What is the Regius Manuscript, and why does it matter to Freemasonry?

In this episode of Masonic Muscle, the Curmudgeon Supreme and I begin reading and discussing the Regius Manuscript, commonly dated to around 1390 and often described as the oldest known Masonic manuscript.

That raises some hard questions.

Why are we reading it now?
Why didn’t we start with it first?
What does it actually say?
Where did it come from?
Who wrote it?

How do we know it pertains to Freemasonry?
And how many Masons have even heard of it, let alone read it?

This episode solves one Masonic problem:

How can Masons claim to understand Masonic origins if they have never studied the oldest known manuscript connected to the Craft?

We discuss:

• the Regius Manuscript of 1390
• why it is considered the oldest known Masonic manuscript
• its place among the Old Charges
• what the manuscript says
• where it may have come from
• who may have written or copied it
• why it matters to the origin question
• how we determine whether it pertains to Freemasonry
• why modern Masons need to return to source documents
• why old manuscripts should be read, not merely mentioned

This is not just an old text.

It is one of the foundation stones in any serious investigation of Masonic origins.

If a Brother wants more light, he cannot only listen to summaries, slogans, and lodge-room assumptions. He has to go back to the documents, read them, question them, and compare them.

So let us read what it says and then have a real discussion about it.

Have an origin theory, Masonic question, old document, short talk, book recommendation, lodge problem, or research lead?

Write to me at:
[email protected]

If you have a short talk, research paper, book, PDF, or old document dealing with the origins of Freemasonry, send it to me. Let’s read it, test it, and investigate the mysterious origins of the Craft together.

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Share this episode with one Brother who has heard about the Regius Manuscript but has never actually read it.