "took an oath over the book" (obviously, the charter), pledging to obey the entire chapter and observe the charter adopted by it.

In the 15th century, not only the workshop of the artel, but also the artel itself was called a lodge.

Masonic lodges - brotherhoods - did not emerge from the crafts as a special organism immediately, but gradually, over time. Even in the second half of the 15th century, both types of organization, apparently, did not differ from each other in any way (for example, the London workshop of Masons was called that way in the documents of that time - "The Holy Workshop and the Brotherhood of Freemasons"), and only later did it begin to appear between them qualitative difference. So, if the guilds were engaged in purely craft business, the brotherhood, as a more united and friendly part of the guild, was the keeper of the guild's moral traditions, the spirit of communication and mutual assistance. On the other hand, the members of the fraternity might no longer be members of the workshop, and the members of the workshop were not necessarily members of the fraternity; it could be joined by anyone who made an entrance fee and took the oath of allegiance to the lodge. After that, he received the title of "bricklayer" (Freemason), although, perhaps, he had never taken a pick or a spade in his hands before.

The oldest document describing the procedure for admitting a person to a Masonic lodge is dated June 3, 1600 and refers to the Edinburgh Lodge. According to the minutes, Sir John Boswell, Lord of Ochinleck, attended the meeting as a guest of honor. The presence of the nobility at the meetings of Scottish masons at that time was already quite an ordinary fact: the names of viscounts, earls and sirs, admitted to one or another lodge - as a rule, in the rank of a guild master - are found in documents of the 17th century quite often. True, even at the end of the century there were lodges consisting of some artisans (for example, a lodge in Glasgow), but in parallel with them there were lodges like Aberdeen, where in 1670 out of 49 members, only 12 were professional masons, and the rest were nobles, pastors , businessmen and representatives of humanitarian professions.

In addition to the nobility, representatives of the intelligentsia and the learned world, attracted mysterious story Freemasonry and the secret knowledge that they allegedly possessed, which largely inflamed their scientific curiosity.

According to the information that has come down to us, the presence of at least 5 or 6 Freemasons was required for the admission of new members to the society. “These meetings,” writes the English scholar of Freemasonry Sir Plot, “are called in some places lodges,” and the opening ceremonies consist in communicating secret signs “by which members of the community recognize each other, wherever they are,” and are accompanied by banquets according to the established ritual. The new members of the fraternity traditionally gave gloves to the “brothers” on the day of reception, and the mutual obligations of the members were to help in case of old age, unemployment and illness.

The described societies of Freemasons, wholly imbued with the spirit of the old artisan brotherhoods, ideologically have little contact with the later Freemasonry, which to a large extent nourished philosophical ideas socio-reform movements of the 17th century, led by secret and semi-secret circles of scientists and utopians, which were so typical of that era.

Beginning historical period Freemasonry should be considered the 20s of the 18th century - the era of the emergence of the so-called "great lodges". The most significant step in the creation of organized Freemasonry was made on June 24, 1717 (on the day of Ivan Kupala), when four guilds of masons at a regular meeting in the London pub "Goose on a Spit" united and created "the world's largest lodge." The first head of this united guild was a certain Anthony Sayer, who a year later transferred his powers to the newly elected one, since every year a new head was elected to this position. In 1721-1722, John, Duke of Montague, was elected to this position, and this name alone attracted a huge number of new members into the ranks of the "free masons". After the duke was confirmed in this position, former head guild J. Payne submitted for the discussion of the leadership a document with the regulations and structure of the organization of free masons, but the document was never approved, and a year later the energetic priest Jacob Anderson, also a member of the masons guild, presented a new document, which he drew up on on the basis of the old one, having thoroughly revised and supplemented it, and, in fact, it was this document that became the "first constitution" of the lodge.

“After the solemn entry of King George I into London and the suppression of the uprising in 1716 (the Jacobite uprising of 1715, carried out by the supporters of the Stuart dynasty), several London lodges decided to rally around one Great Master (grandmaster) as a center of unity and harmony. These were the Goose on a Spit Lodge, the Crown Lodge, the Apple Tree Lodge and the Grape Bunch Lodge (the names of the taverns in which they gathered) ... It was decided to hold annual meetings of all four lodges and every three months - meetings of the Grand Lodge , that is, all the officials of each lodge, headed by a great master and great overseers ... "

The mentioned document is interesting in that it, in particular, claimed that Freemasonry flourished in biblical times, and besides, it listed the duties of the Freemasons and the charter of the lodge, which was partially based on the old rules of admission to membership.

The most important and interesting part of the book is the chapter on "The Duties of a Freemason", reflecting the modern cultural and political physiognomy of English Freemasonry. “A Mason, by his very position,” says the first paragraph of “Obligations”, “obeys the laws of morality and can be neither a senseless atheist, nor a wicked wicked without morality. In the old days, Masons reluctantly kept in each country its local religion, whatever it may be, but nowadays a person freely chooses his faith, and only one religion is really obligatory for everyone - that universal religion that unites all people, which consists of a duty each of us to be kind and loyal to duty, to be a man of honor and conscience, no matter what name our religion is called and no matter what religious dogmas distinguish us from other people. Fidelity to these principles will turn Freemasonry into a unifying center, will help it to tie the bonds of sincere friendship between people who have hitherto been strangers to each other. "

The same sentiment is imbued with the paragraphs on the civic obligations of the Freemasons: “The Freemason is a peaceful citizen of the civil government, wherever he has to live and work. He will not take part in any plans against the peace and welfare of the people ”(2nd point). All religious, national and political disputes were prohibited in the lodges: "As Masons we belong only to the above-mentioned universal religion and, enclosing people of all languages, tribes and dialects in our midst, we declare ourselves enemies of any political strife" (6th point). Apparently, “all tribes” meant the nations and nationalities that were part of the British Empire, since this expression could hardly have any other meaning at that time ...

