The rite of intrusting, to which we are now to direct our attention, will supply us with many important and interesting symbols.
There is an important period in the ceremony of masonic initiation2, when the candidate is about to receive a full communication of the mysteries through which he has passed, and to which the trials and labors3 which he has undergone can only entitle him. This ceremony is technically4 called the "rite of intrusting," because it is then that the aspirant5 begins to be intrusted with that for the possession of which he was seeking.95 It is equivalent to what, in the ancient Mysteries, was called the "autopsy6," 96 or the seeing of what only the initiated7 were permitted to behold8.
This rite of intrusting is, of course, divided into several parts or periods; for the aporreta, or secret things of Masonry9, are not to be given at once, but in gradual progression. It begins, however, with the communication of LIGHT, which, although but a preparation for the development of the mysteries which are to follow, must be considered as one of the most important symbols in the whole science of masonic symbolism. So important, indeed, is it, and so much does it pervade10 with its influence and its relations the whole masonic system, that Freemasonry itself anciently received, among other appellations11, that of Lux, or Light, to signify that it is to be regarded as that sublime12 doctrine13 of Divine Truth by which the path of him who has attained14 it is to be illuminated15 in his pilgrimage of life.
The Hebrew cosmogonist commences his description of the creation by the declaration that "God said, Let there be light, and there was light"—a phrase which, in the more emphatic16 form that it has received in the original language of "Be light, and light was," 97 is said to have won the praise, for its sublimity17, of the greatest of Grecian critics. "The singularly emphatic summons," says a profound modern writer,98 "by which light is called into existence, is probably owing to the pre?minent utility and glory of that element, together with its mysterious nature, which made it seem as
'The God of this new world,'
Light was, in accordance with this old religious sentiment, the great object of attainment19 in all the ancient religious Mysteries. It was there, as it is now, in Masonry, made the symbol of truth and knowledge. This was always its ancient symbolism, and we must never lose sight of this emblematic20 meaning, when we are considering the nature and signification of masonic light. When the candidate makes a demand for light, it is not merely for that material light which is to remove a physical darkness; that is only the outward form, which conceals21 the inward symbolism. He craves22 an intellectual illumination which will dispel23 the darkness of mental and moral ignorance, and bring to his view, as an eye-witness, the sublime truths of religion, philosophy, and science, which it is the great design of Freemasonry to teach.
In all the ancient systems this reverence24 for light, as the symbol of truth, was predominant. In the Mysteries of every nation, the candidate was made to pass, during his initiation, through scenes of utter darkness, and at length terminated his trials by an admission to the splendidly-illuminated sacellum, or sanctuary25, where he was said to have attained pure and perfect light, and where he received the necessary instructions which were to invest him with that knowledge of the divine truth which it had been the object of all his labors to gain, and the design of the institution, into which he had been initiated, to bestow26.
Light, therefore, became synonymous with truth and knowledge, and darkness with falsehood and ignorance. We shall find this symbolism pervading27 not only the institutions, but the very languages, of antiquity28.
Thus, among the Hebrews, the word AUR, in the singular, signified light, but in the plural29, AURIM, it denoted the revelation of the divine will; and the aurim and thummim, literally30 the lights and truths, constituted a part of the breastplate whence the high priest obtained oracular responses to the questions which he proposed.99
There is a peculiarity31 about the word "light," in the old Egyptian language, which is well worth consideration in this connection. Among the Egyptians, the hare was the hieroglyphic32 of eyes that are open; and it was adopted because that timid animal was supposed never to close his organs of vision, being always on the watch for his enemies. The hare was afterwards adopted by the priests as a symbol of the mental illumination or mystic light which was revealed to the neophytes, in the contemplation of divine truth, during the progress of their initiation; and hence, according to Champollion, the hare was also the symbol of Osiris, their chief god; thus showing the intimate connection which they believed to exist between the process of initiation into their sacred rites34 and the contemplation of the divine nature. But the Hebrew word for hare is ARNaBeT. Now, this is compounded of the two words AUR, light, and NaBaT, to behold, and therefore the word which in the Egyptian denoted initiation, in the Hebrew signified to behold the light. In two nations so intimately connected in history as the Hebrew and the Egyptian, such a coincidence could not have been accidental. It shows the prevalence of the sentiment, at that period, that the communication of light was the prominent design of the Mysteries—so prominent that the one was made the synonyme of the other.100
The worship of light, either in its pure essence or in the forms of sun-worship and fire-worship, because the sun and the fire were causes of light, was among the earliest and most universal superstitions35 of the world. Light was considered as the primordial36 source of all that was holy and intelligent; and darkness, as its opposite, was viewed as but another name for evil and ignorance. Dr. Beard, in an article on this subject, in Kitto's Cyclopaedia of Biblical Literature, attributes this view of the divine nature of light, which was entertained by the nations of the East, to the fact that, in that part of the world, light "has a clearness and brilliancy, is accompanied by an intensity37 of heat, and is followed in its influence by a largeness of good, of which the inhabitants of less genial38 climates have no conception. Light easily and naturally became, in consequence, with Orientals, a representative of the highest human good. All the more joyous39 emotions of the mind, all the pleasing sensations of the frame, all the happy hours of domestic intercourse40, were described under imagery derived41 from light. The transition was natural—from earthly to heavenly, from corporeal42 to spiritual things; and so light came to typify true religion and the felicity which it imparts. But as light not only came from God, but also makes man's way clear before him, so it was employed to signify moral truth, and pre?minently that divine system of truth which is set forth43 in the Bible, from its earliest gleamings onward44 to the perfect day of the Great Sun of Righteousness."
