Seafaring Man

A term used in the legend of the Third Degree to denote the person met near the port of Joppa by certain persons sent out on a search by King Solomon. The part of the legend which introduces the Wayfaring Man, and his interview with the Fellow Crafts, was probably introduced into the American system by Webb, or found by him in the older ceremonies practiced in the United States. It is not in the old English instructions of the eighteenth century, nor is the circumstance detailed in the present English lecture. A wayfaring man is defined by Phillips as "one accustomed to travel on the road." The expression is becoming obsolete in ordinary language, but it is preserved in Scripture-"he saw a wayfaring man in the street of the city" (Judges xix, 17)-and in Freemasonry, both of which still retain many words long since disused elsewhere.


~~ooOoo~~
This page is adapted from the Glossary at Phoenixmasonry — Used with permission.

Unless otherwise stated, the content of this page is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License