As for the basic principles of Freemasonry, they were stated briefly and clearly in the form of a simple dialogue:

" Question. How many rules are there related to Freemasonry?

Answer. Three: brotherhood, loyalty and silence.

Question. What do they mean?

Answer. Brotherly love, help and loyalty among all true Masons, for these instructions were given to all Masons during the construction Tower of babel and the Temple of Jerusalem ... "

Not surprisingly, members of the royal house immediately drew attention to the newly created Masonic organization: it probably interested them from both archaeological and social points of view. The first to join Freemasonry was Théophile Desagulier, Doctor of Law and courtier of the Prince of Wales, who was elected in 1719 as the third Grand Master of the Grand Lodge. In 1721, Dr. Stackley followed his example, tempted, by his own admission, with the hope of discovering in Freemasonry the remnants of the ancient mysteries. All this suggests that, on the one hand, the Freemasons were already considered at that time as carriers of great secrets, a kind of new kind of "Rosicrucian brothers", and on the other hand, they were suspected of atheists and politically dangerous people who needed a camouflaged supervision.

Be that as it may, but it was at this time that representatives of the highest nobility began to actively join Masonic societies: Desagulier and his successor J. Payne were the last untitled grandmasters of the Grand Lodge, followed, as official Grand Masters, by such pillars of English society, as the Duke of Montagu, Duke of Worten, Earl of Dolkes and other dukes, earls and lords. Since 1724, among the "great overseers" there are no longer any persons holding the rank below the squire (rural nobleman and landowner).

As you can see, English Freemasonry, like French Freemasonry, was also "Prosely Freemasonry", which included representatives of aristocratic families and members royal family... But, unlike France, the English "heirs of the Templars" did not oppose the ruling dynasty, since in England there were no class and religious prejudices that would prevent the bearers of money capital from participating in governing the country. The only exception was the order of the Gormogols (allegedly founded by the Chinese emperor and brought to England by the Chinese mandarin), which consisted exclusively of adherents of the overthrown Stuart dynasty. It was headed by the Duke of Worten, a well-known rake, ladies' man, gambler and libertine.

In general, English Freemasonry did not set itself any political tasks and, as one eyewitness writes, more indulged in "ritual" drunken orgies.

One way or another, but the Masonic movement was rapidly gaining momentum. In the words of the already mentioned Anderson, "the free-born British nations, eating the sweet fruits of peace and freedom after external and internal wars, showed a happy inclination to Freemasonry in all forms, and the desolate London lodges were filled with new life."

From England, Freemasonry quickly spread to other countries and spread throughout Europe, largely due to the fact that members of the English lodge often visited other countries, so to speak, to exchange experiences and with each visit created more and more new organizations there. Because of this, the wave of Freemasonry covered Europe with the speed of an avalanche.

So, in 1728, a Masonic lodge (according to the English model) appeared in Madrid, in 1729 a reptile - in Gibraltar, in 1732 - in Paris, then - in Hamburg, Lisbon, Lausanne and other cities. By 1749 total number foreign branches adjoining the Grand Lodge have already reached 13. English lodges were formed outside Europe (in the Asian and American colonies): in Philadelphia (1730), on about. Jamaica (1742), in Canada (1760), in India (1762), etc. Following the example of the British, local Anglomans began to adhere to the lodges, followed by representatives of the local nobility, captivated by the idea of ​​Freemasonry.

The Bulgarian researcher is not alone in his quest to discover the origins of Freemasonry outside of England. In Germany, the hypothesis about the German origin of Freemasonry is widespread. The ancestors of modern Masons are German medieval stonemasons, who allegedly formed autonomous brotherhoods around the city of Strasbourg. It is argued that in the fourteenth century, German stonemasons significantly expanded the boundaries of their building art and reached England and Scotland.

In this regard, Russia was more fortunate, which never claimed the first role. Russian researchers are unanimous in their views on the foreign origin of Freemasonry. But this is a special issue that requires separate consideration.

Initially, the association of "free masons" was a guild organization (companies of mason), built purely on a professional and craft basis. According to the team of authors of the authoritative publication "Freemasonry in its Past and Present", during the formation of Freemasonry there were no so-called "masons-thinkers" (speculative Masons). A number of researchers saw in the latter either the "Knights of the Temple" hiding under the guise of Masons after the defeat of their order by Philip the Fair, or a group of scientists and philosophers who entered the Masonic workshop in order to hide their humanitarian and philanthropic goals from the government. In those distant times, Freemasonry had not yet acquired a socio-political connotation.

Free masons united mainly to help their fellow builders. Let's add - and more. In the Masonic workshops, statutory programs, ceremonies and rituals obligatory for masons were already in force. Speaking modern language, these workshops are somewhat reminiscent of branch trade union organizations in soviet period, as far from politics as the Decembrists are from the people.

Along with the widespread view of the origin of Freemasonry with its professional implications, something else can be seen in the works devoted to this topic. Lolly Zamoisky, an international journalist who worked for several years in Paris and Rome, authoritatively states that “... the Masonic movement was born in the depths of a dying but still strong feudalism. Its main breeding ground was the emerging bourgeoisie, the faces of “free masons” that surrounded it, and many representatives of craft guilds. Striving to establish itself, the rising class combined the struggle to break down the feudal barriers with attempts to attract a part of the aristocracy, the enlightened part of society to its side. " The semi-mystical forms of the Freemasonry movement with strict secrecy and a tough selection of its members, of course, attracted the young bourgeois class into their ranks both by their system of views and by a conspiratorial type of organization. However, it should be noted that during the formation of Freemasonry there was no class orientation in its genesis. Masonic workshops represented a homogeneous mass of people - brothers in the construction business. There was a general principle: "equal rights and opportunities for all members of the Masonic lodge." Subsequently, the transformation of their movement is observed, the ranks of the Freemasons are no longer replenished only with free masons. On the contrary, in the composition of the Masonic lodges, people from the privileged class, titled persons, feel comfortable. Against this background, there is a gap between the leadership of the Masonic movement and ordinary members- Freemasons.

The harsh criticism of the official version of Freemasonry as a union of free masons sounds from the pen of the priest Rodion, in whose opinion this version is historical myth, covering the true essence of the phenomenon - Satanism. At the same time, the author refers to the statements of the heads of the Catholic Church, from Pope Clement XII in 1738 to Pope Leo XIII in 1902, who characterized Freemasonry in 17 bulls and encyclicals as a God-fighting sect, acting with the aim of undermining religion, destroying Christianity and decay state and public order around the world.

He echoes the priest Rodion and VF Ivanov, the author of the sensational publication "The Orthodox World and Freemasonry." On page two, the named author writes: “The dark satanic power has thrown a daring challenge to God and Christ, has opened a fierce persecution against Orthodox Faith and the Church, declared a struggle for the soul of man. The name of this dark force is Freemasonry. "

According to Douglas Reed, Freemasonry is the heir to the heresy order of the Templars (Templars), defeated by the French king Philip IV and Pope Clement V for Satanism, vilification of Christianity, homosexuality and money-grubbing. In 1314, the grand master of this order, Jacques de Molay, was burned at the stake.

Say what you like, but the accusations against the Masons are quite serious. In search of the truth about the Masonic movement, we will try to understand, first, with the assertion that Freemasonry is the successor to the Order of the Templar Knights.

The hypothesis about the connection of Freemasonry with the Crusaders did not arise by chance. There are good reasons and historical facts for this. Many researchers of Freemasonry note in their works that the Masonic movement was very heterogeneous, and its members sometimes pursued diametrically opposed goals. In this case, we refer to the publication "Freemasonry in its past and present", the authors of which, claiming to provide an objective description of the facts related to the Masonic movement, are forced to admit that actual events served as a reason for such a hypothesis. "The Scottish system of Freemasonry, which originated in the 30s years XVIII century, was truly Jacobite Freemasonry, was born from an attempt to use the Masonic banner for Jacobite purposes ... ". The named authors (Ya.L. Barskov, A.A. Borovoy, A.M. Vasyutinsky, M.O. Gershenzon, M.V. Dovnar-Zapolsky, S.P. not only nurtured, but also strengthened the idea of ​​the connection of Freemasonry with the Crusaders. These are the Scottish, Irish and English nobility that surrounded the court of James II in Paris, and later, the court of Jacob III in Rome. Under the slogans of restoring "legitimate royal power" in England, many members of the Jacobite emigration belonging to the Masonic movement dreamed of a new crusade and willingly turned the free masons' union into a crusader order. In other words, such a connection between Freemasonry and the Crusaders was and had different shapes interactions.

The Jacobites are a secret organization whose members, first of all, with the help of France, Italy, Spain, made desperate attempts to restore the Stuart dynasty in England. The stubborn struggle and defeat of the Jacobites and their allies are described in the book by E. Chernyak “Five centuries of secret war. From the history of secret diplomacy and intelligence. "

Another thing is interesting: it is impossible to reduce the movement of the crusaders to the order of the Knights of the Temple. Knights of Malta, and the knights of John of Jerusalem, and others are known in history.

There is even a theory of Christian-knightly Freemasonry. One of its founders, the Scottish nobleman Michael Ramsay, said: “The Masonic order arose in Palestine during the era of the Crusades, when secret symbols of ancient sacred science were found under the arches of the Jerusalem temple; the knights of John of Jerusalem entered the Masonic lodges and gave them their name ("Lodges of St. John") ... ". Then, from Palestine, according to M. Ramze, Freemasonry passed through the crusades to Germany, Italy, Spain, France and reached Scotland, where in 1286 the first, Kilvingskaya, lodge was formed under the leadership of the Lord Ruler of Scotland James.

