There Are Three Kinds of Rebels in the World: The Enemy of Nature, the Enemy of Science, and the Enemy of Truth

 

There Are Three Kinds of Rebels in the World: The Enemy of Nature, the Enemy of Science, and the Enemy of Truth

The rebel against nature, the rebel against science, and the rebel against truth were symbolized in the infernal imagery of the ancient world by the three heads of Cerberus. In the Bible, they are represented by Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. In Masonic legend, they appear under names that vary according to different rites and traditions.

The first, commonly called Abiram — the assassin of Hiram — strikes the Grand Master with the ruler. It is the story of justice itself being corrupted by human passion: the righteous man destroyed in the name of law twisted into fanaticism.

The second, called Mephibosheth — a name borrowed from the crippled and tragic claimant to the throne of David — attacks Hiram with the lever or square. In this symbolism, the lever of popular upheaval, or the square of a distorted equality, becomes an instrument of tyranny in the hands of the mob, striking not merely against authority, but against wisdom and virtue themselves.

Finally, the third assassin kills Hiram with the hatchet, just as brutal instincts attempt to impose order through violence and fear, suffocating intelligence beneath raw force.

The sprig of acacia placed upon Hiram’s grave functions much like the cross upon Christian altars. It symbolizes knowledge surviving even the destruction of its earthly form. It is the green ray announcing the return of spring — the persistence of spirit after apparent death.

Whenever humanity disrupts the order of nature so profoundly, Providence intervenes to restore equilibrium, just as Solomon avenges the death of Hiram in the legend.

The one who murdered with the ruler dies by the dagger. The one who struck with the lever or square falls beneath the axe of the law. Such is the eternal sentence reserved for tyrants and destroyers of sacred order. The one who triumphed through the hatchet ultimately becomes a victim of the very force he abused and is devoured by the lion.

The murderer by the ruler is betrayed by the very lamp that illuminated him and by the spring from which he drank — a symbolic expression of poetic justice and the law of retaliation.

The murderer by the lever is captured when his vigilance fails, like a sleeping dog, and is betrayed by his own accomplices, for anarchy inevitably breeds treachery.

The lion that devours the murderer of the hatchet represents one of the forms of the Sphinx of Oedipus. Whoever conquers the lion proves worthy to inherit the dignity of Hiram.

The decaying body of Hiram teaches that forms perish, yet spirit endures.

The flowing spring near the first assassin recalls the Flood that punished crimes against nature. The burning thorn bush and the rainbow revealing the second assassin symbolize light and life exposing crimes against thought itself.

Finally, the defeated lion represents the triumph of spirit over matter and the ultimate submission of brute force to intelligence.

Since the beginning of humanity’s spiritual labor to build the Temple of Unity, Hiram has been killed many times — and each time he rises again.

He is:

• Adonis slain by the boar;
• Osiris murdered by Typhon;
• Pythagoras driven into exile;
• Orpheus torn apart by the Bacchae;
• Moses abandoned upon Mount Nebo;
• Jesus Christ condemned by Caiaphas, Judas, and Pilate.

True Freemasons, therefore, are those who persist in building the Temple according to the design of Hiram. This is the great central legend of Freemasonry — deeper and more profound than all the others.

We do not intend to unveil the mysteries completely. Although our initiation came only through God and personal study, we regard the secret of higher Masonry as sacred.

Through disciplined effort, we may arrive at a degree of knowledge that imposes silence not merely through oath, but through conviction. Knowledge itself becomes a form of nobility, obligating the initiate not to dishonor the symbolic crown of the Rosicrucians.

The rites of Freemasonry exist to preserve the memory of initiatory legends and transmit them among brethren across generations.

One may ask how something so sublime and sacred could have been condemned so often by the Church.

The answer lies in the divisions, corruptions, and profanations that occurred throughout Masonic history. Freemasonry is presented here as a form of gnosis — inner spiritual knowledge — and false gnostics often caused the true seekers to be condemned.

Those who hide do not fear light; light is precisely what they seek and revere. What they fear are profaners: false interpreters, slanderers, cynical mockers, and enemies of both faith and morality.

In modern times, many who consider themselves Freemasons no longer understand the meaning of their own rites. The symbolic panels and hieroglyphic signs painted within their lodges have become unreadable to them.

Yet these symbols are pages from the book of universal and absolute science. Through Kabbalistic keys — especially the legendary Keys of Solomon — the initiated may interpret them.

The Temple represents the realization of the hierarchical reign of truth and reason upon Earth.

Hiram symbolizes the individual who attains mastery through wisdom and knowledge. He governs through justice and order, giving to each according to their works.

Each degree of the order possesses a sacred word expressing its level of understanding.

There is only one word for Hiram, but it is pronounced in three different ways:

• For apprentices, it signifies Nature and is understood through labor.
• For companions, it signifies Thought and is understood through study.
• For masters, it signifies Truth and is understood through wisdom.

This is the word used to designate God, whose true name remains ineffable and beyond human speech.

Thus there are three degrees in the hierarchy, just as there are three gates in the Temple. There are three rays within light. There are three forces within nature.

