From the book
Ancient Mystic Oriental Masonry
R. Swinburne Clymer · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Orientation
At a Glance
- The wordThe Great Architect is an architectural title for divine order.
- In Ancient Mystic Oriental MasonryThe title appears among the principles honored by Masonry, in the proposed history of the Mysteries, and in the discussion of the Book of the Law.
- In this editionGreat and Grand, and abbreviations with or without the T. for the, follow the copy text. Their frequencies are not added as mutually exclusive categories.
- A place to readM.43: … “the same. All taught the existence of the G. A. O. U., the Immortality of the” …
Meaning
The Great Architect is an architectural title for divine order. It makes building a shared language for spiritual work without specifying every theological attribute of the source.
Use in the book
The title appears among the principles honored by Masonry, in the proposed history of the Mysteries, and in the discussion of the Book of the Law. Architect, design, work, temple, and trestle-board belong to one extended image. The person works according to an order that the divine title represents.
Places to read
- Mystic Masonry · Block 43… “the same. All taught the existence of the G. A. O. U., the Immortality of the Soul, and the unqualified Brotherhood of Man; and with these primitive and fundamental truths Masonry” …
- Foundations of Mystic Masonry · Block 93… “of the Widow, and the cult of the great Architect came to us in consequence of apparently unforseen events, and it will be seen that it was principally by means of” …
- Masonic Symbolism · Block 16“222. " The whole design of Freemasonry as a Speculative science is the investigation of Divine Truths. To this great object everything else is subsidiary. The Mason is, from the time” …
- Masonic Symbolism · Block 25… “believed to contain the revealed will of the Great Architect of the Universe. Hence, in all Lodges in Christian countries, the Book of the Law is composed of the Old and” …
In this edition
Great and Grand, and abbreviations with or without the T. for the, follow the copy text. Their frequencies are not added as mutually exclusive categories.
Reading the argument
The common architectural title can support religious cooperation even where particular beliefs differ. It should not be taken to prove that every tradition using such language has the same institutional ancestry.
Great Architect
“Great Architect” — 5 occurrences in 4 text blocks: F.93–95; S.25.
Grand Architect
“Grand Architect” — 2 occurrences in 2 text blocks: S.25, 73.
G. A. O. U.
“G. A. O. U.” — 1 occurrence in 1 text block: M.43.