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The Colors at the Main Gate of the Mainz Cathedraljwr47
The main entrance at the Mainz CathedralAt the northern side of
the Mainz Cathedral the main entrance provides access to the main
marketof the city. The bronze doors have been cast around 1000 AD
and the surrounding pillar section hasbeen dated 1200AD.
Next to the bronze doors we may identify two pillars with
Corinthian capitals. Thepillars have been replaced in earlier eras.
One of the pillars has been painted black, theother one red.
Originally both pillars had been made from black slate1.
The red and black color contrasts of the painted pillars
suggested to investigate the traces of redcolor at the former
pillars at the Wrzburg cathedral, which I had discovered a few
months ago.Mainz and Wrzburg are being connected by the river Main
and of course the color symbolism ofthe pillars might have been
synchronized around 1200AD.
My suggestion had been based on a right pillar named Iachim and
a left pillar named Booz, whichof course required some more
comparative study. First of all I checked the Wrzburg
Iachim-pillar,which had been decorated with red color. The
Iachim-pillar has been described in 1. King 7(Elberfelder
translation) as located at the right side.
1 Translated quotation from Das Marktportal am Mainzer Dom
1: Color Symbolism at the Mainz Cathedral
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The Corinthian CapitalsBoth Corinthian capitals and the
decorations of both socket bases are slightly different. Comparedto
the difference between both the Wrzburg pillars titled Iachim
respectively Booz the pillars ofthe Mainz cathedral's main entrance
are rather negligible. However the mason may easily havechosen to
produce symmetrical pillars with symmetrical designed capitals and
sockets.
Symmetry however seemed to have been unwanted. And therefore
color symmetry may have beenequally unwanted from the beginning as
well.
In a photograph the left pillar may look relatively blue, but my
inspection reveals the slate stone isreally black. In fact slate is
defined as a dark bluish gray color2. Slate gray is a gray color
with aslight azure tinge that is a representation of the average
color of the material slate. As a tertiarycolor, slate is an equal
mix of purple and green pigments3.
Maybe the slate color also had been considered as the locally
available best fit choice for thesymbolical color blue as quoted in
the Bible. The slate pillar may not have been painted at all
andoriginally also the red pillar may have been am unpainted red
sandstone element.
2 Slate-color - definition of Slate-color by The Free
Dictionary3 Slate gray
3: Left-sided pillar (black) 2: Right-sided pillar (red)
5: Left-sided pillar (black) 4: Right-sided pillar (red)
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The pillars Booz and JachimBetween 1230 and 1644 the pillars
labeled Booz and Jachin4 had been located at themain entrance of
the Wrzburg Kilian-cathedral. The prototype pillars for Booz
andJachim had been based on the equivalent entrance pillars at the
Jerusalem Temple whichhad been designed by the Freemasons' Father
Hiram of Tyre.
Both Wrzburg pillars had been labeled at the top of the capitels
(Booz respectively Iachim)5.Traces of red paint may even be
identified in my photographs. Other colors may not be identified
bysimply observing, but at my last inspection I found blue or dark
traces at other sculptures 6. Ofcourse I had not been enabled to do
some professional analysis for chemical or physicalinvestigations
of the pillars' colorings.
The 8-segmented Iachim-pillar had been equipped with a complex
knot, whereas the 4-segmentedBoaz-pillar has been decorated with
two simpler knots.
4 Jachin is explained in Gen 46,10; Boas in Ruth 2-45 Jachin und
Boas Bibelwissenschaft.de6 Symbolism in the Wrzburg Episcopal
Residence
6: The Booz and Jachim pillars at the Wrzburg Cathedral
(1230)
7: Iachim pillar (1230) 8: Booz and Iachim
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Jachin and Boas in medieval churchesIn medieval eras (1200-1230)
the Temple's pillars used to be designed very carefully.
Thecorresponding biblical quotations is found in 1 Kings 77:
15 He cast two bronze pillars, each eighteen cubits high and
twelve cubits incircumference.[h] 16 He also made two capitals of
cast bronze to set on the tops of thepillars; each capital was five
cubits[i] high. 17 A network of interwoven chains adornedthe
capitals on top of the pillars, seven for each capital. 18 He made
pomegranates intwo rows[j] encircling each network to decorate the
capitals on top of the pillars.[k] Hedid the same for each capital.
19 The capitals on top of the pillars in the portico were inthe
shape of lilies, four cubits[l] high. 20 On the capitals of both
pillars, above the bowl-shaped part next to the network, were the
two hundred pomegranates in rows all around.21 He erected the
pillars at the portico of the temple. The pillar to the south he
namedJakin[m] and the one to the north Boaz.[n] 22 The capitals on
top were in the shape oflilies. And so the work on the pillars was
completed.
Boaz stood on the left and Jachin ("founding", Tiberian Hebrew
Yn) stood on the right.Jachin that is, "He will/shall establish".
Boaz that is, "In its strength"
Equipping portals with Jachin and Boas had been quit common in
medieval eras mostly as architecturally superfluous pairs of pillar
at the entrance section. Especially inItaly in the 12th century
(such as Santa Maria Maggiore in Tuscania) these pillars havebeen
rather popular. These elements referred to Solomon's Temple as a
predecessor ofthe Church and the durance and power. In the Wrzburg
cathedral the pillars had beenlabeled JACHIM and BOOZ
In the 18th century JACHIM and BOOZ grew to be understood as
Freemasonsymbols, especially dedicated to the entrance portal.
These pillars equally symbolizedstability, power and humanity.
In Rudolf Steiner's Theosophic ideas Jakim (!) symbolized the
introduction ofmankind into human life. In contrast Boas
represented death and a transfer entry intoa spiritual world.