In our opinion, it is hardly fair to say that Freemasonry arose on the basis of the Order of the Knights of the Temple. The process of the formation of the Masonic movement took place independently, without any admixture from the outside. However, later we find between Freemasonry and the orders of knights certain forms of cooperation and interpenetration. This also applies to the area of ​​traditions and rituals. These forms, of course, do not lie on the surface, and crystallizing them is a rather difficult task, although not hopeless. To some extent, this is hindered by the fact that at different times many organizations have appeared that have nothing to do with the Freemasons, but use the attributes and rituals of Freemasonry. However, challenging and refuting the existence of the so-called "pseudo-Masons" is no less difficult. Here is what A. Klizovsky writes about this: “One of the distinguishing features of Masonic organizations is that they never speak out openly, never refute, never respond to praise or attacks. And if the writer of these lines stands in defense not of Freemasonry, but of the truth, it is only because he is not a Freemason. Belonging to a Masonic organization would deprive him of this opportunity, because it would be contrary to Masonic ethics. " Let's leave these assertions on the conscience of the author, especially in the part of "protection of non-Freemasonry." There are famous sayings of the classics about the subjective images of the objective world and that it is impossible to live in society and be free from it.

As for the attributes and rituals of Freemasonry, history knows many examples of such borrowing. So, in 1920, Hitler approved the NSDAP flag - a red cloth and on it white circle with a black swastika. The Nazis "borrowed" the red color from the workers' parties, and the swastika from the Nazi Viennese circles. In turn, the German greeting ( right hand forcefully thrown upwards) they took from the Italian fascists, who called the same greeting "Roman".

The situation is no better with the Bolshevik symbols. In the literature, it was suggested that the five-pointed star, introduced into circulation by the creator of the Red Army, L. Trotsky, belongs to the generally accepted symbols of Freemasonry and has a connection with the tradition of Kabbalah. The hammer and sickle are also magical signs. The sickle is a symbol of death, murder, imminent death. Hammer (hammer) is a classic Masonic sign of power over a stone (stone is a symbol of a person). For now, we will only limit ourselves to this opinion, without any comment.

So, the first Grand Masonic lodge arose in England in early XVIII century. Its creators did not pursue broad reformatory and philosophical goals. the main task lodges are an amalgamation of several scattered London Masonic societies. In 17, King George I, after pacifying the Jacobite uprising, solemnly entered London. The leaders of the four lodges decided to rally around one Grand Master (Grandmaster) as the center of unity and harmony. This historical fact described by the Freemason Anderson in the "New Book of Masonic Constitutions", the second edition of which was published in 1738. It was also decided to hold an annual meeting of all four lodges and every three months - a meeting of the Grand Lodge. The first Grand Master (Grandmaster) was the nobleman Anton Sawyer, and Captain George Eliot and the carpenter Jacob Lambol were the great overseers16.

Members of the Royal Society drew attention to the Great London Lodge. By the way, one of the first (third in a row) of its leaders was the doctor of law and the court preacher of the Prince of Wales - Theodoville Desagulier. After him, Dr. Stackley was elected to the position of Grand Master.

The first leaders of the Masonic lodge were untitled individuals. Subsequently, persons not lower than the rank of squire (rural nobleman) are elected to this position.

Essays on Freemasonry set out the basic principles of the Freemasonry movement. This is Brotherhood, Loyalty, Silence. In the era of its renaissance, Freemasonry pursued a utopian goal - the unification of all mankind under its "sign".

The duties of English Freemasonry, as set out in the "New Book of Constitutions", are interesting. In particular, in §2 of the Book it is said: “A Mason is a peaceful citizen of civil authority, wherever he has to live and work. He will not take part in any plans against the peace and welfare of the people. " The book pays special attention to the religious issue. There is a statement about the belonging of Masons to a universal religion. However, this is the topic of the next meeting with the reader.

In the early 1850s, there was a "great split" in the English Masonic movement. The "Grand English Lodge of the Old Rite" was formed, which claimed a new Masonic center. In the literature, only hypotheses about such a split have been expressed, although it is noted that the true reasons for this split are still the object of human imagination. One hypothesis is the difference between Old Jacobite and New Orange Freemasonry. In reality, however, this difference was reflected mainly in the ritual.

9. Douglas R. Controversy about Zion. Johannesburg, 1986.S. 387.

10. Gochev T. Bureau of Dr. Delius. P.28.

11. Chernyak Ye.B. Five centuries of secret war. From the history of secret diplomacy and intelligence. M., 1991.S. 150-163, 178-185.

12. Gochev T. Bureau of Dr. Delius. P.29-30.

13. Klizovsky A. The Truth About Freemasonry. C.5.

14. Melnikov D., Black L. Criminal number 1. The Nazi regime and its Fuhrer. M., 1982.S. 49.

15. Priest Rodion. Russian Orthodoxy and Freemasonry. S.12-13.

16. Gochev T. Bureau of Dr. Delius. P.17.

On the following pages:

For many centuries, in many European countries, bricklayers and carpenters, bakers and bellmakers, surgeons and other artisans lived under the protection and supervision of their workshops. In the Middle Ages and at the beginning of the New Age, professional corporations provided their members with a certain social status and level of life, controlled the quality technical equipment and the final product. The foremen at the head of the workshops often acted in concert with city and local authorities, maintaining public order, stable prices and wages, and product quality. The Middle Ages knew a great many craft workshops, but only a corporation of masons managed to move to new economic conditions, transforming into something completely new - in ma çonnerie... In the XVII century. cities of Scotland and England outstripped the rest of Europe in terms of wages and working conditions in the construction industry. The guild system collapsed, and the corporation of masons gradually began to admit

people outside their profession. This was prompted by the need for new cash receipts (entrance fees): funding construction works required additional investment, so the transformation of the craft workshop into a community of a new type was driven by necessity. Not all traditional bricklayers have found a place for themselves in this renewed system.

