Blue and Red Symbolism

in Masonry
by Joannes Richter

Introduction
This summary documents the starting point for early religion as an Ancient Symbol Worship.
Ancient peoples erected pillars and created circles as religious symbols, representing the male
respectively female reproductive organs. These ancient religious symbols have been overthrown by
prophets, but they did not disappear completely.
Basically the symbols for these old male and female elements may be considered as bipolar
antipodes. Remarkable ancient religious bipolar symbols are the colours red and blue, which have
been documented in the Books Exodus1 and Chronicles. However two additional colours (purple
and white) have been found as a third respectively fourth symbolic element. Purple obviously
represents the joined male and female or divine, androgynous forces, whereas white represents the
absence of colours.
Ancient religious symbolism in the colours red, blue and purple has been inherited from the biblical
sources to the Masonic traditions. According to American medical doctor and Freemason Albert
Gallatin Mackey2 the Aprons, Banners, the Breastplate, the Canopy, the Garments, the Ephod, the
decorations of the Tabernacle and the Veils have been made “of blue, purple, and scarlet or
crimson, decorated with gold upon a ground of fine white linen”. In parallel to the Masons the
colour symbols may also have been transported by priests, monks, royals, scientists and initiated
artists. A number of royal tombs reveals the red, white and blue-combinations, but a vast number of
medieval icons, paintings, and ancient decorations and sculptures as well demonstrate the special
combinations of red & blue symbols.
Most of the knowledge has been lost or at least suffering in the course of time. In Encyclopedia of
Freemasonary the documented symbolism for the four masonic colours3 is rather crude:
• Blue is a symbol of universal friendship and benevolence,
• Purple is a symbol here of union,
• Scarlet is a symbol of fervency and zeal,
• White is a symbol of purity, and is peculiarly appropriate to remind the neophyte.

Obviously the modern Masons must have lost the red & blue symbolism by 1873, although the
medieval painter Hieronymus Bosch must have been aware of red & blue's symbolism in 1510.

1 see details in The Sky-God Dyaeus

2 Albert Gallatin Mackey (March 12, 1807 – June 20, 1881) was an American medical doctor, and is best known for
his authorship of many books and articles about freemasonry, particularly Masonic Landmarks. He served as Grand
Lecturer and Grand Secretary of The Grand Lodge of South Carolina; Secretary General of the Supreme Council of
the Ancient and Accepted Rite for the Southern Jurisdiction of the United States.
3 From the Encyclopedia of Freemasonary Vol I (1873) & Vol II (1878) by Albert c. Mackey m. d., entry: Veils,
Symbolism of the
Instead the following standard symbolism has been be interpreted from medieval artwork4:

• Blue is a symbol of female adult contributions

• Purple is a symbol here of (male and female) adults' union,
• Scarlet and crimson are symbols of male adult contributions,
• White is a symbol of purity, and is peculiarly appropriate to remind the newborn.

The special pairwise symbolism of red & blue may easily be identified by inspecting the medieval
Bibles, which will often reveal decorations in alternating colours red & blue. A number of these
alternating texts have been documented in Secret Colour Codes in the Bible and in Illuminated
Manuscripts . The Utrecht Bible (1460) reveals alternating initials in red and blue-combinations:

Fig 1: Utrechter Bible (1460)

4 see details in The Sky-God Dyaeus

The special combination of red, white and blue may be found at the count Gerard's grave (ca. 1240)
at Roermond5 and at the Graves of Henry & Eleonora Plantagenet at Fontevraud Abbey (ca. 1189).

Fig. 2: Monumental grave at Roermond (ca. 1240)

Fig. 3: Grave of Henry & Eleonora at

Fontevraud Abbey

5 see details in: Blue and Red in Roermond

Hieronymous Bosch must have been aware of the symbolism in the rose-red pillar (fountain of love
named Mizpeh6) and the corresponding blue circle (corresponding to the cairn named Galeed7).
More details to the symbolism of the Garden of Earthly Delights (1510) by Bosch have been
documented in Symbolism in the Garden of Delights by Hieronymos Bosch and Symbolism in the
Paintings by Hieronymos Bosch .

