The phrase "keystone", perhaps, has been heard by many, but not many understand what it is all about. Only one thing is quite obvious - this is not something physical, rather metaphorical, devoid of a corporeal shell, but at the same time endowed with a deep meaning. Let's try and figure out what kind of stone it 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 basis, much less specifics. No one knows exactly when this phrase was first heard, but there is every reason to believe that it happened at the dawn of human civilization.
There is a reasonable opinion that this sounded long before the invention of the first, simplest forms of writing, and passed from mouth to mouth for millennia, until it was finally written down.
It is difficult to say, having already been written, whether it has changed the meaning of the verbal,built into it from the start? And in general, being an important concept in antiquity, did the phrase “cornerstone” have at least a logical meaning? Sure!
Oral and written references: Torah and Old Testament
It is now known for certain that even before the writing of the Torah, and possibly long before the Exodus, the Jews used this phrase extensively in the oral tradition. It concerned 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 spoke about the creation of the world and everything that exists, and it all began with a stone thrown by the Almighty, plunging into the sea of Chaos that reigned around. Partly protruding from the surface, with a peak that became Mount Moriah, this stone was the only piece of land where life originated.
Thus, it turns out that the cornerstone is the foundation of the universe, on which everything stands and from which everything originates, that without which creation would be impossible.
Getting Spiritual: The Bible
If we turn to the Bible, which is often referred to when voicing the concept of a cornerstone, we get a slightly different meaning of this expression. This refers to the parable of negligent builders who erected a building and, while laying the foundation, stumbled upon a large boulder, which was previously hidden by the earth. Deciding that it would interfere with their work, the masons spent a lot of time and effort to get the boulder out of the ground and take it away from the construction site. But when they did, it turned out that this stone,the only one in the whole area suitable in all respects for founding a house. And moreover, it was originally located exactly in the place where the corner of the future structure was planned.
What does the phrase "keystone" imply? The meaning of a phraseological unit, expressed in one word, is "basis". It means that everything is always in its place, however, the meaning here is even deeper.
Basic in construction
Some argue that there is nothing sacred in this expression, and the cornerstone is exactly what it says directly. That is, this is the stone that is laid at the foundation of the entire structure.
Since ancient times, builders have known that a massive and durable stone, laid in the corner of the foundation, is the main element of the entire structure, because it supports the entire building, being load-bearing. This technique was used by all ancient architects from the time of the construction of the great pyramids, as well as by Greek and Roman builders who erected beautiful buildings that have survived to this day.
Yes, and now nothing has changed in this regard, and during construction, as before, large building blocks are laid in the corner of the foundation. As in the case of the metaphorical meaning, here the cornerstone is the basis of everything, everything starts from it and rests on it, only not in a figurative, but in the most direct sense.
The cornerstone of direct andfiguratively
For the phrase "the cornerstone", the meaning of the expression can be only one - the basis, and no matter what: the universe, faith, architectural style - it does not have such a fundamental meaning.
This phrase always sounds differently applicable to various situations, but always this same stone does not have a physical and material basis, but there is certainly a certain meaning in this expression.
In some cases, these words are invested with no less deep philosophical overtones, or even something that cannot be explained in ordinary words.
Now the cornerstone is the basic laws, provisions, theories, axioms in many fields of science, for example, such a stone is called the periodic table and much more. But most importantly, from the moment when this phrase was first heard, and until today, it remains relevant, although many do not understand its meaning.
