We are speculative, as opposed to operative, Masons.
This paper is in itself speculative as its very title implies.
The central motif of Masonry and many of the associated Orders is King Solomon’s Temple, which is also a central motif of Judaism. However, Craft Masonry is neither a Christian nor a Jewish organisation, yet King Solomon’s Temple lies at its heart. This paradox is central to this paper: how the particularly Jewish concept of King Solomon’s Temple came to be the core of modern speculative Masonry.
The title of this paper describes the argument fully: it posits a Jewish ancestry to the Craft and speculates on when this link had its genesis.
Title
1996 - POSSIBLE JEWISH ANTECEDENTS OF FREEMASONRY - Graham Murray.