Fig. 4: The central creation symbol as a pink

(rose-red) fountain over a blue foundation
(1510)

The following chapters will document details from two documents published in 1873 and 1875 to
demonstrate the vast amount of ancient knowledge which has been saved by Masonry with respect
to colour symbolism.

6 Influence of the Phallic Idea in the Religions of Antiquity. by Hodder m. Westropp and c. Staniland Wake with an
Introduction, additional notes, and an appendix by Alexander Wilder, m.d. Second edition with plates, 1875,
republished 2010
7 Influence of the Phallic Idea in the Religions of Antiquity. by Hodder m. Westropp and c. Staniland Wake with an
Introduction, additional notes, and an appendix by Alexander Wilder, m.d. Second edition with plates, 1875,
republished 2010
Ancient Symbol Worship8
The Hebrew Scriptures, which have been regarded as especially the oracles of religious
truth, develop the fact, as has been already suggested, of a close resemblance of the earlier
Israelites with the surrounding nations. Their great progenitor, Abraham, is described as
emigrating from the region of Chaldea, at the junction of the Tigris and Euphrates, in the
character of a dissenter from the religion of that country9. Yet he and his immediate
descendants appear to have at least employed the same religious symbols and forms of
worship as the people of Canaan and Phoenicia, who are recorded to have already occupied
Palestine.
He erected altars wherever he made a residence; and “planted a grove” or pillar in Beer-
sheba, as a religious emblem. He is also represented as conducting his son to the land of
Moriah, to immolate him as a sacrifice to the Deity, as was sometimes done by the
Phoenicians; and as was afterwards authorized in the Mosaic law. One of the suffets, or
judges, Jephthah the Giledite, in like manner sacrificed his own daughter at Mizpeh; and the
place where Abraham built his altar was afterwards selected as the site for the temple of
Solomon.
Jacob is twice mentioned as setting up a pillar, calling the place Beth-el, and as making
libations. On the occasion also of forming a treaty of amity with his father-in-law, Laban,
the Syrian, he erected a pillar and directed his brethren to pile up a cairn, or heap of stones;
to which were applied the names Galeed, or circle, and Mizpeh, or pillar.
Monoliths, or “great stones,” appear to have been as common in Palestine as in other
countries, and the cairns and circles (gilgals) were equally so, as well as the mounds or
“high places.” The suffets, or “judges,” and the kings, maintained them till Hezekiah.
Samuel the prophet worshipped at a high place at Ramah, and Solomon at the “great stone,”
or high place in Gibeon. There were also priests, and we suspect kadeshim, stationed at
them. At Mizpeh, probably at the pillar, was a seat of government of the Israelites; and
Joshua set up a pillar under the oak of Shechem, by the sanctuary. Jephthah the judge made
his residence at the former place, and his daughter, the Iphigenia of the Book of Judges, was
immolated there. Samuel was also inaugurated there as suffet of Israel. There were other
“great stones” mentioned, as Abel, Bethshemesh or Heliopolis; Ezel, where David met with
Jonathan; and Ebenezer, erected by Samuel on the occasion of a victory over the Philistines.
But Hezekiah appears to have changed the entire Hebrew religious polity. He removed the
Hermaic or Dionysiac statues, and the conical omphalic emblems of Venus-Ashtoreth;
overthrew the mounds and altars, and broke in pieces the serpent of brass made by Moses, to
which the people had burned incense “unto those days.” Josiah afterwards also promulgated
the law of Moses, and was equally iconoclastic. He removed the paraphernalia of the
worship of the sun, destroyed the image of Semel, or Hermes, expelled the kadeshim, or
consecrated men and women, from the cloisters of the Temple, and destroyed the statutes
and emblems of Venus and Adonis.

