The Symbolism of Freemasonry: XXX. The Stone of Foundation

This is a chapter from Albert Mackey's *Encyclopedia of Freemasonry* (or a similar 19th-century Masonic reference work), functioning as learned expository writing within the esoteric/fraternal tradition. It examines the "Stone of Foundation" — a cubical, inscribed stone said to have lain beneath Solomon's Temple — as a central symbol of the Royal Arch degree in Freemasonry. The author carefully distinguishes this stone from other Masonic stones (cornerstone, keystone, cape-stone) and insists it must be read allegorically, not literally, criticizing a predecessor (Dr. Oliver) for writing about it as though it were historical fact. The piece then surveys a chain of legends tracing the stone from Adam through Seth, Noah, Abraham, and Jacob to Solomon and Zerubbabel, drawing on Jewish Talmudic sources, the apocryphal *Toldoth Jeshu*, and the Book of Job to show how the symbol's meaning accumulates across traditions. A distinctive claim is that Masonic legend deliberately inherits and transforms Talmudic myth, but ennobles it by treating the stories as philosophical allegory rather than literal history — a methodological argument about how Masonic symbolism should be read. The text will appeal to readers interested in the intersection of Kabbalah, Solomonic mythology, and Freemasonry's symbolic architecture, but requires tolerance for 19th-century fraternal scholarship's earnest credulity alongside its occasional critical distance.

The Symbolism of Freemasonry: XXX. The Stone of Foundation

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