I am inclined to believe that in this passage the learned author has erred45, not in the definition of the symbol, but in his deduction46 of its origin. Light became the object of religious veneration47, not because of the brilliancy and clearness of a particular sky, nor the warmth and genial influence of a particular climate,—for the worship was universal, in Scandinavia as in India,—but because it was the natural and inevitable48 result of the worship of the sun, the chief deity49 of Sabianism—a faith which pervaded50 to an extraordinary extent the whole religious sentiment of antiquity.101
Light was venerated51 because it was an emanation from the sun, and, in the materialism52 of the ancient faith, light and darkness were both personified as positive existences, the one being the enemy of the other. Two principles were thus supposed to reign53 over the world, antagonistic54 to each other, and each alternately presiding over the destinies of mankind.102
The contests between the good and evil principle, symbolized55 by light and darkness, composed a very large part of the ancient mythology56 in all countries.
Among the Egyptians, Osiris was light, or the sun; and his arch-enemy, Typhon, who ultimately destroyed him, was the representative of darkness.
Zoroaster, the father of the ancient Persian religion, taught the same doctrine, and called the principle of light, or good, Ormuzd, and the principle of darkness, or evil, Ahriman. The former, born of the purest light, and the latter, sprung from utter darkness, are, in this mythology, continually making war on each other.
Manes, or Manichaeus, the founder57 of the sect58 of Manichees, in the third century, taught that there are two principles from which all things proceed; the one is a pure and subtile matter, called Light, and the other a gross and corrupt59 substance, called Darkness. Each of these is subject to the dominion60 of a superintending being, whose existence is from all eternity61. The being who presides over the light is called God; he that rules over the darkness is called Hyle, or Demon62. The ruler of the light is supremely63 happy, good, and benevolent64, while the ruler over darkness is unhappy, evil, and malignant65.
Pythagoras also maintained this doctrine of two antagonistic principles. He called the one, unity66, light, the right hand, equality, stability, and a straight line; the other he named binary67, darkness, the left hand, inequality, instability, and a curved line. Of the colors, he attributed white to the good principle, and black to the evil one.
The Cabalists gave a prominent place to light in their system of cosmogony. They taught that, before the creation of the world, all space was filled with what they called Aur en soph, or the Eternal Light, and that when the Divine Mind determined68 or willed the production of Nature, the Eternal Light withdrew to a central point, leaving around it an empty space, in which the process of creation went on by means of emanations from the central mass of light. It is unnecessary to enter into the Cabalistic account of creation; it is sufficient here to remark that all was done through the mediate69 influence of the Aur en soph, or eternal light, which produces coarse matter, but one degree above nonentity70, only when it becomes so attenuated71 as to be lost in darkness.
The Brahminical doctrine was, that "light and darkness are esteemed72 the world's eternal ways; he who walketh in the former returneth not; that is to say, he goeth to eternal bliss73; whilst he who walketh in the latter cometh back again upon earth," and is thus destined74 to pass through further transmigrations, until his soul is perfectly75 purified by light.103
In all the ancient systems of initiation the candidate was shrouded76 in darkness, as a preparation for the reception of light. The duration varied77 in the different rites. In the Celtic Mysteries of Druidism, the period in which the aspirant was immersed in darkness was nine days and nights; among the Greeks, at Eleusis, it was three times as long; and in the still severer rites of Mithras, in Persia, fifty days of darkness, solitude78, and fasting were imposed upon the adventurous79 neophyte33, who, by these excessive trials, was at length entitled to the full communication of the light of knowledge.