8 Influence of the Phallic Idea in the Religions of Antiquity. by Hodder m. Westropp and c. Staniland Wake
with an Introduction, additional notes, and an appendix by Alexander Wilder, m.d.
Second edition with plates, 1875, republished 2010
9 Joshua xxiv. 2, 3.
We have suggested that Abraham was represented in the character of a dissenter from the
worship prevailing at “Ur of the Khasdim.” As remarked on a subsequent page by Mr. Wake,
“that some great religious movement, ascribed by tradition to Abraham, did take place
among the Semites at an early date, is undoubted.” It may have been the "Great Religious
War."
The religion of the patriarchs appears to have had some affinity with that of the Persians,
insomuch that some writers intimate an identity of origin. This was certainly the case at a
later period. Other peoples were also driven to emigration. Many Scythian nations
abandoned their former seats. The Phoenicians left their country on the Erythrean Sea, and
emigrated to the shores of the Mediterranean. The Pali, or shepherds on the Indus, removed
to the west. A part of the population of Asiatic Ethiopia, or Beluchistan, it is supposed, also
emigrated. The Hyksos, during the Sixth Dynasty of the Old Monarchy, appeared in Egypt.
Josephus, abandoning his own history of Jewish Antiquities, construes the account by
Manetho, in regard to them, as relating to the ancient Hebrews, remarking: “Our ancestors
had the dominion over their country.” If we might interpret the story of Abraham and other
patriarchs as we would the traditions of other nations, we would assign to it a religious or
esoteric meaning rather than a secular and historical one, and fix a later period for the
beginning of the authentic annals. The early association of the Shemitic with the Ethiopian
nations, however, appears to be abundantly corroborated by profane as well as sacred
history. Similarity of customs indicate that the “chosen people,” if they had a separate
political existence, were in other respects substantially like the earlier nations. We may
expect to find these resemblances close enough to show even a family likeness. Of course,
every intelligent reader is aware that the Hamitic and Shemitic populations of Asia, Africa,
and Europe, belonged to what is denominated the Caucasian or Indo-Germanic race. The
earliest deity of the Ethiopian or Hamitic nations, whose worship was most general, was the
one known in the Bible by the designation of Baal. He bore, of course, a multiplicity of
titles, which were often personified as distinct \yhla aleim, or divinities; besides having in
Syria a separate name for every season of the year. In the Sanscrit language he was styled
Maha Deva, or Supreme God; and after the Aryan conquest, was added to the Brahmin
Trimourti under the title Siva. Other names are easily traced in the Hamitic languages; as
Bala in Bel, the tutelar deity of Babylon; Deva Nahusha, or Dionysus, of Arabia and Thrace;
Iswara, or Oseiris, of Egypt. In western mythology he become more generally known
through the Phoenicians. In Tyre he was Mel-karth, the lord of the city; in Syria he was
Adonis and Moloch; but all through Europe he is best known by the hero-name Hercules.
His twelve labors typify the sun passing through the signs of the zodiac; his conquests in the
west show whither the Phoenician navigators directed their course; while the maypoles, Bâl-
fires, and other remnants of old worships, exist as his memorials. The story of his
achievements is a fair outline of the history of Phoenician adventure.
Colours in Masonry
Aprons in Masonry10
An apron is an outer protective garment that covers primarily the front of the body. There is
no one of the symbols of Speculative Freemasonry more important in its teachings, or more
interesting in its history, than the lambskin, or white leathern apron. Commencing its lessons
at an early period in the Freemason's progress, it is impressed upon his memory as the first
gift which he receives, the first symbol which is explained to him, and the first tangible
evidence which he possesses of his admission into the Fraternity. Whatever may be his
future advancement in the "royal art," into whatsoever deeper arcana his devotion to the
mystic Institution or his thirst for knowledge may subsequently lead him, with the lambskin
apron-his first investiture---he never parts. Changing, perhaps, its form and its decorations,
and conveying, at each step, some new but still beautiful allusion, its substance is still there,
and it continues to claim the honoured title by which it was first made known to him, on the
night of his initiation, as the badge of a Mason.

''The apron appears to have been, in ancient times, an honorary badge of distinction.
In the Jewish economy, none but the superior orders of the priesthood were permitted
to adorn themselves with ornamented girdles, which were made of blue, purple, and
crimson, decorated with gold upon a ground of fine white linen; while the inferior
priests wore only plain white. The Indian, the Persian, the Jewish, the Ethiopian, and
the Egyptian aprons, though equally superb, all bore a character distinct from each
other. Some were plain white, others striped with blue, purple, and crimson; some
were of wrought gold, others adorned and decorated with superb tassels and
fringes.”11 Freemasonry was originally incorporated with the various systems of
divine worship used by every people in the ancient world."

