Building Builders!: A Brother Asks: Was the Holy Bible always the Altar Book?

Volumes of Sacred Law

A Brother Asks:

1) What was the original book used to administer Stone Mason Oaths?

2) What book eventually replaced it during the Freemasonic Grand Lodge Era?

3) What year did that original book get replaced?

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For medieval stonemasons, the original "book" used to administer oaths was not a single volume but a collection of manuscripts known as the Old Charges. These were later replaced by the first printed Book of Constitutions during the Grand Lodge era in 1723. [1, 2]

1. The Original Document: The Old Charges [2, 3]

In the era of operative masonry, lodges used hand-written manuscripts called the Old Charges (also known as the Gothic Constitutions) to govern the craft and swear in new members. [2]

The Halliwell Manuscript (also known as the Regius Poem), dated to approximately 1390, is the oldest known version.
The Matthew Cooke Manuscript (c. 1410) is the second oldest and the first written in prose.
These manuscripts contained a legendary history of the craft, moral duties, and the specific "charges" (rules) that a mason had to swear to uphold. [4, 5, 6, 7, 8]

2. The Replacement: The Book of Constitutions

During the transition to speculative Freemasonry and the formation of the first Grand Lodge, these diverse manuscripts were standardized into a single printed volume. [1, 9]

The new book was titled "The Constitutions of the Free-Masons".
It was compiled by Rev. James Anderson, who was tasked with editing the "ancient historical accounts" from the Old Charges into a modern form.
This book established the foundation for modern Masonic law and replaced the localized, hand-written traditions of the operative era. [1, 10, 11, 12, 13]

3. Year of Replacement: 1723 [7, 14]

The original manuscript tradition was officially superseded by the printed book in 1723. [1, 9]

This publication followed the 1717 formation of the Grand Lodge of London and Westminster.
The 1723 Constitutions moved away from the strictly Christian and Trinitarian oaths of the Old Charges, introducing Enlightenment principles that allowed for a broader "religion in which all men agree". [1, 15, 16]

💡 Historical Note: While Anderson's 1723 book became the standard in England, Benjamin Franklin famously printed the first American edition in 1734 for use in the colonies. [7, 17, 18, 19, 20]

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4. The Brother Continues: When did the volume of sacred law or the holy bible become the standard for the book on the altar?

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The transition of the Bible (or the Volume of Sacred Law) from a reference document to a permanent fixture on the Masonic altar occurred gradually during the mid-18th century.

While there is no single "edict" date for the entire world, the practice became the standard through the following milestones:

The Shift to the Altar (1740–1760)

In the earliest Grand Lodge era (1717–1723), the Bible was present in the lodge room—often on a table for oaths—but it was not yet considered one of the "Three Great Lights" displayed on a central altar.

1730s: Evidence from early exposures (like Prichard’s Masonry Dissected) suggests the "Furniture of the Lodge" was the Bible, Compass, and Square, but they were not yet arranged as they are today.
1740s: Lodges began moving away from "drawing the lodge" (chalking symbols on the floor) to using a central pedestal or altar.
1760: By this year, the Bible was widely established as a permanent, open fixture on the altar in most English lodges.

The "Antients" Influence (1751)

The Antients Grand Lodge (formed in 1751) played a major role in making the Bible a central requirement.

They were more traditionalist and religious than the "Moderns" (the original Grand Lodge).
They insisted that the Bible be open during all meetings as a symbol of divine authority.
When the two rival Grand Lodges merged in 1813, the "Antients" practice of placing the Bible on the altar was officially adopted as the permanent standard for the United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE).

Transition to the "Volume of Sacred Law" (1813–Present)

The term "Volume of Sacred Law" (VSL) became the standard terminology to accommodate non-Christian members while maintaining the sanctity of the altar. [21]

Universalism: As Masonry spread to India and the Middle East, the VSL was defined to include the Torah, Quran, or Vedas.
Requirement: In regular Freemasonry today, a lodge cannot open unless a VSL is open on the altar.

📖 Key Dates at a Glance

Year	Milestone
1723	Anderson's Constitutions mention the "Charge" but not a permanent Bible on an altar.
1740	Increasing records of lodges purchasing Bibles specifically for the "pedestal."
1751	The "Antients" Grand Lodge formalizes the Bible's central role.
1813	The Act of Union standardizes the Bible/VSL as one of the Three Great Lights.