(by Middlesex Freemasons, Province of Middlesex, January 31, 2023)
The year 2023 will see the tercentenary year of the publication of the Anderson Constitutions. 1717 saw the beginning of a Grand Lodge system following which came the need for books of charges and Constitutions for the use of the newcomers to the increasingly non operative status of freemasonry. The books of Charges from 1723 and others subsequently published laid down the mythic pedigree of Freemasonry and outlined the moral and behavioural expectations of Craftsmen (Exploring Early Grand Lodge Freemasonry – Murphy – Plumbstone 2017). It has been called the most important Masonic work ever published. The Constitutions also contain a Traditional History where events and persons from sacred history become interwoven with the thinking and development within the classical world. Masonry then is seen as synonymous with the upward progression of humanity. It has been called a mythistory providing “a special perspective on the world that frames the role of the Craft as working to preserve valuable ancient mysteries whilst cultivating the arts and…
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