A New World Order Watch Media Publication (www.thevisionreport.com) January 2012: Issue 19
The Vision Report Watch is a publication of Rema Marketing (www.remamarketing.com) and is published once per calendar month. The Vision Report Watch is a private membership service. For any queries regarding this subscription service please contact us at admin@remamarketing.com.
A New World Order Watch Media Publication (www.thevisionreport.com) January 2012: Issue 19
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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
26 TEMPLAR LAWSUIT AGAINST THE POPE
An initial welcome from the chief editor of the Vision Report Watch.
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THE HISTORY OF THE KINGHTS TEMPLAR 27 THE TEMPLARS AND THE ROTHSCHILDS
A fascinating insight into the history of the Knights Templar from the beginnings of the crusades when Pope Urban II gathered the Council of Clermont.
22 ROSSLYN CHAPEL
Rosslyn Chapel's mysteries played a significant role in Dan Brown's 2003 novel The Da Vinci Code. Since that time, the number of visitors to Rosslyn Chapel has risen by 56 percent and the chapel is now one of the most popular tourist destinations in Scotland.
23 THE TEMPLARS AND THE TURIN SHROUD
In 2009 a group called The Association of the Sovereign Order of the Temple of Christ, whose members claim to be descended from the legendary crusaders, filed a lawsuit against Benedict XVI
Jacob Rothschild, the current head of the Rothschild dynasty, has intermarried with the Sinclair family, forging an important alliance between the head family of the Illuminati, and the supposed descendants of the Grail family.
30 THE TEMPLARS AND THE KABBALAH
Hebrew theology was divided into three distinct parts. The third part, the Qabbalah, the soul of the law, was concealed, and only the highest initiates among the Jews were instructed in its secret principles.
34 BOOK REVIEW OF THE MONTH
On April 6, 2009, the London newspaper The Times reported that official Vatican researchers had uncovered evidence that the Shroud had been kept and venerated by the Templars since the 1204 sacking of Constantinople.
What sets Michael Haag's book apart from the normal fare of books about the Templars is how much time he spends not talking about the Templars, but rather other groups, movements and religions that existed alongside the Templars. .
The Vision Report Watch is a publication of Rema Marketing (www.remamarketing.com) and is published every month. The Vision Report Watch is a private membership service. For any queries regarding this subscription service please contact us at admin@remamarketing.com.
Welcome to the Vision Report Watch The tracing of the origins of freemasonry resides in a group who during medieval times were known as the Knights Templars. In this January 2012 edition of the Vision Report we examine the controversies associated with this group who initially helped to fulfil the request of the Pope to conquer the holy lands in the name of Christianity only to end up being persecuted by the Roman Catholic Church. Little was heard of the Order for their first nine years. But in 1129, after they were officially sanctioned by the church at the Council of Troyes, they became very well known in Europe. Their fundraising campaigns asked for donations of money, land, or noble-born sons to join the Order, with the implication that donations would help both to defend Jerusalem, and to ensure the charitable giver of a place in Heaven. The Order's efforts were helped substantially by the patronage of Bernard of Clairvaux, the leading churchman of the time, and a nephew of one of the original nine knights. The Order at its outset had been subject to strong criticism, especially of the concept that religious men could also carry swords. In response to these critics, the influential Bernard of Clairvaux wrote a multi-page treatise entitled De Laude Novae Militae ("In Praise of the New Knighthood"), in which he championed their mission and defended the idea of a military religious order by appealing to the long-held Christian theory of just war, which legitimated “taking up the sword” to defend the innocent and the Church from violent attack. By so doing, Bernard legitimised the Templars, who became the first "warrior monks" of the Western world. Bernard wrote: [A Templar Knight] is truly a fearless knight, and secure on every side, for his soul is protected by the armor of faith, just as his body is protected by the armor of steel. He is thus doublyarmed, and need fear neither demons nor men.
Enjoy the read. Reece Woodstock Chief Editor, Vision Report Watch
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THE HISTORY OF THE KNIGHTS TEMPLAR
Although the crusaders are commonly thought to have been motivated by their deep Christian faith, crusades were actually wars inspired by avarice. At a time of utmost poverty and misery prevalent in the West, the attractions of the East-in particular, the Muslim societies' wealth and prosperity-played on the minds of Europeans, especially those in the Church. These attractions, bolstered with Christian teachings, begot the crusaders' mindset, seemly motivated by religion but actually motivated by worldly designs. This is the reason why Christians, who had followed more or less peaceful policies in the previous 1,000 years, suddenly began to display an appetite for war-specifically, the "liberation" of the holy city of Jerusalem and Palestine as a whole. We can retrace the beginnings of the crusades to November 1095, when Pope Urban II gathered the Council of Clermont. Three hundred members of the clergy convened under his chairmanship. The pacifist doctrines that had dominated Christendom were abandoned, laying the foundations for the conquest. At the close of the Council, Urban II announced this state of affairs in his famous speech to a congregation that comprised all social classes, demanding that Christians stop the infighting and warring among themselves. The Pope called on them-whether rich or poor, aristocrat or peasant-to unite under one banner and to free the holy land from the Muslims. To him, this was "a holy war." Historians describe Urban II as a good orator. He intended to incite the Christians against Muslim Turks and Arabs, and succeeded by alleging that the Muslim were assaulting pilgrims and that Christianity's sacred places were being desecrated. As historians have confirmed, the Muslims were very tolerant towards Christians and Jews, whom they permitted to pray and worship. All minorities co-existing in the Holy Land benefited equally from this atmosphere of tranquillity. But because means of communication at the time were terribly primitive compared to today's, medieval Europeans weren't aware of this. Owing allegiance to the Vatican in Rome and conducting services in Latin, they knew little about the Eastern Orthodox Church or the Greekspeaking Byzantium, and even less about Islam.
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THE HISTORY OF THE KNIGHTS TEMPLAR Since what the common people did know amounted to nothing more than hearsay, the Pope found it easy to excite their emotions. Urban II went on to proclaim as an encouragement that for those who participated in the crusade, all sins would be forgiven. The exuberant crowd was distributed fabric crosses to emblazon their garments, and they dispersed to spread the word of the "holy war." The overwhelming response to this call made history. In a very short period of time, a massive "crusaders' army" was assembled, consisting of not only professional warriors, but also ten thousands of ordinary people. Some historians suggest that the impoverished kings of Christendom, eager to exploit the fabled riches of the East, pressurized the Pope to call a "holy war." Others find an altogether different motive for Pope Urban II, suggesting that he wished to gain power and prestige for himself at the expense of a rival claiming to be pope. But in reality, all the various kings, princes, aristocrats and others who obliged this call did so for worldly purposes. As Donald Queller of the University of Illionois put it, "the French knights wanted more land. Italian merchants hoped to expand trade in Middle Eastern ports. . . Large numbers of poor people joined the expeditions simply to escape the hardships of their normal lives." On the way, greedy hordes murdered countless Muslims and Jews in the hope of finding gold and jewels. Among crusaders, it was common practice to disembowel their victims in the hopes that they might have swallowed their gold and jewels to hide them. In the Fourth Crusade, their avarice reached the point where they looted Christian Constantinople, scratching gold leaf off the frescos in the Cathedral of Hagia Sophia. BARBARISM OF THE CRUSADERS In the summer of 1096, this mob of self-appointed crusaders set off in three separate groups, each taking a different route to Constantinople, where they met up with one another. The Byzantine Emperor, Alexius I, did what he could to aid this force, comprising 4,000 mounted knights and 25,000 infantry troops. Raymond IV of Saint-Gilles, Count of Toulouse; Bohemond, Duke of Taranto; Godfrey of Bouillon; Hugh, Count of Vermandois; and Robert, Duke of Normandy commanded this army. Bishop Adhemar of le Puy, the close friend of Urban II, was their spiritual leader. After ransacking and setting fire to many settlements and putting countless Muslims to the sword, eventually the crusaders reached Jerusalem in 1099. After a siege of approximately five weeks, the city fell. When the victors finally entered Jerusalem, according to one historian, "They killed all the Saracens and the Turks they found... whether male of female”. Crusaders slaughtered everyone they met and looted everything they could get their hands on. They murdered indiscriminately those who had taken refuge in the mosques, whether young or old, and devastated the Muslim and Jewish holy sites and places of worship setting the city's synagogues aflame, burning alive Jews who had hidden inside. This slaughter continued until no longer could they find anyone to kill. One of the crusaders, Raymond of Aguiles, boasts of this incredible cruelty: Wonderful sights were to be seen. Some of our men (and this was more merciful) cut off the heads of their enemies; others shot them with arrows, so that they fell from the towers; others tortured them longer by casting them into flames. Piles of heads, hands and feet were to be seen in the streets of the city. It was necessary to pick one's way over the bodies of men and horses. But these were small matters compared to what happened at the Temple of Solomon, a place where religious services are normally chanted . . . in the temple and the porch of Solomon, men rode in blood up to their knees and bridle reins.
