Stoicism and Stoa. Mithras Cult. Meister Eckhart. Reuchlin.

About the book: The oldest, often overlooked and lesser-known sources of Freemasonry from millennia ago: the ancient Egyptian handle cross (identical to the Masonic Tau symbol) and other elements of the Osiris myth, which influenced Stoic philosophy. An analysis of the similarities between the Stoa and Masonic teachings as well as Masonic rituals. The Mithras cult is a parallel phenomenon to Stoicism, particularly evident in the works of Marcus Aurelius. Scholasticism and German mysticism (Meister Eckhart) are lesser-known sources of Freemasonry, yet their understanding is essential for grasping Masonic concepts. Finally, the Christian Kabbalah of the early modern period and the so-called 'Roman Academies' are regarded as clear sources of the first Masonic rituals of the London Grand Lodge in the early 18th century.

About the author: Klaus Preiss, Dr. rer. pol., born in 1928, married with two daughters. After completing a banking apprenticeship and studying business and economics, he worked for several years as a university assistant in Hamburg. He then worked in the banking sector, particularly as a board member of a cooperative central bank in Hamburg and Hanover. Since 1977, he has been a Freemason in a lodge of the Masonic order in Hanover. After retiring in 1989, he pursued private studies and various publications, including the books "On Human Behavior" (1994), "Management of Emotions" (1997), and "Freemasonry and Ethics" (1999 and a second revised edition in 2006).