MASONIC BLUE / G\ BLUE AND GOLD We see the colors blue and gold repeatedly used together throughout nature, in the scriptures and in the process of learning why blue is a sacred color. SUN AND STARS The sky is blue. The suns rays are gold in color. Therefore, it is easy to see why the colors blue and gold have historically been associated with Deity (God, G_d, the Creator, the Almighty, the Supreme Architect of the Universe). BLUE IN ISRAEL Blue was a sacred color to the priests of Israel in biblical times. The color is mentioned first in the Old Testament in: Exodus XXV:3-4: in which the Lord commanded Moses to speak to the children of Israel, saying: “And this is the offering which ye shall take of them; gold, and silver, and brass, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goat’s hair.” Throughout the Books of Exodus and Numbers are many references to the color, blue, and several more are to be found in Chronicles, Esther, Jeremiah and Ezekiel. We read of the “fine twined linens, and “Make the ephod (pronounced ee-foo-daw) of Gold and Blue,” SACRED BLUE...TECHELET...PERFECTION Tekelet (or Techelet): Albert Mackey, Freemason historian and scholar) notes that the blue of the Old Testament is a translation of the Hebrew “tekelet” which is derived from a root word signifying “perfection.” He develops the idea that blue was anciently, and universally sacred. Down through not just the centuries,...but the milleniums (thousands of years), we see evidence of blue as denoting many sacred attributes. BLUE SIGNIFIED DEITY Early Religious Forms of Sun Worship: Man’s earliest forms of worship were of the sun and fire. The sun rose up against a blue sky, traveled and set in a realm of blue; so to associate the color with Deity is as obvious today as it was, then. Egyptians: The Egyptians, too, believed that the color blue was a sacred color. Their god, Amun, was painted light blue. Babylonians: The ancient Babylonians clothed their Pagan idols in blue, as we may read from the prophet, Jeremiah (Jeremiah 10:6-10): Verse 6: O LORD, there is none like You! You are great and Your name is great in power. Who would not rever You, O King of the nations? For that is Your due, Verse 7: Since among all the wise of the nations And among all their royalty There is none like You. Verse 8: But they are both dull and foolish; Their doctrine is but delusion; It is a piece of wood, Verse 9: Silver beaten flat, that is brought from Tarshish, And gold from Uphaz, The work of a craftsman and the goldsmiths hands; Their clothing is blue and purple, All of them are the work of skilled men. Verse 10: But the LORD is truly God: He is a living God, The everlasting King. At His wrath, the earth quakes, And nations cannot endure His rage. Chinese: In mystical Chinese philosophy, blue represented the symbol of the Deity. They believe blue to be composed of black and red which represent the male and the female and the active and passive principles. Hindus: The Hindus believe that their God, Vishnu, who is represented by a celestial or sky “blue,” symbolized the wisdom which emanated from God. Jacobs Ladder: Jacob, Abrahams grandson, saw a ladder ascending from earth up into the blue of the heavens. Henceforth, it has been known as Jacobs Ladder. Druids: Among the Druids, (wise men and philosophers) blue was the symbol of truth and the candidate, in the initiation into the sacred rights of Druidism, was invested with a robe composed of the colors, white, blue and green. Blue in Nature: Blue is not only the color of the sky, but of the oceans, of pure mountain streams and lakes. It is an emblem of purity and beauty. Peace and Eternity: The color, blue, has long been held to signify eternity and immortality; pale blue is especially associated with peace. Royal Heraldry: In royal heraldry, blue or azure symbolizes chastity, loyalty and fidelity. Blue In Art: In painting, the color, blue, is frequently used in ethereal settings, such as of clouds and angels. Thus, blue signifies humility, fidelity as well as hope and faith. Covering of a Lodge: We are taught that the covering of a Lodge is the clouded canopy or starry decked heaven. Blue Lodge: In the United States, lodges are called blue lodges. Freemasons in other parts of the world, do not call their lodges blue lodges,...and they find this to be a particularly American curiosity. ...And down through the ages, no matter which language, which country or which era in history,...the color blue has universally signified: The Virtues: Truth, Faith, Hope ...As well as: Peace, humility, fidelity, chastity, purity, eternity, immortality, beauty