Glossary
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Alphabetically Arranged with
Cyclopedic Meanings and Bible References
Dagger
In the high
degrees it is employed as a symbol of Masonic vengeance or the punishment of a
crime.
Damascus
This is an
ancient and very important city of Syria on the road between Babylon and
Jerusalem. Masonic tradition makes it one of the resting places for the
caravan of Jews returning from Babylon under the decree of Cyrus.
Dan
- judge
Q. What was
symbolized by the tribe of Dan?
A. Fifth son of Jacob and the seventh point
of the ancient English lectures. It was foretold that this tribe should
be bold, courageous, daring, and cunning; the history of Israel fully sustains
this prophecy. The blue banner of Dan, charged with an eagle, is borne
by the Grand Master of the First Veil in the Royal Arch Chapter, emblematic of
the true character of the Royal Arch Masons. Advancing to the altar was symbolized
by the Tribe of Dan, which teaches us by contrast that we should advance
toward truth and holiness as rapidly as that tribe advanced toward idolatry,
among whom the golden serpent was first set up to receive adoration.
Gen. 49:16-18
Daniel
- God is my judge
Daniel was a
Hebrew prophet, contemporary of Ezekiel about 600 B.C. He was among the
Hebrew noblemen carried to Babylon in the fourth year of king Jehoiakim, and
was selected for the highest education among the Chaldeans by order of the
Court. Although he was a prophet of the colonized Jews, he was advanced
to high political positions by Nebuchadnezzar, and later by Darius of the Medo-Persian
Empire. He was famed for the interpretation of dreams and visions, as
narrated in the Fifteenth Degree of the Scottish Rite. His name, with
that of "Darius" is a counter-sign in the Thirty-Second Degree, Scottish Rite.
Danger
Masons are
provided with a secret sign by which they are required to warn a brother when
he is in danger of any kind.
Damascene
The art of
encrusting the
surface of metal, usually steel or copper, with gold or silver by beating it
into prepared grooves.
Darius
Q. What was the
decree and order of Darius?
A. Also made a decree, furthering the
rebuilding of the Temple. Ordered Tatnai governor beyond the river,
Shethar-boznai, and his companions, to let the work of this house of God
alone. Darius is referred to in the Degrees of the Princes of Jerusalem,
sixteenth of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, and the Companion of the
Red Cross in the American Rite. Ezra 6:1-12 -
Ezra 6:16,17
Darkness to Light
In
Freemasonry, even as in the system of Jewish and Christian religion, darkness
is a symbol of ignorance; while light is a symbol of enlightenment and
knowledge. It is a principle of Freemasonry that the natural eye can not
perceive of the mysteries of the Order until the heart has embraced the deep
spiritual and mystic meanings of those sublime mysteries. Hence all
applicants for the Degrees of Freemasonry are required to enter the Lodge in
total darkness, this darkness is preparatory and preliminary to his receiving
the light he desires and searches.
Gen. 1:1-3 - 2 Cor. 4:6 - John 8:12 - 2 Pet. 1:4-9
Date
letter
One of four or
five assay marks on English silver, indicated by a letter of the alphabet
enclosed in a cartouche. Each of the British assay offices uses most of the
alphabet, changing the style of the letters, and/or alternating with upper and
lower case, and the style of the cartouche, with each new alphabet.
Date
mark
A stamped mark
used occasionally by some United States silver manufacturers.
Daughters
of Music
In Eccles., 12th
chapter, what does this signify? Refers to the infirmities of old age,
when the voice and hearing fail. Eccles. 12:4
David
King of Israel -
well beloved
Q. Why did David
not build the Temple?
A. But God said unto me, thou shalt not build an
house for my name, because thou hast been a man of war, and hast shed
blood. And he said unto me, Solomon thy son, he shall build my house and
my courts: for I have chosen him to be my son, and I will be his father.
1 Chron. 28:3 and 6
Deacon
In every
symbolic Lodge there are two officers called Senior and Junior Deacons.
Their duties comprehend a general surveillance over the Lodge, the
introduction of visitors, and to serve as proxy for the Worshipful Master in
certain circumstances.
Death
The Masonic
idea of death, like the Christian's, is accompanied with no gloom, because it
is represented only as physical sleep for an unknown period of time, from
which there will be an awakening of the body and a resurrection of a spiritual
body capable and fitted for human life. From beginning to end the
rituals of Freemasonry teach and symbolize the doctrine of man's immortality
and repudiate every iota of the doctrine of annihilation at death. This
is the chief object of the Third Degree, as every Mason can testify. In
Masonic philosophy death is the symbol of initiation completed, in which the
resurrection of the body will be its final consummation.
