This article is taken from the July 2020 issue of Fraternal Review titled, “Prudence.”

SCOPE OF THE VIRTUES

As I put together this third in a series of Fraternal Reviews, it became apparent that Prudence occupies a special place among the cardinal virtues. All four are divine attributes manifesting as spiritual qualities in man; and yet, they operate at different levels in a spectrum of conscious-ness extending upward from the realm of body sensations to feelings, thinking, intentionality, intuition and spirituality.

Temperance, or moderation, is emotional restraint that brings self-mastery of both bodily appetites and temptations of the mind. Fortitude, or strength, extends higher up the spectrum. It inspires moral courage based on an abstract level of mind—intentionality.

Temperance and Fortitude are framed as qualities of the individual; but Prudence, or Wisdom, is much broader. It includes knowledge of past, present and future, and emphasizes conduct in all of one’s relationships, within Masonry and throughout the whole human community.

ANCIENTS’ VIEW

A contemporary scholar of medieval literature has commented on the ancients’ view of prudence, relating it to the Latin word, sapientia as it was used in writings of the Roman philosopher and statesman Cicero:

“Prudence as sapientia, ‘wisdom,’ comprises the suitable use of all knowledge, practical and speculative ... [or] knowledge arrived at by arguing from probable premises, knowledge arrived at by persuading on the basis of conjectured truth, and knowledge arrived at through demonstration. ... Prudence comprehends not only all human knowledge but also temporality. The definition of it given in [Cicero’s] De Inventione makes this clear: its parts are temporally related, memory being of what is past; intelligence of what is; foresight of what is to come.” (1)

18TH CENTURY VIEW

When modern Masonry was forming in the 18th century, some Masons expressed views consistent with this concept of prudence, seen throughout history from ancient Greek and Roman times through the Middle Ages and Renaissance. In 1769, Bro. Wellins Calcott wrote: “Prudence is the queen and guide of all other virtues, the ornament of our actions.”

According to Bro. William Preston (1772), “On this virtue, all others depend; it is, therefore, the chief jewel that can adorn the human frame.” These thoughts are echoed by words of the great medieval theologian St. Thomas Aquinas, quoted in a Masonic magazine in 2017: “Prudence is the father of all virtues because you must employ yourself in the study of the world and of God in order to gain wisdom, knowledge and insight.” (2)

IMAGERY OF PRUDENCE

Another medieval theologian, Ramón Lull, designed elaborate contemplations on virtues. A philosopher holds a wheel portraying inter-related subjects to reflect upon. His thoughts ascend from the levels of earthly life—minerals, plants, animals, and man—into the angelic kingdom above, and on to the top step, the realm of Deity where his mind enters the House of Wisdom (3).

Images in a Masonic tracing board created by Bro. John Harris in 1849 may allude to still other ideas about wisdom from centuries past. A stairway, symbolic of Jacob’s ladder, rises toward the East, where the pillar of Wisdom extends from the floor of the lodge toward the heavens. It ascends from the altar upon the checkered pavement—the earthly level—toward the Blazing Star above, emblematic of Divine Providence.

PROVIDENCE

“Providence” is defined as foresight, preparation for the future, prudent management. As a divine attribute, it is the foreknowing and protective care of God; divine direction, control, or guidance.4 Seated on this stairway connecting heaven and earth are three female figures representing faith, hope, and charity. Four angels are also present, two ascending and two descending. They are messengers connecting God with Humanity.

Written by C. Douglas Russell

REFERENCES

(1) Mary Carruthers, The Book of Memory, A Study of Memory in Medieval Culture, Second Edition. (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1990, 2008), 83.

(2) These quotes are taken from the Fragments section. (page 13)

(3) Paraphrased text and illustration from Frances Yates, The Art of Memory. (Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1966), 180-81.

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