An atmosphere of mutual benevolence reigned in the new communities, but they were attracted not only by this. To businessmen and gentlemen, the lodges seemed to be centers of culture. Indeed, the senior bricklayers knew how to read and write, and were well versed in mathematics and architecture, in particular in military and civil fortification. The myths that surrounded the lodges linked the skills of masons in the field of geometry with the ancient knowledge inherited from the offshoot of Hellenistic Egypt - Hermes Trismegistus ("thrice greatest"). However, apparently, it was not only the aura of the legendary past that attracted educated representatives of other professions to masons: the lodges were the place where wealthy entrepreneurs could make acquaintances with useful people who knew a lot about architecture or engineering. Among the first Freemasons to be admitted to the lodge "from the outside" in the 1650s was the Scotsman Sir Robert Morey, a scientist, military engineer, one of the founders of the Royal Society of London and an active participant in the civil wars in England. Like the Oxford antiquarian Elias Ashmole, who became a freemason around the same time, Morey hoped that Freemasonry would introduce him to the wisdom of the mathematicians and mechanics of antiquity. He signed all his letters with the Masonic sign, emphasizing his loyalty to the brotherhood. In the last decades of the 17th century. many English gentlemen followed his example.

Perhaps we will never be able to find out in detail exactly how the historical process of transformation of the craft workshop into a closed community of gentlemen took place. If some documents still remain in Scotland, then the English Masonic archives of this period have disappeared. Scottish historian David Stevenson considers his homeland to be the cradle of the new Freemasonry, believing that it was in Scotland that bricklayers' guilds first turned into a kind of elite social clubs. However, the preaching of brotherhood and the organizational principles that were exported from England to continental Europe and became common to the entire Masonic movement of the era of the Enlightenment, were not based at all on Scottish customs and not on the form of government adopted in Scotland. Rather, it should be said that Freemasonry was based on the institutions and ideals generated by the English Revolution in the course of the struggle against royal absolutism. Archives of the Royal Society of London have preserved

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an interesting document of 1659 (Register Vok [c] IX), which unequivocally emphasizes the connection of Freemasonry with state power. It says that "this craft [...] was founded by noble kings, princes and other venerable people", and is dedicated to the seven liberal arts, in particular geometry - the science of the "father of the wise men" Hermes, who "found two stone pillars where they were carved Knowledge, instructed people and transferred this Knowledge to the builders of the Tower of Babel. " The exposition of "Words and Symbols of Freemasons" in this manuscript is quite adequate historical context... It reflected the revolution and the emergence of constitutional power based on a system of laws and regulations: the document casually mentions the "parliament" and calls on the members of the lodge to "honestly follow [...] the duties established by the constitution."

It should be noted here that according to the "Oxford Dictionary of the English Language" until the middle of the XVII century. the word “constitution” was not used to refer to the totality of rules or norms of any community. However, in the 1650s, after the execution of Charles I, the English parliament passed a number of laws concerning the state structure; and almost simultaneously, non-governmental organizations began to appear in the country with their own "constitutions", however, sometimes very conditional. The document of 1659 narrated, in particular, that the French kings came to power by election, and that in biblical times "the king [...] convened a grand council and parliament to find means" to help the unemployed. themselves inextricably linked - sometimes in a fatal way - with the fate of states and monarchs. After the democratic revolutions at the end of the 18th century, the Freemasons of Europe and America came to the conclusion that their interests were common. Around 1800, in counter-revolutionary circles, a false thesis was born about the Masonic conspiracy as the root cause of the French Revolution. From this time on, Freemasonry became associated with secret subversion. Until 1789, it was associated not so much with political action as with social life and intellectual progress.

Masonic lodges of the Enlightenment era in their practice (election, subordination of the minority to the majority, the tradition of listening to the speeches of the elected leaders of the lodge, the unification of all national lodges under the auspices of the Grand Lodge, the development of constitutions) relied on the ideals of equality and on the recognition of the value of a person's personal merit. This was due to the growth of the authority of parliament, the strengthening of the urban bourgeoisie and small rural nobility, who believed in their strength, as well as the influence of republican literature and journalism, which was born in the middle of the 17th century in

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the writings of John Harrington and was developed by such theorists as Algernon Sydney, John Locke and John Toland. The latter is a supporter of the Whig party, who at the beginning of the 18th century adhered to. Republican views - was directly associated with the London lodges. Thus, the Masonic idea of ​​promoting a person up the social ladder in accordance with his personal merit - an idea that justified the egalitarian brotherhood of people free in the choice of their leaders - originated primarily in the English republican tradition. However, this did not prevent the lodges from being highly hierarchical structures and looking everywhere for the patronage of the aristocracy. In the countries of the European continent, Freemasons especially treasured the secret, the secret side of their activities, which led to the establishment of new degrees, to the development of additional rituals and ceremonies, as well as to the emergence of imitations (such an imitation was the openly politicized society of the Illuminati, founded in Bavaria in 1776) ... Other lodges, such as the American Order of Cincinnatus (to which George Washington may have belonged), were more concerned with distinction, privileges, and banqueting. As for the Illuminati, they openly provoked the authorities and were subject to state supervision, although their number never exceeded six hundred.

