Articles by the Fraternity
THE THREE RUFFIANS
We are told in the First part of the Traditional History that, fifteen fellow crafts of that superior class, conspired, etc. At the moment, however, of carrying their conspiracy into execution, twelve of them recanted, but three, of a more determined and atrocious character than the rest persisted in their impious design etc., resulting in the death of our Master Hiram Abif. We are also told of the manner in which our Master was slain.
We are further informed in the Second part of the Traditional History of the utter confusion that prevaild in the absence of Hiram Abif and of the overseers deputing some of their eminent numbers to acuaint King Solomon of the situation. Being perturbed with the news, King Solomon orders a master of all workmen when theree overseers of the same class are found missing. On the same day the twelve F.C.s who had recanted came before the king and made a voluntary confession of all they knew down to the time of theis with drawal from the intended crime. King Solomon then selected fifteen trusty craftsmen and ordered them to make a deligent search over the person of our Master. They formed into three craft Lodges and went in search; the second batch was lucky in finding the body of our Master very indecently burried and the third batch could catch the murderers and produce them before King Solomon. King Solomon put them to that death which the heineousness of their crime amply meritted.
It is curious that during this long narration we are not told the names of the three Ruffians are given as Jubela, Jubeo and Jubelum. We do not find these names in the Bible and so they must have been from other source. It is very interesting to note that some western writers attribute these names of Hindu origin. According to them the last letters of the three names viz, Jubla, Jubelo, and Jubelum form the word AGM, pronounced OUM or Om they word very highly prized and greatly revered by the Hidnus. Hindus attribute this word to creation itself and to cosmos. This word being so auspecious what has it got to do with three Ruffians? According to these writers OUM represents the creative, preservative and destructive aspects of creation alluding to brahma, Vishnu adn Shiva and here it should be taken to represent Lord Shiva, the destroyer. Curioues and interesting indeed ! A deeper research requires to be made of this. Does it mean that Freemasonary has a Hindu origin?
According to ancient irish Rituals, the second part of the Traditional History is some what diferent from ours, and I personally feel and it is more logical and gives meanting, According to it, King Solomon does not select a separate team of fifteen trusty craftsmen. He is so appreciative of the innocense and honesty of the twelve recanters that he asks them alone to make a deligent search after the person of our Master. It may also be his reason that these twelve have seen and known the Three Ruffians and so would be easier for them to trace the culprits. They form in to four Lodges of three each (not threeof five each) and go in search in all the four directions, North, South, East and West. One of these batches travelled down to the sea of Joppa, in the west. When one of them sat himself down to rest by the side of luck he heard frightful lamination in a cloft of the rocks. One of the laminators was saying "oh that I have had my throat cut across and my tongue torn ot by the root and then bureryled in the sands of the sea at low water mark a cables length from the shore where the tide ebbs and flows twice in twenty four hours rather than I had been concerned in the death of our Master Hiram Said the other, "Oh I that I had had my hearttorn from under my naked left breast and given to the vultures of the air as prey, rather than I had been concerned in the death of so good a Master "But oh" says Jubetum the hird lamentor "I struck him harder than you both and I killed him Oh I that I had had my body severed in two, my bowels burnt to ashes and the ashes scattered before the four winds of the earth rather than I had been concerned in the death of our Master,, Hiram". Hearing these sorrowful lamentations of the three, the Brother who was resting haild the other two and they went into the cleft of the rock, recognised than, took them, bound them and brought them before King Soloman. They owned what had passed and what they had done and did not desire to live. Therefore King Solomon ordered their own sentences to be laid upon them. Says he, they have signed their own death and let it be up on them as they have said "Appoirdidgiy and umbelsevas taken but and his throat cut across etc., jabelo's healt was tom from under his naked laft breast etc. jubelumbls body was sevoted in two etc.
Don't these give a clue and a meaning to the traditional renalties which at oen time were include in our obligations of the first, second and third degrees repectively and to thbsigns of three jegrees ? How interesting ?
Reference
1. The M. M. Book by W. Bro J. S. J. Ward
2. The three distinct knocks at the door of the Most Ancient Freemasonry.
