who was hiram abif?

[shart_attack]

From Scottish Rite of Freemasonry Journal, July/ August 2014:

By Howard Coop, 32°, KCCH—Every Mason in his Masonic journey was introduced to a character known as Hiram Abif. But apart from Masonic tradition, who was this man and what is known about him?

There are two major sources of information about Hiram and the work he did for King Solomon. I Kings and II Chronicles, both books of history in the Old Testament, give detailed information about the building of King Solomon's Temple on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem. From Masonic tradition, it is known that Hiram Abif had a prominent role in that event.

Following the death of King David, Solomon, David's only son by Bathsheba (I Kings 1:11), "established himself in his kingdom" (II Chronicles 1:1, RSV). Most historians accept 962 BC as the date of that event.

During his reign, Israel was so prosperous that Solomon "made silver and gold as common in Jerusalem as stone, and he made cedar as plentiful as the sycamore of the Shephelah" (II Chronicles 1:15). Then he "purposed to build a temple for the name of the Lord" (II Chronicles 2:1) in Jerusalem "at the place that David had appointed, on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite" (II Chronicles 3:1b). Although prosperity abounded in his kingdom, Solomon lacked the necessary human resources to accomplish his grand scheme. So, Solomon sent a letter to the king of Tyre, a neighbor to the north, in which he asked for assistance to accomplish his plans.

In I Kings (5:1), the king of Tyre is called Hiram, and in II Chronicles (2:3), he is called Huram. Both names mean "brother of the exalted one," and they are variant spellings of the same name. In Solomon's letter, he requested Hiram, or Huram, to send "me a man skilled to work in gold, silver, bronze, and iron, and in purple, crimson, and blue fabrics, trained also in engraving (II Chronicles 2:7). He needed a person with such expertise because, he assured Huram, "the house I am to build will be great and wonderful" (II Chronicles 2:9b).

In response to Solomon's letter, the king of Tyre wrote, "Now I have sent a skilled man, Huram-abi" (II Chronicles 2:13). In I Kings, the man sent in response to Solomon's request is Hiram. "Abi," a word which means "my father" was an honorary title that was bestowed upon Huram, and it may imply "the father of all craftsmen" which would signify his superiority as a craftsman. In Masonic tradition, Abi has become Abif.

From the portion of that letter preserved in II Chronicles 2:13-16, we know that the mother of Huram-abi was a member of the tribe of Dan. However, in I Kings 7:14, she is said to be " a widow of the tribe of Naphtali." In both passages, "his father was a man of Tyre."

The man sent to Israel in response to Solomon's request was "a skilled man, endued with understanding" (II Chronicles 2:13). He was, therefore, a multi-talented individual "trained to work in gold, silver, bronze, iron, stone, and wood" (II Chronicles 2:14a). Furthermore, he was able to work "in purple, blue, and crimson fabrics and fine linen" (II Chronicles 2:14b), and he was trained "to do all sorts of engraving and execute any design that may be assigned to him" (II Chronicles 2:14c).

This master craftsman from Tyre became the architect for Solomon's temple and "did all of [Solomon's] work" (I Kings 7:14) which included making "the pots, the shovels, and the basins" (II Chronicles 4:11) along with "the forks and all the equipment" (II Chronicles 4:16) that the temple required. These were made by Huram-abi "of burnished bronze," and they were cast "in the plain of Jordan ... in the clay ground between Succoth and Zeredah" (II Chronicles 4:16-17).

Work began "in the fourth year of Solomon's reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv. Which is the second month" (II Chronicles 3:2). That is to say, work got underway about the beginning of May in the year 962 BC. Seven years later "in the month of Bul, which is the eighth month," that is to say, about the beginning of November in 955 BC, "the house was finished in all its parts, and according to all its specifications" (I Kings 6:38). When finished, the temple built by Huram-abi for King Solomon, was, after the pyramids in Egypt, the most magnificent building of that era.

 

[KSigMason]

It is hard to say who Hiram Abiff was, there are so many theories and so little fact. The Bible is a little vague on who exactly he was and Masonic tradition is a finicky thing when it comes to using Biblical characters. Freemasonry hasn't always used the Hiramic legends either.

 

[shart_attack]

It is hard to say who Hiram Abiff was, there are so many theories and so little fact. The Bible is a little vague on who exactly he was and Masonic tradition is a finicky thing when it comes to using Biblical characters.

The column that Mr. Coop wrote in the new Scottish Rite Journal is a good read, don't you think?

I liked it, myself.

Hafta admit, however, that it did give me some pause to reflect on the 28th Chapter of the Book of Ezekiel when I was reading it:

Ezekiel Chapter 28, King James Version

One has to be very careful in attempting to dissect the archaeological significance of Hiram Abif, because as we're both well aware, it's usually the most virulent anti-Semites—in particular, anti-Jews—who start despicably hateful theories about Freemasonry.

Someone who hates Jews typically hurls slurs like "Zionist bankers" and whatnot in association with the Freemasons.

Even so, I have always wondered who is meant in the book by the "prince of Tyrus" (Ezekiel 28:2) and "the king of Tyrus" (Ezekiel 28:12).

Any significance? Any relation to Hiram Abif?

After all, we know that above all other things, Ezekiel was a prophet, yes?

Freemasonry hasn't always used the Hiramic legends either.

Whom did it use before him?

I can't see as to how Freemasonry would have ever made much sense without its having had Abif, the builder of the Temple of Solomon, as its centerpiece, myself.