Banners, Royal arch12

Much difficulty has been experienced by ritualists in reference to the true colours and proper
arrangements of the banners used in an American Chapter of Royal Arch Masons. It is
admitted that. they are four in number, and that their colours are blue, purple, scarlet, and
white; and it is known, too, that the devices on these banners are a lion, an oz, a man, and an
eagle. But the doubt is constantly arising as to the relation between these devices and these
colours, and as to which of the former is to be appropriated to each of the latter.
We must depend on the Talmudic writers solely for the disposition and arrangement of the
colours and devices of these banners. From their works we learn that the colour of the
banner of Judah was white; that of Ephraim, scarlet; that of Reuben, purple; and that of Dan,
blue; and that the devices of the same Tribes were respectively the lion, the ox, the man, and
the eagle. Hence, under this arrangement---and it is the only one upon which we can depend
the four banners in a Chapter of Royal Arch Masons, working in the American Rite, should
be distributed as follows among the banner-bearing officers:

10From the Encyclopedia of Freemasonary and its kindred sciences by Albert c. Mackey m. d.
11 Signs and Symbols of Freemasonry, lecture x, page 196 - Doctor Oliver
12From the Encyclopedia of Freemasonary and its kindred sciences by Albert c. Mackey m. d.
 1. An eagle, on a blue banner. This represents the Tribe of Dan, and is borne by
the Grand Master of the First Veil.
2. A man, on a purple banner. This represents the Tribe of Reuben, and is borne
by the Grand Master of the Second Veil.
3. An ox, on a scarlet banner. This represents the Tribe of Ephraim, and is borne
by the Grand Master of the Third Veil.
4. A lion, on a white banner. This represents the Tribe of Judah, and is borne by
the Royal Arch Captain.

Breastplate13
Called in Hebrew kho'shen, or kho-shen mish-pow, the breastplate of judgement, because
through it the High Priest received divine responses, and uttered his decisions on all matters
relating to the good of the commonwealth. It was a piece of embroidered cloth of gold,
purple, scarlet, and fine white, twined linen. It was a span, or about nine inches square, when
doubled, and made thus strong to hold the precious stones that were set in it. It had a gold
ring at each corner, to the uppermost of which were attached golden chains, by which it was
fastened to the shoulder pieces of the ephod - the vestment worn by the High Priest over his
tunic; while from the two lowermost went two ribbons of blue, by which it was attached to
the girdle of the ephod, and thus held secure in its place.
In the breastplate were set twelve precious jewels, on each of which was engraved the name
of one of the twelve tribes. The stones were arranged in four rows, three stones in each row.
As to the order of arrangement and the names of the stones, there has been some difference
among the authorities. The authorized version of the Bible gives them in this order: Sardius,
topaz, carbuncle, emerald, sapphire, diamond, ligure, agate, amethyst, beryl, onyx, jasper.
This is the pattern generally followed in the construction of Masonic breastplates, but
modern researches into the true meaning of the Hebrew names of the stones have shown its
inaccuracy. Especially must the diamond be rejected, as no engraver could have cut a name
on this impenetrable gem, to say nothing of the pecuniary value of a diamond of a size to
match the rest of the stones.

Canopy14
Oliver says that in the Masonic processions of the Continent the Grand Master walks under a
gorgeous canopy of blue, purple, and crimson silk, with gold fringes and tassels, borne upon
staves, painted purple and ornamented with gold, by eight of the oldest Master Masons
present; and the Masters of private Lodges walk under canopies of light blue silk with silver
tassels and fringes, borne by four members of their own respective companies. The canopies
are in the form of an oblong square, and are in length six feet, in breadth and height three
feet, having a semicircular covering. The framework should be of cedar, and the silken
covering ought to hang down two feet on each side. This is, properly speaking, a Baldachin.

13 From the Encyclopedia of Freemasonary and its kindred sciences by Albert c. Mackey m. d., entry: Breastplate
14 From the Encyclopedia of Freemasonary and its kindred sciences by Albert c. Mackey m. d., entry: Canopy
Clothed15
After the middle of the eighteenth century, the Master of a Lodge was said to be "clothed in
the old colours, namely, purple, crimson, and blue"; and the reason assigned for it was
"because they are royal, and such as the ancient kings and princes used to wear. "
Laurence Dermott 16 gives a regulation of Grand Lodge that blue or purple, is the peculiar
badge of Grand Officers. However, he states that he "is certain that every member of the
Grand Lodge has an undoubted right to wear purple, blue, white or crimson." From this
time blue seems the Masonic colour except for Grand Stewards, who wear crimson.