Around the 1720s, the number of Freemasons in London began to grow rapidly. The authorities remained indifferent to this process. Moreover, many of their representatives entered new workshops themselves. And since already since the last decade of the 17th century. the lodges were replenished not so much with bricklayers as with educated gentlemen, and there was a process of social reorientation. Its symbolic milestone was the election as Grand Master of the famous architect Sir Christopher Wren in 1720. Thus, Freemasonry became more and more fashionable. In 1723 the Grand Lodge of London published its Constitutions. This document became widely known immediately and was translated into many languages. The use of the plural instead of the singular seemed to suggest that the "Constitutions" were an amalgam of all the statutes of the united lodges. The term itself was indisputably English, because during French tradition At that time, the word "constitution" denoted the constituent parts of an organism or constituent parts of the government: the "constitution" of the body was called the totality of its organs and members. Only very gradually during the 18th century did this term acquire a new meaning in French, according to which the “constitution” was transformed into a legislative act, for example, into an act of constituting power on the basis of a social contract. Thus, France in this respect lagged significantly behind England, where already in the first decades of the XVIII century. The Lodge of the Greater Orient acquired its constitution and established a completely secular and secular routine for its life.

One of the earliest documents relating to the spread of Freemasonry on the European continent are the "Constitutions" of the group of French Huguenots-libertines, formed in The Hague in 1710. It included publishers, journalists, publicists, scientists. They called each other brothers. They had their own grand master and their own secretary. Today the Hague Constitutions are in the archives of John Toland at the British Library. Among those whose signatures are on this document are many people from the circle of the secretary of the group, Prosper Marchand, a French book publisher and journalist who has taken refuge in the Netherlands. The Marchand Archives in the Leiden University Library are a valuable source on the history of European Freemasonry. Toland came into contact with the Marchand circle during his travels in Europe. The Masonic lodge (or its imitation) could seem especially attractive to people "without roots" (merchants, cosmopolitans), since it declared the antiquity of its origin, professed democratic ethics, was governed by the most advanced principles for that time, and at the same time easily adjusted to the tastes of the most different people extending their care to each of the brothers. The Hague group willingly used Masonic terminology, although they were mainly involved in organizing feasts. Nevertheless, among the closest friends of Marchand was Jean Rousset de Missy, another exile who later became the leader of the French Masons in Amsterdam. At first he was a political agent of the House of Orange, then he went into the service of the Austrians. A man of deep political passions, Rousset de Missy hated French absolutism, and religiously considered himself a "pantheist".

It should be noted here that in theory the Freemasons should have adhered to "the religion of their country or their nation, whatever it may be." But the "Constitutions" of 1723 changed this rule: "From now on it is considered more appropriate to require that they [" brothers "] profess the religion that suits each of them." Given the deep confessional contradictions that tore apart Great Britain, Freemasonry sharply limited the range of fundamental religious issues on which the opinions of the brothers were supposed to coincide. Thus, it became a field of broad religious freedom, where deism existed on a par with pantheism and atheism. Therefore, it should not be surprising that in the English lodges there were many Whigs and just as many

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scientists; that in Paris the philosopher and freemason Helvetius declared himself a materialist, and in Amsterdam Rousse de Missy opted for pantheism (like Toland), and that Montesquieu, who was also a Freemason, was most likely a deist. Therefore, it is also not surprising that in the lists of London or Amsterdam Masons there are many Jewish surnames... But in the lodges operating in the German lands, there were no Jews, because the German statutes proclaimed: "Only a Christian, no matter what sect he belongs to [...], can be accepted as a member of the lodge" ("Freemasonry: an image in the light of truth "-" Freymaurerey: Skizzirt im Lichte der Wahrheit», Frankfurt am Main, 1785 S. 19).

In France, some lodges accepted Catholics, Protestants, and even actors into their ranks. In the documents of a Parisian lodge, a "negro trumpeter" from the royal regiment was mentioned. With the exception of Italy and the Catholic lands of Germany, Christian vocabulary was rarely used directly in Masonic ceremonies. Nevertheless, when in 1738 the Catholic Church condemned the entry of Catholics into the lodges, it especially emphasized that Freemasonry had become a new form of religion, moreover, organized according to the republican model (meaning the frequent holding of elections). Of course, many contemporaries recognized that the lodges were spreading a new type of religiosity and accustoming people to behavior that inevitably came into conflict with traditional religion and royalty, but the condemnation of Freemasonry by the Church only increased its appeal in the eyes of those who relied on reason and progress in everything. In the middle of the century, joining the lodge began to mean not so much an introduction to materialism and atheism, associated with the names of some philosophers, as a passion for new ideas of the Age of Enlightenment.

The influence of the lodges extended not only to the intellectual and social life of the era. For a long time, the secular elites of continental Europe were unable to develop forms of self-government that would lie outside parish communities and communal councils and would have a national scale. Freemasonry helped the wealthy people of advanced views to master the art of self-government, to which they joined both in the colonies (as subjects of their empires) and in their homeland, where they could influence the outcome of affairs of a local and national (through the great lodges) scale. first in the Batavian Republic and in France, and then went east - up to Prague and Moscow, and west - to Philadelphia and the island of Haiti. Belonging to lay down to mean the political maturity of a person, his independence from church authority. In Naples, the workshops united reformers and progressive thinking people... And in the colonies, Freemasonry became a means of cultural unity of Europeans, reflecting (along with the church and scientific communities) the greatness of their colonial empires.

