The Golden Builders is divided into three parts: - Part 1 presents a broad survey of the Hermetic current and its transmissions from Hellenistic Alexandria to the time of Paracelsus.- Part 2 focuses on the Rosicrucian movement as a vehicle of the Hermetic current, drawing on state-of-the-art research, such as the works of Spanish scholar Carlos Gilly.- Part 3 concentrates mainly on one man, the English polymath, antiquarian, collector, alchemist, astrologer, and early Freemason, Elias Ashmole, after whom the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford is named, and one of many Renaissance figures who carried the Hermetic current forward.- Unlocks the secret to Hiram's Key.- A crucial pre-history of modern Freemasonry from its Alchemical and Hermetic origins in ancient Alexandria through the Rosicrucian Order of the 18th century. Preface vi Acknowledgements viii Introduction ix PART ONE THE HERMETIC PHILOSOPHY Hermes - Star of Alexandria 3(14) The Vision of Hermes 7(7) Neoplatonism and the Hermetic Tradition 14(3) Alchemy 17(9) Zosimos of Panopolis 21(5) Hermes meets Islam 26(18) Gnosis in Harran and Baghdad 27(1) Thabit 27(4) Thabit and the Gral 31(3) The Sabian inheritance in the west 34(4) Alchemy in the middle ages 38(2) Sir George Ripley (c.1415--1490?) 40(4) The Hermetic Reniassance 44(18) The Mercurial Spirit 45(4) Lodovico Lazzarelli - born again gnostic 49(5) At the Hermetic bowl 54(4) In the Sun 58(4) The Hermetic background to the first Rosicrucians 62(19) Paracelsus (1483-1541) 64(3) The Amphitheatre of Eternal Wisdom 67(14) Notes to Part One 70(11) PART TWO THE TRUE STORY OF THE ROSICRUCIANS The Fame of the Fraternity 81(11) The Fama 81(1) The myth of Christian Rosenkreuz 82(2) In the House of the Holy Spirit 84(4) Haslmayr and Paracelsus 88(2) Plotzkau 90(2) The New Age 92(15) Apocalyptic 92(4) John Dee: Apocalyptic Prophet 96(3) Saving the world 99(1) The Fiery Trigons 100(1) The breaking of the seals 101(2) Tobias Hess and the apocalyptic numbers 103(4) Hess and Andreae 107(20) Andreae and radical reform 115(1) Caspar Schwenckfeld (1489-1561) 116(3) Sebastian Franck (1499-1542) 119(2) Piety & Mysticism 121(2) Christoph Besold (1577-1649) 123(4) The Greatest Publicity Stunt of all Time 127(30) The Rose 127(3) The Furore begins 130(1) The Stone falls 131(6) The Devil in Paris 137(3) The Assassination of Truth 140(12) Andreae calls Time 152(1) Johann Valentin Andreae and History 153(4) Others have Laboured 157(34) Hit by the Stone 159(2) The Stones in Action 161(1) Comenius (1592-1671) 162(2) A new Court at the Hague 164(4) The Royal Society 168(2) The Return of the Fama 170(1) Witch Hunt 171(4) Haunted by Dee's Spirits 175(16) Notes to Part Two 178(8) Illustrations 186(5) PART THREE ELIAS ASHMOLE (1617-1692) A Mighty Good Man 191(14) His Life 193(4) Restoration 197(8) Elias Ashmole and the origins of Free Masonry 205(27) The Mainwarings 208(4) Warrington - what happened? 212(6) The Old Charges 218(4) The Lodge is in the Head - The Acception and the London Masons Company 222(10) Notes to Part Three 232(4) Bibliography 236(6) Index 242