The parts about the origins of Masonic ritual are very plausible and the best theory I'm aware of. The other theories & stuff not so much. They get off "in the weeds" and do not support their assertions enough. This book is bereft of proper documentation, footnotes & quotations. The dudes who wrote this should have fixed it years ago as this book does continue to sell. The reader is just going to vet the parts they are interested in for themselves.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
I found my way to this book by a circuitous path; I had a book on the astrological symbolism in Washington DC which kept referring to Freemasonry, and without knowing more about Freemasonry, I could not understand the astrological symbolism of DC. I checked out some other books on Freemasonry, and reading them was really tough going! They emphasized the secret nature of the organization so strongly that they really didn't tell you anything about it. I saw "The Hiram Key" at a large chain bookstore and bought it on a whim. This engrossing book has become such a favorite, I bought this copy so I would have a "loaner!" The authors here are Freemasons themselves, and are also professional researchers. Being curious about the organiztion to which they belong, they teamed up to answer their own questions. The answers they found cut across many fields, including archaeology, astronomy, history, and religion. They manage to convey a lot of information about Freemasonry without divulging the secrets of the order. Why do I keep reading this book? It is so full of inter-related topics that each time I go through it, I gain a new appreciation for some facet of the material. This is true both about the information within this book, and how this book sets the stage for the books which follow in the exploratory series. I think the authors go to great lengths to stay objective in a number of areas which are fraught with strong emotional potential, such as their research into the Biblical topics they cover. By being academic "outsiders" in many of the fields they research, I think they are able to throw new light on old questions. Their solid academic credentials allow them to assemble data from a variety of sources and compile it into a meaningful whole. The book is full of footnotes and a complete bibliography; they are careful to document whatever they assert. Since the research for "The Hiram Key" takes each author far beyond his scope of expertise, the themes in the book are carefully developed so you don't need an extensive scholarly background to follow along. "The Hiram Key" is entertaining, informative, and thought-provoking non-fiction, which is my idea of a good book! I like that it fits into a series of books which explore layer upon layer of the subject at hand, and also that the authors maintain a website so you can check out much of their background information yourself, and draw your own conclusions. I am glad I discovered this book, and think you will be, too.Read full review
It is a slow read, but a pretty good book. Makes a person sit back and ponder what the actual history is of FreeMasonry. I would recommend it to everyone who likes history.
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