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THE HISTORY OF THE KNIGHTS TEMPLAR In The Monks of War, researcher Desmond Seward narrates the events of these tragic days: Jerusalem was stormed in July 1099. The rabid ferocity of its sack showed just how little the Church had succeeded in Christianising atavistic instincts. The entire population of the Holy City was put to the sword, Jews as well as Moslems, 70,000 men, women and children perished in a holocaust, which raged for three days. In places men waded in blood up to their ankles and horsemen were splashed by it as they rode through the streets. According to another historical source, the number of Muslims pitilessly slaughtered was 40,000. Whatever the actual number of the dead, what the crusaders committed in the Holy Land has gone down in history as an example of matchless barbarism. The first crusade ended with the fall of Jerusalem in 1099. After 460 years of Muslim rule, the Holy Land came under Christian control. The crusaders established a Latin kingdom that stretched from Palestine to Antioch and made Jerusalem its capital city. Thereafter, the crusaders began struggling to establish themselves in the Middle East. But to sustain the state they had founded, they needed to organize themselves-and to achieve his, they established unprecedented military orders. Members of these orders had emigrated from Europe and, in Palestine, lived a monastic life of sorts. At the same time, they trained for war against the Muslims. One of these orders went down a different route, undergoing a change that would significantly alter the course of history in Europe and-eventually-the world: the Knights Templar. FOUNDING OF THE KNIGHTS TEMPLAR About 20 years after the conquest of Jerusalem and the creation of a Latin Empire, the Templars first appeared on the scene of history. Otherwise known as Templars or Knights Templar, the order's full and proper name was Pauperes commilitones Christi Templique Salomonis, or "Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and the Temple of Solomon." (A major part of the information we have today on the Templars was recorded by the 12th century historian Guillaume of Tyre.) The order was founded in 1118 by nine knights: Hugues de Payens, Geoffrey de St. Omer, Rossal, Gondamer, Geoffrey Bisol, Payen de Montdidier, Archambaud de St. Agnat, Andre de Montbard, and the Hugh Conte de Champagne. Thus was quietly born one of the most talked-about, effective and powerful organizations of Medieval Europe. These nine knights presented themselves to Baldwin II, the Emperor of Jerusalem, asking him to assign them the responsibility of protecting the lives and property of the many Christian pilgrims now flocking to Jerusalem from all over Europe. The Emperor knew Hugues de Payens, the first Grand Master of the order, well enough to grant the nine their request. Accordingly, the district where Solomon's Temple once stood (and by then, included the site of the al-Aqsa Mosque, which survives to this day), was allocated to the order of the Templars, giving the order its name. The Temple Mount thus remained the order's headquarters for the next 70 years until, following the battle of Hattin, the Islamic commander Saladin reconquered Jerusalem for the Muslims.
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THE HISTORY OF THE KNIGHTS TEMPLAR The Templars had established themselves there by choice, because the site of the Temple represented the earthly power of the Prophet Solomon; and the remnants of the temple contained big secrets. Protecting the Holy Land and the Christian pilgrims was the official reason the nine founders gave for joining forces and for creating the order in the first place. But the true reason behind it all was altogether different. THE ORDER'S MISSION At the time, there were a number of other orders of warrior monks in Jerusalem, but all acting according to their charters. Besides training as soldiers, the Knights of St. John-a large organization also known as the Knights Hospitalers took care of the sick and the poor and were performing other good deeds in the Holy Land. The Templars, however, had taken it upon themselves to protect the lands between Haifa and Jerusalem-a physical impossibility for the nine knights to shoulder all by themselves. Even then, it was now obvious that they sought political as well as economic gains, quite aside from performing works of charity. In Morals And Dogma, one of Freemasonry's most popular books, Grand Master Albert Pike (1809-1891) reveals the Templars' true purpose: In 1118, nine Knights Crusaders in the East, among whom were Geoffroi de Saint-Omer and Hughes de Payens, consecrated themselves to religion, and took an oath between the hands of the Patriarch of Constantinople, a See always secretly or openly hostile to that of Rome from the time of Photius. The avowed object of the Templars was to protect the Christians who came to visit the Holy Places: their secret object was the rebuilding of the Temple of Solomon on the model prophesied by Ezekiel...
The Knights Templar, he continued, were from the very beginning "devoted to . . . opposition to the tiara of Rome and the crown of its Chiefs. . ." The object of the Templars, he said, was to acquire influence and wealth, then to "intrigue and at need fight to establish the Johannite or Gnostic and Kabbalistic dogma. . . Adding to the information that Pike provides, the English authors of The Hiram Key, Christopher Knight and Robert Lomas-both Masons-write about the Templars' origin and purpose. According to them, the Templars discovered "a secret" in the ruins of the temple. This then changed their worldview; and from then on, they adopted un-Christian teachings. Their "protection for pilgrims" became a front behind which they hid their real intent and activities. There is no evidence that these founding Templars ever gave protection to pilgrims, but on the other hand, we were soon to find that there is conclusive proof that they did conduct extensive excavations under the ruins of Herod's Temple [as Solomon's temple was called after Herod rebuilt it].
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THE HISTORY OF THE KNIGHTS TEMPLAR The authors of The Hiram Key are not the only researchers finding evidence for this. Writes the French historian, Gaetan Delaforge: The real task of the nine knights was to carry out research in the area, in order to obtain certain relics and manuscripts which contain the essence of the secret traditions of Judaism and ancient Egypt… In The Hiram Key, Knight and Lomas conclude that the Templars excavated items of such importance at the site that they adopted a wholly new world view. Many other historians draw similar conclusions. The order's founders and their successors were all of Christian upbringing, yet their philosophy of life was not a Christian one. At the end of the 19th century, Charles Wilson of the Royal Engineers, began conducting archaeological research in Jerusalem. He concluded that the Templars had gone to Jerusalem to study the temple's ruins and, from the evidence Wilson obtained there, that the Templars had set themselves up in the vicinity of the temple to facilitate excavation and research. The tools that the Templars left behind form part of the evidence Wilson gathered, and are now in the private collection of the Scottish Robert Brydon. According to the authors of The Hiram Key, the Templars' search was not in vain. They made a discovery that altered their perception of and outlook on the world entirely. Despite being born and raised in a Christian society, they adopted wholly un-Christian practices. Black magic rituals and rites and sermons of perverse content were common practice. There is a general consensus among historians that these practices were derived from on the Kabbalah. Kabbalah literally means "oral tradition." An esoteric branch of mystical Judaism, the Kabbalah is also a school that researches the secret, hidden and meanings of the Torah (or first five Books of Moses) and other Jewish writings. There's more to it, however a close examination of the Kabbalah reveals that it actually precedes the Torah. A pagan teaching, it continued to exist after the revelation of the Torah and lived on to spread amongst the followers of Judaism. For thousands of years, the Kabbalah has been a resource for sorcery and practitioners of black magic and now enjoys a strong following all around the world, not only in the Jewish community. The Templars were one such group, engaged in research into the Kabbalah with the goal of acquiring supernatural powers. They were keen on establishing ongoing relationships with Cabalists in Jerusalem as well as in Europe a view widely accepted by researchers working on the subject. THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE ORDER With new members joining their order, the Templars soon entered a phase of rapid growth. In 1120, Foulgues d'Angers became a Knight Templar and so did Hugo, Count of Champagne, in 1125. The enigma surrounding the order and its mystic teachings drew the attention of many European aristocrats. At the Council of Troyes in 1128, the Papacy officially recognized the order of the Templars, which further aided their growth. Rome's recognition of the Templars is related in the Turkish Masonic journal, Mimar Sinan says, To obtain the Papacy's approval of the order, Grand Master Hugues de Payens, accompanied by five knights, paid a visit to Pope Honorius II. The Grand Master submitted two letters-one from the patriarch of Jerusalem, the other from King Baudoin II-setting forth the order's honorable mission, its services to Christianity, and many another good deed. On the 13th of January, 1128, the Council of Troyes convened. Present were many high-ranking officials of the Church, including the Abbot of Citeaux, Etienne Harding, and Bernard, the Abbot of Clairvaux. The Grand Master presented his case once more. It was agreed that the Church would officially recognize the order under the name of Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ. Bernard was commissioned to prepare a Rule for the Templars. So, the order was officially founded.
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THE HISTORY OF THE KNIGHTS TEMPLAR In the order's development and progress, the single most important person is undoubtedly St. Bernard (1090-1153). Becoming the Abbot of Clairvaux at the tender age of 25, he had risen in the Catholic Church's hierarchy to become a respectable spokesman for the Church, influential with the Pope as well as the French King. It must be added that he was a cousin of Andre de Montbard, one of the founders of the order. The Templars' Rule was written according the principles of the Cistercian Order to which St. Bernard belonged-or short, the Templars adopted the rules and organization of this monastic order. But most of their rule never went any further than being written down and recognized: The Templars continued in their un-Christian practices that the Church had strictly forbidden. It's entirely possible that St. Bernard was duped, and that he never knew the truth about the Templars who, taking advantage of his trustworthiness and status in the Church and throughout Christian Europe, used him for their own ends. He wrote a favorable appraisal of the order, "De Laude Novae Militae" (In Praise of the New Knighthood) following Grand Master Hugues de Payens's persistent requests for him to do so. Around that time, St. Bernard had become the second most influential person in Christendom, after the Pope. One source illustrates the importance of Bernard's support of the Templars: Bernard's document, "De Laude Novae Militae", swept through Christendom like a tornado, and in no time the number of Templar recruits increased. At the same time donations, gifts and bequests, from Monarchs and Barons throughout Europe, were arriving regularly on the Templar doorstep. With a staggering rapidity, the fledgling little band of nine knights grew into what we refer to as Templar, Inc. With this document, the Templars obtained unprecedented privileges not granted to other orders andaccording to Alan Butler and Stephen Dafoe, known for their research is this field-became the most successful military, commercial and financial organization in Medieval Europe. As their legend and renown spread from mouth to mouth, they became a multinational company with seemingly unlimited capital and financial resources and ten of thousands of trained employees: Recruits, and offers of money and land came flowing in from far and wide. Soon, numerous presbyteries, castles, farms and churches, were built and occupied by the Templar Knights and their servants. The Templars fitted out ships, creating both a merchant and fighting navy. In time, they became the most famous warriors, travellers, bankers and financiers of their day. In short, the Templars were an autonomous entity answerable only to the Pope, with no obligation to pay dues to any king, ruler or diocese. Their wealth increased day by day. In the Holy Lands, the order's power was legendary and continued until the fall of Acre (1291). They controlled the shipping routes from Europe to Palestine used by pilgrims, but all these constituted just a fraction of the Templars' overall activities. They had entered the scene as "Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ," but no description could have been less accurate. Amongst their ranks were to be found the wealthiest people of Europe: leading bankers from London and Paris, among whose customers were Blanche of Castile, Alphonso de Poitiers, and Robert of Artois. The finance ministers of James I of Aragon, and Charles I of Naples and the chief advisor of Louis VII of France were all Templars. By the year 1147, 700 knights and 2,400 servants of the order were stationed in Jerusalem. Across the known world, 3,468 castles had become the Templars' property. They had established trading posts and routes on both land and sea, had won war booty and spoils from the wars they participated in. Among Europe's states, they were a political power to be reckoned with, often called in to arbitrate between rulers during times of conflict.
