Cracking the Freemasons Code: The Truth About Solomon's Key and the Brotherhood

Front Cover
Simon and Schuster, 2007 M09 4 - 256 pages

Prompted by mounting public interest and provoked by controversial stories on the Freemason Society, respected historian and Scottish Freemason Robert L.D. Cooper offers a rare inside look at this secret brotherhood. As curator of the Scottish Masonic Museum and Library, the author has unparalleled access to material dictating the history and function of the Masons.

In Cracking the Freemasons Code Cooper explains the structure of the Masonic interculture, its connections to covert organizations, the identities of historical Masonic members (who include George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle), the locations of famous Masonic sites, and much more.

Readers will discover the true role Freemasonry has played throughout history, its purposes, the functions of its many members, and the way in which it has helped shape our modern society. Laying out the symbolism, beliefs, and ethos of a Mason, Cooper addresses the considerable amounts of controversy surrounding those practices. His book includes never-before- published images and seldom-seen documents to give readers a privileged view of this elect brotherhood.
 

Contents

The Father of Freemasonry and the First Modern
18
The Mysteries of the Masons
35
The Earliest Rituals
53
The Masonic Lodge and the Three Degrees
73
Tools of the Trade
88
Symbols and Signs
102
Constitutions and Orations
124
Pocket Companions and the Reworking of History
141
The Order of the Free Gardeners
161
Freemasonry and a New World
186
A Final Word
201
Some Famous Freemasons
218
Index
233
Copyright

Other editions - View all

Common terms and phrases

About the author (2007)

Robert L.D. Cooper is a Scottish Freemason as well as a recognized historian and expert on Scottish Freemasonry, the Knights Templar, and the Sinclair family. He has authored numerous articles on Freemasonry and lectured in Masonic Lodges and other venues across the world. He lives in Scotland.

Bibliographic information