The Hiram Key - Pharaohs, Freemasons and the Discovery of the Secret Scrolls of Jesus

I knew nothing of Freemasonry before reading this book; I can't even remember what prompted me to read it in the first place. But no matter, because it is a fascinating piece of archaeological mystery writing. The authors seek to discover the origin of masonic ritual; and along the way the reader learns about the birth of middle eastern civilization with the Sumerians, the nature of king-making in ancient Egypt, the origin of the Jewish people, a very alternative (and provocative) description of the nature of Jesus's ministry, and the construction of what has become Christianity by the earliest Roman Christians. This book does not seem to be meant to promote freemasonry, so you won't be pummeled with masonic text. The function of the masonic text and ritual in this book is to tie together aspects of mid-eastern history and archaeology (and relevant portions of Celtic British Isles history) in a unique way.

The book is about the origins of Freemasonry by two members of the organization....however, if you are a student of early christianity and pre christian spirituality, you will find this an excellent resource on the origins and history of the religion.

This is one of the great key-stone books of the popular history/religion genre.The Hiram Key combines an interesting review of the history with some compelling theories, fascinating new ideas, and informed speculation.The book is essentially a review of the mysterious history of freemasonry in the light of information from ancient Egypt and Christian scripture. A revised version of historical events is proposed, and some intriguing solutions offered to some unanswered questions.The authors argue their points so confidently that the less sceptical reader might be convinced by everything they read. The purpose of this text is to present a new theory, rather than consider the opposing arguments. The reader should explore other sources for additional evidence to balance the author's arguments.I strongly recommend this book to anyone interested in secret societies, history, or religion - especially freemasonry, ancient Egypt, Christianity, or the knights templar.You'll enjoy reading this fascinating book and perhaps learn a little bit of history too.

Knight and Lomas have done an excellent job, compling information and making their own deductions about the origins of Hiram Abif and Masonic Legend. People who read this book, without having a firm background of Historical Masonic knowledge or a desire to search for the truth, or who take many myths too literally will not unsderstand this book, as I have noticed from the other reviews. Anyone who attempts to judge this book, or any other book, simply because they refer to one particular book (that Masons honor with more respect than many give them credit for) and say they are wrong.... Well, that is not a very intellectual reaction to the material. One should read many books about and by Masons, catalogue the info in the mind, THEN tackle this book--which Knight and Lomas have done such an Excellent job, piecing together! I have been deeply-immersed in Masonic Lore, Bible Study and many other areas of study for the last decade and was always very surprised when Masons sometimes denied the Egypt connection with Masonry...when it was all so very obvious that Egypt holds the secrets of this Honorable tradition. However, at the time, I was reading with an "Outsider's" viewpoint, unclouded by personal involvement, either way. Now, however, after many years of study, I believe Knight and Lomas have finally started putting the last few pieces of the puzzle together. If this book is read with an open mind, without prejudice toward one's own beliefs, you may find some enlightening revelations. If all men would honor each-other's faith, as-do Masons, this world would be a better place to live. The Hiram Key should be read with intellect, not Superstition. The oldest secret societies are products of Egypt, therefor it makes since to make the final connections. Obviously, the source of Info that people want to quote the most is not entirely accurate or untainted by the hand of mankind. Myth is very powerful, but not necessarily accurate. I do know that Knight and Lomas are inspiring and I am delighted to see books such as this one in the public domain!

I read this book (the paperback version--yes, it's out) right after reading Bloodline of the Holy Grail by Laurence Gardner, and the two make a very interesting set. They contradict each other in places (particularly concerning James the Just, younger brother of Jesus) but overall they complement each other. The authors of this work, having joined the Masons, set out to find out what the rituals they went through really mean and where they came from. The key question they attempt to answer is, who was Hiram Abif, a key figure in Masonic ritual, supposedly in charge of building Solomon's temple who supposedly died rather than reveal the secrets of a master mason to three of his workers who tried to get them by intimidation. They came up with some interesting theories which I would dearly love to see expanded upon, but some of their supposed solutions hang on very tenous evidence and dubious interpretations. I'm sure they're right to trace the origins of Freemasonry to the Knights Templar, who had to go underground after being declared heretics on the infamous Friday the 13th of October 1307. (See Born in Blood by John J. Robinson.) They also seem to be on solid ground in tracing some rituals and traditions back to the early Christians of Jerusalem and the Essenes by way of scrolls probably discovered by the Templars while excavating the ruins of Herod's temple. Their attempt to trace them even further back to the murder of Pharoah Seqenenre (whom they see as the prototype for Hiram Abif) is much shakier (tho they may be onto something). Even shakier is their attempt to blame the murder on Levi and Rueben, two sons of the Jewish patriarch Jacob/Israel (and thus the eponymous founders of one of the tribes of Israel and of the Levite priests of Israel). The chronology is all wrong, and their only basis for this claim is their interpretation of a single ambigous verse in Genesis. The later chapters of the book, which are very interesting, are devoted to a detailed examination of the Chapel of Rosslyn in Scotland, which seems to be a Templar/Masonic reproduction of Herod's temple, and they predict that at least some of the scrolls the Templars found in Jerusalem are buried in vaults beneath the floor of this building. They say there is some support for the idea of excavating the site, and I certainly hope that they're right, for what they find could be even more important than the Dead Sea Scrolls!