234 FROM THE ART OF BUILDING TO THE ART OF THINKING
between themselves and Christ. It was expected that these figures, who
had served as heralds, would also be illustrations of the Passion in
accordance with the indications of their gestures as related by the scrip-
tures and various legends. All of this served as a departure point for the
elaboration of the Mysteries, which in this way rejoined and continued
the traditions of the ancient mysteries.
The masons' legend connected to Hiram belongs within this general
framework. The circumstantial and fixed death of Hiram, followed by
his resurrection within his own person as well as in those who emulated
him, is a reflection of the Passion in the fullness of its lesson. It is also
a continuation and the Christianized spiritual finality of the ancient
mysteries: the attainment of immortality and understanding through by
incorporating the divine substance within oneself and through this,
becoming a god. In simpler terms, the legend, without its pagan over-
tones defiling its harmony, is the glorification of Christianity: finding
the road to salvation and eternal life by building within the ideal and
undying dwelling of the Lord.
A final observation may prove helpful in explaining the symbolic
meaning of these narratives. The majority of ancient Bibles provide a
lexicon that interprets Hebrew names. In Franciscus de Hailbrun's Bible
(Venise, 1480; Bibliotheque nationale, Res. A2331), for instance, we
can read: "Adoniram = dominus exaltatus, vel dominator sublimes;
Hiram = vivit excelsus, aut vivens est excelse." The word abi means
pater, father, which lends even more support to the identical nature and
unity of the two figures. Adon (dominus) is the precursor to the name
Hiram, which is the explanation that Vuillaume gives in his Masonic
Tiler. Lord the Father, Lord most high, Lord of Life—we find the same
amphibology on the initiatory legend. These were commonly taught
during the Middle Ages, connections that everyone understood in the
theophany in which the world lived.
To measure the importance of the legend for which Hiram's legend
is central, it is important to note that despite the existence of three
levels in masonry—apprentice, journeyman, and master in Scotland,
England, and on the Continent—we cannot assume that three separate
rituals existed for initiation at these three levels. The initiation ritual
among the operative masons should be viewed as a single entity mark-