John 11:11-14 - Ps. 116:15 - Rom. 14:8 -
Rev. 14:13 - 1 Cor. 15:51-57
Definition of Masonry
Freemasonry
has been well defined as, "A peculiar system of morality veiled in allegory
and illustrated by symbols." By the practice of Freemasonry its members
may advance by their spirituality, and mount by the theological ladder from
the Lodge on earth to the Lodge in heaven. Freemasonry is not, however,
a system of religion; it is the handmaiden to religion, enforcing its daily
practice.
Defraud
The ethics of
Freemasonry demand honesty and fair-dealing with all men, and similar to the
Mosaic Law, rigidly forbid the defrauding of a brother Mason by another Mason.
Personal dealings between brother Masons must always be conducted on the
highest levels of common honesty and brotherly consideration. What was the
Mosiac law in regard to defraud? See 1 Thes. 4:6 and Lev. 19:13
Degree
What does the
word degree signify? As the word implies, is merely a grade or step, or
preparation, as one grade is but preparatory to another higher, and so on to
the sublime. A degree sometimes, means a class or order, but not in
Freemasonry.
Gen. 28:12
Deist
Deism is a
belief in God upon only the basis of reason and nature; it rejects
supernatural revelation and the supernatural elements in religion. Many
freethinkers of France in the 16th and 17th centuries were classified
as Deists. It is a gross error to say that they had great influence upon
Freemasonry of that period. The principles and tenets of Freemasonry
repudiate deism. Masons are Theists; they believe in the One True
and Living God; they recognize His supernatural revelations of Himself and of
His will, and the supernatural elements in true religion.
Delamination
A metallic
defect that occurs when impurities or internal stress causes the adjacent
layers of a clad to separate.
Demit
A Mason is said
to demit from his Lodge when he withdraws his membership; and a demit
is a document granted by the Lodge which certifies that the demission has been
accepted by the Lodge, and that the demitting brother is clear of the books
and in good standing as a Mason. It is derived from the French
reflective verb se demettre, which, according to the dictionary of the
Academy, means "to withdraw from an office, to resign an
employment."
DeMolay, Jacques
The last
Grand Master of the Knights Templars prior to the dissolution of this Order by
the edict of Pope Clement XII. He was publicly burned at the stake in
Paris, March 11th, 1314 - A martyr to the principles of Freemasonry.
ARTICLE
DeMolay,
Order of
Founded March
24th, 1919, at Kansas City Missouri, where the International DeMolay
Headquarters are maintained. Its founder was Frank S. Land, whose
purpose was to promote and maintain a social and fraternal club for boys
between the ages of 12 and 21 years of age. The order became popular
from its beginning, and in a few years became International in scope.
For more information you can visit their website at: http://www.demolay.org/home/
DEP.
Abbreviation for
Deponiert and Deposé.
Deponiert
German mark
meaning registered. Often shortened to DEP, and may be followed by GES, which
is short for Geschutz.
Deposé
French mark
meaning registered. Similar to the "copyright" or
"patent". Often shortened to DEP, and so may be confused with the
German mark.
Desires
Shall Fail
Q. What is the
meaning of this metaphor?
A. Has reference to man, in the infirmities of
old age, when frivolous affairs are no longer desired.
Eccles. 12:5
Destruction
of the Temple
Q.
What became of
the two pillars Boaz and Jachin?
A. Plundered by Shishak 956 B.C.
1 Kings
14:25-26. Hezekiah forced by Sennacherib to pay tribute. At
that time did Hezekiah cut off the gold from the doors of the temple of the
Lord, and from the pillars which Hezekiah king of Judah had overlaid, and gave
it to the king of Assyria. 2 Kings 18:13-16 And in the fifth month
on the seventh day of the month, 599 B.C. which is the nineteenth year of king
Nebuchasnezzar, king of Babylon, came Nebuzar-adan, captain of the
guard. See 2 Kings 25:1-17 for complete destruction of the temple.
Dew of Herman
In Palestine,
which is arid for almost half the year, dews have always been sources if
irrigation, fertilization, and refreshment for agricultural growths.
Mount Hermon was noted for its heavy dews. The phrase is a symbolic
expression in Masonry denoting the bedewing influences of divine grace...
Gen. 27:28 - Ps. 110:3 - Ps. 133:1-3 -
Hos. 6:4
Die
A hardened
metal punch, the face of which carries an intaglio or incuse mirror image of
the design to be struck on one side of a medal, coin or medallion.