Ephod17
The sacred vestment worn by the high priest of the Jews over the tunic and outer garment. It
was without sleeves, and divided below the arm pits into two parts or halves, one falling
before and the other behind, and both reaching to the middle of the thighs. They were joined
above on the shoulders by buckles and two large precious stones, on which were inscribed
the names of the twelve tribes, six on each. The ephod was a distinctive mark of the
priesthood. It was of two kinds, one of plain linen for the priests, and another, richer and
embroidered, for the high priest, which was composed of blue, purple, crimson, and fine
linen. The robe worn by the High Priest or First Principal in a Royal Arch Chapter is
intended to be a representation, but hardly can be called an imitation, of the ephod.

Flag Ceremony18
A formal reception of the National Flag was especially frequent in all fraternal Bodies
during the World War and ceremonies of most impressive character were noted in leading
Masonic organizations as in the Grand Lodges of Iowa, Indiana, and elsewhere.
The making of the first "Stars and Stripes" is credited to Mrs. Elizabeth Ross of
Philadelphia. We have seen on the door posts of the old ancestral home of the Washington's
at Sulgrave Manor, England, two shields each bearing three stars surmounting a horizontal
bar or stripe. Doubtless this had a suggestive force in designing the new flag.

Fig 5: 15-starred banner over Fort McHenry (1814)

15From the Encyclopedia of Freemasonary and its kindred sciences by Albert c. Mackey m. d., entry: Clothed
16 Ahiman Rezon, 1764
17From the Encyclopedia of Freemasonary and its kindred sciences by Albert c. Mackey m. d., entry: Ephod
18From the Encyclopedia of Freemasonary and its kindred sciences by Albert c. Mackey m. d., entry: Flag Ceremony
Purple19
Purple is the appropriate colour of those Degrees which, in the American Rite, have been
interpolated between the Royal Arch and Ancient Craft Masonry, namely, the Mark, Past,
and Most Excellent Masters. It is in Freemasonry a symbol of fraternal union, because,
being compounded of blue, the colour of the Ancient Craft, and red, which is that of the
Royal Arch, it is intended to signify the close connection and harmony which should ever
exist between those two portions of the Masonic system.
It may be observed that this allusion to the union and harmony between blue and red
Masonry is singularly carried out in the Hebrew word which signifies purple. This word,
which is argamun, is derived from ragam or rehem, one of whose significations is "a
friend." But Portal (Comparison of Egyptian Symbols with Those of the Hebrews) says that
purple, in the profane language of colours, signifies constancy in spiritual combats, because
blue denotes fidelity, and red, war.
In the religious services of the Jews we find purple employed on various occasions. It was
one of the colours of the curtains of the Tabernacle, where, Josephus says, it was symbolic
of the element of water, of the veils, and of the curtain over the great entrance; it was also
used in the construction of the ephod and girdle of the Heigh Priest, and the cloths for
Divine Service.
Among the Gentile nations of antiquity purple was considered rather as a colour of dignity
than of veneration, and was deemed an emblem of exalted office. Hence Homer mentions it
as peculiarly appropriated to royalty, and Vergil speaks of purpura regum, or the purple of
Kings. Pliny says it was the colour of the vestments worn by the early kings of Rome; and it
has ever since, even to the present time, been considered as the becoming insignia of regal
or supreme authority.
In American Freemasonry, the purple colour seems to be confined to the intermediate
Degrees between the Master and the Royal Arch, except that it is sometimes employed in the
vestments of officers representing either kings or men of eminent authority —such, for
instance, as the Scribe in a Chapter of Royal Arch Masons.
In the Grand Lodge of England, Grated Officers and Provincial Grand Officers wear purple
collars and aprons. As the symbolic colour of the Past Master's Degree, to which all Grand
Officers should have attained, it is also considered in the United States as the appropriate
colour for the collars of officers of a Grand Lodge. Purple is the appropriate colour of those
Degrees which, in the American Rite, have been interpolated between the Royal Arch and
Ancient Craft Masonry, namely, the Mark, Past, and Most Excellent Masters. It is in
Freemasonry a symbol of fraternal union, because, being compounded of blue, the colour of
the Ancient Craft, and red, which is that of the Royal Arch, it is intended to signify the close
connection and harmony which should ever exist between those two portions of the Masonic
system.