Everyone sought to join the ranks of the Masons: diplomats, government officials, and representatives of the liberal professions (lawyers, doctors, teachers, merchants). In Lutheran Sweden, all royal court, starting with the monarch himself and his ministers, joined the lodge, which held its meetings right in the royal palace.In general, in Sweden, Great Britain and the American colonies, Freemasons acted openly, which indicates a favorable perception of public opinion. British diplomats played a decisive role in the spread of Freemasonry in Paris and The Hague. It is known, for example, that in the 1930s, the Parisian police often visited the residence of the British ambassador, Lord Waldgrave, where the lodge meetings were held. In Berlin, Freemasonry flourished in the middle of the century, and Frederick the Great used it skillfully to increase his influence. Under the strong influence of Joseph II, the Viennese lodges were in the 80s, on whose orders Mozart worked.

In the Catholic part of Europe, Masonic ethics were less innovative and liberal. In Germany, by 1770, there were about 300 lodges, members of which were many court officials and representatives of the highest administration (especially in Munich, Bayreuth, Leipzig and Weimar), as well as such outstanding thinkers as Goethe, Wieland, Lessing, Moritz, Georg Forster and Friedrich Jacobi. The radical German Illuminati sect, founded by one of the most convinced adherents of French materialism - Weishaupt, became famous precisely because it consciously imitated Freemasonry. An even greater role in German Freemasonry was played by the Rosicrucian movement, with their so-called strict obedience. According to this system, invented by Baron von Gund, each Masonic degree or level was headed by a clergyman, and the members themselves imitated the customs and rituals of medieval knights. The conservative structure of the German Lodge was thus autocratic and deeply hierarchical. In ceremonies and in the writings of German Freemasons, Christian motives and notes of mysticism were often heard. The most indicative in this respect is the "convention" led by Duke Ferdinand of Brunswick (this movement had adherents in Italy and even in Russia). Ultimately, all the "heretical" deviations of Freemasonry - both towards innovation and towards conservatism - seemed to anticipate the political extremism that spread in Europe in last decade XVIII century under the influence of the French Revolution.

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The emergence of lodges or their equivalents everywhere testified to the relative prosperity of society, which was inevitably reflected in exquisite interiors, in elegant clothes, in banquets and festivities. Despite a certain predilection for collective libations, the lodges instilled in people notions of decency, molded their character, and taught them discipline and good manners. London workshops sometimes rented theaters for joint performances, and according to eyewitnesses, the "brothers" behaved much more dignified than inveterate theatergoers. The rule that today silences audiences in the theater or at a concert and listens to the performers has worked rather slowly, and it must be recognized that Freemasonry played a significant role in establishing the notions of decency and restraint in the second half of the century. In general, the Enlightenment was a very complex process associated with the development of ideas and new forms of social practice - public discussions, communication, individual reading, and the abolition of censorship. All of them demanded a wider dissemination of the rules of courtesy, adherence to a certain discipline and decorum. The lodges participated in this process.

Entry fees throughout Europe were quite high, albeit in proportion to income. Sooner or later (depending on the social composition), each lodge acquired its own legal status (person a) and merged into the Great Lodge of its country. The workshops differed from each other: some accepted only persons of noble birth, others - students and medics, still others opened their doors to small traders or even actors, while most of the lodges would never admit them into their circle. The relationship between the workshop and the "brothers" was partly contractual, based on the payment of fees, but partly they looked quite family-like and confidential. In the 1780s, whenever the French Great East had to help needy "brothers", widowed elderly women, the Freemasons demonstrated that they were still between two worlds: one - modern - was based on a contractual basis; the second was predominantly feudal, and the privileges of birth and rank played the main role in it. It often happened that a Mason made a written request for material assistance, emphasizing that in those days, when he was young and rich, he paid all the due contributions, arranged worthy receptions for the "brothers" and was generally an exemplary member of his lodge. Thus, he proved that he had every right to the help of the aristocrats who stood at the head of the Great East.

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Membership in a workshop with participation (management) might be like exercising civic rights and responsibilities. This very progressive feature of Freemasonry manifested itself most clearly in Austria, where after 1750, joining the lodge meant an expression of support for enlightened reforms and opposition to the traditional privileges of the clergy. Therefore, the number of Freemasons grew rapidly, especially among the representatives of the liberal professions. Later, in the 1780s, the Viennese Great East went to direct cooperation with the government: having liquidated the "rebellious" lodges in the Austrian Netherlands, he retained only three workshops there, compiled a list of "trustworthy" Masons, and in July 1786 informed Joseph II that "The general administration of Freemasonry is now fully consistent with the imperial edicts." Thus, the Masonic organization, which spread its network throughout Europe, undertook its own restructuring in order to support the strategy of the monarchical state. Many lodges in Catholic Europe not only did not demonstrate opposition to absolutism, but also provided support for it.

