Ahiman Rezon

Title page of the first edition of Ahiman Rezon (1756).

Ahiman Rezon is the book of constitutions compiled by Laurence Dermott for the Antients' Grand Lodge, first published in London in 1756. It set out the organisation's rules and presented its understanding of Masonic history and authority. Adaptations circulated in Ireland and North America.^[1]

Title and first publication

The first edition gives the alternative title A Help to a Brother and names Dermott as secretary. It was printed for the editor and sold by James Bedford in St Paul's Churchyard.^[2] The words Ahiman Rezon are usually associated with Hebrew, but their intended meaning is disputed. The English subtitle should not be treated as an established literal translation.^[3]

The book began as Dermott's publishing venture and became the Antients' official constitutional text. Ray Shepperd's account records publication by subscription and a dedication to the Earl of Blessington.^[4]

Contents and sources

The volume combines rules of government with writing about a Mason's conduct, charitable provision and songs. Its title page also advertises an oratorio, Solomon's Temple, performed for the benefit of Freemasons. This mixture reflects the administrative and social uses of a Masonic book in the eighteenth century.^[2]

Dermott drew extensively on earlier constitutions, especially the Irish compilation of Edward Spratt, which itself owed much to Anderson's constitutions. His introduction adopted a different tone: it satirised the custom of writing a continuous history of Masonry from biblical antiquity.^[1] In the opening pages he imagines himself surpassing earlier historians and discusses figures who rose from modest origins.^[2]

Later editions and illustrations

The second edition appeared in 1764, followed by editions in 1778 and 1787. Later English editions were edited by Thomas Harper. The contents changed over time, including the removal of some of Dermott's polemical writing.^[4]

The illustrations also contributed to the dispute between the Grand Lodges. The Museum of Freemasonry identifies the 1778 frontispiece as a statement of the Antients' links with Ireland and Scotland, expressed through architectural and heraldic imagery. Such images record the organisation's claims about its standing and alliances.^[3]

Use outside England

William Smith prepared an American adaptation, Ahiman Rezon abridged and digested, published by order of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia in 1783. The Wellcome Collection's catalogue identifies Hall and Sellers as its printers.^[5] These adaptations and later revisions mean that works bearing the title are not necessarily identical to Dermott's first edition.

References

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 QC Correspondence Circle, Ahiman Rezon, 1723 Constitutions research website. Accessed 30 September 2026.
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 ^2.2 Laurence Dermott, Ahiman Rezon: or, A Help to a Brother (London, 1756), title page, dedication and “The Editor to the Reader”, pp. v–xii. Scan provided by the Nebraska Masonic Foundation.
↑ ^3.0 ^3.1 Museum of Freemasonry, An illustrated rivalry. Accessed 30 September 2026.
↑ ^4.0 ^4.1 Ray Shepperd, Ahiman Rezon, Association of Atholl Lodges (2006). Accessed 30 September 2026.
↑ Wellcome Collection, Ahiman rezon abridged and digested, catalogue record for the Philadelphia edition (1783). Accessed 30 September 2026.