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Question :

BroBook

Premium Member
I might be using the wrong term, out of the Books that can laid on our altar which one is the oldest !!!


Bro Book
 

dfreybur

Premium Member
What is the oldest VSL that you brothers are aware of ?

I take it you mean oldest as in when it was written not oldest as in when it was printed. The oldest Bible I've touched was printed in the 1880s.

The Rigveda was composed somewhere 1700-1100 BC. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rig_Veda I have seen a Rig Veda in English translation on the altar at the Scottish Rite so I suspect that one wins in a Masonic context.

The Torah was composed 600-400 BC http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torah As the Torah is the first 5 books of the Old Testament it's been on the altar at every tiled meeting I've been to anywhere.

So far the only Hindu VSL I've seen a candidate obligated on is the newer Bhagavad Gita dating 200 BC http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bagavad_Gita I recently finished reading a third translation of the Gita so I have now read it in as many translations as the New Testament.

The oldest religious book I know of is the Epic of Gilgamesh 2500 BC http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilgamesh Sort of a cross between the Odyssey and one of the historical books of the Old Testament. Most won't consider it a VSL but you never know if there's someone out there ...
 

brother josh

Registered User
Gilgamesh .... Never heard of this what culture does it come from I'm interested and what does it teach




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dfreybur

Premium Member
Gilgamesh is the one I have not had my hands on thanks again!!!

I suggest the Cliff's Notes abbreviated version if you can find one before reading the whole thing! Back in high school I read a ton of Cliff's Notes booklets and used those to decide what to read in full.

With old books the question is - Do they count as a VSL? Masonicly inspired separation of church and state only happened a few centuries ago. Go back far enough and every book is a legendary account that can be considered religious or mundane based greatly on the viewpoint of the reader. Truly ancient books like Gilgamesh, Iliad, Odyssey, Rig Veda, Torah, Egyptian Book of the Dead all have religious content. Which ones count as a VSL isn't an easy question to answer. Is the case for calling Gilgamesh a VSL weak? Source culture for Abraham suggests it's important either way. Is case for calling the Egyptian Book of the Dead a VSL stronger? Moses had an Egyptian education and Solomon built his temple to emulate Moses' tabernacle.

Oops, I just added the Egyptian Book of the Dead http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egyptian_Book_of_the_Dead At 2500 BC it appears to be roughly the same age as Gilgamesh. There are very few books this ancient - If I learn of one that might beat these ones I'll try to remember to post about it.
 

Companion Joe

Premium Member
This isn't really answering the question asked, just something I like to mention. The Bible on our altar was published in 1883. That means (with a possible few exceptions of people brining in their own or something) that every member of our Lodge for the last 131 years has taken his obligations on the same Bible.
 

ARizo1011

Premium Member
I might be using the wrong term, out of the Books that can laid on our altar which one is the oldest !!!


Bro Book

It's the correct term brother. It's just like how back then they called EA's "caution" it dyes out I guess. But yes it is VSL I remember my mentor reading out of a book that had the pre lecture for the EA and he said "V. S. L. what is that?" and I said volume of sacred law I only new because I did some reading on freemasonry before I joined.
 

Warrior1256

Site Benefactor
This isn't really answering the question asked, just something I like to mention. The Bible on our altar was published in 1883. That means (with a possible few exceptions of people brining in their own or something) that every member of our Lodge for the last 131 years has taken his obligations on the same Bible.
That's great!!! Our church has a Bible from before the civil war and has hand written passages in by the young girl that owned it.
 
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