Freemasonry's gravitation towards power pushed it towards self-identification with state institutions. Dutch workshops are an example of this. In 1756 they formed the national Lodge of the Greater East, choosing for it the organizational form of the Republican States General. They not only recommended this device to their German “brothers”, who had some difficulty in establishing a national Grand Lodge, but also argued that the States General could serve as “the supreme tribunal for the entire Masonic nation” (Library of the Grand Lodge, The Hague, Kloss MS 190 E 47). Just as the States General endowed each province of that country with broad sovereignty, the decentralization of power in the Greater East guaranteed each individual lodge a high degree of independence. At the same time, the Grand Master of The Hague, Baron Butzelaer, began to convene a "national assembly", in which all Dutch Freemasons were to take part systematically. The ritual of this meeting was strictly regulated: the "brothers" lined up in rows; the first symbolized the legislature of the Dutch provinces - Staten van Holland; they were followed by "brothers", elected representatives of the grand master; further - officers of all workshops, the rest of the "brothers" and those invited. The “brothers” were supposed to sing in chorus, symbolically affirming the unity of the lodge, and perhaps, albeit unconsciously, of the whole nation. As you know, from the second half of the 18th century. the growth of nationalist sentiments was observed throughout Western Europe.

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Despite this, cosmopolitanism remained one of the most characteristic features of Freemasonry. The workshops regularly received guests from all over the Western world and from the colonies, corresponded with other lodges scattered around the world. At the same time, in the memory of the Freemasons, virtues should have flourished and rewarded precisely on the national field. The Enlightenment gave impetus to reformist aspirations in various spheres of life, and the exposure of the enlighteners of excessive privileges and corruption convinced the upper class of the need to renew the administrative apparatus of the state. From this point of view, Masonic lodges (even lodges of "strict obedience") are more than any other form social contacts XVIII century, served as schools of government, where everyone could test their abilities in politics on a local, and potentially - a national scale. Of course, there were people who, speaking of the need for reforms, implied a return to the medieval order, but there were few of them.

The rivalry of the Freemasons with the state for the right to lead the nation was reflected in the documents of the French lodges. In 1738, the Jacobite Chevallede Ramsay delivered a speech in Paris in which he argued that Freemasonry "is trying to create a perfect spiritual nation." The text of this speech immediately became famous: copies of it were found in Reims, Dijon and The Hague. In the 1760s, the Brussels police confiscated the workshop of a Jewish engraver, an excellent example of French Masonic symbolism, depicting “the coat of arms of France, illuminating its own Masonic attributes” (AG Bruxelles, MS 1105, A 124). In the 1770s, French lodges attempted to create some kind of central authority. It had little resemblance to parliaments or quartermaster structures that exercised local power. Due to circumstances, the Freemasons had to invent special forms of organizing government at the national level. In 1774, the new Parisian Lodge of the Grand Orient established a national assembly, within the framework of which representatives of the entire nation were to meet, endowed with the right to vote and the obligation to pay dues to the Grand East. A few years later, in 1779, an orator in Grenoble raised an important question: "Is it possible to act in the interests of the common good through our modern institutions of government, if the form of government is such that most people are forced to remain in the place assigned to them by nature?" (Grenoble, MS Q 50). The French lodge of the Grand Orient tried to take over the eturol of public representation in Paris: on the one hand, to be closer to the authorities; on the other, in order to dispel the suspicions surrounding Freemasonry. In addition to a representative assembly, the Great East also established public funds to help needy "brothers" and "sisters". Grew up in the lodges
the new generation of Freemasons gravitated towards political activity and believed in their ability to govern the state. This made them potentially dangerous, although most of these people were neither Nibuntari nor Republicans.

The desire to participate in government was also inherent in the women's lodges, which began to spread across the continent. The first mixed workshop known to us appeared in The Hague in 1751, but the most active and most noticeable in Europe were the French adoptive lodges, which operated in the 1770s and 1780s. It should be noted that the "Constitution" of 1723 categorically forbade women to become Masons. This ban was in effect in Great Britain and America, but continental Europe violated it. Adoptive lodges gave the ladies the opportunity to communicate in a circle of like-minded people who shared educational ideals: to pray to the "Great Architect" - the god of Newtonian science, to come up with rituals and make speeches. The main figure in the women's Masonic ceremonies was the "Queen of the Amazons". Surrounded by "sisters" endowed with military ranks, the "queen" performed initiation rites not only for women, but also for men. The catechisms of the adoptive lodges urged women to recognize the injustice of men, throw off their yoke, subordinate family relations to their will and dispose of property on an equal footing with their husbands. At one of the ceremonies, the "queen" asked the "great patriarch" on what basis men consider themselves masters of women, and then demanded that the "sisters" be freed from this slavery and treat men who would not accept their freedom as tyrants. Thus, in the 1780s, French Masonic lodges facilitated progress in relations between men and women. Therefore, it is false to think that French women were introduced to the Enlightenment only in their own living rooms or in several Parisian salons.

Freemasonry concretized such abstract ideals as reason, equality, independence, although they still remained difficult to achieve. By the middle of the 18th century. lodges numbered about 50 thousand Europeans and Americans. By 1785, there were about 1,500 women among the Freemasons. We do not have figures reflecting the situation in the colonies, but we know that the lodges there spread with the same speed as the various branches of Christianity. Masons expressed the most lofty ideals of the Enlightenment, but did not admit peasants, workers, often women, into their ranks, and tightly closed the doors of their workshops to slaves. Nevertheless, the lodges, in their striving for equality and dignity, for independence, freedom of speech and religious tolerance, were turned into the future, into the realm of human rights and egalitarian ideals. This alone was enough to incur the hatred of the enemies of democracy in the eighteenth century. We face it today in young states of Eastern Europe and in Russia.