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THE HISTORY OF THE KNIGHTS TEMPLAR In The Temple and the Lodge, authors Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh document the Templars incredibly widespread influence throughout Christian Europe. They were simply everywhere, even playing a role in the signing of England's Magna Carta. Having amassed huge wealth, they were the most powerful bankers of their time and also the largest fighting force in the West. The Templars commissioned and financed cathedrals, mediated in international transactions, and even supplied court chamberlains to the ruling houses of Europe. THE STRUCTURE OF THE ORDER One of the most interesting aspects of the Templars was their emphasis on discretion. In the two hundred years between the order's founding and its liquidation, they never compromised on secrecy. This, however, is inexplicable by any standard of reason, logic, or common sense. If they were truly devoted to the Catholic Church, there was no need for this secrecy: All of Europe was under the sovereignty of the Papacy. If they were merely following Christian teachings, then they had nothing to hide and there was no need for secrecy. Why adopt secrecy as a fundamental principle if you are in compliance with Church doctrine and your mission is to uphold and defend Christianity-unless you are engaged in activities incompatible with the Church? Discipline was so very strictly observed within the order's hierarchy that it can only be described as a chain of command. According to the Templar rule, obedience to the Grand Master and Masters of the order was paramount: ... if anything be commanded by the Master or by one to whom he has given his power, it should be done without demur as if it were a command from God. The Templars were not allowed any personal possessions; everything remained the property of their order. They also had their own unique dress code. Over their armor, they wore a long white mantle emblazoned with a red cross, so that they were recognized as Templars wherever they went. The Red Cross symbol was assigned to the order by Pope Eugene III, who, incidentally, had been tutored by St. Bernard. There were three classes of Templars: Knights and warriors of various ranks, men of religion, and finally servants. Other rules specific to the order prohibited marriage, correspondence with relatives or a private life. Meals were taken together en masse. As portrayed on their seal-which depicted two knights on one single horse-they were required to go about their business in pairs, share everything, and eat from the same bowl. They addressed each other as "my brother," and each Templar had the right to three horses and one servant. Breach or disrespect of any of these rules was harshly punished. Grooming and cleansing were considered an embarrassment, so Templars rarely washed and went around filthy and stinking of sweat, from the heat of wearing their armor. But according to history, the Templars were good seafarers. From the surviving Jews and Arabs in the Holy Land, they had acquired various maps and learned the sciences of geometry and mathematics, enabling them to navigate not only along the shores of Europe and along the African coast, but to explore lands and seas lying farther away.
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THE HISTORY OF THE KNIGHTS TEMPLAR ADMISSION TO THE ORDER Before one could be considered for admission into the order, he had to meet a number of preconditions. Among them, a man had to be in good health, not married or indebted, without any obligations and not bound by any other order, and willing to accept becoming a slave and servant of the order. The initiation ceremony was held in a domed chamber resembling the Church of The Holy Sepulchre and was to be conducted in absolute secrecy. Just as in Freemasonry centuries later, esoteric rituals had to be performed during this ceremony. In his article titled "Tampliyeler ve Hurmasonlar" (Templars and Freemasons) mason Teoman Biyikoglu refers to the order's rule of 1128 about the initiation ceremony: The Master addresses the congregated brothers of the order: "Dear brothers, some of you have proposed that Mr. X may be admitted to the order. If any of you know of any reason to oppose his initiation, say so now.“ If no word of opposition is spoken, the candidate will be led to the adjoining chamber of the temple. In this chamber, the candidate is visited by three of the most senior brothers, told of the difficulties and hardship awaiting him if he is admitted to the order, and then asked whether he still wishes to be admitted. If his answer is affirmative, he is asked whether he is married or engaged to be married, has links to other orders, is indebted to anyone, is of good health, and whether or not he is a slave. If his answers to these questions comply with the requirements of the order, the senior brothers will return to the temple and say, "We told the candidate of all the hardships awaiting him and our conditions of admission, but he is insistent on becoming a slave of the order." Before being readmitted into the temple, the candidate is again asked whether he still insists on being admitted. If he still answers yes, the Grand Master addresses the candidate: "Brother, you are asking much of us. You have seen only the façade of the order, and you hope to acquire pureblood horses, honorable neighbors, good food and nice garments. But are you aware of how hard our conditions really are?" Proceeding to list the difficulties awaiting the candidate, he continues: "You must not seek admittance for wealth, nor for status."
If the candidate agrees, he is again led out of the temple. The Grand Master then asks the brothers whether they have anything to say about the candidate. If there is nothing said against him, he is brought back, made to kneel down, and given the Bible. He is asked if he is married. If he answers no, the oldest or most senior in the congregation is asked, "Have any questions that need to be asked been forgotten?" If the answer is no, the candidate is asked to swear an oath that he will remain loyal to the order and his 11 brothers until the day he dies, and that he will not reveal to the outside world a word that is spoken in
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THE HISTORY OF THE KNIGHTS TEMPLAR the temple. After he has sworn the oath, the Grand Master kisses the new brother on the lips [according to another source he is kissed on the belly and neck]. He then is given a Templar mantle and a woven belt, which is never to be taken off. CHRISTIAN USURERS According to Alan Butler and Stephen Dafoe, The Templars were expert financiers, using trading techniques quite unknown in the Europe of their day. They had clearly learned many of these skills from Jewish sources, but would have much more freedom to extend their financial empire, in a way that any Jewish financier of the period would have envied greatly.
Even though usury was strictly forbidden, they weren't afraid to lend money on interest. The Templars had acquired such wealth-and the power that came with it-that nobody dared speak out against them or do anything about it. This so went to their heads that they went out of control. They were disobedient to kings and the Pope and in some cases, even challenged their authority. In 1303, for example, few years before their order was liquidated, they refused a request for assistance from the French King Philip IV, as well as his later request in 1306 for the Templars' order to merge with the Hospitalers. Travel could be a hazardous enterprise in the 12th century. En route, wayfarers could be robbed by bandits anywhere and at anytime. Transporting money, as well as other precious commodities essential for trade, was particularly risky. Out of this situation, the Templars made a fortune by means of a fairly simple system of banking. For example, if a tradesman wanted to go from London to Paris, first he would go to the Templars' office in London and hand over his money. In return, he was given a paper with an encoded message written on it. On his arrival in Paris, he could hand in this note in exchange for the money he'd paid in London, minus a fee and interest. Thus the transaction was completed.
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THE HISTORY OF THE KNIGHTS TEMPLAR Along with traders, wealthy pilgrims too made use of this system. "Checks" issued by Templars in Europe could be cashed in on arrival in Palestine, minus a hefty interest charge for this service. In The Temple and the Lodge, co-authors Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh explain the Templars' economic dimension, recording that the beginnings of modern banking can be traced back to them, and that no other organization contributed as much as the Templars to the rise of capitalism. History records Florentine bankers as having invented "checking accounts," yet the Templars were using this method of money transfer long before. It is generally accepted that capitalism first arose in the Jewish community of Amsterdam, but long before them, the Templars had established their own medieval capitalism, including banking based on interest. They lent money on interest rates of up to 60% and controlled a major proportion of capital flow and liquidity in the economy of Europe. Using methods much like those of a modern private bank, they derived profits from both trade and banking, as well as from donations and armed conflict. They became as rich as the multinational company that, in effect, they were. At one time, the finances of the English and French monarchies were controlled and run by the Templars' respective offices in Paris and London, and both the French and English royal families owed the Templars huge amounts of money. The kings of Europe were literally at their mercy, hoping to borrow money, and most royal households had come to depend on the order. This let them manipulate the kings and their national policies for their own purposes. THE ENIGMA OF THE TEMPLARS AND GOTHIC ARCHITECTURE After Innocent II was elected Pope with St. Bernard's backing, he granted the Templars the right to build and run their own churches. This was a first in the history of the Church, which ruled as an absolute power at the time. This privilege meant that from now on, the Templars were answerable only to the Pope and beyond the reach of other authorities, including kings and lesser rulers. It also reduced their responsibilities to the Papacy, letting them hold court, impose their own taxes and collect them. Thus they could realize their worldly ambitions free of any pressure from the Church. In the process of planning their churches, they developed their own style of architecture, later to be known as "Gothic." In The Sign and the Seal, Graham Hancock states that Gothic architecture was born in 1134 with the construction of the north tower of Chartres Cathedral. The person behind this work of architecture was St. Bernard, the Templars' mentor and spiritual leader. He felt it important that this construction symbolize in stone the cabbalistic approach and the esotericism that the Templars esteemed so highly. As Graham Hancock wrote, St. Bernard, the patron of the Templars, "played a formative role in the evolution and dissemination of the Gothic architectural formula in its early days (he had been at the height of his powers in 1134 when the soaring north tower of Chartres cathedral had been built, and he had constantly stressed the principles of sacred geometry that had been put into practice in that tower and throughout the whole wonderful building.)" The entire edifice had been carefully and explicitly designed as a key to the deeper religious mysteries. Thus, for example, the architects and masons had made use of gematria (an ancient Hebrew cipher that substitutes numbers for the letters of the alphabet) to "spell out" obscure liturgical phrases in many of the key dimensions of the great building. Similarly the sculptors and glaziers-working usually to the instructions of the higher clergy-had carefully concealed complex messages about human nature, about the past, and about the prophetic meaning of the Scriptures in the thousands of different devices and designs that 13 they had created.
