To continue a discussion of the topic introduced in Part 1 of an earlier essay, The Palm as an Emblem (Part 1),[i] we begin with another frame of reference and that is of the linguistics related to the palm tree. Linguistics is concerned with the nature of language and communication. In this context we desire to illustrate or communicate certain information related to the use of the palm as an emblem in Freemasonry. The palm tree, known as tamar (taw-mawr)in the Hebrew language is used to mean, ”to be erect; a palm tree:–palm(tree).” [ii]
In Psalms 92:12 (KJV) we find, “The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree (tamar): he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.” The palm tree, an emblem of less prominence in Freemasonry, could be viewed as having been hidden in plain sight, particularly as evidenced by this picture in our Blue Lodge Textbook, 30th Edition.
Freemasonry, and its “kindred sciences,” has one of its most famous writers, Dr. Albert Mackey, whilst writing of the palm tree, introducing the oft found concept of cherubim (angels) in his Encyclopedia of Freemasonry (1873) .[iii] He writes, “Ezekiel thus describes the Cherubim with several faces which, alternately with the palm-trees, decorated the frieze around the interior of the temple at Jerusalem: “Each Kerub had two faces, a man’s face turned one way toward the palm-tree, and a lion’s face turned the other way toward the other palm-tree; and it was in this wise all around the house.” For reference, Bro. Mackey was relating a story from the book of Ezekiel, chapters 10 and 41.
In order to gain a sense of visual perspective of this description, we add here add two representations. One, an artist’s rendering of how they could have appeared while the Temple was under construction. The second, a view of what the finished product could have appeared to the Temple workers before having been dedicated. The depiction presented by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York was based upon a small, three -dimensional copy of an ancient temple in Jerusalem, created by Thomas Newberry in 1883, based on descriptions he found in the Bible.
[Writer’s Note: For those reading via the website, an interesting and short video with more information is available from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York: a link is provided in the references listed at the end of the essay.]
It is noteworthy that the palm tree is being referenced so prominently in the scriptural story of the building of King Solomon’s Temple, particularly as it is a primary theme of our Fraternity, yet remarkably, it has only minor mention in most Masonic writings. However, here we find In Mackey’s writings more detail being addressed.
In further review of the Scriptures, we find additional details that the palm trees and cherubim were carved on the doors and the walls. (1 Kings 6:29-35 KJV),
“And he carved all the walls of the house round about with carved figures of cherubims and palm trees and open flowers, within and without…And the floor of the house he overlaid with gold, within and without…The two doors also were of olive tree; and he carved upon them carvings of cherubims and palm trees and open flowers, and overlaid them with gold, and spread gold upon the cherubims, and upon the palm trees.So also made he for the door of the temple posts of olive tree, a fourth part of the wall…And the two doors were of fir tree: the two leaves of the one door were folding, and the two leaves of the other door were folding…And he carved thereon cherubims and palm trees and open flowers: and covered them with gold fitted upon the carved work.”
Additionally, the palm tree is mentioned in another account of the building of Solomon’s Temple, from 2 Chronicles, Chapter 3:5 (KJV),
“And the greater house he cieled with fir tree, which he overlaid with fine gold, and set thereon palm trees and chains.”
For a more in-depth reading related to the building of Solomon’s Temple one may reference the Exposition of the Entire Bible [vi] by John Gill (1697-1771) Gill’s commentary on the New Testament of the Bible published in 1746-8, with the second part, that of the Old Testament published in 1748-63. Gill was an 18th century theologian and Biblical scholar, and his Exposition is the largest Bible commentary written by a single person. Contained within the writings there is a very ample commentary on both Ezekiel’s vision and King Solomon’s Temple (The First Temple) building specifications.
Of particular interest to most Mississippi Masons, the following is written by Gill reflecting upon Ezekiel 41:19, “…their having the face of man shows they are men, and have do with men, and should be humane, kind, and tender, knowing and understanding as men; and their face being towards the palm tree show that they should be upright and sincere…, the palm tree being an emblem of these things…” [vii] Parts of this passage appear similar in both theme and admonition as relates to being “upright” in our initiatory degrees. We will revisit this theme again in a later portion of the essay.
Gill, in his Old Testament commentary, often cites Jarchi (Yarhi), as the source for his perspectives. Jarchi is more well-known as Rashi, the name itself an acronym, for his real name, Rabbi Schlomo Yitzchak (1040-1105 AD). Rashi , known as the, “Rabbi of Israel”[viii] and his commentary, has been included in every translation of the Talmud since the Talmud was first printed in the 1520s. The writings of Rashi as commentaries is viewed as being of continuing importance until even today, as evidenced by this statement from the Schottenstein Edition Elucidated translation of the Talmud, “It has been our policy throughout…to give Rashi’s interpretation as the primary explanation of the Gemara…In this we have followed the ways of our teachers and the Torah masters of the last nine hundred years, who have assigned a pride of place to Rashi’s commentary and made it a point of departure for all other commentaries.” [ix]
Rashi, citing the same passage of Ezekiel (Yechezkel) in Chapter 41: 18-20 [x],
“And [it was] made of cherubim and palm trees, with a palm tree between one cherub and another cherub, and the cherub had two faces. The face of a man was toward the palm tree from here and the face of a young lion toward the palm tree from there, made upon the entire House round about. From the floor until over the entrance, the cherubim and the palm trees were made, and on the wall of the Temple.“
In his commentary on the cited Scripture in Ezekiel, Rashi provides additional insights of interest for interested Mississippi Masons in the following; [Writer’s Note: For clarity, the bold font is Scripture, and the normal font is the commentary provided by Rashi],
“And [it was] made of cherubim and palm trees: And that cedar wood was decorated with cherubim and palm trees.
