214 FROM THE ART OF BUILDING TO THE ART OF THINKING
their general chapters, "all matters pertaining to their internal gover-
nance." It was forbidden for "any artist who had not been accepted
into the association to establish any competitive endeavor at the
expense of the association and for any sovereign to support his subjects
in such a rebellion against the Church." Finally, all were expressly
enjoined "to respect these credentials and to obey these commands,
under pain of excommunication." The pontiffs signaled their approval
of these absolute methods by citing "the example of Hiram, King of
Tyre, when he sent architects to King Solomon to build the Temple of
Jerusalem."
On reading these privileges, it is difficult to believe, like Clavel
(who accepts them), that the members of these corporations were
opposed to the pope. While we may accept the authenticity of these
briefs, the originals of which are missing, it is necessary to measure their
scope. They were applicable only within the framework of canon law.
They addressed only the construction of religious buildings. The pope
held no temporal power that allowed him to grant anyone private priv-
ileges that would constitute a departure from the rules of feudal or
manorial law or to strike a blow against the power and competence of
those administering high or low justice. With the exception of canon
law, the Church could act only in the temporal sphere and within the
limits of its own jurisdiction. The pope's authority in this regard did not
extend beyond the borders of his states. It was because of this and in
the roles of lords high justice that the Benedictines, Cistercians, and
Templars could act within the immense extent of their thousands of
abbeys, houses, and commanderies.
SymbolismThe use of symbolism on its own constituted a universal language.
Symbols were used by builders as much for spiritual teaching as for the
transmission of operative craft secrets. "During the Middle Ages,
Victor Hugo states, "the human race formed no important thought that
it did not set down in stone." All form was, as Emile Male put it, the
clothing of a thought.^6 This was the case for the general design as well
as the proportions of churches and cathedrals, for the figures sculpted