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THE HISTORY OF THE KNIGHTS TEMPLAR The entire edifice had been carefully and explicitly designed as a key to the deeper religious mysteries. Thus, for example, the architects and masons had made use of gematria (an ancient Hebrew cipher that substitutes numbers for the letters of the alphabet) to "spell out" obscure liturgical phrases in many of the key dimensions of the great building. Similarly the sculptors and glaziers-working usually to the instructions of the higher clergy-had carefully concealed complex messages about human nature, about the past, and about the prophetic meaning of the Scriptures in the thousands of different devices and designs that they had created. THE BATTLE OF HATTIN Following the death of the Latin King Baldwin I in 1186, Guy de Lusignan-who was known to be close to the Templars-succeeded to the throne in Palestine. Reynald de Chatillon, Prince of Antioch, became the new king's closest aide. After fighting in the Second Crusade, Reynald had stayed behind in Palestine, where he became good friends with the Templars. Reynald's cruelty was well known in the Holy Land. On the 4th of July, 1187 the crusader armies fought their bloodiest battle at Hattin. The army numbered 20,000 infantry and a thousand mounted knights. Assembling this army stretched to the limit the resources of towns along the border, leaving the others unprotected and vulnerable. The battle ended with the virtual annihilation of the crusaders. Most lost their lives, and every survivor was captured. Among the prisoners of war were King Guy himself and the leading commanders of the Christian army According to the Templars' own records, Saladin, the great commander of the Muslim forces, was fair. Despite all the cruelty inflicted on Palestine's Muslim population over the previous 100 years of Christian rule, the defeated forces were not ill-treated. While most Christians were pardoned, the Templars had been responsible for the savage attacks carried out on the Muslim population, and for this reason, Saladin had the Templars executed, along with the Grand Master of the order and Reynald de Chatillon, both known for their inhumane cruelty. King Guy was freed after only one year in captivity in the town of Nablus. After Saladin's victory at Hattin, he advanced with his army and proceeded to free Jerusalem. Despite serious losses, the Templars survived their defeat in Palestine and along with other Christians, withdrew to Europe. Most headed for France where, thanks to their privileged status, they continued to increase their power and wealth. In time, they became the "state within the state" in many European countries. Acre, the crusaders' last stronghold in Palestine, was captured by the Muslim army in 1291. With this, the original justification for the Templars' existence-the protection of pilgrims in the Holy Land-disappeared as well. Now the Templars could concentrate all their efforts on Europe, but needed a little time to adapt to this new situation. During this transitional period, they relied on the help of their friends in the royal houses of Europe, of whom the best-known was Richard the Lion-Hearted. His relationship with the Templars was such that he was regarded as an Honorary Knight Templar. Furthermore, Richard had sold to the Templars the Island of Cyprus, which was to become the temporary base of their order, while they strengthened their position in Europe to counteract their losses in Palestine.
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THE HISTORY OF THE KNIGHTS TEMPLAR THE TEMPLARS' TRUE FACE Modest missionaries, fighting for Christianity-this was how the Templars presented themselves to the ordinary people. Undeservedly, they were perceived to be saints of great virtue, mentors of Christianity, devoted to aiding the poor and the needy. It's amazing that they managed to create such a positive image while leading lives contrary to Christian teachings and, on the way acquiring status and wealth through donations, trade, banking and even looting. The few who discovered their true identity did not dare to speak out against this powerful order. Philip, King of France, feared the dangers their financial strength could create for him. It was high time to unmask the Templars. As a Masonic writer of the 18th century explains: The war, which for the greater number of warriors of good faith proved the source of weariness, of losses and misfortunes, became for them [the Templars] only the opportunity for booty and aggrandizement, and if they distinguished themselves by a few brilliant actions, their motive soon ceased to be a matter of doubt when they were seen to enrich themselves even with the spoils of the confederates, to increase their credit by the extent of the new possessions they had acquired, to carry arrogance to the point of rivalling crowned princes in pomp and grandeur, to refuse their aid against the enemies of the faith... and finally to ally themselves with that horrible and sanguinary prince named the Old Man of the Mountain Prince of the Assassins. The Templars became increasingly confident and impertinent in their practices and in disseminating their teachings, trusting in the unjustifiably positive image they had managed to create throughout society. This in turn led to an increase in the numbers who witnessed their perversion and began to whisper about it. Whatever might the Templars be doing behind the closed doors of their palaces? The knights' avarice, inhumanity, greed and zeal, already well known, awakened the curiosity of the locals, the clergy, and the monarchy. The Papacy was almost certain that this group, which it could no longer control, was living an irreligious life and abusing the privileges it had granted them. Rumors and complaints circulated about the Templars. There were increasingly credible accusations that they engaged in forbidden practices and other wrongdoing and that was why they operated under strict secrecy. People had begun to whisper of secret rites performed in their palaces, rituals of Satanist worship, and various immoral relationships. All these rumors were combined with actual fact-what servants in Templar palaces and the people living in the vicinity of them witnessed and reported. The Papacy found itself in a predicament, not knowing what to do. Clement V, elected Pope in 1305, was trying to calculate the damage to Christianity-and therefore, to the Vatican-and how to minimize its effects. At the same time, he had to put an end to constant pressure from regional dioceses and the King of France. Meanwhile, in Cyprus, Jacques de Molay, leader of the Templars, was making preparations for war, as the order had not given up hope to go back in the Middle East. He was recalled to France and ordered by the Pope to investigate these allegations. All this, however, was unacceptable to the French King. He quickly passed a new law, under which he had the Templars arrested. On October 13, 1309, they were accused in the courts with the following charges: 1. That during the reception ceremony, new brothers were required to deny Christ, God, The Virgin or the Saints on the command of those receiving them. 2. That the brothers committed various sacrilegious acts either on the cross or on an image of Christ. 3. That the receptors practiced obscene kisses on new entrants, on the mouth, navel or buttocks.
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THE HISTORY OF THE KNIGHTS TEMPLAR 4. That the priests of the Order did not consecrate the host, and that the brothers did not believe in the sacraments. 5. That the brothers practiced idol worship of a cat or a head. 6. That the brothers encouraged and permitted the practice of sodomy. 7. That the Grand Master, or other officials, absolved fellow Templars from their sins. 8. That the Templars held their reception ceremonies and chapter meetings in secret and at night. 9. That the Templars abused the duties of charity and hospitality and used illegal means to acquire property and increase their wealth.
The Templars worshipped the idol Baphomet, thought to symbolize Satan
PERVERSION IN THE TEMPLARS' FAITH AND PRACTICE The documents at hand, together with the allegation made against the Templars, demonstrated that this was no ordinary order of knights. It was a darker organization altogether: one of perverted faith, frightening methods, and cunning strategies. It was well organized and well prepared, always scheming, always ready and dangerous, and-unlike anything seen before-forward thinking, with comprehensive plans for the future.
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THE HISTORY OF THE KNIGHTS TEMPLAR During their time in the Middle East, the Templars had established and maintained contact with mystic sects belonging to different religions and denominations, including sorcerers. They were known to have close links to the hashashis (assassins) who, while influential, were regarded as a perverted sect by the Muslim population. From them, the Templars had learned some mystic teachings and barbaric strategies, as well as how to organize a sect. As will be seen in the coming chapters, the order's higher echelons in particular had also acquainted themselves with-and incorporated into their practice-beliefs based on the mystic teachings of the Kabbalah, the influence of the Bogomils, and Luciferians, thus leaving Christianity behind. According to the Templars, Jesus was a god ruling in another world, with little or no power in our present one. Satan was the lord of this material world of ours. Now the rumors were confirmed: Candidates for the order were indeed required to deny God, Christ and the Saints, committed sacrilegious acts, spit and urinate onto the holy Cross, be kissed square on the mouth with the "Oscolum Infame" or "The Kiss of Shame" on the navel and buttocks by the more senior Knights Templars, during the initiation ceremony. That they freely practiced homosexuality and other sexual perversions, that the Grand Master wielded total authority over everything, that they practiced rituals of sorcery and used Cabalistic symbolism was clear evidence that the order had had become a sect blasphemous to Christianity. Their questioning revealed yet another of their unorthodox practices: Without being specific, they had admitted to idolatry, but during their ongoing interrogation, it gradually emerged that without any doubt, they were worshipping Satan. The Templars revered an idol of Baphomet; a demon with the head of a goat, whose image was later to become the symbol of The Church of Satan. From Peter Underwood's Dictionary of the Occult and Supernatural: Baphomet was the deity worshipped by the Knights Templar, and in Black Magic was the source and creator of evil; the Satanic goat of the witches' Sabbath… During their trial, almost all Templars mentioned having worshipped Baphomet. This idol they described as having a scary human head, a long beard and frightening, shining eyes. They also mentioned human skulls and idols of cats. The consensus among historians is that all these figures are objects of Satanic worship. The demon Baphomet has ever since been an object of Satanic veneration. Details about Baphomet were later conveyed by Eliphas Levi; a 19th-century Cabalist and occultist, whose drawings illustrate Baphomet as having a goat's head with two faces, and a winged human body that is female above the waist and whose lower half is male. Most Templars confessed that they didn't believe in Jesus because they held him to be "a false prophet"; that they had committed acts of homosexuality during the admission ceremony as well as afterwards, that they worshipped idols and practiced Satanism. All these admissions entered the court records, and following their trial, most of the Templars were imprisoned. Much has been said about the Templars' homosexual practices, and it has been suggested that their insignia-of two riders on the back of one horse-represented this custom. In his novel Foucault's Pendulum, Umberto Eco extensively touches upon this aspect of the Templars. After their confessions in the courts of the French King, the Pope himself interrogated of the Templars. They were asked to swear an oath to tell the truth and then, proceed to confirm that their previous confessions were truthful: that they rejected belief in Jesus, that they spat on the holy cross and committed all the other acts of perversion they'd admitted to. They then knelt down and asked for forgiveness.
