ABSTRACT 056NF TR GREAVES, ed.
[email protected] Architecture Mysticism and Myth, William R. Lethaby, 1975; New York, George Brazil-ler. 280pp, illustrated. Originally published 1891
William Lethaby, once first Professor of Design at the Royal College of Art, made exten-sive study of the mythologies and religions of ancient cultures and concluded that the sac-red architecture they produced was hardly the result of utilitarian, or merely-stylistic, concerns but had been conceived symbolically. Temples were ?sermons in stone.? The same observation was made by another astute scholar of the period, James Forlong: ?An-cient architecture depended on ancient faith and its symbolisms. It must be carefully studied by all who seek the key to creeds.? These were fairly new ideas at the time al-though Fergusson?s seminal work on Hindu religious architecture and that of the Greek and Roman art historians surely pointed the way. Temple architects ?either priests themselves or in the employ of priests- naturally seized any opportunity to express their beliefs and dogmas, especially in a semi-permanent medium. It is seemingly for just this reason that we find in Freemasonry an odd blend of building trades and theology. Tem-ples typically were looked upon as microcosms of the macrocosm, erected by architects imitating the Great Architect of the Universe. Such a temple would be (if they succeed-ed) an imago mvndi, a mirror of the world. Among the symbolical motifs recognized by Lethaby were the Jewel-bearing Tree, the Center of the Earth, the Planetary Spheres, the Labyrinth, the Golden Gate of the Sun, and the Windows of Heaven. Stepped pyramids (in both hemispheres in fact) often were conceived as models of a multi-tiered cosmos; and, as we now know, esoteric systems of measurement were also sometimes used in order to further harmonize the structure with the Cosmic Whole. Since ?the dimension of Heaven is time?, methods were developed that permitted the conversion of temporal units into linear units of measure, and thus the creation of Houses of Eternity, or Heavens on Earth. This sheds some light on the etymological relationship between the Latin words tempus and templum, ie., ?time? and ?temple.? Lethaby?s book is nearly unique for its scope and insight; it deserves a place on the shelves of all serious students of ancient symbolism.
KEYWORDS
Architecture/ mythology/ cosmology/ symbolism/ ziggurat/ the Tabernacle in the Wild-erness/ orientation/ gem symbolism/ 360/ topes/ Mt Meru
