Freemasonry
is a fraternal organization
that arose from the loose organization of medieval masons (stone
workers) working in the medieval building industry (craft workers
involved in medieval stone work). Early organizational forms
included "lodges," incorporations, and craft guilds. Early Freemasonry
based on craft labour is known as Operative Freemasonry...
The
origins and early development of Freemasonry are a matter of some
debate and conjecture. A poem known as the "Regius Manuscript" has been
dated to approximately 1390 and is the oldest known Masonic text. The
poem begins with a history of the "Craft" of Masonry, describing Euclid
as the inventor of geometry
and then tracing the spread of the art of geometry through "divers
lands", ending up in England. This is followed by fifteen articles for
the master concerning both moral behavior (do not harbour thieves, do
not take bribes, attend church regularly, etc.) and the operation of
work on a building site (do not make your masons labour at night, teach
apprentices properly, do not take on jobs that you cannot do etc.)
There are then fifteen points for craftsmen which follow a similar
pattern...
There
is evidence to suggest that there were Masonic lodges in existence in
Scotland as early as the late 16th century (for example the Lodge at
Kilwinning, Scotland, has records that date to the late 16th century,
and is mentioned in the Second Schaw Statutes of 1599...
The three degrees of Craft or Blue Lodge Freemasonry are those of:
- Entered Apprentice – degree of an Initiate, which makes one a Freemason.
- Fellow Craft – an intermediate degree, involved with learning.
- Master Mason – the "third degree", a necessity in most aspects of Masonry.