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THE HISTORY OF THE KNIGHTS TEMPLAR The interrogation of the Templars culminated in the dissolution of their order. In 1314, Grand Master Jacques de Molay was burned at the stake. Templars who had managed to escape arrest by fleeing to other countries were pursued throughout the whole of Christendom. Other countries including Italy and Germany followed suit, arresting and interrogating the Templars they could apprehend. But for various reasons, some countries offered the Templars refuge. On November 10, 1307, England's Edward II wrote the Pope that he would not persecute the Templars and that in his country, they would remain safe. But two years later, after interrogating the Templars, the Pope issued a Papal Bull declaring that the Templars' "unspeakable wickednesses and abominable crimes of notorious heresy" had now "come to the knowledge of almost everyone." Upon reading it, King Edward agreed to prosecute the Templars. Finally, at the Council of Vienne in France in 1312, the Order of the Knights Templar was officially declared illegal in all of Europe, and captured Templars were punished. On March 22nd, Clement V issued a Papal Bull under the name of Vox in Excelso (A Voice from on High), in which the order was declared to be dissolved and-on paper, at least-its existence erased from the official records: ... Hark, a voice of the people from the city! a voice from the temple! the voice of the Lord rendering recompense to his enemies. The prophet is compelled to exclaim: Give them, Lord, a barren womb and dry breasts. Their worthlessness has been revealed because of their malice. Throw them out of your house, and let their roots dry up; let them not bear fruit, and let not this house be any more a stumbling block of bitterness or a thorn to hurt. . . . Indeed a little while ago, about the time of our election as supreme pontiff before we came to Lyons for our coronation, and afterwards, both there and elsewhere, we received secret intimations against the master, preceptors and other brothers of the order of Knights Templar of Jerusalem and also against the order itself. . . . [T]he holy Roman church honoured these brothers and the order with her special support, armed them with the sign of the cross against Christ's enemies, paid them the highest tributes of her respect, and strengthened them with various exemptions and privileges; and they experienced in many and various ways her help and that of all faithful Christians with repeated gifts of property. Therefore it was against the lord Jesus Christ himself that they fell into the sin of impious apostasy, the abominable vice of idolatry, the deadly crime of the Sodomites, and various heresies. THE TEMPLARS GO UNDERGROUND Liquidating the order of the Templars proved harder than anticipated. Even though Grand Master de Molay and many of his brothers had been eliminated, the order survived, albeit by going underground. In France alone, there were more than 9,000 representatives to be found and across the countries of Europe, thousands of castles and other strongholds were still in their possession. According to historical sources of the time, the Inquisition had captured and punished only 620 out of a total of 2,000 knights. It has since been estimated that the knights' actual grand total was in the vicinity of 20,000, each of whom had a team of seven or eight Templars of other professions at his service. A simple calculation based on eight
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THE HISTORY OF THE KNIGHTS TEMPLAR Templars per knight gives us a total number of 160,000 organizing and carrying out the order's activities, including shipping and commerce. The Pope and the French King couldn't possibly locate and confiscate all of their property. This network of active members across Europe and along the Mediterranean coast, 160,000 strong, was the largest logistical force of their time. In terms of property, they could measure up to any king and this wealth assured their protection and safety. Despite the Papacy's claim that the Templars had been annihilated, not only did they survive the Inquisition by going underground, but they kept on being active, especially in England and in Northern Europe: [I]n the years following the loss of the Holy Land, the Templars had shown a continuing desire to create a 'state' of their own. . . [W]e are now left in no doubt that the Templars indeed manage, against all odds, to carve out their own nation. It wasn't some Eldorado in the New World, nor a hidden kingdom of the Prester John variety in darkest Africa. In fact the Templars remained absolutely central to everything that was happening in Europe, and what is more they were partly instrumental in the formation of the Western World as we know it today. The Templar State was, and is, Switzerland. In order to carry on their activities in safety, Templars escaping persecution and arrest in France and some other countries of Europe needed to regroup somewhere. They chose the confederation of cantons now known as Switzerland. The Templars' influence in Switzerland's formation and traditional makeup can still be easily recognized today. Alan Butler, a Mason and co-author of The Warriors and the Bankers is an expert on the subject of Templars. In a discussion forum held in 1999, of he said: There are a few important reasons why this [that the Knights Templar went to Switzerland after their liquidation] is likely to have been the case. For example: 1. The founding of the embryonic Switzerland conforms exactly to the period when the Templars were being persecuted in France. 2. Switzerland is just to the east of France and would have been particularly easy for fleeing Templar brothers from the whole region of France to get to. 3. In the history of the first Swiss Cantons, there are tales of white-coated knights mysteriously appearing and helping the locals to gain their independence against foreign domination. 4. The Templars were big in banking, farming and engineering (of an early type). These same aspects can be seen as inimical to the commencement and gradual evolution of the separate states that would eventually be Switzerland. 5. The famous Templar Cross is incorporated into the flags of many of the Swiss Cantons. As are other emblems, such as keys and lambs, that were particularly important to the Knights Templar. A significant number of Templars found refuge in Scotland, the only monarchy in 14th century Europe that didn't recognize the authority of the Catholic Church. Reorganizing under the protection of King Robert the Bruce, they soon found the perfect camouflage to hide their existence in the British Isles. Outside of the state and local governments, the Masons' Lodges were the most powerful organizations of the time, and and the Templars first infiltrated them, then brought them under control. Lodges that had been professional bodies were turned into ideological and political organizations, which are now the Freemason Lodges of today. (This is what Masons call "progress from operational to speculative Masonry") Another Masonic source estimates that between 30,000 and 40,000 Templars escaped the Inquisition by wearing Masons' cloth and mingling with them. So as to flee abroad, others obtained and used the "Laissez passer" (free passage) given to Masons.
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THE HISTORY OF THE KNIGHTS TEMPLAR In order to carry on their activities in safety, Templars escaping persecution and arrest in France and some other countries of Europe needed to regroup somewhere. They chose the confederation of cantons now known as Switzerland. The Templars' influence in Switzerland's formation and traditional makeup can still be easily recognized today. Alan Butler, a Mason and co-author of The Warriors and the Bankers is an expert on the subject of Templars. In a discussion forum held in 1999, of he said: There are a few important reasons why this [that the Knights Templar went to Switzerland after their liquidation] is likely to have been the case. For example: 1. The founding of the embryonic Switzerland conforms exactly to the period when the Templars were being persecuted in France. 2. Switzerland is just to the east of France and would have been particularly easy for fleeing Templar brothers from the whole region of France to get to. 3. In the history of the first Swiss Cantons, there are tales of white-coated knights mysteriously appearing and helping the locals to gain their independence against foreign domination. 4. The Templars were big in banking, farming and engineering (of an early type). These same aspects can be seen as inimical to the commencement and gradual evolution of the separate states that would eventually be Switzerland. 5. The famous Templar Cross is incorporated into the flags of many of the Swiss Cantons. As are other emblems, such as keys and lambs, that were particularly important to the Knights Templar. A significant number of Templars found refuge in Scotland, the only monarchy in 14th century Europe that didn't recognize the authority of the Catholic Church. Reorganizing under the protection of King Robert the Bruce, they soon found the perfect camouflage to hide their existence in the British Isles. Outside of the state and local governments, the Masons' Lodges were the most powerful organizations of the time, and and the Templars first infiltrated them, then brought them under control. Lodges that had been professional bodies were turned into ideological and political organizations, which are now the Freemason Lodges of today. (This is what Masons call "progress from operational to speculative Masonry") Another Masonic source estimates that between 30,000 and 40,000 Templars escaped the Inquisition by wearing Masons' cloth and mingling with them. So as to flee abroad, others obtained and used the "Laissez passer" (free passage) given to Masons. Some Templars escaped to Spain and entered orders like the Caltrava, Alcantra, and Santiago del Espada, while others moved on to Portugal and they renamed themselves the Order of Christ. Still others fled to the Holy Roman Empire of the German nation and joined the Teuton knights, while another large group of Templars is known to have joined the Hospitalers. In England, the Templars were arrested and interrogated, but quickly released again. In still other countries, the Templars remained unmolested. The Templars seemed to have disappeared from the history until 1804; when Bernard-Raymond Fabré Palaprat became Grand Master. Truly interesting is an accidental discovery he made in 1814… In one of the bookstalls along the river Seine in Paris, he came upon a handwritten Bible of the Yuhanna translation in the Greek language. .
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THE HISTORY OF THE KNIGHTS TEMPLAR The Bible's last two chapters were missing; and in their place were notes divided by-and containingnumerous triangles. Examining these notes a bit closer, he realized that this was a document listing the Grand Masters of the Templars, beginning with the fifth Grand Master, Bertrand de Blanchefort ( 1154), through the 22nd, Jacques de Molay, the 23rd Larmenius of Jerusalem (1314) and then on to Grand Master Claudio Mateo Radix de Chevillon (1792). This document suggested that Jacques de Molay passed the title of Grand Master on to Larmenius of Jerusalem. It could be concluded that the Templars never ceased to exist. They live on today in the lodges of Freemasonry. In Foucault's Pendulum, Umberto Eco writes: After Beaujeu, the order has never ceased to exist, not for a moment, and after Aumont we find an uninterrupted sequence of Grand Masters of the Order down to our own time, and if the name and seat of the true Grand Master and the true Seneschals who rule the Order and guide its sublime labors remain a mystery today, an impenetrable secret known only to the truly enlightened, it is because the hour of the Order has not struck and the time is not ripe… Many sources suggest that after the death of Jacques de Molay, survivors of the order planned a conspiracy. Supposedly, the Templars sought to bring down not only the Papacy, but the kingdoms that had declared them illegal and executed their Grand Master. This secret mission was handed down through generations of members, preserved and maintained by later organizations like the Illuminati and Freemasons. It's widely accepted that the Masons played a major role in the downfall of the French monarchy and the ensuing Revolution. When Louis XVI was guillotined in a public square in Paris, one of the onlookers shouted, "Jacques de Molay, you have been avenged!"