Purple Brethren20
In English Freemasonry, the Grand Officers of the Grand Lodge and the Past Grand and
Deputy Grand Masters and Past and Present Provincial Grand Masters are called purple
brethren, because of the colour of their decorations, and at meetings of the Grand Lodge are
privileged to sit on the dais.

19 From the Encyclopedia of Freemasonary and its kindred sciences by Albert c. Mackey m. d., entry: Purple
20 From the Encyclopedia of Freemasonary by Albert c. Mackey m. d., entry: Purple Brethren
Purple Lodges21
Grand and Provincial Grand Lodges are thus designated by Doctor Oliver in his Institutes of
Masonic Jurisprudence. The term is not used in the United States.

Royal Arch Clothing22

The clothing or regalia of a Royal Arch Mason in the American system consists of an apron,
already described, a scarf of scarlet velvet or silk, on which is embroidered or painted, on a
blue ground, the words, Holiness to the Lord, and if all officer, a scarlet collar, to which is
attached the jewel of his office.. The scarf, once universally used, has been very much
abandoned Every Royal Arch Mason should also wear at his buttonhole, attached by a
scarlet ribbon, the jewel of the Order.

Royal Arch colours23

The peculiar colour of the Royal Arch Degree is red or Scarlet, which is symbolic of
fervency and zeal, the characteristics of the Degree. The colours also used
symbolically in the decorations of a Chapter are blue, purple, scarlet.

Royal Arch Robes24

In the working of a Royal Arch Chapter in the United States, great attention is paid to the
robes of the several officers.
• The High Priest wears, in imitation of the High Priest of the Jews, a robe of blue,
purple, scarlet, and white linen, and is decorated with the breastplate and miter. The
King wears a scarlet robe, and has a crown and scepter.
• The Scribe wears a purple robe and turban.
• The Captain of the Host wears a white robe and cap, and is armed with a sword.
• The Principal Sojourner wears a dark robe, with tessellated border, a sleuthed hat,
and pilgrim's staff.
• The Royal Arch Captain wears a white robe and cap, and is armed with a sword.
• The three Grand Masters of the Veils wear, respectively, the Grand Master of the
third veil a scarlet robe and cap, of the second veil a purple robe and cap, of the first
veil a blue robe and cap. Each is armed with a sword.
• The Treasurer, Secretary, and Sentinel wear no robes nor peculiar dress. All of these
robes have either a historical or symbolical allusion.

21 From the Encyclopedia of Freemasonary by Albert c. Mackey m. d., entry: Purple Lodges
22 From the Encyclopedia of Freemasonary by Albert c. Mackey m. d., entry: Royal Arch Clothing
23 From the Encyclopedia of Freemasonary by Albert c. Mackey m. d., entry: Royal Arch colours
24 From the Encyclopedia of Freemasonary by Albert c. Mackey m. d., entry: Royal Arch Robes
Tabernacle25

The Sinaitic Tabernacle

The Tabernacle itself was, according to Josephus, forty-five feet long by fifteen wide; its
greater length being from East to West. The sides were fifteen feet high, and there was a
sloping roof. There was no aperture or place of entrance except at the eastern end, which
was covered by curtains.
Internally, the Tabernacle was divided into two apartments by a richly decorated curtain. The
one at the western end was fifteen feet long, making, therefore, a perfect cube. This was the
Holy of Holies, into which no one entered, not even the High Priest, except on extraordinary
occasions. In it was placed the Ark of the Covenant, against the western wall.
The Holy of Holies was separated from the Sanctuary by a curtain embroidered with figures
of Cherubim, and supported by four golden pillars. The Sanctuary, or eastern apartment, was
in the form of a double cube, being fifteen feet high, fifteen feet wide, and thirty feet long.
In it were placed the Table of Shewbread on the northern side, the Golden Candlestick on the
southern, and the Altar of Incense between them.
The Tabernacle thus constructed was decorated with rich curtains. These were of four
colours —white or fine twined linen, blue, purple, and red. They were so suspended as to
cover the sides and top of the tabernacle, not being distributed as veils separating it into
apartments, as in the Masonic Tabernacle.
Josephus, in describing the symbolic signification of the Tabernacle, says that it was an
imitation of the system of the world, the Holy of Holies, into which not even the Priests were
admitted, was axis it were a heaven peculiar to God; but the Sanctuary, where the people
were allowed to assemble for worship, represented the sea and land on which men live. But
the symbolism of the Tabernacle was far more complex than anything that Josephus has said
upon the Subject would lead us to suppose.