Dispensation
It is an
instrument which legalizes an act or ceremony, such as opening a lodge without
a warrant, forming a Masonic procession, or the like, which would be illegal
without it. The power of granting dispensations is very properly vested
in the Grand Master, or his deputy, who are the best judges on what occasions
it ought to be exercised.
Distressed Worthy Brother
"Going to the
aid of a distressed worthy brother" is the solemn duty of every Mason,
enjoined by both Masonic instruction and the word of God...
Eccl. 4:9-12 - Matt. 6:1-4 - Gal. 6:1,2 - Heb. 13:1-3
Divine
Truth
What is the true
meaning of The Lost Word? See Ineffable Name,
St. John
1:1
Doors
of Masonic Knowledge
What is one of
the lamentable weaknesses of Masonry? That the newly initiated candidate
is left to shift for himself, and not instructed that there is more to Masonry
than just a few grips, signs, and passwords. He has received the key,
the degrees, and it is necessary if he desires to leave the rut of ritualistic
routine and inform himself on the nature and character of the
institution. He may enter the recesses of its caverns with Masonic pick
and shovel, in search of the jewels hidden there, and invest himself with the
rich fruits of Masonic knowledge all the days of his life.
Matt. 13:1-17
Doors
Shall Be Shut in the Streets when the Sound of the Grinding is Low
What does this
veiled allegory signify? In the beautiful and effecting description of
the body of a man suffering under the infirmities of old age recorded in the
12th chapter of Eccles. we find this expression, and refers to the loss of
teeth, and trying to chew his food. Eccles. 12:4
Doric
The
Doric is the
second of the five orders of architecture, and is that between the
Tuscan and
the Ionic. It is the most natural and best proportioned of all the
orders; all its parts being founded on the natural position of solid bodies.
Dotage
What is meant by
an old man in dotage? The fruit has ripened and rotted in old age,
childish desires, a loss of judgment and memory, and a senseless garrulity of
speech, absence of that intellect which is required for the comprehension of
our mysteries. Eccles. 10:13
Double
Cube
A cubical
figure, whose length is equal to twice its breadth and height. Solomon's
Temple is said to have been of this figure, and hence it sometimes has been
adopted as the symbol of a Masonic Lodge.
Dove
The
"Dove" in early Masonry is a symbol of Noah's messenger. In
ancient symbolism, the Dove represented purity and innocence and was often
seen bearing an olive branch.
D.P.A.
Patent applied
for. German.
Draw
plate
A steel plate
through which silver or brass wire is drawn to diminish the diameter or change
the shape.
D.R.G.M.
Deutsches
Reichsgebrauchsmuster. Registered design or petty patent. German.
Said to be pre-1918.
D.R.P.
Patented.
German.
D.R.P.A.
Patent applied
for. German.
Due
Guard
A mode of
recognition which derives its name from its object, which is to duly guard the
person using it as regards his obligations, and the penalty for their
violation. It is derived from an ancient, and still current expression
used in Scottish Masonry, when the Worshipful Master, on opening the Lodge,
says "and this shall be your Dieu Guarde and sign", the former being the first
part of the sign, with the two hands held horizontally, the left palm up and
the right, above, palm down; the latter part is the penal sign. In some of
the old rituals of the date of 1757, the expression is used, but only as
referring to what is now called the sign.
Dues
A Lodge has a
right to levy a tax upon its members. This is paid under the name of
"dues" or "quarterage." The subject of dues is a
local matter, with which Grand Lodges should not interfere; yet it must be
admitted, under the theory advanced elsewhere on the subject of by-laws, that
a Grand Lodge has, if it chooses, an unquestionable right to adopt any
regulation controlling the action of its subordinates, in respect to this
tax.
Dust
Returns to Earth
Q. What does this
reference refer to?
A. Has reference to man, when he travels to that
undiscovered country from whose bourne no traveler returns.
Eccles. 12:7
Dutch
silver
May be used to
denote silverware made in the Netherlands. See Dutch
silver novelties.
Dutch
silver novelties
A trademark used
by Johnson, Haywood, Piper & Co. Probably silver-plate.
Duty
The duty of a
Mason as an honest man is plain and easy. It requires of him honesty in
contracts, sincerity in affirming, simplicity in bargaining and faithfulness
in performing. To sleep little, and to study much; to say little and to
think and hear much; to learn, that he may be able to do; and then to do
earnestly and vigorously whatever the good of his fellows, his country and
mankind requires, are the duties of every Mason.
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