These forces are symbolized by:

• the ruler that unites;
• the lever that elevates;
• the hatchet that secures.

The rebellion of brutal instincts against the sacred aristocracy of wisdom arms itself successively with these three powers, distorting them away from harmony.

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Introduction to the Theme

The text belongs to the symbolic, initiatory, and philosophical universe of nineteenth-century occultism and Masonic tradition, especially influenced by the works of Éliphas Lévi, the pen name of Alphonse Louis Constant.

At the center of the narrative stands Hiram Abiff, the legendary architect of Solomon’s Temple and one of the most important symbolic figures in Freemasonry.

The text merges elements from:

• the Bible;
• Kabbalah;
• Greek mythology;
• Hermetic philosophy;
• Rosicrucianism;
• and Gnostic traditions.

Hiram emerges as a universal archetype of the wise man persecuted by ignorance, fanaticism, and brutality.

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Expanded Analytical Report

1. The Legend of Hiram Abiff

In Masonic tradition, Hiram Abiff is the master architect of Solomon’s Temple. According to ritual legend, he is murdered by three fellow craftsmen who attempt to force him to reveal the “Master’s Word,” a symbol of sacred knowledge.

The three assassins symbolize:

• rebellion against nature;
• rebellion against science;
• rebellion against truth.

These forces appear symbolically:

• in the three heads of Cerberus;
• in the biblical rebels Korah, Dathan, and Abiram;
• and in the instruments of murder: the ruler, the square/lever, and the hatchet.

Hiram’s death symbolizes more than physical murder. It represents the recurring persecution of spiritual knowledge throughout human history.

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2. Symbolism of the Instruments

The Ruler

The ruler symbolizes:

• law;
• measure;
• rational order.

When used to murder Hiram, it represents justice corrupted into fanatic legalism.

The Square or Lever

This symbolizes:

• balance;
• construction;
• social order.

In the text, it becomes a symbol of mob tyranny and the dangers of equality detached from wisdom.

The Hatchet

The hatchet represents:

• brute force;
• violence;
• primitive instinct.

It symbolizes the attempt to establish order through blind aggression.

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3. The Acacia and Resurrection

The acacia branch is among the most important symbols in Freemasonry. It represents:

• immortality of the soul;
• incorruptibility;
• spiritual permanence.

The central idea is that Hiram’s spirit never truly dies. For this reason, the text compares Hiram to:

• Osiris;
• Orpheus;
• Pythagoras;
• Moses;
• and Jesus Christ.

All are portrayed as archetypes of the sacrificed sage.

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4. Influence of Kabbalah

The text contains strong Kabbalistic influences:

• three degrees;
• three gates;
• three forces;
• the secret word;
• the ineffable name of God.

Everything points toward the mystical traditions of Jewish Kabbalah.

The “Keys of Solomon” mentioned in the text refer to legendary grimoires associated with medieval and Renaissance ceremonial magic.

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5. Relationship with Gnosis

Freemasonry is presented as a form of gnosis:

• inner knowledge;
• spiritual illumination;
• symbolic initiation.

The conflict between “true” and “false” gnostics reflects ancient religious disputes from the early centuries of Christianity.

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6. Philosophical Interpretation

The text may be interpreted as:

• a critique of fanaticism;
• a defense of wisdom;
• an exaltation of initiatory knowledge;
• an allegory about the persecution of enlightened individuals.

The “death of Hiram” becomes a recurring historical phenomenon:

• Socrates condemned;
• Jesus crucified;
• philosophers persecuted;
• scientists censored.

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Reflection

The story of Hiram transcends the ritual world of Freemasonry and becomes a universal symbol of the struggle between ignorance and knowledge.

The Temple is not merely a physical structure, but civilization itself — built through intelligence, reason, and spiritual aspiration.

The three assassins represent forces within humanity:

• fanaticism;
• pride;
• violence;
• ignorance.

Hiram represents the ideal spiritual builder who works for order, truth, and universal harmony.

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Bibliography — Chicago Style

Éliphas Lévi. Dogma and Ritual of High Magic. Translated editions. Various publishers.

Albert G. Mackey. An Encyclopedia of Freemasonry. New York: Masonic History Company.

Arthur Edward Waite. A New Encyclopedia of Freemasonry. New York: Cosimo Classics.

Manly P. Hall. The Secret Teachings of All Ages. Los Angeles: Philosophical Research Society.

René Guénon. Studies in Freemasonry and the Compagnonnage. Hillsdale, NY: Sophia Perennis.

Papus. Elementary Treatise of Occult Science. Various editions.

Édouard Schuré. The Great Initiates. New York: Harper & Brothers.

Carl Gustav Jung. The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

Joseph Campbell. The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

The Holy Bible. Various editions.

Plato. The Republic. Various editions.

Homer. The Odyssey. Various editions.

Helena Petrovna Blavatsky. The Secret Doctrine. Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House.

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Recommended Documentaries and Studies

• Inside the Freemasons
• The Hidden History of Freemasonry
• Morals and Dogma
• The Secret Teachings of All Ages
• Dogme et Rituel de la Haute Magie
• Academic studies on initiatory symbolism, Hermeticism, and comparative Freemasonry.