The Legend Of Adam's Grave

by Midnight Freemasons contributor

SK Robert Johnson

 

In 1868, German-American adventurer Heinrich Schliemann arrived at Troy’s location. Before this, it was thought that Troy was only a legend. Of course it was an amazing discovery to find out that the Iliad spoke of a real city. There are thousands of ancient legends, one of which, I stumbled upon one day while reading Macky's Masonic Encyclopedia

As I was flipping through the pages, I came across "Adam" the supposed first man or at least the first modern man according to Hebrew and Christian texts. I am not inclined to share my religious beliefs, at least not in the short essay, however when I reveal to you this short passage which set my mind on fire, you will know why I chose to write about it. 

Here is the passage:

"Upon the death of Adam, says traditional history, the pious Gregory. declared that the "dead body should be kept above ground, till a fulness of time should come to commit it to the middle of the earth by a priest of the most high God.'' This traditional prophecy was fulfilled, it is said, by the body of Adam having been preserved in a chest until about 1800 B.C., when "Melchizedek buried the body in Salem (formerly the name of Jerusalem), which might very well be the middle of the habitable world."

Interesting right? Especially when you do the math. This means that Adams body was laid to rest a mere 3,812 years ago. I don't need to tell you that we dig up bones older than this all the time. And there would most certainly be bones, since it says the body was "preserved". Further research reveals a kind of time line. At some point Noah went to the land of Eden and retrieved the case containing Adam's remains. 

"When Noah died, he commanded Shem concerning the bones of Adam, for they were with them in the ark, and were removed from the land of Eden to this earth."

Next the legend continues saying the bones were distributed among Shem and Melchizedek. Some accounts say that Shem was given the skull of Adam and the body of Adam to Melchizedek. Shem then took the skull and buried it in Jerusalem, in the place of the skull also known by other names in the Masonic system and to some as Calvary. And the body was placed in a tomb, supposedly the very same tomb where Jesus was later laid to rest. Another account varies slightly, saying that Shem and Melchizedek went to the ark and retrieved the bones.

"And he journeyed by night with the angel before him, and Melchizedek with him, until they came and stood upon the spot where our Lord was crucified. When they had laid the coffin down there, the earth was rent in the form of a cross, and swallowed up the coffin, and was again sealed up and returned to its former condition"

Some crude maps have been drawn showing where this hill is and the land has not seemed to change, at least in description. There is a good chance something could be found if a joint effort was established. Coincidentally this hill is very close to the dome of the rock, which as we are all aware is the site of the western wall of king Solomon's Temple, the place where Mohamed ascended to heaven and perhaps the real spot where the body of Adam was laid to rest.

Regardless of your religious views, this story propagated in Masonic lore is fascinating. No doubt there has to be more information available somewhere. I have been reading on the subject for months now, but information has been elusive to say the least. Like Troy, perhaps this legend may trigger a research and archeological mission.  Who knows, we may find something of value to the world.

~SKRJ

Sir Knight Robert Johnson is a Freemason out of the First North-East District of Illinois. He belongs to Waukegan Lodge No. 78. He is also a member of the York Rite bodies Royal Arch, Cryptic Council and Knights Templar. Brother Johnson currently produces and hosts a weekly Podcast (internet radio program) Whence Came You? which focuses on topics relating to Freemasonry. In addition, he produces video shorts focusing on driving interest in the Fraternity and writes original Masonic papers from time to time. He is a husband and father of three. He works full time in the safety industry and is also a photographer on the side as well as an avid home brewer. He is also working on two books, one is of a Masonic nature.

A Craftman's Journey: Part IV

 by Midnight Freemasons contributor

Michael Shirley

Joe Hardwick's "square and compass" inlay

When Joe Hardwick and I started discussing the mandolin he was going to make for me, we didn’t have much trouble with the basics. It would be an F5 model with a vintage look but no pickguard, binding around the body, the neck, and the headstock, and kind of brown in appearance. It probably doesn’t say much for my artistic sensibilities that I really like brown. Anyway, that much was fairly clear, and I trust Joe enough to go with his instincts, but the headstock inlay required some thought. So one afternoon he came over to the house and we went online to see what was out there. We figured we’d order something pre-cut and install it. There’s a company that sells just about every inlay you can imagine, so we went to their website to see what we could find. After about half an hour of scrolling we hadn’t got any closer when suddenly we found it: the square and compasses. “Wow,” Joe said. “I’ve never seen that inlay before.” Neither had I. So I tried to order it. But I couldn’t figure out how to do it. I’m pretty tech savvy, but communicating with this company didn’t seem to be possible. I finally found an e-mail address and sent off a request for an order form. One of these days I may hear from them. In the meantime, Joe went home, and, as he is wont to do, started tinkering. He’d never done inlay before, but he figures that if someone else can do it, he can, and he’s usually right. He was this time, too. He sent me a photo of his first effort. “I just piddled with a knife and chisel and did this.” All I could think was, “wow.” I couldn’t wait to see what he’d do next.

