By FRANKLIN
J. ANDERSON
Assistant
Editor, Royal Arch Mason Magazine
A study of the Masonic ritual, participating
in the conferral of the degrees, or merely witnessing the ceremonies during the
opening and closing of a lodge brings to our consciousness the frequency with
which reference is made to the number three, or the numerous occasions when
principles, tenets and phrases occur in groups of three. Such a grouping is denoted as a triad.
Anyone familiar with the ritualistic ceremonies of their jurisdictions
can readily identify at least 80 instances of triads in the Entered Apprentice
Degree, 70 in the Fellowcraft Degree and more than 100 in the Master Mason
Degree. Certainly many of these triads
are familiar to everyone who has entered the fraternity: (help, aid and assist;
cheat, wrong or defraud; hele, conceal and reveal).
Among ancient peoples the even numbers were thought to be ill-omened or
unlucky. Odd numbers were considered to
be good omens and favorable signs.
Generally, we regard numbers to be a mere product of human ingenuity,
but the ancients believed them to be of divine origin. Centuries before the Christian era, the
Hindus claimed that their letters or numbers were derived from the language of
the Gods. The Chaldean numbers were
related to the position and grouping of the stars in the sky. In the Kabala the Hebrew alphabet is called
“a visible expression of the divine forces inherent in the ineffable
name.” Pythagoras maintained that there
is a mysterious connection between Gods and numbers. The writings of Pythagoras must receive
particular attention because he was initiated into the mysteries of several
countries. His wisdom came from India as
well as Egypt, and in a sense, he acts as kind of a clearing house for the
teachings of all ancient civilizations.
A survey of many works on ancient customs would seem to indicate that to
all ancient peoples, numbers were sacred.