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ROSSLYN CHAPEL The church known as "Rosslyn Chapel" near Edinburgh in Scotland is recognized as a symbol of the heretical pagan beliefs of the Templars. In the course of the construction of this edifice, Masons and Rosicrucians, the successors of the Templars, were employed, and decorated the whole chapel with symbols representative of their pagan philosophy. In a publication of Turkish Masonry, the magazine Mimar Sinan, the Masonic origins and the pagan elements of the chapel are described in these words: The most convincing proof of the unity of the Templars and the Masons in Scotland is the castle and chapel in the village of Roslin, 10 km. south of Edinburgh and 15 km. from the ancient Templar center at Balantrodoch. The Templars lived in this region and in this castle especially after 1312 under the protection of the Barons of St. Clair. ...The chapel was built between 1446-48 by Sir William St. Clair who was one of the most prominent nobles of the time in Scotland and even in Europe. Masons and Rosicrucians worked on the construction. The chief architect of the work was the Templar Grand Master, Sir William St. Clair who brought itinerant mason architects and stone masons from every part of Europe. New houses were built in the near-by village of Roslin and a lodge was opened…
The plan and decoration of the chapel is unique. There is no other such example in Scotland or even Europe. It captured the atmosphere of Herod's temple very well and every part of it was decorated with Masonic symbols. Among the symbols were reliefs on the walls and arches depicting the heads of Hiram and his murderer, a relief of an initiation ceremony, the keystones of the arches, and compasses. Apart from the fact that the chapel was constructed in a marked pagan style with Egyptian, Hebrew, Gothic, Norman, Celtic, Scandinavian, Templar and Masonic architectural elements, and that it contains very rich examples of stone work, one of the most interesting aspects of it is that the tops of the columns are decorated with cactus and corn motifs, besides various other plants figures. … There are so many pagan decorative elements inside the chapel that a priest, writing an account of the baptism he performed of the Baron of Rosslyn in 1589 complained, "because the chapel is filled with pagan idols, there is no place appropriate to administer the Sacrament. In August 31, 1592, as a result of pressure exerted on Baron Oliver St.Claire of Rosslyn, the chapel's pagan-style altar was destroyed. (Tamer Ayan, "The Oldest Known Masonic Institution-the Scottish Royal Order," Mimar Sinan, 1998, No.110, pp.18-19)
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THE TEMPLARS AND THE TURIN SHROUD
Frank Tribbe, whose book The Holy Grail Mystery Solved (Galde Press, 2003) builds on the work of Noel Currer-Briggs’ The Holy Grail and the Shroud of Christ also published a more recent book Portrait of Jesus? (Paragon House, 2006) which is an account of the shroud in history and sci-ence, and was published a year after he died at age 91. According to Tribbe the term “Holy Grail” originated with the Templars and that the Old French word greille, which referred to the lattice frame or grillwork on the shroud’s container, was transliterated over time into the Eng-lish “grail.” (The transformed word’s meaning was corrupted, however, because “grail” etymologically means cup or bowl, and the various grail-story authors wrongly told the public that the Holy Grail is the cup of the Last Supper or a bowl which caught Jesus’ blood while he was on the cross.) The wooden frame itself was not holy, of course. Nam-ing it “the holy greille” was simply a shorthand way of referring to the tangible evidence of holiness which it dis-played—the cloth imprinted with the image of the risen Christ formed at the moment of resurrection. So the true Holy Grail, by this reckoning, is the Shroud of Turin. The shroud itself is now, arguably, the most important religious relic in the world because it has been subjected to such rigorous scientific testing and its authenticity, we are told, has been established. Although a carbon-14 test in the late 1980s apparently showed that the shroud was no older than the 13th century—and therefore was a hoax— it has now been shown that those test results were badly flawed due to several factors. First, the piece of shroud used for testing was taken from what is now recognized as a 14th century “patch” or repair of the shroud, woven “invisi-bly”—i.e., not immediately visible to the naked eye. Second is the presence of biological material—mold or microor-ganisms—growing on the fibers of the piece of fabric tested. These materials skewed the C-14 data toward a more modern date. New chemical tests move the age of the shroud back in time to the first century A.D. Furthermore, the weaving of the linen Shroud is now recognized as consistent with the weaving of first century Palestine but not 14th century Eu-rope. Moreover, new research has identified pollen grains on the shroud which could only have come from the vicini-ty of Jerusalem during the months of March and April—Passover time— when such vegetation is in bloom. For these and other research-based reasons, the shroud is now clearly established as an authentic first-century relic from the Near East, precisely as legend holds.
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THE TEMPLARS AND THE TURIN SHROUD As for the image of the Man in the Shroud, research likewise indicates it is no hoax. The blood stains are real (type AB) and contain human male DNA. Tribbe notes in his just-published book Portrait of Jesus? that the closest science can come to explaining how the image of the Man in the Shroud got there is by comparing the situation to a con-trolled burst of high-intensity radiation similar to the Hiroshima bomb explosion which “printed” images of inciner-ated people on building walls. Shroud researcher Ray Rogers, a physical chemist from Los Alamos laboratory, said, “I am forced to conclude that the image was formed by a burst of radiant energy—light if you like.” In other words, the image is recorded on the cloth as if by a photoflash of brilliant light radiating from the body of the Man in the Shroud. Another researcher, Prof. Alan Adler of Western Connecticut State College, concluded that the shroud image could have been created only by a form of energy which science cannot name. The image of the Man in the Shroud was venerated by the Templars because it visibly demonstrated the central fact of Jesus’ teaching: the conquest of death. The face-image was created by a mysterious—call it miraculous— process which science does not understand but nevertheless can recognize. The Templars understood it, however. At least, they understood that the shroud seemed to be mute testimony to the notion that Jesus transubstantiated him-self in the grave through an act equivalent to a self-controlled nuclear explosion which transformed his flesh, blood and bone into a body of light—the resurrection body— and thereby conquered death. He attained enlightenment to the ultimate degree; he actually became light and is now revered as the Light of the World. That was the object of Templar worship. The Shroud of Turin Web site (www.shroud.com) was created in 1996 by Barry M. Schwortz, the official docu-menting photographer for the Shroud of Turin Research Project (STURP) since 1978. An orthodox Jew, Schwortz says he is still involved with the Shroud of Turin because “knowing the unbiased facts continues to convince me of its authenticity.” THE VATICAN , THE KINGHTS TEMPLARS AND THE SHROUD On April 6, 2009, the London newspaper The Times reported that official Vatican researchers had uncovered evidence that the Shroud had been kept and venerated by the Templars since the 1204 sack of Constantinople. According to the account of one neophyte member of the order, veneration of the Shroud appeared to be part of the initiation ritual. The article also implies that this ceremony may be the source of the 'worship of a bearded figure' that the Templars were accused of at their fourteenth century trial and suppression. On April 10, 2009, the Telegraph then reported that original Shroud investigator, Ray Rogers, acknowledged the radio carbon dating performed in 1988 was flawed. The sample used for dating may have been taken from a section damaged by fire and repaired in the 16th century, which would not provide an estimate for the original material. Shortly before his death, Rogers said: "The worst possible sample for carbon dating was taken." "It consisted of different materials than were used in the shroud itself, so the age we produced was inaccurate," - "...I am coming to the conclusion that it has a very good chance of being the piece of cloth that was used to bury the historic Jesus." A recent study by French scientist Thierry Castex has revealed that on the shroud are traces of words in Aramaic spelled with Hebrew letters. Barbara Frale, a Church scholar, told Vatican Radio on July 26, 2009, that her own studies suggest the letters on the shroud were written more than 1,800 years ago. Her study of the trial of the Knights Templar had brought to light a document in which Arnaut Sabbatier, a young Frenchman who entered the order in 1287, testified that as part of his initiation he was taken to “a secret place to which only the brothers of the Temple had access”. There he was shown “a long linen cloth on which was impressed the figure of a man” and instructed to venerate the image by kissing its feet three times. This cloth with image was well know of by both the Greek and Church of Rome.
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THE TEMPLARS AND THE TURIN SHROUD Dr Frale said, that among other alleged offenses such as sodomy, the Knights Templar had been accused of worshipping idols, in particular a “bearded figure”. In reality however the object they had secretly venerated was the Shroud image which was believed to be Jesus himself after the crucifixion. Dr. Frale believes they (the Knights Templars) had rescued it to ensure that it did not fall into the hands of heretical groups such as the Cathars, who claimed that Christ did not have a true human body, only the appearance of a man, and could therefore not have died on the Cross and been resurrected. (I personally feel they also rescued it from the Roman Catholic Church, that was in the process of eliminating all competition in the salvation business. The Greeks and Cathars both fell under attack in the same year under the same pope, 1204.) Dr. Frale said her discovery vindicated a theory first put forward by the British historian Ian Wilson in 1978. In 2003 Dr Frale, the Vatican’s medieval specialist, unearthed the record of the trial of the Templars, also known as the “Chinon Parchment," after realizing that it had been wrongly catalogued. The parchment showed that Pope Clement V ( 1305-1314) the pope that over saw the dissolution of the Templars, had accepted the Templars were guilty of “grave sins," (under serve pressure from the King of France, Philip the Fair) such as corruption and sexual immorality, but not of heresy. This last point is important. Even though the Templar saw Jesus as a man, due to the image on the Shroud, yet still divine. This was and is in contrast to the current view of Jesus as a divine being son of the God himself. Dr. Frale said that their initiation ceremony involved spitting on the Cross, but this was to brace them for having to do so if captured by Muslim forces during the Crusades. Last year Dr. Frale published for the first time the prayer the Knights Templar composed when “unjustly imprisoned," in which they appealed to the Virgin Mary to persuade "our enemies” to abandon calumnies and lies and revert to truth and charity. During the sack of Constantinople, theory has it, that certain high level Knights Templars took the Shroud and next it is seen at Lirey in France in 1353, when it was displayed in a local church by descendants of Geoffroy de Charney, a Templar Knight burned at the stake with Jacques de Molay. Additional confirmation of the shroud’s authenticity is the recent research on the Sudarium of Oviedo, an ancient bloodstained linen cloth the size of a small towel which is claimed to have covered the head of Jesus after his crucifix-ion (see John 20:5-7). Sudarium is Latin for “face cloth.” The cloth has been known historically as the Sudarium Do-mini and has always been associated with Jesus. It has been kept as a holy relic in the cathedral at Oviedo, in north-ern Spain, since the 8th century and dated back to the 7th century by historical documents. It seems highly probable, from other historical records, that it goes back to first century Jerusalem. Pollen on it comes from Palestine, Egypt and Spain, confirming the oral tradition that the sudarium was taken from Jerusalem through North Africa to Spain.
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TEMPLAR LAWSUIT AGAINST THE POPE
In 2009 a group called The Association of the Sovereign Order of the Temple of Christ, whose members claim to be descended from the legendary crusaders, filed a lawsuit against Benedict XVI calling for him to recognise the seizure of assets worth 100 billion euros (£79 billion).
reconquered the Holy Land in 1244 and rumours surfaced of their heretic practices.
They claim that when the order was dissolved by his predecessor Pope Clement V in 1307, more than 9,000 properties as well as countless pastures, mills and other commercial ventures belonging to the knights were appropriated by the church. But their motive is not to reclaim damages only to restore the "good name" of the Knights Templar.
Many Templars confessed to their crimes under torture and some, including the Grand Master Jacques de Molay, were burned at the stake.
"We are not trying to cause the economic collapse of the Roman Catholic Church, but to illustrate to the court the magnitude of the plot against our Order," said a statement issued by the self-proclaimed modern day knights.
