what does the triple tau symbolise in the royal arch and do writers agree on it

Old English Royal Arch lectures explain the triple tau geometrically, holding that its intersecting lines form angles that combine into five regular sets, totaling in right angles the equivalent of the five Platonic bodies representing the four elements and the sphere of the universe 1.

Albert Mackey proposes a scriptural reading based on the Book of Ezekiel, in which a tau mark distinguishes those spared from judgment. He suggests the triple tau serves as a mark designating and setting apart those who know and worship the true name of God from those ignorant of that mystery 1.

Robert Lomas offers a theological interpretation, writing that the emblem unites the three tau crosses of the governing officers into a symbol of a single God 2. In his reading, the triple tau depicts the threefold nature of the Deity—one yet three, with each aspect sharing the attributes of the others 2. He further connects its underlying form to generative and phallic symbolism associated with the divine creative act 2.

Albert Mackey notes that some writers suppose *Templum Hierosolymae*—Latin for the Temple of Jerusalem—to be the phrase concealed under the monogram of the Triple Tau 1.

Twentieth-century historical research on provincial site resources clarifies that eighteenth-century correspondence records this interpretation of the letters T over H, which eventually evolved into the emblem of the Triple Tau [an article on the Warwickshire Freemasons site][an article on the West Lancashire Freemasons site].