Temple of Solomon26
From the porch you entered the Sanctuary by a portal, which, instead of folding doors, was
furnished with a magnificent veil of many colours, which mystically represented the
universe. The breadth of the sanctuary was twenty cubits, and its length forty, or just twice
that of the porch and Holy of Holies. It occupied, therefore, one-half of the body of the
Temple. In the Sanctuary were placed the various utensils necessary for the daily worship of
the Temple, such as the Altar of Incense, on which incense was daily burnt by the officiating
Priest; the ten Golden Candlesticks; and the ten Tables on which the offerings were laid
previous to the sacrifice.
The Holy of Holies, or innermost chamber, was separated from the Sanctuary by doors of
olive, richly sculptured and inlaid with gold, and covered with veils of blue, purple, scarlet,
and the finest linen. The size of the Holy of Holies was the same as that of the porch,
namely, twenty cubits square. It contained the Ark of the Covenant, which had been
transferred into it from the Tabernacle, with its overshadowing Cherubim and its Mercy-
Seat. Into the most sacred place, the High Priest alone could enter, and that only once a year,
on the Day of Atonement.

25 From the Encyclopedia of Freemasonary by Albert c. Mackey m. d., entry: Tabernacle

26 From the Encyclopedia of Freemasonary by Albert c. Mackey m. d., entry: Temple of Solomon
Veils, Grand Masters of the27
Three officers in a Royal Arch Chapter of the American Rite, whose duty it is to protect and
defend the Veils of the Tabernacle, for which purpose they are presented with a sword. The
jewel of their office is a sword within a triangle, and they bear each a banner, which is
respectively blue, purple, and scarlet. The title of Grand Master appears to be a misnomer. It
would have been better to have styled them Masters or Guardians. In the English system,
the three Sojourners act in this capacity, which is a violation of all the facts of history, and
completely changes the symbolism.

Veils, Symbolism of the28

Neither the construction nor the symbolism of the veils in the Royal Arch Tabernacle is
derived from that of the Sinaitic. In the Sinaitic Tabernacle there were no veils of separation
between the different parts, except the one white one that hung before the most holy place.
The decorations of the Tabernacle were curtains, like modern tapestry, interwoven with
many colours; no curtain being wholly of one colour, and not running across the apartment,
but covering its sides and roof. The exterior form of the Royal Arch Tabernacle was taken
from that of Moses, but the interior decoration from a passage of Josephus not properly
understood.
Josephus has been greatly used by the fabricators of advanced Degrees of Freemasonry not
only for their ideas of symbolism, but for the suggestion of their legends. In the Second
Book of Chronicles29 it is said that Solomon "made the veil of blue, and purple, and crimson,
and fine linen, and wrought cherubim thereon." This description evidently alludes to the
single veil, which, like that of the Sinaitic Tabernacle, was placed before the entrance of the
Holy of Holies. It by no means resembles the four separate and equidistant veils of the
Masonic Tabernacle.
But Josephus had said30 that the King "also had veils of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and
the brightest and softest linen, with the most curious flowers wrought upon them, which
were to be drawn before these doors." To this description — which is a very inaccurate one,
which refers, too, to the interior of the first Temple, and not to the supposed Tabernacle
subsequently erected near its ruins, and which, besides, has no Biblical authority for its
support — we must trace the ideas, even as to the order of the veils, which the inventors of
the Masonic Tabernacle adopted in their construction of it. That Tabernacle cannot be
recognized as historically correct, but must be considered, like the three doors of the Temple
in the Symbolic Degrees, simply as a symbol. But this does not at all diminish its value.
The symbolism, according to the system adopted in the American Rite, refers to the colours
of the veils and to the miraculous signs of Moses, which are described in Exodus as having
been shown by him to prove his mission as the messenger of Jehovah.
Blue is a symbol of universal friendship and benevolence. It is the appropriate colour of the
Symbolic Degrees, the possession of which is the first step in the progress of the search for
truth to be now instituted. The Mosaic sign of the serpent was the symbol among the
ancients of resurrection to life, because the serpent by casting his skin, is supposed
continually to renew his youth. It is the symbol here of the loss and the recovery of the
Word.