and wisdom. And, of course, True Blue denotes loyalty. ROYAL BLUE IN ENGLAND The Most Noble Order of the Garter (an English order of chivalry or knighthood) Circa 1348: (1344-1351) (Medieval England) The Most Noble Order of the Garter was founded by King Edward III as a society, a fellowship and college of knights. Circa 1500s: Previous to the 16th century, the mantle vestments (robes) worn by members of royalty were made of wool. Circa 1600s and 1700s: The mantle was originally purple, but varied during the 17th and 18th centuries between celestial blue, pale blue, royal blue, dark blue, violet and ultramarine. Today, mantles are dark blue and lined with white taffeta. The Garter, itself is worn on ceremonial occasions around the left calf by knights and around the left arm by ladies. Shamed be the person who thinks evil of it. ROYAL BLUE IN SCOTLAND The Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle, (a Scottish order of chivalry) Original Date of Inception: Unknown 1687: James VII of Scotland (also known as Englands King James II) instituted the modern order in 1687, however there are legends that go back to 787 as to its original inception. The Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle is comprised of the sovereign (ruler) and 16 Knights and their Ladies. These 16 members were required to be Scottish-born. In addition to the sovereign and the 16 Knights and their Ladies, the Order also included extra knights (members of the British royal family and foreign monarchs). The Orders primary emblem is the thistle, the national flower of Scotland. Scotlands Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle is equivalent in England to the Most Noble Order of the Garter, the oldest documented order of chivalry...dating back to the middle of the 14th century. In 1687, the color of the ribband was purple-blue in color. The Order was allowed to become non-operative for many years, however when Queen Anne came to the throne in 1733, it was re-founded and the color of the ribbon was changed. Today, the ribbon of the Order is a broad dark green sash worn across the body...from left shoulder to right hip. The Torah (Bamidbar [Numbers] 15:38) says, They shall make for themselves Tzitzith (fringes) on the corners of their garments for their generations and they shall put in the Tzitzith of the corner a thread of blue (Techelet). The Tosefta (Menachot 9:6, found at the end of Mesechta Chullin) states, The blue dye for the Tzitzith must be produced from a creature called Chilazon. The blood of the Chilazon was added to other ingredients and boiled (Menachot 42b, Rambam Tzitzith 2:2). The Talmud says that Techelet was very expensive. When it was found that unscrupulous dye dealers had been selling a counterfeit blue dye; a chemical test was developed by the religious scholars to determine whether or not the blue dye was genuine Techelet (see Menachot 43a, Rashi and Rambam). From the wording of the Tosefta quoted above, it seems that the blue dye had to be made from the Chilazon. Some believe that this was part of the oral tradition given to Moses on Mount Sinai when the Lord appeared to Moses in a cloud of azure (blue) and gold. Murex Trunculus Snail Tyre, Lebanon: The Mediterranean coast was the center of the dyeing industry in the ancient world. Tyrian Purple came from the port of Tyre in Phoenicia in what is now known as southern Lebanon. Its flourishing maritime trade, and its dye and glass industries made Tyre very powerful and wealthy. (See Isaiah. 23:8; and Zechariah 9:3). Freemasons will be familiar with Tyre, as it was from the King of Tyre which King David received the building materials to build the Temple. (See 2 Chronicles 2:3.) King Solomons Temple: As King Solomon was charged with the actual job of building the Temple, he, too, procured many of the materials such as cedar lumber from Tyre, which he used in erecting Solomons Temple. (See 1 Kings. 5:1-11; 9:10, 11; and 2 Chronicles. 2:3-16) The 3 great symbolic pillars of Freemasonry allude to: Wisdom: King Solomon Strength: King Hiram of Tyre (see 1 Kings. 5:1; 2 Chronicles. 