Hiram Abiff

Hiram (Hebrew: חִירָ֖ם Chiram; short form of אֲחִירָם Achiram "brother of the Exalted"; also Huram or Hirom) resp. Hiram Abiff (also Hiram Abif, Hiram Abi, or Adoniram) from Tyre was, according to Masonic Temple Legend, the architect of Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem.

Hiram in the Old Testament

Model of the first Jerusalem Temple in the Jewish Community Hall in Frankfurt (Oder), Brandenburg, Germany. Made by Illya Strambrandt 2009.

In the Old Testament, Hiram is mentioned several times in connection with the building of the temple.

„13 King Solomon sent for Hiram of Tyre, 14 the son of a widow of the tribe of Naphtali, whose father had been of Tyre, a coppersmith full of wisdom, understanding and skill in all kinds of copper work. He came to King Solomon and did all his work for him.“

– 1 Kings 7:13

The historic Temple of Solomon was built on the Temple Mount in about 988 BC. The Bible records that King Hiram I sent building materials and men to erect the temple (2 Samuel 5:11).

The 2nd book of Chronicles 2 refers to a formal request by Solomon to King Hiram I. for labourers and materials:

„12 I am sending you a capable, wise man, Hiram-Abi, 13 the son of a Danite woman. His father is from Tyre. He knows how to do work in gold, silver, bronze, iron, stone, wood, red and blue purple, byssus, and crimson, to provide all engravings, and to design any plan that is assigned to him. He will work with your artists and the artists of my lord your father David.“

– 2 Chronicles 2:12–13

Later incarnations of Hiram

According to Rudolf Steiner, Hiram, who came to the limit of initiation in his incarnation at that time, was reborn at the turn of the ages as Lazarus, who, after being awakened by the Christ, bore the initiatory name John and became the author of the Gospel of John and the Apocalypse of John. Lazarus-John was reborn and initiated again in the 13th and 14th centuries and has since borne the name Christian Rosenkreutz (Lit.: GA 265, p. 405ff and GA 265, p. 420). In between lies an incarnation, which is indicated by the legend of Flor and Blancheflor.

„In ancient times, the group-I, the tribal-I, lived in people. The initiates (Moses, Hermes, Buddha, Krishna, Zarathustra) reflected the consciousness of the whole tribe. When they were initiated, they were out of the physical body with the etheric body and saw the essence of the whole tribe. When they returned, they laid down this in the law which they gave to their people. This made them responsible for the sins committed against this law and they had to incarnate again in their people until the karma of the people was worn away. This was the case for all initiates before Christ, who received revelation from within in initiatory sleep. To this kind of initiate belonged Solomon, who was of the race of Abel-Seth men. With these old initiates, the group soul of the people united with their etheric body during the initiation. This also lived in them afterwards. They all had to go through many incarnations.

Those who in ancient times were not initiates and did not belong to a people who received revelations through such initiates, - who lived scattered lives, who had to gather knowledge themselves out of the physical world, were the sons of Cain. Such a one was Hiram Abiff, who had gathered knowledge through life in the physical body and had raised it to the level of wisdom. He expressed his wisdom in the building of the temple. It was not the God from within who revealed wisdom to him, as to the race of the Abel-Seth sons, but the knowledge gained in physical existence. The Abel Seth initiates were under the influence of Jehovah. They were given the higher knowledge in the twilight consciousness, under the influence of the Moon Deity (Yahweh).

Hiram Abiff came to the limit of initiation at that time. But he was initiated only later. For this, the Spirit Sun had to come to earth. This descended into the physical in the Christ. Only he could initiate Hiram Abiff. The clear [spiritual] sun had to shine on him during the initiation. He was Lazarus, who after the resurrection was called John. He was initiated by the Christ Jesus. That which Hiram Abiff had acquired through life in the physical had to remain. Not the life of the group, but each individual incarnation was now to become of importance. Each individual incarnation was to add a leaf to the book of life, a leaf whose content was taken over into the spiritual realm, something that remained, that could no longer pass away, but was to remain into all the future. This is what Hiram Abiff represents.“ (Lit.:GA 265, p. 405ff)

Literature

• Muhammad S. Abdullah: Freimaurerische Spuren im Islam, in: Quatuor Coronati, Jahrbuch 1980 (Bayreuth), Nr. 17; S. 117-135
• Josef Schauberg: Vergleichendes Handbuch der Symbolik der Freimaurerei mit besonderer Rücksicht auf die Mythologieen und Mysterien des Alterthums, Band II, Zürich 1861 [1]
• E. Desch: Meister Hiram. Eleusis 33 Jg. 181 (1978)
• Matthias Pflanzl: Johannes und Hiram als Mysteriengestalten. Bauhütten Verlag, Frankfurt 1966, ISBN 3-870-50037-9
• Rudolf Steiner: Wo und wie findet man den Geist?, GA 57 (1984), ISBN 3-7274-0570-8 English: rsarchive.org German: pdf pdf(2) html mobi epub archive.org
• Rudolf Steiner: Zur Geschichte und aus den Inhalten der erkenntniskultischen Abteilung der Esoterischen Schule von 1904 bis 1914, GA 265 (1987), ISBN 3-7274-2650-0 English: rsarchive.org German: pdf pdf(2) html mobi epub archive.org

References to the work of Rudolf Steiner follow Rudolf Steiner's Collected Works (CW or GA), Rudolf Steiner Verlag, Dornach/Switzerland, unless otherwise stated. Email: verlag@steinerverlag.com URL: www.steinerverlag.com. Index to the Complete Works of Rudolf Steiner - Aelzina Books A complete list by Volume Number and a full list of known English translations you may also find at Rudolf Steiner's Collected Works Rudolf Steiner Archive - The largest online collection of Rudolf Steiner's books, lectures and articles in English. Rudolf Steiner Audio - Recorded and Read by Dale Brunsvold steinerbooks.org - Anthroposophic Press Inc. (USA) Rudolf Steiner Handbook - Christian Karl's proven standard work for orientation in Rudolf Steiner's Collected Works for free download as PDF.

Weblinks

• The Hiramic Legend, aus: Manly Palmer Hall: The Secret Teachings of All Ages, 1928, p. 77-80