Travis Simpkins: "The Hiram Key" by Christopher Knight and Robert Lomas

The Hiram Key

Pharaohs, Freemasons and the Discovery

of the Secret Scrolls of Jesus

by Christopher Knight & Robert Lomas

Century, 1996

Brief Review by Travis Simpkins

Primarily built on a foundation of speculation and circumstantial evidence, The Hiram Key by Christopher Knight and Robert Lomas is nevertheless quite entertaining as well as thought-provoking… containing the proper mix of mystery and revelation to make it a break-out bestseller. The book appealed to both the Masonic niche market and mainstream audiences. Controversial to say the least, the book drops several historical bombshells in just over 300 pages, making bold assertions about the origins of Freemasonry, the legend of Hiram Abiff, the teachings of Jesus Christ, the treasures of the Knights Templar, the architecture of Rosslyn Chapel and the image on the Shroud of Turin.

The overview of the book is too broad to summarize here, but the main undercurrent consists of establishing a steady steam of connections from Ancient Egyptian temple rituals through the Qumran Community teachings of Jesus to the secret initiations of the fugitive Knights Templar and at present within the lodges of Craft Freemasonry.

The boldest conjecture, as the book title suggests, rests with Hiram Abiff… the central figure in the Masonic 3rd Degree. The authors translated "Hiram Abiff" as meaning "the King who was lost." This led to the rediscovery of the long-forgotten Pharaoh of Upper Egypt, Seqenenre Tao, who was caught in a power struggle over the Osirian secrets with Apophis during the Hyksos period around 1570 B.C. Refusing to yield the secrets of the Egyptian king-making rituals, Seqenenre Tao was murdered (the authors claim by the brothers of Joseph) and his mummy shows signs of brutal head trauma reminiscent of the fate of Hiram Abiff.

Other claims in the book suggest that the famous Shroud of Turin, thought by many to be the burial shroud of Jesus Christ, in fact depicts the crucified body of Jacques de Molay, Grand Master of the Knights Templar. Further research focuses on a set of Gnostic scrolls presumed to have been found buried within the Temple Mount in Jerusalem by the Templars, which the authors claim were later secreted away in a vault beneath Rosslyn Chapel in Scotland. As far-fetched as the ideas seem at first glance, the book really needs to be read all the way through in order to be appreciated. If taken at face value, and approached with an open mind, there is something to be learned on various levels throughout the text.