Monday, May 2, 2011

Anderson's Constitutions of 1723, Lionel Vilbert, 35 p., 1923

Anderson's Constitutions of 1723 by Lionel Vibert 

Having devoted his attention for several years to pre-Grand Lodge Masonry, Bro. Lionel Vibert  (Past Master of Quator Coronati 2076, UGLE) specialized on the Grand Lodge era the records of which are still so confused or incomplete that, in spite of the great amount of work accomplished by scholars in the past, work remains yet to be done. The paper below is critical and often cited with much of our current understanding owing to judgment and scholarship.  It was one of the author's first published studies of the Grand Lodge era. To us American Masons to whom Masonic jurisprudence is an almost necessary preoccupation, such a work offers crucial light on that formative period, and especially on Dr. Anderson whose Constitutions and our understanding of their context, references and validity are groundwork for our laws.  CLICK HERE TO READ THIS ESSAY