AACHEN CATHEDRAL GERMANY: Completed in 805, the first Emperor since the fall of the Roman Empire, Charlemagne, was buried here in 814. He was coronated on 25 December 800, and 31 German Kings, and 12 Queens followed in his footsteps by being crowned in Aachen.
Sir Isaac Newton based his calculations about the End of the World on Charlemagne’s coronation year, 800. He added the number 1260 found in the Book of Revelations to this date to arrive at the year 2060.
DECLARATION OF THE RIGHTS OF man AND OF THE CITIZEN. 1789 France. This document contains the values of the French Revolution and was inspired by Enlightenment philosophers and Freemasons. Calling for equal rights amongst men, as opposed to the Divine Rights of Kings, human rights were viewed as being universal in nature.
Although it was and remains a profound shift away from the Old World beliefs, women would have to wait for more than a century to be treated as equals and ‘given’ the right to vote. One of the main issues with traditional Freemasonry is the exclusion of women from Masonic Lodges and meetings, something that persists to this day. Women can create their own Lodges, but they do not mix with their male counterparts.
Slavery was outlawed during the Revolution, and reintroduced by Napoleon. The American Civil War was fought over whether equal rights applied only to white men, or all men.
The Eye of Providence bears witness to the declaration, a symbol of the Deity and Great Architect of the Universe in Deism, the most common belief of the 18th century Enlightenment. The All-Seeing Eye inside of an equilateral triangle represents the Holy Trinity in Christianity and can be found in numerous churches and cathedrals. God is also referred to as the Great Architect by Christian theologians of the Reformation and Freemasons.
The 18th century is a fascinating period to study as there was a definite move away from organized religion, but still a belief in what some refer to as the Watchmaker or Great Geometrician. Deists took great offense to the emerging beliefs of atheism, and no individual could join the ranks of Freemasonry without declaring their belief in a higher power.