The papers lay hidden for more than three centuries having been "misfiled" within papal archives until they were discovered by an academic in 2001.
The Templars was a powerful secretive group of warrior monks founded by French knight Hugues de Payens after the First Crusade of 1099 to protect pilgrims en route to Jerusalem. They amassed enormous wealth and helped to finance wars waged by European monarchs, but spectacularly fell from grace after the Muslims
The Knights were accused of denying Jesus, worshipping icons of the devil in secret initiation ceremonies, and practising sodomy.
The legal move by the Spanish group comes follows the unprecedented step by the Vatican towards the rehabilitation of the group when last October it released copies of parchments recording the trials of the Knights between 1307 and 1312.
The Chinon parchment revealed that, contrary to historic belief, Clement V had declared the Templars were not heretics but disbanded the order anyway to maintain peace with their accuser, King Philip IV of France. Over the centuries, various groups have claimed to be descended from the Templars and legend abounds over hidden treasures, secret rituals, and their rumoured guardianship of the Holy Grail. Most recently the knights have fascinated the modern generation after being featured in the film Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and Dan Brown's novel The Da Vinci Code.
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THE TEMPLARS AND THE ROTHSCHILDS Another aspect of the penetration of these Kabbalistic ideas was the heresy of the Cathars. The Cathar foothold was in the region of Tolouse, the bastion of the descendants of Guillaume, also known as the family of the Guilhemids, several of whom were ardent defenders of the heresy. However, the Cathars have been idealized by numerous Illuminati propagandists as having been innocent victims of Church persecutions, but the Cathars rejected the God of the Bible, in favour of the worship of Lucifer and practiced witchcraft. It was the Cathars who influenced the heretical aspects of the Templars, for which the order was disbanded in 1307. Jacob Rothschild, the current head of the Rothschild dynasty, has intermarried with the Sinclair family, forging an important alliance between the head family of the Illuminati, and the supposed descendants of the Grail family. As has been popularized recently by Dan Brown in the Da Vinci Code, or before him by the Holy Blood, Holy Grail, the Stuarts of Scotland are supposedly descended from King Arthur and Jesus Christ. These families are of course not descended from Jesus. The idea is preposterous. But they are related to the Holy Grail, and they are not Christians, but Kabbalists.
Part of this Kabbalistic revolution was the legends of the Holy Grail, which included Cathar and Templar themes, and formulated in the region of Aquitaine, another stronghold of the Guilhemids. The Holy Grail, or San Greal, should have been translated as Sang Real, or Royal Blood, because it referred to the sacred bloodline that supposedly issued from Guillaume de Gellone, and ultimately King David, but which in reality, was understood to represent the descendants of the Fallen Angels, and their leader, Lucifer.
In reality, they, like all the aristocratic bloodlines that form the core of the Illuminati, are descended from Guillaume de Gellone of the eighth century AD. Guillaume's father was Rabbi Makhir, among the Exilarchs who ruled the Jews in Baghdad, who was sent West after a dispute over the successorship. In France, he took the name Theodoric, married Alda, the aunt of Charlemagne, and was appointed “King of the Jews” in the region of the Languedoc, with his capital the city of Narbonne. Narbonne then became the heartland of the Medieval Kabbalah. The Kabbalists of Narbonne seem to have been responsible for instigating the Crusades, in order to retrieve sacred texts that had been buried there, but which had been inaccessible because of first the rule of the Romans, and then the Muslims. Once Jerusalem was conquered, a Kabbalistic order of knights known as the Templars conducted excavations, and discovered the text of the Sepher ha Bahir, which revived the lost mystical tradition, and set off the cultural revolution of the Medieval Kabbalah.
The Sinclairs were descendants of Guillaume de Gellone, through his great-great-granddaughter, Poppa of Bavaria, who married the Viking leader, Rollo Ragnvaldsson. Among Rollo's descendants was William the Conqueror of Normandy. The Sinclairs, or St. Clair, were given various other castles around France. However, they all went to England with the Conqueror. One Sinclair, though, named William, did not like the Conqueror, so with some other discontented barons, he went to Scotland and placed himself in the service of King Malcolm III of Scotland.
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THE TEMPLARS AND THE ROTHSCHILDS Malcolm III King of Scotland was the father of David I "the Saint" King of Scotland. In 1128, soon after the Council of Troyes, Hugh de Payens, the Templars' first Grand Master, met with King David I of Scotland. King David later surrounded himself with Templars, and appointed them as "the Guardians of his morals by day and night". David married the grand-daughter of Lambert II, the brother of Godefroi de Bouillon, leader of the first crusade, and the sister of sister of William the Conqueror. Godefroi's younger brother, Eustace III, married David's sister, Mary Scots. Their daughter married Stephen I King of England, the son Adela de Normandie, the daughter of William the Conqueror. Adela's brother, Henry I King of England, married David's sister, Editha of Scotland. Their daughter, Mathilda Empress of England, married Geoffrey V, Comte d'Anjou, whose son Henry II married Eleanor of Aquitaine. King David granted Hugues and his knights the lands of Balantrodoch, by the Firth of Forth, but now renamed Temple, near the site of Rosslyn. And, legend has it that, when the Templars came under trial, their leader de Molay arranged for the Templar to return to Scotland, where they assisted Robert the Bruce at the Battle of Bannockburn. Robert the Bruce claimed the Scottish throne as a great-great-great-great grandson of David. Walter Stewart, the sixth High Steward of Scotland, also played an important part in the Battle of Bannockburn. Walter Stewart then married Majory, daughter of Robert the Bruce, and their son Robert II of Scotland was heir to the House of Bruce; he eventually inherited the Scottish throne after his uncle David II of Scotland died. In Scotland, the Templars served Robert the Bruce as members of the Scots Guard, of which two prominent families were those of the Stuarts and the Sinclairs. Henry Sinclair was a supporter of Robert the Bruce, and one of his descendants, William Sinclair, designed Rosslyn Chapel, a church in the village of Roslin, replete with occult symbolism, and believed to be one of the sites where the Grail might
be buried. Finally, the Sinclairs became the Hereditary Grand Masters of the Masons of Scotland.
After Queen Elizabeth died without an heir, she was succeeded by the son of Mary Queen of Scots, James Stewart I of England, also known as King James. It is for this reason that the Freemasons of the eighteenth century conspired to back the Stuart cause, after their last monarch, James II Stuart, King of England, was deposed, and replaced by William of Orange. The Stuart cause then became the essence of Scottish Rite Freemasonry, which regarded the Stuarts as the inheritors of the Templars, who had rescued the secret tradition of the East, otherwise known as the Kabbalah. Since the late eighteenth century, however, the Illuminati have come under the leadership of the Rothschild family. The founder of the dynasty, Mayer Amschel Rothschild, ordered his sons to marry only their first cousins, continuing the careful intermarrying practiced by their predecessors. However, the first exception was Hannah, the daughter of Amschel Mayer's son, the notorious Nathan Mayer Rothschild, who married the Rt. Hon. Henry Fitzroy, a direct descendant of Charles II Stuart King of England, the father of James II. More recently, however, is the great-great-great grandson of Nathan Mayer, Nathaniel Charles Jacob Rothschild, 4th Baron Rothschild, who married Mary Serena Dunn. The mother of Mary Serena was Lady Mary Sybil St. Clair-Erskine, who was the daughter of James Francis Harry St. ClairErskine, 5th Earl of Rosslyn.
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Jacob Rothschild is the current head of the UK Rothschild family, having inherited the fourth baronetcy from his father, Victor, an eminent zoologist, and sometime MI5 agent and friend of KGB agents Anthony Blunt and Guy Burgess. Jacob resigned from the family's bank NM Rothschilds in 1980, run by his cousin Evelyn, and started RIT Capital Partners. Jacob Rothschild resigned from the family's bank NM Rothschilds in 1980, run by his cousin Evelyn, and started RIT Capital Partners. He is chairman of Yad Hanadiv, the Rothschild foundation, which built and gave the Knesset government buildings and the Supreme Court to Israel, and chairs the Jewish Policy Research, dedicated to promoting issues affecting Jews worldwide.
Jacob Rothschild was a close personal friend of the Princess Diana, and maintains strong personal and business links with Henry Kissinger. He knows Rupert Murdoch well, having been friends since the Australian newspaper proprietor first came to the UK in the 1960s. His country estate has been a regular venue for visiting heads of state including Presidents Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton. Margaret Thatcher received French President François Mitterrand there at a summit in 1990. He hosted the European Economic Round Table conference in 2002, attended by such figures as James Wolfensohn, president of the World Bank, Nicky Oppenheimer, Warren Buffet and Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Jacob Rothschild is chairman of Yad Hanadiv, the Rothschild foundation, which chairs the Jewish Policy Research, dedicated to promoting issues affecting Jews worldwide. Yad Hanadiv was also responsible for building and granting the Knesset government buildings, and the Supreme Court of Israel, which prominently features Masonic symbolism and the pyramid and all-seeing eye of the Illuminati.