27 From the Encyclopedia of Freemasonary by Albert c. Mackey m. d., entry: Veils, Grand Masters of the
28 From the Encyclopedia of Freemasonary by Albert c. Mackey m. d., entry: Veils, Symbolism of the
29 (in, 14)
30Antiquities, book viii chapter iii, 3
 Purple is a symbol here of union, and refers to the intimate connection of Ancient Craft and
Royal Arch Masonry. Hence it is the appropriate colour of the intermediate Degrees, which
must be passed through in the prosecution of the search. The Mosaic sign refers to the
restoration of the leprous hand to health. Here again, in this representation of a diseased limb
restored to health, we have a repetition of the allusion to the loos and the recovery of the
Word; the Word itself being but a symbol of Divine Truth, the search for which constitutes
the whole Science of Freemasonry, and the symbolism of which pervades the whole system
of initiation from the first to the last Degree.
Scarlet is a symbol of fervency and zeal, and is appropriated to the Royal Arch Degree
because it is by these qualities that the neophyte, now so far advanced in his progress, must
expect to be successful in his search. The Mosaic sign of changing water into blood bears
the same symbolic reference to a change for the better—from a lower to a higher state—
from the elemental water in which there is no life to the blood which is the life itself—from
darkness to light. The progress is still onward to the recovery of that which had been lost,
but which is yet to be found.
White is a symbol of purity, and is peculiarly appropriate to remind the neophyte, who is
now almost at the close of his search, that it is only by purity of life that he can expect to be
found worthy of the reception of Divine Truth. "Blessed," says the Great Teacher, "are the
pure in heart, for they shall see God." The Mosaic signs now cease, for they have taught
their lesson; and the aspirant is invested with the Signet of Truth, to assure him that, having
endured all trials and overcome all obstacles, he is at length entitled to receive the reward for
which he has been seeking; for the Signet of Zerubbabel is a royal signet, which confers
power and authority on him who possesses it. And so we now see that the Symbolism of the
Veils however viewed, whether collectively or separately represents the laborious, but at last
successful, search for Divine Truth.

Violet31
This is not a Masonic colour, except in some of the advanced Degrees of the Ancient and
Accepted Scottish Rite, where it is a symbol of mourning, and thus becomes one of the
decorations of a Sorrow Lodge. Portal32 says that this colour was adopted for mourning by
persons of high rank. And Gampini (Vetera Monumenta) states that violet was the mark of
grief, especially among Kings and Cardinals. In Christian art, the Saviour is clothed in a
purple robe during His passion; and it is the colour appropriated, says Court de Gebelin 33, to
martyrs, because, like their Divine Master, they undergo the punishment of the Passion.
Prevost34 says that in China violet is the colour of mourning. Among that people blue is
appropriated to the dead and red to the living, because with them red represents the vital
heat, and blue, immortality; and hence, says Portal, violet, which is made by an equal
admixture of blue and red, is a symbol of the resurrection to eternal life.
Such an idea is peculiarly appropriate to the use of violet in the advanced Degrees of
Freemasonry as a symbol of mourning. It would be equally appropriate in the first Degrees,
for everywhere in Freemasonry we are taught to mourn not as those who have no hope. Our
grief for the dead is that of those who believe in the immortal life. The red symbol of life is
tinged with the blue of immortality, and thus we would wear the violet as our mourning to
declare our trust in the resurrection.

31 From the Encyclopedia of Freemasonary and its kindred sciences by Albert c. Mackey m. d., entry: Violet
32 Couleurs Symboliques, page 236
33Monde primetif viii, page 201
34Histoire des Voltages vi, page 152