Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Mal'akh's Tattoos, Part 1: The Pillars, Boaz and Jachin

In Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol, the magnificently creepy villain called Mal'akh is tattooed on almost every inch of his body, except for a spot on the crown of his head. But these are not just any old tattoos. Mal'akh's tattoos incorporate all kinds of esoteric and mystical symbolism -- some of it Masonic in nature. Mal'akh may be a torturer, he may be a criminal sociopath, he may be the human equivalent of a demon -- but he aspires to all sorts of spiritual knowledge, and he reflects his spiritual aspirations in his tattoos.

Two of Mal'akh's tattoos are on his legs. As described in Chapter 2 of The Lost Symbol (page 11 of the English edition):

... his muscular legs were tattooed as carved pillars -- his left leg spiraled and his right leg vertically striated, Boaz and Jachin.


So, what is this about?

For almost three hundred years, it has been public knowledge that two important symbols in Freemasonry are the pillars Boaz and Jachin. Anciently, pillars with these names were part of the Temple built by King Solomon. In the Bible, the construction of the Temple is described in a couple of places, one of which is the First Book of Kings. The 7th chapter, verses 15 through 22, describe the pillars, at the conclusion of which we read:

And he [Hiram, the master builder] set up the pillars in the porch of the temple: and he set up the right pillar, and called the name thereof Jachin: and he set up the left pillar, and called the name thereof Boaz. (1 Kings 7:21)

The name Jachin translates to "God will establish"; Boaz translates to "in strength." Thus, one meaning of the pillars is that they signify that God established the Temple in strength.

There are ancient legends associated with the pillars, some of which have shown up in Masonic symbolism. One legend is that the pillars were topped with globes, one showing the globe of the Earth ("the terrestrial globe") and the other the globe of the heavens as seen from the Earth ("the celestial globe"). You can see these globes atop the pillars in the illustration above (from a 1920's edition of Albert Mackey's History of Freemasonry). Another legend is that there was secret wisdom written on records deposited within the pillars. Yet another legend (shown in Dan Brown's novel) is that one pillar was decorated with carvings horizontally, the other vertically.

What is the significance of the pillars in Masonic symbolism, and why are they of interest to Mal'akh? There is much that could be said about this, only a portion of which I can mention here.

The pillars Boaz and Jachin signify the entrance to the Temple built by Solomon and dedicated to God. Some representation of these pillars is found in most Masonic lodge rooms. Their presence helps to mark the Masonic lodge room as a sort of sacred space, where people take a different perspective on their lives than the everyday point of view. The "journey" of initiation into Freemasonry begins as the initiate symbolically enters the Temple built by Solomon.

The names of the pillars are a reminder to the Mason that, as the outward Temple was established in strength by God, so too the Mason invites God to establish his own life in strength. (Of course, if the Mason invites God to establish his life, he'd better be living the kind of life that God can support.)

As the globes atop the ancient pillars were representations of the heavens and the earth, so too the Mason seeks for knowledge of the natural universe, near and far.

As the ancient pillars were said to be repositories of wisdom, so too the Mason is on a journey in search of wisdom.

These are the values that Mal'akh was dedicating himself to: the search for wisdom. The tragedy of Mal'akh, in part, is that he did not understand that the search for higher wisdom requires kindness and respect for other human beings, in order to be a fully successful search.

I shall have a great deal more to say about Masonic symbolism as it appears in Dan Brown's novel in my forthcoming book, Discovering The Lost Symbol: The Mind of Dan Brown, the Truth About the Freemasons, and the Idea That We Can Become Gods. (Agents' and publishers' inquiries are welcome.)

26 comments:

  1. Mal'akh was an interesting character!

    The whole thing about him in his early life reminded me a lot of Lord Byron for some reason!

    I did also put together that he was Zachery as soon as Katherine said 'why do you hate my family so much?'

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    1. I didn't realise it was Zach until he was shouting at his father ''who gives his son the choice of wealth or wisdom, and expects him to know how to handle it?'' At that point I just "Oh my god!". Excellent book!

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  2. Brett: I'm glad you enjoyed the novel. Mal'akh was certainly a memorable character; perhaps, in his own way, Dan Brown's masterpiece as a villain--at least so far!

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  3. Mal'akh was an enjoyable villain, certainly better than Silas, but the Hassassin fron Angels & Demons is still the standard...