Thus it will be perceived that the religious sentiment of a good and an evil principle gave to darkness, in the ancient symbolism, a place equally as prominent as that of light.
The same religious sentiment of the ancients, modified, however, in its details, by our better knowledge of divine things, has supplied Freemasonry with a double symbolism—that of Light and Darkness.
Darkness is the symbol of initiation. It is intended to remind the candidate of his ignorance, which Masonry is to enlighten; of his evil nature, which Masonry is to purify; of the world, in whose obscurity he has been wandering, and from which Masonry is to rescue him.
Light, on the other hand, is the symbol of the autopsy, the sight of the mysteries, the intrusting, the full fruition of masonic truth and knowledge.
Initiation precedes the communication of knowledge in Masonry, as darkness preceded light in the old cosmogonies. Thus, in Genesis, we see that in the beginning "the world was without form, and void, and darkness was on the face of the deep." The Chaldean cosmogony taught that in the beginning "all was darkness and water." The Phoenicians supposed that "the beginning of all things was a wind of black air, and a chaos80 dark as Erebus." 104
But out of all this darkness sprang forth light, at the divine command, and the sublime phrase, "Let there be light," is repeated, in some substantially identical form, in all the ancient histories of creation.
So, too, out of the mysterious darkness of Masonry comes the full blaze of masonic light. One must precede the other, as the evening preceded the morning. "So the evening and the morning were the first day."
This thought is preserved in the great motto of the Order, "Lux e tenebris"—Light out of darkness. It is equivalent to this other sentence: Truth out of initiation. Lux, or light, is truth; tenebrae, or darkness, is initiation.
It is a beautiful and instructive portion of our symbolism, this connection of darkness and light, and well deserves a further investigation81.
"Genesis and the cosmogonies," says Portal, "mention the antagonism82 of light and darkness. The form of this fable83 varies according to each nation, but the foundation is everywhere the same. Under the symbol of the creation of the world it presents the picture of regeneration and initiation." 105
Plutarch says that to die is to be initiated into the greater Mysteries; and the Greek word τελευτ?ν, which signifies to die, means also to be initiated. But black, which is the symbolic84 color of darkness, is also the symbol of death. And hence, again, darkness, like death, is the symbol of initiation. It was for this reason that all the ancient initiations were performed at night. The celebration of the Mysteries was always nocturnal. The same custom prevails in Freemasonry, and the explanation is the same. Death and the resurrection were taught in the Mysteries, as they are in Freemasonry. The initiation was the lesson of death. The full fruition or autopsy, the reception of light, was the lesson of regeneration or resurrection.
Light is, therefore, a fundamental symbol in Freemasonry. It is, in fact, the first important symbol that is presented to the neophyte in his instructions, and contains within itself the very essence of Speculative85 Masonry, which is nothing more than the contemplation of intellectual light or truth.106
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1
rite
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| n.典礼，惯例，习俗 | |
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initiation
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| n.开始 | |
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labors
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| v.努力争取(for)( labor的第三人称单数 )；苦干；详细分析；（指引擎）缓慢而困难地运转 | |
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technically
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| adv.专门地，技术上地 | |
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aspirant
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| n.热望者；adj.渴望的 | |
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autopsy
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| n.尸体解剖；尸检 | |
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initiated
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| n. 创始人 adj. 新加入的 vt. 开始，创始，启蒙，介绍加入 | |
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behold
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| v.看，注视，看到 | |
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masonry
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| n.砖土建筑；砖石 | |
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pervade
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| v.弥漫，遍及，充满，渗透，漫延 | |
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appellations
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| n.名称，称号( appellation的名词复数 ) | |
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sublime
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| adj.崇高的，伟大的；极度的，不顾后果的 | |
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doctrine
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| n.教义；主义；学说 | |
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attained
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| （通常经过努力）实现( attain的过去式和过去分词 )； 达到； 获得； 达到（某年龄、水平、状况） | |
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illuminated
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| adj.被照明的；受启迪的 | |
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emphatic
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| adj.强调的，着重的；无可置疑的，明显的 | |
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sublimity
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| 崇高，庄严，气质高尚 | |
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adoration
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| n.爱慕，崇拜 | |
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attainment
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| n.达到，到达；［常pl.］成就，造诣 | |
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emblematic
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| adj.象征的，可当标志的；象征性 | |
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conceals
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| v.隐藏，隐瞒，遮住( conceal的第三人称单数 ) | |
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craves
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| 渴望，热望( crave的第三人称单数 )； 恳求，请求 | |
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dispel
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| vt.驱走，驱散，消除 | |
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reverence
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| n.敬畏，尊敬，尊严；Reverence:对某些基督教神职人员的尊称；v.尊敬，敬畏，崇敬 | |
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sanctuary
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| n.圣所，圣堂，寺庙；禁猎区，保护区 | |
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bestow
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| v.把…赠与，把…授予；花费 | |
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pervading
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| v.遍及，弥漫( pervade的现在分词 ) | |
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antiquity
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| n.古老；高龄；古物，古迹 | |
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plural
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| n.复数；复数形式；adj.复数的 | |
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literally
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| adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实 | |
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peculiarity