(German title: Weltwesen und Ichheit, Gesamtausgabe 169,
1963,58ff).8
Pillars in Freemason symbolismBoth pillars Jachin (right) and
Boas (left) are elements in a Freemason's symbolism. These
pillarsare to be included as pillars for the assembly hall. Boaz is
to be located on the left and Jachin("founding", Tiberian Hebrew
Yn) on the right. Jachin that is, "He will/shall establish".Boaz
that is, "In its strength".
7 Jachin und Boas Wikipedia8 Jachin und Boas
Bibelwissenschaft.de
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The Color Codings in the pillars of Rudolf Steiner's Theosophy
In Theosophy some of the symbols9 for Boaz and Jachin have been
painted red and violet-blue suggesting a representation of the red
& blue blood.
Generally the red J-pillar is arising from the sea and the
violet-blue ( to be more precise the violetborder color of the
rainbow) B-pillar from the soil.
Apokalyptisches Siegel 4; painted by Clara Rettich according to
Rudolf Steiner's ideas, Stuttgart 1911 Licence Creative Commons
Namensnennung, Weitergabe unter gleichen Bedingungen.
Boaz is known as the pillar of strength or severity and
represents the Sun. Jachin is known as thepillar of beauty or
mildness and represents the Moon. Boaz and Jachin are built into
the architectureof all masonic lodges.
These colors red & blue may be found in various locations of
Mainz.
9 Apocalyptic seal (1911) and Jachin and Boas and Adam Kadmon in
center of Jachin and Boaz. Androgyne of male and female, as above
so below.
9: Apokalyptisches Siegel, gemalt von Clara Rettich (Stuttgart
1911)
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Symbolic usage of Red & Blue Colors in Mainz
St. Mary in Red and Blue (Market place in front of the Mainz
Cathedral)
St. Mary in red, white and blue and Josef blue, white and
red
10: St. Mary in Red and Blue (Marketplace in front of the Mainz
Cathedral)
11: The holy family in red, white and blue (downtown Mainz)
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Printing in Red & BlueAlthough Guttenberg merely had printed
in black & white the sample of color printing always usesred
& blue as a standard illumination procedure for Bible
manuscripts.
Red & Blue at the front side of an ancient wooden clock
(1750)Also an ancient clock illustrated a male person in red and a
blue person in blue as decorations.
12: Red & Blue at the front side of an ancient wooden clock
(1750)
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Red & Blue in the Mainz EvangeliarThe Mainz Evangeliar in
the Gutenbergmuseum reveals an alternating red & blue
illuminated pageIm Principio Erat... of the Genesis page:
Red & Blue at a Mainz baptismal font In the largely
destroyed ruins of St. Christoph church small niches have been
reconstructed and inone of these I discovered the red & blue
baptismal font in which Guttenberg had been baptized as achild.
13: Red & Blue at a Mainz baptismal font
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A Merovingian King in Red & Blue 10The Mainz regional museum
exhibits a Merovingian Duke or King of Planig in red & blue.
Thegrave had been discovered in 1939. The king's death had been
documented at 525 n. Chr.
I am unsure whether the colors of his garments had been
identified as the symbolic colors red &blue.
10 2010: Der Frst von Planig - Mainzer Landesmuseum
14: Merovingian Duke or King of Planig
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The red Huns' pillar in front of the Mainz CathedralThe red
Heunensule (Huns' pillar) in front of the Mainz Cathedral is
located exactly in front of themain entrance portal.
Originally the Huns' pillars had been produced as a set op
pillars for the Mainzcathedral. However the architect mason
obviously despised the material and chose otherpillars. In the
beginning 42 pillars may have been created, in the 18 th century
14, andaround 1960 a total number of eight. 11
At the millennium festivities (1975) one of the remaining Huns'
pillars had been presented to thecity of Mainz.
11 Heunensule
15: The red Heunensule (Huns' pillar) in front of the Mainz
Cathedral
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InhaltsverzeichnisThe main entrance at the Mainz
Cathedral...........................................................................................1
The Corinthian
Capitals...................................................................................................................2The
pillars Booz and
Jachim............................................................................................................3Jachin
and Boas in medieval
churches............................................................................................4Pillars
in Freemason
symbolism......................................................................................................4The
Color Codings in the pillars of Rudolf Steiner's Theosophy
..................................................5
Symbolic usage of Red & Blue Colors in
Mainz.................................................................................6St.
Mary in Red and Blue (Market place in front of the Mainz
Cathedral).....................................6St. Mary in red,
white and blue and Josef blue, white and
red........................................................6
Printing in Red &
Blue.........................................................................................................................7Red
& Blue at the front side of an ancient wooden clock
(1750)........................................................7Red
& Blue at a Mainz baptismal font
................................................................................................8A
Merovingian King in Red & Blue
....................................................................................................9The
red Huns' pillar in front of the Mainz
Cathedral.........................................................................10
The main entrance at the Mainz CathedralThe Corinthian
CapitalsThe pillars Booz and JachimJachin and Boas in medieval
churchesPillars in Freemason symbolismThe Color Codings in the
pillars of Rudolf Steiner's Theosophy
Symbolic usage of Red & Blue Colors in MainzSt. Mary in Red
and Blue (Market place in front of the Mainz Cathedral)St. Mary in
red, white and blue and Josef blue, white and red
Printing in Red & BlueRed & Blue at the front side of an
ancient wooden clock (1750)Red & Blue in the Mainz
EvangeliarRed & Blue at a Mainz baptismal fontA Merovingian
King in Red & Blue 10The red Huns' pillar in front of the Mainz
Cathedral