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Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 366.109
EAN num: 9781594770289
ISBN number: 159477028X
Label: Inner Traditions
Manufacturer: Inner Traditions
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 320
Printing Date: April 07, 2005
Publishing house: Inner Traditions
Release Date: March 29, 2005
Sale Popularity Level: 170217
Studio: Inner Traditions
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Product Description:
Explores the hidden history of Freemasonry from ancient Rome, through the Middle Ages, to the present
• Shows the close connection between medieval masons and the Knights Templar
• Illustrates the sacred nature of Roman and medieval trade associations
• Reveals the missing link that connects the lodges of modern Freemasonry to the medieval brotherhoods of builders
Historians often make a sharp distinction between the operative Masonry of the Middle Ages and the speculative Masonry of modern times, emphasizing that there is no direct bridge connecting the two. Modern historians also have scoffed at Masonic claims concerning the close relationship between the Lodge and the Temple. Using medieval archives housed throughout Europe, historian Paul Naudon reveals that there was in fact a very intimate connection between the Masons and the Knights Templar. Church records of medieval Paris show that most, if not all, the Masons of that time were residents of the Templar censive, which allowed them to enjoy great exemptions and liberties from both church and state as a result of the protection afforded them by this powerful order.
Naudon shows that the origins of Freemasonry can be traced back to the collegia of ancient Rome. He traces the evolution of organizations such as the Comacine Masters, the Arab turuqs, and the brotherhoods of builders created under the aegis of the Benedictines and the Knights Templar, all of which provide the vehicle for the transmission of a sacred tradition from pre-Christian times to the modern era. This tradition is the source of Masonic ritual and symbolism, and it provides the missing link in the transformation of the operative Masonry of the medieval cathedral builders to the spiritual principles of modern speculative Masonry.
User popularity level:
Rated by buyers 
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This is a book that merits a shelf all on it's own. In my own little library are the best and worst of books on this subject, but this one does the best and most believable job altogether. I commend it.
Rated by buyers -
The Secret History of Freemasonry, By P. Naudon is an indispensable tool, for the serious student of Freemasonry and its evolution.
I do not recommend this book for the masses, curious, or highly opinionated dabblers; you may actually find it rather boring. I continually re-read and use this book. I use it for citing in my own work as well as a reference tool for research papers.
Paul Naudon was an exceptional intellect. The amount of information and research covered is immense. Only years of such study and research could eventually yield to something as thorough as this particular work.
Rated by buyers 
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This book is basically a rehash of much old information, with little to instill new debate.
Rated by buyers -
This book presents as one of the best researched in the area of the history of freemasonry. The author has no hidden agendas to meet and so does not dabble in speculation - which unfortunately is becoming the "norm" for books on this topic.
As a thoroughly researched volume it does tend to bog down in names, dates and details, but this only lends more support to it's validity.
If you want a book that cuts through the nonsense you'll read in 60% of what others offer, and yet makes the history it documents almost as diverting as the wild speculations found in other books, this is the book for you. You will learn much.
Rated by buyers 
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In looking at the title, I was expecting something along the lines of a book which was one part conspiracy theory and one part history. Something about the aura of freemasonry draws these kinds of thoughts to the fore. However, the author is giving us a historical explanation of the origins of the freemasons along with a bit of history about the Knights Templar.
First, the author tells us the distinction between operative freemasonry and speculative Freemasonry (the capitalization is the author's). The very first refers to the organizations of builders. The second refers to the organizations which arose many centuries later and had not connected with the builders, but are the organizations we think of yesterday when we think of Freemasons.
The book is not the easiest of reads as it was not designed as a quick narrative of suspense as are most books of Freemasonry. The author, very diligently, walks the reader through history to show how religion, government, and culture were united, spread, or opposed by the groups of builders. Without an understanding of architecture and a background in ancient history, this can be a little hard to follow. It is, nonetheless, very educational to watch the connections across the European and Asian continents.
This may not be the most exciting of reads, but it was not intended to be. It will provide the reader a more ancient and grounded understanding of the organization which became Freemasons.
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