AHIMAN REZON
These strange words were first used Masonically by Laurence Dermott
(1720-1721) as a title of the Book of Constitutions, printed in 1756,
used by the Ancient Grand Lodge in London.
The Title Page of this Ancient Tome is as follows:
AHIMAN REZON
or,
A Help To A Brother
Showing the excellency of secrecy, the principles of the craft And
the Benefits arising from a strict Observance thereof.
What sort of Men ought to be initiated into the Mystery, and what
sort of Masons are fit to govern lo with their Brethren in and out of
the Lodge. Likewise the prayers unfed in the Jewish and Christian
Lodges, the Ancient Manner of Constituting new Lodges, with all the
Charges, Etc.
Also the old and new Regulations. The Manner of Chufing and
Installing Grand-Master and Officers, and other useful Particulars
too numerous here to mention. To which is added, The Greatest
Collection of Masons Songs ever presented to public view, with many
entertaining Prologues and Epilogues.
Together with, Solomon’s Temple and Oratorio as it was performed for
the benefit of Freemasons by Brother Laurence Dermott, Sec.
According to “The Builders,” at one time or another, eight American
Grand Jurisdictions have used the words as a title to their Books of
Law; Georgia, Maryland, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South
Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.
Two still retain the old title; Pennsylvania and South Carolina.
Georgia now has “Masonic Manual and Code;” Maryland, “Constitutions,
By-Laws and Standing Orders;” New York, “Book of Constitutions;”
North Carolina, “Code,” also named “Constitution and Regulations;”
Tennessee, “Masonic Code;” and Virginia, the “Text Book,” commonly
referred to as the “Methodical Digest.”
Pennsylvania’s Ahiman Rezon contains the following:
SECTION XII - HISTORICAL NOTES - AHIMAN REZON.
The first Masonic book published in America was printed in
Philadelphia by Brother Benjamin Franklin in 1734. It was a reprint
of what is known as “Anderson’s Constitutions,” which was published
in 1723 under the authority of the Grand Lodge of England, and
entitled: “The Constitutions of the Freemasons. Containing the
History, Charges, Regulations, &c., of the Most ancient and Right
Worshipful Fraternity. For the use of the Lodges,” and was compiled
by Brother James Anderson, D.D. This reprint is now very scarce. A
copy of it is in the Library of the Grand Lodge.
The “Ahiman Rezon; A Help to a Brother,” was prepared in 1756 by
Brother James Dermott, Grand Secretary of the Grand Lodge of England
According To The Old Institutions,” once called the “Ancients.”
This corresponded to the Book of Constitutions of the Grand Lodge of
England, once called the “Moderns.”
The first Book of Masonic law published by the Grand Lodge of
Pennsylvania was entitled: “Ahiman Rezon abridged and digested” as
a help to all that are or would be Free and Accepted Masons.” It was
prepared by the Grand Secretary, Rev. Brother William Smith, D.D.,
Provost of the University of Pennsylvania, and was almost entirely a
reprint of Dermott’s work; it was approved by the Grand Lodge
November 22, 1781, published in 1783, and dedicated to Brother George
Washington.
It is reprinted in the introduction to the first or edited reprint of
the Proceedings of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, 1730-1808. (See
the Library, p 201.)
On April 18, 1825, a revision of the Ahiman Rezon was adopted, being
taken largely from “Anderson’s Constitutions.”
Another revision was adopted June 15, 1857, which was followed by the
revisions adopted June 15, 1867, December 5, 1877, December 6, 1893,
December 4, 1895 and December 1, 1915. The revision of 1825 contains
the following as the definition of the words Ahiman Rezon:
“The Book of Constitutions is usually denominated Ahiman Rezon. The
literal translation of “Ahmian” is a “Prepared Brother’,” from
“Manah” to “Prepare,” and “Rezon”, “Secret;” so that “Ahiman Rezon”
literally means, the secrets of a Prepared Brother. It is likewise
supposed to be a corruption of “Achi man Ratzon,” the thoughts and
opinions of a true and faithful Brother.”
As the Ahiman Rezon is not a secret. but a published book, and the
above definition has been omitted from subsequent revisions of the
book, the words were submitted to Hebrew scholars for translation
upon the assumption that they are of Hebrew origin. The words,
however, are not Hebrew.
Subsequent inquiry leads to the belief that they come from the
Spanish, and are thus interpreted: “Ahi” (which is pronounced
“Ahee”), is demonstrative and means “there,” as if pointing to a
thing or place; “Man” may be considered a form of “Monta,” which
means the “Account, amount, sum total,” or “Fullness;” while “Razon”
(or Rezon) means “Reason, Principle,” or “Justice,” the word justice
being used in the sense of law. If, therefore, we ascribe the words
“Ahiman Rezon” to Spanish origin, their meaning is - “There is the
full account of the law.”
South Carolina’s Ahiman Rezon, under “Masonic Definitions,” states:
“The Book of Constitution of the Grand Lodge of South Carolina is
also called the Ahiman Rezon. The title is derived from three Hebrew
words, “ahim,” brothers; “manah,” to appoint or select; and “ratzon,”
the will or law; and it consequently literally signifies “the law of
appointed or selected brothers.” It contains the rules and
regulations of the Order, the details of all public ceremonies to be
used on various occasions, such as consecrations, installations,
funerals, etc., and is, in fact, a summary of all the fundamental
principles of Freemasonry. To this book reference is made in all
cases where the by-laws of the Grand Lodge are silent or not
sufficiently explicit. In all public processions, the Ahiman Rezon,
or Book of Constitutions, should be carried before the Grand Master
by the Master of the oldest Lodge present.