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  4. I was not expecting the spoiler -- sorry I looked at this site now . . . .

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  5. Who should play Mal'akh in The Lost Symbol film? WWE wrestler Dave Batista.

    http://i.a.cnn.net/si/2007/writers/arash_markazi/03/30/on.scene/p1_batista.jpg

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  6. I knew he was Zach when he killed the prison guard...

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  7. Anonymous not expecting the spoiler: Please pardon me. I'll make it a point to be better about warning regarding potential spoilers.

    Thanks to all for your comments.

    Andy: I'm thinking more in the direction of Ralph Fiennes. I'm looking for high intelligence, exterior sauvidad, interior torturedness.

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  8. About spoilers: I see that the issue was not the text of the post, but the comments. I'll add something to the "Post a Comment" note to warn people against that.

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  9. HI there. You know Wentworth Miller might be able to play this guy Malakh. From the description it would be nice. Havent finished the book yet but dont mind the spoiler either.

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  10. I think wentworth miller would be great

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  11. In my opinion Ralph Fiennes is a little too old to play Mal'akh/Zach. By the time the movie comes out Fiennes will be 50, the same age as Robert Langdon or Katherine Solomon. Also, Mal'akh seems too similar to the character Fiennes played in Red Dragon.

    I'm not sure about Wentworth Miller either. When Mal'akh dons the blond wig and becomes Dr. Abbadon he is described as looking very cultured or of the upper-class. I'm not sure if Miller could pull that off.

    My vote would be for Aaron Eckhart. He is who I pictured when I was reading the book. Really, I pictured him to whole time as Mal'akh.

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  12. I think Christian Bale would be a good Mal'akh in the movie.

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  13. Dwayne Johnson would be perfect! HE's the ROCK...Great Strong body.
    Can make a mean look-en face even tho he is very handson.

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  14. i imagined JUDE LAW! , Hayden Christensen would be acceptable...Josh Harnette...and Heath Ledger(rip) would be awesome.

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  15. i dont want to spoil im just going off what other ppl said. I read the book and had no idea he was Zach! no clue! u guys are smarter than me! P.S. lved the book I'm a huge Dan Brown fan and this one was great!

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  16. I try to find The First Book of Kings for reading the all text about pillars, and found, that this event was wrote in the Third Book of Kings. Not in the First.
    Please, correct a mistake in your article.

    Kagury

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  17. hah guys i guess you've never seen that guy before but this is the man that i imagined while reading the book he's name is Georgy Kostadinov --->
    http://www.19min.bg/images/events/23529/1258463012_4_xm.jpg
    http://viewsofia.com/upload/fck_editor/Image/1/vsi4ki govorqt/300-joro.jpg

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  18. I think that the Wrestler Batista is the one which looks closer to what we may expect of Mal'akh character. Think of Batista boldhead and with tatoo.... Freaky !!!!

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  19. Wow it is cooL i hope i can be a mason

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  20. hey,,,,i doubt if nyone in the world would be able to play a character like mal'akh....
    i certainly don't think mal'akh as a villain but actually the main character of the book,,it seemed to me as if katherine, robert, peter, sato , all r just playing side roles....he is indeed the GOD as thought of himself...i wish i could meet sumone like him or i wish i could be like him,,,i'd love to have a sacred life like him,,,i read THE LOST SYMBOL 2 times 'cause of mal'akh,,

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    1. Anonymous, you want to be a homicidal, insane beyond comprehension, rage-fuelled, mad man? Did I mention crazed killer brimming with nothing but hatred?

      If you met him, I'm pretty sure that would be your last meeting with anyone EVER.

      Did you actually read the book??

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  21. Jon George is the inspiration for Mal'akh.
    Here's some of the proof
    http://www.blogtalkradio.com/soul_talk/2013/10/09/stillness-in-the-storm-with-justin-julian

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  22. Jon George inspired the DAVINCI CODE and Mal'akh is based on parts of Jon's life. Dan and Jon were friends in the 90's
    Learn inside story here
    http://www.blogtalkradio.com/soul_talk/2013/10/09/stillness-in-the-storm-with-justin-julian

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  23. The character Mal'akh is inspired by Jonathan George, Dan Brown's friend from the 1990s. Google Jonathan George Dan Brown and listen to the interview

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