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| n.独特性，特色；特殊的东西；怪癖 | |
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hieroglyphic
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| n.象形文字 | |
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neophyte
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| n.新信徒；开始者 | |
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rites
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| 仪式，典礼( rite的名词复数 ) | |
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superstitions
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| 迷信，迷信行为( superstition的名词复数 ) | |
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primordial
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| adj.原始的；最初的 | |
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intensity
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| n.强烈，剧烈；强度；烈度 | |
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genial
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| adj.亲切的，和蔼的，愉快的，脾气好的 | |
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joyous
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| adj.充满快乐的；令人高兴的 | |
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intercourse
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| n.性交；交流，交往，交际 | |
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derived
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| vi.起源；由来；衍生；导出v.得到( derive的过去式和过去分词 )；（从…中）得到获得；源于；（从…中）提取 | |
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corporeal
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| adj.肉体的，身体的；物质的 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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onward
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| adj.向前的，前进的；adv.向前，前进，在先 | |
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erred
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| 犯错误，做错事( err的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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deduction
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| n.减除，扣除，减除额；推论，推理，演绎 | |
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veneration
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| n.尊敬，崇拜 | |
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inevitable
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| adj.不可避免的，必然发生的 | |
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deity
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| n.神，神性；被奉若神明的人(或物) | |
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pervaded
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| v.遍及，弥漫( pervade的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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venerated
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| 敬重（某人或某事物），崇敬( venerate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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materialism
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| n.［哲］唯物主义，唯物论；物质至上 | |
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reign
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| n.统治时期，统治，支配，盛行；v.占优势 | |
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antagonistic
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| adj.敌对的 | |
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symbolized
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| v.象征，作为…的象征( symbolize的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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mythology
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| n.神话，神话学，神话集 | |
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Founder
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| n.创始者，缔造者 | |
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sect
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| n.派别，宗教，学派，派系 | |
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corrupt
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| v.贿赂，收买；adj.腐败的，贪污的 | |
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dominion
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| n.统治，管辖，支配权；领土，版图 | |
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eternity
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| n.不朽，来世；永恒，无穷 | |
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demon
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| n.魔鬼，恶魔 | |
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supremely
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| adv.无上地，崇高地 | |
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benevolent
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| adj.仁慈的，乐善好施的 | |
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malignant
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| adj.恶性的，致命的；恶意的，恶毒的 | |
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unity
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| n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调 | |
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binary
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| adj.二，双；二进制的；n.双(体)；联星 | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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mediate
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| vi.调解，斡旋；vt.经调解解决；经斡旋促成 | |
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nonentity
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| n.无足轻重的人 | |
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attenuated
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| v.（使）变细( attenuate的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）变薄；（使）变小；减弱 | |
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esteemed
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| adj.受人尊敬的v.尊敬( esteem的过去式和过去分词 )；敬重；认为；以为 | |
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bliss
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| n.狂喜，福佑，天赐的福 | |
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destined
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| adj.命中注定的；(for)以…为目的地的 | |
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perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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shrouded
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| v.隐瞒( shroud的过去式和过去分词 )；保密 | |
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varied
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| adj.多样的，多变化的 | |
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solitude
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| n. 孤独; 独居,荒僻之地,幽静的地方 | |
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79
adventurous
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| adj.爱冒险的；惊心动魄的，惊险的，刺激的 | |
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80
chaos
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| n.混乱，无秩序 | |
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81
investigation
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| n.调查，调查研究 | |
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82
antagonism
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| n.对抗，敌对，对立 | |
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83
fable
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| n.寓言；童话；神话 | |
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84
symbolic
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| adj.象征性的，符号的，象征主义的 | |
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85
speculative
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| adj.思索性的，暝想性的，推理的 | |
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