The Lost Symbol

«And finally,» Solomon said, «like the stone box in your hand, many cornerstones are little vaults. . and have hollow cavities so that they can hold buried treasures. . talismans, if you will — symbols of hope for the future of the building about to be erected.»

Langdon was well aware of this tradition, too. Even today, Masons laid cornerstones in which they sealed meaningful objects — time capsules, photos, proclamations, even the ashes of important people.

«My purpose in telling you this,» Solomon said, glancing over at the stairwell, «should be clear.»

«You think the Lost Word is buried in the cornerstone of the Washington Monument?»

«I don’t think, Robert. I know. The Lost Word was buried in the cornerstone of this monument on July 4, 1848, in a full Masonic ritual.»

Langdon stared at him. «Our Masonic forefathers buried a word?!»

Peter nodded. «They did indeed. They understood the true power of what they were burying.»

All night, Langdon had been trying to wrap his mind around sprawling, ethereal concepts. . the Ancient Mysteries, the Lost Word, the Secrets of the Ages. He wanted something solid, and despite Peter’s claims that the key to it all was buried in a cornerstone 555 feet beneath him, Langdon was having a hard time accepting it. People study the mysteries for entire lifetimes and are still unable to access the power allegedly hidden there. Langdon flashed on Dьrer’s Melencolia I — the image of the dejected Adept, surrounded by the tools of his failed efforts to unveil the mystical secrets of alchemy. If the secrets can actually be unlocked, they will not be found in one place!

Any answer, Langdon had always believed, was spread across the world in thousands of volumes. . encoded into writings of Pythagoras, Hermes, Heraclitus, Paracelsus, and hundreds of others. The answer was found in dusty, forgotten tomes on alchemy, mysticism, magic, and philosophy. The answer was hidden in the ancient library of Alexandria, the clay tablets of Sumer, and the hieroglyphs of Egypt.

«Peter, I’m sorry,» Langdon said quietly, shaking his head. «To understand the Ancient Mysteries is a lifelong process. I can’t imagine how the key could possibly rest within a single word.»

Peter placed a hand on Langdon’s shoulder. «Robert, the Lost Word is not a ‘word.’» He gave a sage smile. «We only call it the ‘Word’ because that’s what the ancients called it. . in the beginning.»

CHAPTER 130

In thebeginning was the Word.

Dean Galloway knelt at the Great Crossing of the National Cathedral and prayed for America. He prayed that his beloved country would soon come to grasp the true power of the Word — the recorded collection of the written wisdom of all the ancient masters — the spiritual truths taught by the great sages.

History had blessed mankind with the wisest of teachers, profoundly enlightened souls whose understanding of the spiritual and mental mysteries exceeded all understanding. The precious words of these Adepts — Buddha, Jesus, Muhammad, Zoroaster, and countless others — had been transmitted through history in the oldest and most precious of vessels.

Books.

Every culture on earth had its own sacred book — its own Word — each one different and yet each one the same. For Christians, the Word was the Bible, for Muslims the Koran, for Jews the Torah, for Hindus the Vedas, and on and on it went.

The Word shall light the way.

For America’s Masonic forefathers, the Word had been the Bible. And yet few people in history have understood its true message.

Tonight, as Galloway knelt alone within the great cathedral, he placed his hands upon the Word — a well- worn copy of his own Masonic Bible. This treasured book, like all Masonic Bibles, contained the Old Testament, the New Testament, and a treasure trove of Masonic philosophical writings.

Although Galloway’s eyes could no longer read the text, he knew the preface by heart. Its glorious message had been read by millions of his brethren in countless languages around the world.

The text read:

time is a river. . and books are boats. many volumes start down that stream, only to be wrecked and lost beyond recall in its sands. only a few, a very few, endure the testings of time and live to bless the ages following.

There is a reason these volumes survived, while others vanished. As a scholar of faith, Dean Galloway had always found it astonishing that the ancient spiritual texts — the most studied books on earth — were, in fact, the least understood.

Concealed within those pages, there hides a wondrous secret.

One day soon the light would dawn, and mankind would finally begin to grasp the simple, transformative truth of the ancient teachings. . and take a quantum leap forward in understanding his own magnificent nature.

CHAPTER 131

The winding staircase that descends the spine of the washington monument consists of 896 stone steps that spiral around an open elevator shaft. langdon and solomon were making their way down, langdon still grappling with the startling fact that peter had shared with him only moments ago: Robert, buried within the hollow cornerstone of this monument, our forefathers placed a single copy of the Word — the Bible — which waits in darkness at the foot of this staircase.

As they descended, Peter suddenly stopped on a landing and swung his flashlight beam to illuminate a large stone medallion embedded in the wall.

What in the world?! Langdon jumped when he saw the carving.

The medallion depicted a frightening cloaked figure holding a scythe and kneeling beside an hourglass. The figure’s arm was raised, and his index finger was extended, pointing directly at a large open Bible, as if to say: «The answer is in there!»

Langdon stared at the carving and then turned to Peter.

His mentor’s eyes shone with mystery. «I’d like you to consider something, Robert.» His voice echoed down the empty stairwell. «Why do you think the Bible has survived thousands of years of tumultuous history? Why is it still here? Is it because its stories are such compelling reading? Of course not. . but there is a reason. There is a reason Christian monks spend lifetimes attempting to decipher the Bible. There is a reason that Jewish mystics and Kabbalists pore over the Old Testament. And that reason, Robert, is that there exist powerful secrets hidden in the pages of this ancient book. . a vast collection of untapped wisdom waiting to be unveiled.»

Langdon was no stranger to the theory that the Scriptures contained a hidden layer of meaning, a concealed message that was veiled in allegory, symbolism, and parable.

«The prophets warn us,» Peter continued, «that the language used to share their secret mysteries is a cryptic one. the gospel of mark tells us, ‘unto you is given to know the mystery. . but it will be told in parable.’ proverbs cautions that the sayings of the wise are ‘riddles,’ while corinthians talks of ‘hidden wisdom.’ the gospel of john forewarns: ‘i will speak to you in parable. . and use dark sayings.’ »

Dark sayings, Langdon mused, knowing this strange phrase made numerous odd appearances in Proverbs as well as in Psalm 78. I will open my mouth in a parable and utter dark sayings of old. The concept of a «dark saying,» Langdon had learned, did not mean that the saying was «evil» but rather that its true meaning was shadowed or obscured from the light.

«And if you have any doubts,» Peter added, «Corinthians overtly tells us that the parables have two layers of