Is the cornerstone true or a myth?

The phrase "cornerstone" is probably heard by many, but not many understand what it is all about. Obviously, there is only one thing: it is not something physical, rather metaphorical, devoid of the physical shell, but at the same time endowed with a profound meaning. Let's try and find out what kind of stone this is and where it came from.

When this expression first appeared

Usually, when they say "cornerstone", it sounds somehow unambiguous and as if without any foundation, let alone specifics. No one knows exactly when this phrase sounded for the first time, but there is every reason to believe that this happened at the dawn of human civilization.

There is an unreasonable opinion that it sounded long before the invention of the first, simplest forms of writing, and the millennium was passed from mouth to mouth until finally it was recorded.

It is difficult to say, having already been converted into a written form, did it change the verbal meaning inherent in it from the very beginning? And in general, appearing in ancient times an important notion, did the phrase "cornerstone" mean at least a logical value? Undoubtedly!

Oral and written references: The Torah and the Old Testament

It is now known for certain that even before the writing of the Torah and, probably long before the end, the Jews widely used this phrase in oral tradition. She dealt with the legend, which was later reflected in the Torah, and later in the holy book for the two world religions, Judaism and Christianity - the Old Testament.

It was said in it about the creation of the world and all things, and everything began with an abandoned Almighty stone, immersed in the sea that reigned around Chaos. Partially speaking on the surface, with the top that became Mount Moria, this stone was the only piece of land where life was born.

Thus, it turns out that the cornerstone is the foundation of the universe on which everything stands and from which everything originates, then without which creation would be impossible.

Finding the spiritual beginning: The Bible

If we turn to the Bible, which is often referred to, sounding the concept of a cornerstone, we get a slightly different meaning of this expression. This refers to the parable of the careless builders who erected the building and laid the foundations of a large boulder, previously hidden by the earth. Deciding that he would interfere with their work, the masons spent a lot of time and effort on getting the boulder out of the ground and taking it away from the construction site. But when they did, it turned out that this stone, the only one in the whole district suitable for all the parameters for the foundation of the house. And moreover, he was originally located exactly in the place where the angle of the future structure was outlined.

What does the phrase "cornerstone" mean ? The meaning of phraseology, in a word expressed, is "the basis." It means that everything is always in its place, though, the meaning is even deeper here.

Basis in construction

Some argue that there is nothing sacred in this expression, and the cornerstone is exactly what it says. That is, it is a stone that is laid in the base of the whole structure.

Since ancient times, the builders knew that the massive and solid stone laid in the corner of the basement is the main element of the entire structure, because it supports the entire building, being bearing. This technique was used by all ancient architects ever since the construction of the great pyramids, as well as by Greek and Roman builders who erected beautiful buildings that have survived to this day.

And now nothing has changed in this respect, and when building, as before, in the corner of the foundation lay large building blocks. As with the metaphorical meaning, here the cornerstone is the foundation of everything, everything starts from it and it stays on it, not only in the figurative, but in the most direct sense.

The keystone in the literal and figurative sense

For the phrase "cornerstone," the meaning of an expression can be only one - the basis, and no matter what: the universe, faith, architectural style - this is not so fundamental already.

It sounds like this phrase always applies to different situations in different ways, but always this stone has no physical and material basis, but certainly there is a certain meaning in this expression.

In some cases, these words are invested no less profound philosophical overtones or even something that can not be explained by ordinary words.

Now the cornerstone is the basic laws, regulations, theories, axioms in many fields of science, for example, such a stone is called the periodic table and much more. But most important, from the moment when this phrase was first heard, and to this day it remains relevant, although many do not understand its meaning.