2:3). Beauty: Hiram Abif, The Master Craftsman The exact origins of the city of Tyre are unknown, however the ancient historian, Herodotus, purports it to have been founded about 2700 B.C.....or approximately 5,000 years ago. Noted for its rocky land and magnificent cedar trees, Tyre consisted of two separate parts, ...a rocky fortress on the mainland, called Old Tyre, and the city, itself, which is built on a small, rocky island about half-a-mile from the shoreline. (See Matthew 11:21 and Acts 12:20). While most people of the time wore only unbleached wool garments, it is only natural that the purple dye of Tyre quickly became valuable and the city of Tyre soon held a worldwide celebrity due to the prized colors and the durability of its beautiful tints. The dye industry was a source of abundant wealth to the inhabitants of the Tyre. Below, is a Tyrian coin from the city of Tyre, dated 200 C.E., (Common Era) depicting the legend of Hercules dogdiscovering the Murex snail. Tyrian Coin Photo Courtesy of Tekhelet All Rights Reserved. Biblical Lineage: Sidon, Lebanon: Approximately 20 miles north of Tyre, and named after Noahs great grandson, is the once opulent and prosperous city of Sidon, now best known for its fishing industry. Sidon was originally included within land in the territory of Asher, one of the 12 tribes. Abraham was the father of Isaac and Ishmael. (Isaac is father to the Judeo-Christian nations. Ishmael is father to the Arab nations.) Isaac was the father of Jacob. Jacob fathered 12 sons. These 12 sons are the ancestors to the 12 tribes of Israel. Each tribe occupied a separate territory, (except Levi, who was chosen to serve in the holy Temple) The 12 tribes of Israel (Jacobs sons) were: Asher, Benjamin, Dan, Gad, Issachar, Joseph, Judah, Levi, Naphtali, Reuben, Simeon and Zebulun. Thus, the somewhat abbreviated biblical lineage through Isaacs side, below, is: Adam (circa 3999 B.C.)...Father of Seth Noah (circa 2944 B.C.)...Father of Shem, Japheth and Ham, all of whom went orth from the Ark. Ham ......................................Father of Canaan Canaan .................................Father of Sidon Abraham (circa 2100 B.C.)... Father of Isaac Isaac .....................................Father of Jacob Jacob (circa 2000 B.C.)...Father of Asher, Benjamin, Dan, Gad, Issachar, Joseph, Judah, Levi, Naphtali, Reuben, Simeon and Zebulun Simon-Sez: For those of the Christian faith, Jesus Christ is a direct descendant from Isaacs bloodline. Hiram Abif was a man of Tyre, Lebanon (Phoenicia) believed to have come from the tribe of Naphtali. The murex trunculus, the sea snail found on the Mediterranean coast, is currently believed by Jewish scholars to be the source of this coveted and long lost techelet dye. Remains of Techelet Dye Factories: To this day, there is still a hill of snail shells 100 meters long and 50 meters high, called Murex Hill in Sidon, Lebanon, which is about halfway between Beirut and Tyre, Lebanon. The distance between Beirut and Tyre is approximately 79 km...or about 49 miles. Both cities are located on the Mediterranean Sea. This hill of snail shells in Sidon, Lebanon was formed by the refuse from the Phoenician dye factories of long, long ago. Phoenician artisans were skilled workmen in many different crafts. Newer structures have been built upon the hill, but some of these Murex snail shells can still be seen today, on the lower part of the hill. Rediscovery of How to Create Techelet: The long lost secret to obtaining the techelet dye was rediscovered in 1980 by a chemist from the Shenkar College of Fibers by the name of Professor Otto Elsner. Initially, the blood (internal composition) of the Chilazon is purple in color. However, Professor Elsner discovered that if a solution of the dye was exposed to sunlight or ultra-violet light,... the color blue, instead of purple, was consistently produced. The Application of Light: I find this as wholly compelling...not because of the chemical color change, itself, but because much like mankind, when light was applied, the previous color (purple) was changed into tekhelet...sacred blue, the color of perfection. This is another instance of blue and gold being used together to create a perfect whole. Ptil Tekhelet Foundation: In 1993, and located in Jerusalem, Israel, the Ptil Tekhelet Foundation (The Association for the Promotionand Distribution of Tekhelet) was formed for mass production of this tekhelet, as well as to continue further research into once again providing the Jewish people with true and pure tekhelet for their garments, as outlined in the Holy Scriptures. Approximately 30 Murex snails are needed to produce enough dye for a single garments strands. This is in keeping with the Talmudic statement that the dye is expensive. Unlike many other dyes, the pure blue dye called tekhelet is also colorfast and does not fade. Three days in strong bleach will not change its color. Techelet is also the color of the Israeli national flag.
Posted on: Fri, 19 Sep 2014 19:12:17 +0000
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