Where did modern Freemasonry really begin?
For eleven episodes we've explored ancient traditions, medieval guilds, political movements, master builders, and competing origin theories.
Now we arrive at the final battlefield of Brother Kenneth R.H. Mackenzie's 12 Origin Theories of Freemasonry.
Did Freemasonry begin in 1717?
Or is 1717 simply the point where the historical record becomes clear enough for us to follow the Craft with confidence?
In this episode we investigate the role of Dr. John Theophilus Desaguliers, the formation of the first Grand Lodge of London, Anderson's Constitutions, and one of the most important distinctions in Masonic history:
The difference between the birth of an institution and the beginning of its documentary record.
In This Episode
• Theory #12 of Mackenzie's 12 Origin Theories
• John Theophilus Desaguliers
• The Grand Lodge of London (1717)
• The Goose and Gridiron Alehouse
• Anderson's Constitutions (1723)
• Why organization is different from invention
• Documentary evidence vs. tradition
• The conclusion of Campaign One
Battlefield Question
Did Desaguliers create modern Freemasonry...
...or did he help organize something that had already been developing for generations?
Continue the Investigation
Royal Masonic Cyclopaedia (1877)
https://archive.org/details/royalmasoniccycl00mack
Anderson's Constitutions (1723)
https://archive.org/details/constitutionsoff00ande
The Regius Manuscript
https://www.sacred-texts.com/mas/regius.htm
The Cooke Manuscript
https://www.sacred-texts.com/mas/cooke.htm
Internet Archive
https://archive.org
Sacred Texts
https://www.sacred-texts.com
Campaign One Complete
We've completed Brother Kenneth Mackenzie's twelve origin theories.
Next, the Origin War enters a new phase as we examine the Ten Origin Theories presented before Ars Quatuor Coronatorum in 2000.
The investigation continues.
Strengthening the Craft... one degree at a time.
