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Glossary Browse the glossary by clicking on any of the letters below. A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M
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Cyclopedic Meanings and Bible References
Quadrivium In classical Latin the word quadrivium meant a place where four roads met, and trivium, a place where three roads met. The scholastics of the Middle Ages, looking to the metaphorical meaning of the phrase the Paths of Learning, divided what were called the Seven Liberal Arts and Sciences, but which compromised the whole cycle of instruction in those days, into two classes, calling grammar, rhetoric, and logic the trivium, and arithmetic, geometry, music, and astronomy the quadrivium. These two roads to the Temple of Wisdom, including seven distinct sciences, were, in the Middle Ages, supposed to include universal knowledge. Qualifications of Candidates Every candidate for initiation into the mysteries of Freemasonry must be qualified by certain essential conditions. These qualifications are of two kinds, Internal and External. The internal qualifications which are those that lie within his own bosom, the external are those which refer to his outward and apparent fitness. The external qualifications are again divided into Moral, Religious, Physical, Mental, and Political. Morally, the candidate must faithfully observe the Moral Law, and lead a virtuous life, Religiously, he must believe in the existence of one supreme Deity, and must be yielded to His superintending power and divine providences, and he must believe in the immortality of the soul and a future resurrection into eternal life; Physically he must be a man, free born, of lawful age, sound in body and limb, and not in his dotage; Mentally, he must be intelligent, capable of comprehending the profound truths and tenets of the Order; Politically, he must adhere to the principles of freedom and individual liberty of conscience, and be faithful in all civic duties. First, the Internal Qualifications are: 1. The applicant must come of his own free will and accord. His application must be purely voluntary, to which he has not been induced by persuasion of friends. 2. He must not be influenced by mercenary motives. 3. He must be prompted to make the application in consequence of a favorable opinion that he entertains of the Institution. 4. He must be resolved to conform with cheerfulness to the established usages and customs of the Fraternity. Second. The External Qualifications are, as has already been said, divided into five kinds: 1. Moral. That candidate only is qualified for initiation who faithfully observes the precepts of the moral law, and leads a virtuous life, so conducting himself as to receive the award of his own conscience as well as the respect and approbation of the world. 2. Religious. Freemasonry is exceedingly tolerant in respect to creeds, but it does require that every candidate for initiation believe in the existence of God as a superintending and protecting power, and in a future life. No inquiry will be made into modifications of religious belief, provided it includes these two tenets. 3. Physical. These refer to sex, age, and bodily conformation. The candidate must be a man, not a woman; of mature age, that is, having arrived at his majority, and not so old as to have sunk into dotage; and he must be in possession of all his limbs, not maimed or dismembered, but, to use the language of one of the Old Charges, "have his right limbs as a man ought to have. (This qualification has been amended by Grand Masters using their powers of granting dispensations to allow candidates with missing limbs and those that are hearing impaired admission into Freemasonry.) 4. Mental. This division excludes all men who are not intellectually qualified to comprehend the character of the Institution, and to partake of its responsibilities. Hence fools, or idiots and madmen are excluded. Although the Landmarks do not make illiteracy a disqualification, and although it is undeniable that a large portion of the Craft in olden times was uneducated, yet there seems to be a general opinion that an incapacity to read and write will, in this day, disqualify a candidate. 5. Political. These relate to the condition of the candidate in society. The old rule required that none but those who were free born could be initiated, which, of course, excluded slaves and those born in servitude; and although the Grand Lodge of England substituted free man for free born, it is undeniable that that action was the change of a landmark; and the old rule still exists at least in the United States. Quarrels - violent disputes It is definitely charged that "No private piques or quarrels must be brought within the door of the Lodge, far less any quarrels about religion, or nations, or State policy." The entire scheme of Freemasonry forbids contentions and strifes. Titus 3:2 - Col. 3:13 Quarries The fact the neither the Scriptures nor authentic tradition records that any material for the Temple was secured from Phoenica except the timbers of Lebanon disproves the idea that the stones were Tyrian. Abundant evidence sustaining the claim that these stones were quarried in the immediate vicinity of the Temple has been brought to light by excavations and explorations. Great quarries from which stones of the finest building quality and in far greater amounts than required in the Temple have been removed are situated in the northeast portion of Jerusalem, near the Damascus Gate. It appears quite certain that it was in these quarries that the great stones for the Temple were taken, hewn, and prepared for the building. Timbers, not stones, of Lebanon furnished to Solomon by Hiram, king of Tyre... 1 Kings 5:1-10 Quartz A hard stone formed from silica in a great variety of forms, which includes Agate, Amethyst, Aventurine, Bloodstone, Cairngorm, Carnelian, Cat's Eye, Chalcedony, Chrysoprase, Flint, Jasper, Mocha-stone, Onyx and Sardonyx. Quatuor Coronati Lodge This Lodge, No. 2076 on the roll of the Grand Lodge of England, was established in 1886, for the purpose of studying the History, Symbols, and Legends of Freemasonry, and it is in fact a Masonic Literary and Archeological Society, meeting as a tiled Lodge. Attached to the Lodge proper, which is limited to 40 full members, is a Correspondence Circle established in 1887, with members drawn from all parts of the world. The transactions of the Lodge are published under the title of Ars Quatuor Coronatorum. The Lodge is named after the "Four Crowned Martyrs." All Master Masons in good standing are eligible to membership in the Correspondence Circle. Quetzialcoatl The Mexican idea of the Deity of Enlightenment. The spirit-man from whom they received their civilization, and for whose second coming they wait. Him for whom they mistook Cortez, and therefore welcomed him with joy. There is a Masonic organization called the "Order of the Q", which teaches their initiates the early rites and ceremonies. Quorum This question is answered in the question, "How many compose a Lodge?" in the formal opening of each Degree; the number composing a Lodge is a quorum for any Degree work, or for the transaction of any business. In opening a Lodge, five is the minimum; for the work of the Entered Apprentice Degree, seven, although the ritual places the number for opening a Lodge of Master Masons at three.
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