and the cherub had two faces: One, the face of a young lion, and one, the face of a man. This one faced this way, and that one faced that way, and when the palm tree was between one cherub and another cherub, the face of the young lion was toward it from this side, and the face of man from that side, as is stated in this account.
made upon the entire House: of the Holy of Holies.
and on the wall of the Temple: And so on the wall of the Temple.
We return briefly to the citation of Psalms (Tehillim) 92 [xi], as contained in the introductory paragraph to provide Rashi’s insightful commentary on the passage;
“The righteous one flourishes like the palm; as a cedar in Lebanon he grows. Planted in the house of the Lord, in the courts of our God they will flourish.”
The righteous one flourishes like the palm, etc.: Like the palm that produces fruit, and like the cedar insofar as its trunk renews itself.
and the Inner Sanctum and the Halls of the Court: The end of this verse is not related to its beginning, but is connected to the following verse, and this is its explanation: And the Heichal as well as the Inner Sanctum – which is the Holy of Holies – as well as the Halls of the Court delineated above -(30: 40) “and the Halls round about” – all these had posts, narrowing windows, and “attikim” surrounding the three of them, including the “gizrah,” which is the Heichal, (the Halls), and the Holy of Holies.
and from the floor until the windows: The base of the wall was made into a wall of cedar wood boards opposite it, and it ascended upward until the windows, and the windows were also covered with it. It is thus found that the windows were also closed from the inside, as it is said (here) (40:16): “And closed windows to the house.” (sic) And all this was [done] on the inside because they would spread upon it a gold plating – for the entire inside was spread over with gold – and gold cannot be spread upon stones.
One can readily note that in both passages there is the introduction of cedar wood being spoke of and this is interesting in that it adds to the intrigue of having the Temple built, particularly in the use of cedar planks with the palm tree and cherubim having been engraved upon them. These cedar planks appear to have been carved and placed in every location within the Temple; The Temple walls, in the Halls of the Court and in the Holy of Holies: all of the stone was covered by cedar wood and overlaid with gold. [xii]
In another writer’s accounts of King Solomon’s Temple, that of Flavius Josephus (A.D. 37-c. 100), we find a detailed description the pillars located on the porch, “But there was cast with each of their chapiters lilly work that stood upon the pillar…round about which there was net-work interwoven with small palms, made of brass, and covered the lilly work…one of these pillars he set at the entrance of the porch on the right hand, and called it Jachin; and the other at the left hand, and called it Booz.” [xiii]
The essay will continue in a Part 3, with more information and where the focus will be on how the palm was used as an emblem of Freemasonry and how it continued to influence its practices throughout the world. However, we will now conclude this portion of the essay with a quote by Edgar Allan Poe from his short story, The Purloined Letter,
“The best place to hide is in plain sight.” [xiv]
Fiat Lux
References
[i] The Palm as an Emblem. Mississippi Lodge of Research DCXL. http://mslodgeofresearch.org/news/
[ii] H8558 – tāmār – Strong’s Hebrew Lexicon (kjv). Retrieved from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h8558/kjv/wlc/0-1/
[iii] Mackey, Albert. Encyclopedia of Freemasonry and its Kindred Sciences. See Cherubim.
[iv] Catholic Apologetics-Respond to Defend. Facebook Post, https://www.facebook.com/387510308072263/photos/p.525718374251455/525718374251455/?type=3
[v] Architectural Model of the Temple of King Solomon in Jerusalem. Thomas Newberry, Designer. 1883. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/786829
[vi] Gill, John. Exposition of the Old and New Testament. https://www.sacred-texts.com/bib/cmt/gill/index.htm
[vii] Ibid.
[viii] Rashi. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rashi
[ix] Schottenstein Edition Elucidated translation of the Talmud https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ArtScroll#Schottenstein_Edition_Talmud
[x] Rashi Commentary, https://www.chabad.org/library/bible_cdo/aid/16139/showrashi/true
[xi] Rashi Commentary, https://www.chabad.org/library/bible_cdo/aid/16313/showrashi/true
[xii] Rashi Commentary, https://www.chabad.org/library/bible_cdo/aid/16139/showrashi/true
[xiii] Whiston, William. 1737. The Genuine Works of Flavius Josephus. Antiquities of the Jews-Book VIII, https://penelope.uchicago.edu/josephus/ant-8.html#EndNote_Ant_8.13a
[xiv] The Works of Edgar Allan Poe, Volume 5. The Project Gutenberg eBook. April 2000. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/2148/2148-h/2148-h.htm