http://www.clipsyndicate.com/video/play/4956756

This is the fourth installment of Michael Shirley's Mandolin Series.  To be continued . . . 

W.B. Michael H. Shirley is Past Master of Tuscola Lodge No. 332 and Leadership Development Chairman for the Grand Lodge of Illinois. He's also a member of the Illinois Lodge of Research, the Scottish Rite, the York Rite, Eastern Star, and the Tall Cedars of Lebanon. He's also a member of the newly-chartered, Illini High Twelve No. 768 in Urbana-Champaign. The author of several articles on British history, he teaches at Eastern Illinois University.

Freemason Wisdom: Jesse Jackson On Success

by Midnight Freemasons contributor

Judy Gordon

"If my mind can conceive it, and my heart can believe it, I know I can achieve it."

~Reverend Jesse Jackson

Harmony Lodge No. 8 PHA, Illinois

Did you know the average woman buys four pair of shoes per year!

Shoes for the Soul was the theme for the Cryptic Council Ladies luncheon at the York Rite Grand Session. As hostess I asked the Masonic Ladies if they would bring a pair of new shoes to benefit the children when they would start school. These shoes would be donated to the the Pekin Christian Civic Outreach.

Judy, Dillon, and Arlen (Director of Pekin Christian Civic Outreach)

So many children start school without shoes, let alone new ones. After the luncheon, I called the director and told him I had a surprise for him. I would be donating fifty pairs of shoes to the outreach center! A tiny voice said, "did you say 50?"  "Yes, I said 50!"

Now there will be 50 children in Pekin who will benefit from the Shoes for the Soul Luncheon...SUCCESS!!!

~JAG

Judy Gordon is very active in Job's Daughters. She's the Past Honored Queen, and Bethel Guardian of Bethel No. 55, Pekin (IL). She received the Cryptic Masons Masonic Youth Leadership Award along with her husband, Ray Gordon in July 2007. She's also Past Matron of the Morton Chapter No. 974 (IL) of the Order of the Eastern Star and Historian of the Emblem Club No. 424 of Pekin (IL) Judy is the recipient of the Degree of Royal Purple (2012) and elected as the Grand Marshal for Illinois Job's Daughters (2015-16). Ray and Judy have three grandkids, and a very spoiled dog, Reggie (who incidentally volunteers as a Therapy Dog at local hospitals and nursing homes.)

Todd's Note:  Congratulations on the success of your charity lunceon.  That's a tremendous accomplishment.  I would like to also point out that while women buy 4 pairs of shoes every year, men average four pairs of shoes a decade . . . at least the ones I know.  :-)

Freemason Wisdom: Harry Truman On Understanding

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

Michael H. Shirley

“There is nothing new in the world except the history you do not know.” 

~Harry S Truman

Past Grand Master of Missouri

Harry Truman's early love of history and biography engendered in him a belief that the secret to understanding human affairs lay in studying the past, and he devoted himself to that study and that understanding. Dean Acheson, his Secretary of State and longtime friend, once said, “The ability to listen is very rare. I have known very few men, particularly men in high places, who have been able to do it. Most public men I have known were not accustomed to the sound of any voice save their own . . . Mr. Truman not only had the ability to listen, he could hear, which is quite another thing. And at the end of a conversation, he not only remembered what he had heard, he understood and made use of it.” He also seems to have remembered everything he read, understood it, and made use of it. 

He listened to history, and so was able to see the present with a clear eye.

~MHS

W.B. Michael H. Shirley is Past Master of Tuscola Lodge No. 332 and Leadership Development Chairman for the Grand Lodge of Illinois. He's also a member of the Illinois Lodge of Research, the Scottish Rite, the York Rite, Eastern Star, and the Tall Cedars of Lebanon. He's also a member of the newly-chartered, Illini High Twelve No. 768 in Urbana-Champaign. The author of several articles on British history, he teaches at Eastern Illinois University.