Day has an interesting theory about the upper part of this panel.
PANEL 4 shows the Tabernacle in the wilderness with the tents of the tribes placed round it as described in Numbers ii. The respective positions are as follows : –
East : -Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun.
South :-Reuben, Simeon, and Gad.
West :-Ephraim, Manasseh, and Benjamin.
North :-Dan, Asher, and Naphtali.
The respective banners were Lion (Judah), Man (Reuben), Ox (Ephraim), and Eagle (Dan). Kirkwall gives the order, commencing at the top left and going round, as Man, Ox, Lion, Eagle; and it is interesting to note that it follows the zodiacal order. The Evangelist order is Man (Matthew), Lion (Mark), Ox (Luke), and Eagle (John). The four creatures described in Rev. iv., 7, are given in the order of Lion, Calf, Man, and Eagle, while the R.A. order in this jurisdiction is the same as that of the Evangelists if read from right to left.In considering the panel it must be remembered that we are looking towards the west. The tent of Judah in the foreground is indicated by the crown and extra dot, but the former is an anachronism considering that the headship of Judah did not come about until the accession of David. The three Rachel tribes appear nearest to the Holy of Holies, the tent of Ephraim being probably indicated by the extra curve on its top. The difference in the types of tents may be noted, and the four special banner tents. Why the banner of Ephraim is placed so far away from his tent is hard to explain.
It is also difficult to know why this and the following panel should have been included in the Scroll at all, as they have little or nothing to do with Masonry.
Again a ‘hardly Masonic’ panel. Could it be in some way be related to the maps and the first panel?
For some reason Days thinks that the lower half of this panel is the next panel. The division is not very clear. Other authors see both parts as one panel. I have followed Day’s counting.
Interesting as Day’s explanation of the four symbols in the flags is, Cooper takes this part a step further. He thinks that the four images have several meanings: man=Ruben=intelligence=Matthew, eagle=Dan=promptness=John, lion=Judah=strength=Mark, ox=Ephraim=patience=Luke, so we have the “four principle tribes of Israel”, faculties of man, the Evangelists. Note that these images are also part of the seal on panel 6.
Symbols on this panel:
