Sunday, October 3, 2021

Freemason magazine publishes "Noachide laws largely fits within the moral teachings of Freemasonry"



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The following article about Noahidism in Freemasonry states that "this discussion of the Noachide laws largely fits within the moral teachings of Freemasonry".


https://aasr-indy.org/assets/documents/DoubleEagle-51-5.pdf?fbclid=IwAR11zuwHgZlDlej1Y8TliMJ82YbXFnL9yAz8k0ZgKLKtGvgO2gRX_tUpfx0

What's a 'Noachite'?

By William K. Bissey Editor, Indiana Freemason 

The names of the degrees of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite (Northern Masonic Jurisdiction) of which the Valley of Indianapolis is a part, seem to some Brethren as quite different and to other Brethren, the names appear to be quite exotic.

The name of the 21st degree, Patriarch Noachite, was one that especially intrigued me. What is a Patriarch Noachite was what does he or it have to do with Freemasonry? It should be noted that Noachite has various spellings, among them: Noahide, Noahchite, Noachidae, and Noachida. So, how does this fit into Freemasonry?

T he earliest known reference is in a 1735 letter from the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of England to the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Calcutta. It is the fourth paragraph of the letter that is pertinent to this discussion. “Providence has fixed your Lodge near those learn’d Indians that affect to be called Noachidae…”

The earliest wide usage of Noachite, or in this case Noachida, is found in the first charge of the second or 1738 edition of the Constitutions of the Grand Lodge of England written by the Rev. James Anderson.

“A Mason is obliged by his Tenure to observe the Moral Law, as a true Noachida...” The second paragraph has the following sentence, “…For they all agree in the 3 great Articles of Noah, enough to preserve the Cement of the Lodge.” 

What did the Rev. Anderson mean by his use of Noachida in the revised First Charge? 

The Encyclopaedia Judaica provides an answer. Noachide laws are “…the seven laws considered by rabbinic tradition as the minimal moral duties enjoined by the Bible on all men. The seven Noachide laws as traditionally enumerated are: prohibitions of idolatry, blasphemy, bloodshed, sexual sins, theft, and eating from a living animal, as well as the injunction to establish a legal system.” The Noachide laws “…are derived from the divine commands addressed to Adam and Noah, the progenitors of all mankind, and are thus regarded as universal.” 

This discussion of the Noachide laws largely fits within the moral teachings of Freemasonry. And it is probably why the Rev. Anderson saw fit to include the reference to them in the 1738 edition of the Constitutions of the Grand Lodge of England.

But, there are seven Noachide Laws and Anderson alludes to only three. Which three did he mean? The good Reverend did not elaborate, but several Masonic scholars have speculated what he meant. One theory is Anderson meant the Masonic triad of Brotherly Love, Relief, and Truth. Perhaps the most likely explanation is that Rev. Anderson was referring to Genesis Chapter 6, verse 9. “These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.” 

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