Originally published in 1756 by Laurence Dermott, Grand Secretary of the Antients Grand Lodge of England, Ahiman Rezon stands as one of the most significant constitutional texts in the history of Freemasonry. Conceived as a deliberate and forceful response to Anderson’s Constitutions of 1723, it offers a compelling alternative vision of the Craft—one grounded in religious orthodoxy, operative tradition, and spiritual discipline.

The context in which Dermott wrote is critical: amid growing discontent with what some Masons saw as the excessive rationalism and deviation of the Premier Grand Lodge (the “Moderns”), Ahiman Rezon was intended as a reclamation of the ancient marks of the Order. In a memorable symbolic act, Dermott is said to have wrapped copies of Anderson’s Constitutions in newspaper, tied them, and tossed them under the table—a dramatic rejection of what he viewed as an inauthentic departure from true Masonic principles.

This edition includes:

• Dermott’s original dedication and foreword;

• The full text of Ahiman Rezon, including the Old Charges outlining the moral, religious, and social obligations of Freemasons;

• A series of ritual prayers, both Jewish and Christian, including Ahabath Olam, used in Royal Arch contexts;

• The General Regulations—old and new—as well as the Charity Regulations practiced in Ireland and among York Masons.

More than a rulebook, Ahiman Rezon is a doctrinal manifesto: a spiritual and institutional defense of what Dermott considered the true essence of Freemasonry through the ages. It is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the Antients tradition, the 18th-century conflict between “Antients and Moderns”, and the ritual and philosophical foundations of the Craft.

Originally published in 1756 by Laurence Dermott, Grand Secretary of the Antients Grand Lodge of England, Ahiman Rezon stands as one of the most significant constitutional texts in the history of Freemasonry. Conceived as a deliberate and forceful response to Anderson’s Constitutions of 1723, it offers a compelling alternative vision of the Craft—one grounded in religious orthodoxy, operative tradition, and spiritual discipline.

The context in which Dermott wrote is critical: amid growing discontent with what some Masons saw as the excessive rationalism and deviation of the Premier Grand Lodge (the “Moderns”), Ahiman Rezon was intended as a reclamation of the ancient marks of the Order. In a memorable symbolic act, Dermott is said to have wrapped copies of Anderson’s Constitutions in newspaper, tied them, and tossed them under the table—a dramatic rejection of what he viewed as an inauthentic departure from true Masonic principles.

This edition includes:

• Dermott’s original dedication and foreword;

• The full text of Ahiman Rezon, including the Old Charges outlining the moral, religious, and social obligations of Freemasons;

• A series of ritual prayers, both Jewish and Christian, including Ahabath Olam, used in Royal Arch contexts;

• The General Regulations—old and new—as well as the Charity Regulations practiced in Ireland and among York Masons.

More than a rulebook, Ahiman Rezon is a doctrinal manifesto: a spiritual and institutional defense of what Dermott considered the true essence of Freemasonry through the ages. It is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the Antients tradition, the 18th-century conflict between “Antients and Moderns”, and the ritual and philosophical foundations of the Craft.