Considerable controversy has taken place over the meaning of the
words, and many and ingenious have been the explanations offered by
various students.
Mackey, who erred so seldom that his monumental Encyclopedia of
Freemasonry, albeit enlarged and revised, is still a foundation stone
for most structures of Masonic lore; interpreted them to mean “the
will of selected brethren.” Dr. Fredrick Dalcho, learned Masonic
authority of early years, believed that a better translation of the
Hebrew was “the secrets of a prepared brother.”
For the benefit of those who are not familiar with the structure of
Hebrew, it may be stated that many words in that ancient tongue are
susceptible of many interpretations; indeed, many words in English
have different meanings, according to context. “Case,” for instance,
may be an action-at-law, a container, and illness or an injury.
Other words pronounced alike but spelled differently have divergent
meanings, as t-w-o, and t-o-o, or i-n and i-n-n. Written Hebrew is
often without vowels (instance JHVH, usually written Jehovah in
English) so the difference in translation of these two able Masonic
scholars is not particularly strange.
Later authorities, however, believe that both were mistaken and that
the real meaning of Ahiman Rezon is “faithful brother Secretary,” for
technical reasons which have been well set forth by noted Hebrew
scholars, including Brother the Reverend Morris Rosenbaum, a quarter
of a century ago, in the Transactions of Quatuor Coronati (the great
research Lodge in London).
According to the theory of the more modern translation, Dermott chose
the word “Ahiman” because, as a Hebrew proper name, it was translated
in the Geneva or “Breeches” Bible as “a brother of the right hand.”
It is interesting to note that Young’s Concordance of the Bible (1924
revision) translates Ahiman, which occurs four times in the King
James version, as meaning “brother of man.” Numbers, Joshua and
Judges refer to Ahiman, a son of Anak, who dwelt in Hebron, and First
Chronicles to Ahiman, a Hebrew porter in the Temple.
Dermott, however, must have used the Geneva Bible; all the texts in
his book, quoted in his address “To the reader,” are verbatim
excerpts from this work. In that “Breeches” Bible is the familiar
“Table of Names and their Interpretations familiar in many editions
of the Scriptures. Here Dermott must have found this “brother of the
right hand” which he evidently took to indicate brother of fidelity,
a faithful brother. However incorrect this translation may be -
apparently it comes from the Hebrew “ah,” brother, and “yamin,” right
hand - it was the translation to which Dermott had access. In the
same Bible “Rezon” in translated “a secretarie or leane.”
In the dedication of his second edition of the Ahiman Rezon, Dermott
wrote: I hope you will do me the honor of calling me a faithful
brother.”
Dermott had a smattering of Hebrew, but he fell into the common error
of those whose knowledge runs not very deep; he lacked perspective
and any feeling for the relativity of facts about the difficult
tongue. Moderns find the same attitude of mind among the unschooled;
an ignorant man denies that the earth is a ball, because it “looks”
flat, but has no difficulty in believing in ghosts and banshees; he
can “understand” how “speech travels through a telephone wire” but
cannot comprehend the verity of the geological doctrine that the
earth is many, many times six thousand years old. Similarly, Dermott
could go to a Bible for his Hebrew words and their meanings, and not
comprehend that a Hebrew scholar might make a mistake.
It is curious to find the pseudo-science of numerology called upon to
explain Dermott’s choice of a name for his Book of Constitutions,
which was, so oddly, to persist long after its contents was
superseded by more modern text. Yet the evidence is plain; one need
not credit that belief which ascribes magical powers of prophecy to
the numerical value of the letters in a name to see the point.
An ancient Jewish writer chose as a title of his work, words the
numerical value of the letters of which would equal or nearly
approximate the numerical value of the letters of his name, thus
cryptographically offering evidence that he did, indeed, have the
right to claim its authorship . . .a custom at least as old as 1200
A.D.
In all probability Dermott knew this; without such knowledge, it is
difficult on any theories of probability to account for the fact that
the numerical value of the letters in Ahiman Rezon is 372, while
those in Laurence total 371. The difference of one is not actually a
discrepancy, because Gematria, or numerical cryptography, regards a
difference of but one as an equality, and even gives such a factor a
name.
It may well be that this old Jewish custom was set forth for Dermott
by a Jew, who would naturally demonstrate it only with a given name,
not a surname; this may be why Dermott chose words which
cryptographically equal “Laurence” and not “Laurence Dermott.”
Whatever the real meaning of Ahiman Rezon - whether it be Hebrew,
properly translated “faithful brother secretary,” or “the will of
selected brethren,” or “the secrets of a prepared brother,” or
Spanish in origin, properly understood “There is a full account of
the law” as Pennsylvania sets forth - the name for many years caught
the imagination of Masons. Only lately has it fallen from its former
high estate. Two old and greatly respected American Jurisdictions
still find it all sufficient as the title of their official books of
the law. It is to be noted, however, that but little of Laurence
Dermott remains in either Pennsylvania’s or South Carolina’s volume;
only the name there persists as a reminder of the Antient: influence
in both these Grand Lodges. back to top
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