 An in-depth study of KST would consume many days

 Instead, lets us focus on one of the most outstanding

features of the temple
 The two pillars. Boaz and Jachin, which guarded the
entrance to the Temple
 Few things in Masonry are less understood
than the two pillars in the porch of King
Solomon’s Temple
 We talk about them a lot but the DETAILS
are not well known
 The first thing that attracts our attention is two
columns or pillars, representing those which were
placed on the porch of King Solomon’s Temple, one on
the right hand and one on the left. The one on the left
hand was named BOAZ and denoted strength; the one
on the right hand was named JACHIN and denoted
establishment. Collectively they allude to a passage of
scripture wherein God hath said, “In strength, shall
this mine house be established.”
 These two pillars are basically the same in every
lodge in the Masonic world, representing the same
message (or are they?)
 In US lodges, the earliest description (from the
1700’s) show both Wardens seated in the West,
facing the Master.
 The two pillars were generally near them, next to
the inner door, forming a portal and all candidates
pass between them for each degree.
 However, location is not uniform in the US
jurisdictions
 The majority of lodges place them as we do
 But, in my travels, I have observed that the
two pillars might be located anywhere in
lodge room
 In George Washington Lodge Number 22
AF&AM in Alexandria, VA
 The two pillars are found on one side of the
Junior Warden’s station in the south
 Perhaps to add strength to our Masonic
thoughts that it was their first JW who
originally fashioned them
 In England, and in many other countries
abroad, the two pillars are usually displayed
in front of the Master’s chair, and some
place the pillars in the center of the lodge.
 In some portions of the world, they are not
represented at all.
 From our ritual we learn that:

“Those columns were eighteen cubits in height, twelve

in circumference and four in diameter, and were
adorned with two chapiters, one on each, five cubits in
height…”

 Lets examine the dimensions and geometry

 For a circle with radius = r
Area = π r2
r Circumference = 2 π r
And d = 2 r

So if C = 12, we solve for d

2 π r = 12
2 r = 12/ π
D= 3.8197
(not 4, so math is off!)
4 We know that D= 3.8197
And height = 18
 What is a cubit?
 Cubit = approx 20 inches
 Therefore columns were
 18 x 20/12 = 30 feet high
 5.3 feet in diameter
 These two pillars are discussed in the Masonic Bible
that we provide to new masons
 Interesting to note that there is no image of these
pillars in our masonic bible
 Many different images of what those pillars looked like
 Why?
 Present design is an interpretation of the columns
 Composite
 Hollow
 Globes
 It is believed that the pillars were cast in the clayey
grounds in the banks of the river Jordan between
Succoth and Zurudathal
 Where is this?
 Those columns were of molten or cast brass. They
were cast by Hiram, the widow’s son, in the clayey
grounds on the banks of the river Jordan, between
Succoth and Zurudathal where King Solomon ordered
these and all the holy vessels of the temple to be cast.
 They were a hands breadth, or four inches in
thickness, and were cast hollow to preserve, from
inundations and conflagrations, the rolls and records
contained within them, which were supposed to be the
archives of Masonry.
 It is believed that the pillars were cast hollow and
were a handbreadth, or four inches in thickness
 Commonly conceived that the two pillars were cast
in one piece
 From a foundry viewpoint, hard to believe
 Single brass casting would weigh 27 tons
 Need to move about 50 miles from origin to
destination
 Some images show
columns in sections
 Stone pillars were
made like this
 Maybe our ancient
brethren used this
technique?
 Casting bronze was not an easy task
 If we break the column down into smaller sections, say
10, each one would be about 3 feet high and weight
about 2.7 tons. More believable, but…
 Archelogists have stated disbelief that people of the
Bronze Age could make a casting weighing over a ton.
X
 Metallic ores (copper, tin, lead, antimony, arsenic)
 Fuel (wood, charcoal, seeds, dry dung, brush)
 Blast Air (bellows, wind human breath)
 Tools (for handling molten metal, for sculpting molds)
 Furnace (to melt the ores, mix ready to pour)
 Pure copper melts at 1,083 °C [ 1,981 °F]
 Molds (constructed to required shape)
 Many more questions beg answers
 Where did they get the large quantity of ore?
 Where did they get the HUGE quantity of fuel needed?
 How did they smelt it?
 How did they make the molds?
 How did they get the molten metal into molds?
 How did they get the finished product to the site?
 How did they erect the pillars?
 Archeologists have found nothing near the supposed
sight to indicate that bronze was smelted there
 You will have to decide for yourself.
 …these were ornamented with three rows of work-
network, lily work, and pomegranates.
 The network, from the closeness of its connections,
denoted unity;
 the lily work, from its whiteness and purity, denoted
peace;
 and the pomegranate, from the exuberance of its seed,
denoted plenty.
 They were further adorned with two globes, or
spherical bodies, on the surfaces of which were
represented the countries, the seas and the various
parts of the earth, the face of the heavens, the
planetary orbits and other important particulars.
 They were thus extensive to denote the universality of
Masonry and to teach us that a Masons charity should
be equally extensive.
 A modern addition
 The ancient world believed the world to be flat
 The actual details of the pillars is not
important
 This is just an interesting history and
engineering lesson
 What they represent to all masons is what is
important to remember
 Never forget, my brother, the lessons of these two
pillars
 They guard the entrance to our lodge room
 Stop and ponder a while next time you are in their
presence at all they represent
 Let your mind become subjective and captive to all
they represent
 Solomen’s Temple, by WB Harvey Lovewell
 The Pillars of the Porch, by Bro. William B. Bragdon
 Those Mysterious Pillars: Boaz and Jachin, by WB
William M Larson
 The Two Pillars, by John Schroeder, GL VA
 Two Pillars, MSA Short Talk