The Masonic Temple

                                   C.W. Leadbeater 

In his book The Hidden Life in Freemasonry C. W. Leadbeater reveals: Bro. Churchward [probably James Churchward] claims that some of the signs [in Freemasonry] are six hundred thousand years old… (p10)  In Egypt… [six thousand years ago p10] there was a Grand Lodge… of which the Grand Master was the Pharoah… (p28-29) Moses, of whom it was said in the biblical story that he was “learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians.” He passed on his knowledge (of the Mystery teaching of Egypt) to the Jewish priestly line, and thus it survived in a more or less defective form till the time of David and Solomon. When Solomon built his temple he erected it on Masonic lines, and made it a centre of Masonic symbolism and Work. …King Solomon… judaized the entire ritual, substituting Hebrew words for the original Egyptian, though in some cases at least preserving the original meaning…(p35-36) Much of the ancient wisdom has been allowed to slip into oblivion, and so some of the true secrets were lost to the great body of the [Masonic] Brn. [Brethren] But among the Hierophants [or wise Master teachers] of the Great White Brotherhood the true secrets have ever been preserved and they will always reward the search of the really earnest Mason. (p38)