Freemasonry

The Symbolism of Freemasonry: XIX. The Rite of Investiture

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This is an excerpt from a treatise on Masonic symbolism, likely from the 19th century, written in the tradition of esoteric and comparative religious scholarship. It argues that the Freemasons' lamb-skin apron — called the "badge of a mason" — descends from a universal ancient tradition of ritual investiture, wherein initiates in mystery religions and priesthoods were given a garment as a symbol of purity. The author surveys parallel practices across the Levitical priesthood, Persian Mithraic mysteries, Hindu initiation rites, the Jewish Essenes, Scandinavian warrior rites, Pythagorean schools, and early Christianity, concluding that purity was the shared symbolic intent in each case. Two specific features of the Masonic apron are analyzed as reinforcing this meaning: its white color, shown through extensive biblical and classical citations to universally signify innocence and holiness, and its lamb-skin material, connecting it to the lamb as an emblem of innocence in both Jewish and Christian tradition. The distinctive claim is that these convergences are not coincidental but constitute evidence of a common ancient origin shared by Freemasonry and the world's mystery religions. The piece reads as a defense of Freemasonry's spiritual legitimacy by grounding its symbolism in the deep history of human religious practice.

The Symbolism of Freemasonry: XIX. The Rite of Investiture

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