who were the levites

Traditional Masonic history identifies the Levites as members of the priestly tribe of Levi who served as skillful architects, masters, and wardens of lodges under Herod during the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem, as a paper read before Quatuor Coronati Lodge records.

The Royal Arch incorporates a distinct, though not predominant, element of notions and procedures connected with this ancient Israelite sacerdotal order 1. While high-degree systems outside capitular Masonry constructed specific Levitical grades or commemorated the wilderness tabernacle, the Royal Arch's connection remains focused on its underlying sacerdotal tradition 1.