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THE TEMPLARS AND THE KABBALAH The book written by two Masons, Christopher Knight and Robert Lomas, entitled The Hiram Key reveals some important facts about the roots of Freemasonry. According to these authors, it is evident that Masonry is a continuation of the Templars. Though, in addition to this, the authors also examined the origins of the Templars. According to their thesis, the Templars underwent a great change while they were in Jerusalem. In the place of Christianity, they adopted other doctrines. At the root of this lies a secret that they discovered in the temple of Solomon in Jerusalem, whose ruins they had set out to investigate. The writers explain that the Templars used their purported role as protectors of Christian pilgrims visiting Palestine as a pretense, but that their real aim was quite different: …There is no evidence that these founding Templars ever gave protection to pilgrims, but on the other hand we were soon to find that there is conclusive proof that they did conduct extensive excavations under the ruins of Herod's Temple… The authors of The Hiram Key were not the only ones who found evidences of this. French historian Gaetan Delaforge makes this similar contention: The real task of the nine knights was to carry out research in the area in order to obtain certain relics and manuscripts which contain the essence of the secret traditions of Judaism and ancient Egypt. At the end of the nineteenth century, Charles Wilson of the Royal Engineers, began conducting archaeological research in Jerusalem. He arrived at the opinion that the Templars had gone to Jerusalem to study the ruins of the temple. Wilson found traces of digging and excavation under the foundations of the temple, and concluded that these were done by tools that belonged to the Templars. These items are still in the collection of Robert Brydon, who possesses an extensive archive of information concerning the Templars. The writers of the Hiram Key argue that these excavations of the Templars were not without result; that the order discovered in Jerusalem certain relics that changed the way they saw the world. In addition, many researchers are of the same opinion. There must have been something that led the Templars, despite the fact that they had previously been Christian and came from a Christian part of the world, to adopt a system of beliefs and a philosophy so completely different from that of Christianity, celebrate heretical masses, and perform rituals of black magic. According to the common views of many researchers, this "something" was the Kabbalah. The meaning of the word Kabbalah is "oral tradition." Encyclopaedias and dictionaries define it as an esoteric, mystical branch of Jewish religion. According to this definition, the Kabbalah investigates the hidden meaning of the Torah and other Jewish religious writings. But, when we examine the matter more closely, we discover that the facts are quite something else. These facts lead us to the conclusion that the Kabbalah is a system rooted in pagan idolatry; that it existed before the Torah, and became widespread within Judaism after the Torah was revealed. This interesting fact about the Kabbalah, is explained by just as interesting a source. Murat Ozgen, a Turkish Freemason, maintains the following in his book, Masonluk Nedir ve Nasildir? (What is Freemasonry and What is it Like?):
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THE TEMPLARS AND THE KABBALAH We don't know clearly where the Kabbalah came from or how it developed. It is the general name for a unique, metaphysically constituted, esoteric and mystical philosophy particularly connected with Jewish religion. It is accepted as Jewish mysticism, but some of the elements it contains show that it was composed much earlier than the Torah. The French historian, Gougenot des Mousseaux, explains that the Kabbalah is actually much older than Judaism. The Jewish historian, Theodore Reinach, says that the Kabbalah is "a subtle poison which enters into the veins of Judaism and wholly infests it." Salomon Reinach defines the Kabbalah as "one of the worst aberrations of the human mind." The reason for Reinach's contention that the Kabbalah is "one of the worst aberrations of the human mind" is that its doctrine is connected in large part with magic. For thousands of years, the Kabbalah has been one of the foundation-stones of every kind of magic ritual. It is believed that rabbis who study the Kabbalah possess great magical power. Also, many non-Jews have been influenced by the Kabbalah, and have tried to practice magic by employing its doctrines. The esoteric tendencies that took hold in Europe during the late Middle Ages, especially as practiced by alchemists, have their roots, to a great extent, in the Kabbalah. Albert Pike, quoting from Transcendental Magic, thus sums up the importance of Kabbalism as a key to Masonic esotericism: "One is filled with admiration, on penetrating into the Sanctuary of the Kabbalah, at seeing a doctrine so logical, so simple, and at the same time so absolute. The necessary union of ideas and signs, the consecration of the most fundamental realities by the primitive characters; the Trinity of Words, Letters, and Numbers; a philosophy simple as the alphabet, profound and infinite as the Word; theorems more complete and luminous than those of Pythagoras; a theology summed up by counting on one's fingers; an Infinite which can be held in the hollow of an infant's hand; ten ciphers and twenty-two letters, a triangle, a square, and a circle,--these are all the elements of the Kabbalah. These are the elementary principles of the written Word, reflection of that spoken Word that created the world!" (Morals and Dogma.) Hebrew theology was divided into three distinct parts. The first was the law, the second was the soul of the law, and the third was the soul of the soul of the law. The law was taught to all the children of Israel; the Mishna, or the soul of the law, was revealed to the Rabbins and teachers; but the Kabbalah, the soul of the soul of the law, was cunningly concealed, and only the highest initiates among the Jews were instructed in its secret principles. According to certain Jewish mystics, Moses ascended Mount Sinai three times, remaining in the presence of God forty days each time. During the first forty days the tables of the written law were delivered to the prophet; during the second forty days he received the soul of the law; and during the last forty days God instructed him in the mysteries of the Kabbalah, the soul of the soul of the law. Moses concealed in the first four books of the Pentateuch the secret instructions that God had given him, and for centuries students of Kabbalism. have sought therein the secret doctrine of Israel. As the spiritual nature of man is concealed in his physical body, so the unwritten law--the Mishna and the Kabbalah--is concealed within the written teachings of the Mosaic code. Kabbalah means the secret or hidden tradition, the unwritten law, and according to an early Rabbi, it was delivered to man in order that through the aid of its abstruse principles he might learn to understand the mystery of both the universe about him and the universe within him.
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THE TEMPLARS AND THE KABBALAH The origin of Kabbalism is a legitimate subject for controversy. Early initiates of the Kabbalistic Mysteries believed that its principles were first taught by God to a school of His angels before the fall of man. The angels later communicated the secrets to Adam, so that through the knowledge gained from an understanding of its principles fallen humanity might regain its lost a estate. The Angel Raziel was dispatched from heaven to instruct Adam in the mysteries of the Kabbalah. Different angels were employed to initiate the succeeding patriarchs in this difficult science. Tophiel was the teacher of Shem, Raphael of Isaac, Metatron of Moses, and Michael of David. Christian D. Ginsburg has written: "From Adam it passed over to Noah, and then to Abraham, the friend of God, who emigrated with it to Egypt, where the patriarch allowed a portion of this mysterious doctrine to ooze out. It was in this way that the Egyptians obtained some knowledge of it, and the other Eastern nations could introduce it into their philosophical systems. Moses, who was learned in all the wisdom of Egypt, was first initiated into it in the land of his birth, but became most proficient in it during his wanderings in the wilderness, when he not only devoted to it the leisure hours of the whole forty years, but received lessons in it from one of the angels. * * * Moses also initiated the seventy Elders into the secrets of this doctrine and they again transmitted them from hand to hand. Of all who formed the unbroken line of tradition, David and Solomon were most initiated into the Kabbalah." According to Eliphas Levi, the three greatest books of Kabbalism are the Sepher Yetzirah, The Book of Formation; the Sepher ha Zohar, The Book of Splendor; and the Apocalypse, The Book of Revelation. The dates of the writing of these books are by no means thoroughly established. Kabbalists declare that the Sepher Yetzirah was written by Abraham. Although it is by far the oldest of the Kabbalistic books, it was probably from the pen of the Rabbi Akiba, A.D. 120. The Sepher ha Zohar presumably was written by Simeon ben Jochai, a disciple of Akiba. Rabbi Simeon was sentenced to death about A.D. 161 by Lucius Verus, co-regent of the Emperor Marc Aurelius Antoninus. He escaped with his son and, hiding in a cave, transcribed the manuscript of the Zohar with the assistance of Elias, who appeared to them at intervals. Simeon was twelve years in the cave, during which time he evolved the complicated symbolism of the "Greater Face" and the "Lesser Face." While discoursing with disciples Rabbi Simeon expired, and the "Lamp of Israel" was extinguished. His death and burial were accompanied by many supernatural phenomena. The legend goes on to relate that the secret doctrines of Kabbalism had been in existence since the beginning of the world, but that Rabbi Simeon was the first man permitted to reduce them to writing. Twelve hundred years later the books which he had compiled were discovered and published for the benefit of humanity by Moses de León. The probability is that Moses de León himself compiled the Zohar about A.D. 1305, drawing his material from the unwritten secrets of earlier Jewish mystics. The Apocalypse, accredited to St. John the Divine, is also of uncertain date, and the identity of its author has never been satisfactorily proved. The Templars funded extensive studies of Kabbalah (Jewish Mysticism), had friendly dealings with Muslims and Arabs including absorbing parts of Arab occultism, researched and utilized many forms of magic, ritual and generally had their hands in every (dark) art imaginable. Those who believe in real magic attribute their whole success to magical artifacts acquired via Solomon, and say that the Templars' astonishingly rapid rise to power was due to either genuine black magic, use of Godly powers, or both. It is general knowledge in the occult community that the Templars were Devil Worshippers of some kind, Traditional Satanists worshipping some kind of hybrid god borne from Christian, Jewish and Occult mythologies. Or at least that such forces were in control of 32 the Templars whether or not they knew it.
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THE TEMPLARS AND THE KABBALAH Eliphas Levi, one of the most inaccurate and ill respected historians of magic, says that the Templars were anti-Christian and anti-Papal from their foundation and merely became more blasé and open about it as they grew strong and arrogant. Other authors beside Levi (i.e., Gavin Baddeley) also repeat the same general theme, that the Knights Templar (who devised the early version of the Baphomet, later adopted as the main Sigil of the Church of Satan) were originally Christians that became power-mongering, utterly corrupt, devil-worshipping black magicians. In "The History of Magic" by Eliphas Levi (1860) the author says, "when a rich and dissolute Order, initiated into the mysterious doctrines of the Kabbalah, seemed ready to turn on legitimate authority, on the conservative principles of the hierarchy, menacing the entire world with a gigantic revolution. The John J. Robinson gives an excellent account of Knights Templar in his sympathetic book, "Born In Blood: The Lost Secrets of Freemasonry". In 1188, after the Crusaders took control of the Holy Land, Hugh de Payens, a vassal of the count of Champagne, petitioned King Baldwin II, for permission to establish a new religious order. "To the patriarch of Jerusalem they made vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience ... this new order would devote itself totally to the military protection of pilgrims to the holy places ... Over the centuries to come, they would be referred to as the Order of the Temple, the Knights of the Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem, and a number of other variations. Two things remained standard, however: Whatever the form of their name, it was always based on the Temple of Solomon, and it always took second place to the popular name they bear still, the Knights Templar." Of course, anyone familiar with Freemasonry would appreciate this last statement, because Freemasonry claims to be founded upon the building of the Temple of Solomon. In 1127, King Baldwin II petitioned the Pope Honarius "to obtain papal sanction for the new order of Knights Templar, and asked him to establish a Rule for the life and conduct of its members." [Ibid] Over the next few centuries, the Knights Templar grew in stature, authority, and blessing of the Popes. They also became exceedingly wealthy and influential. No matter what country they may have resided, Knights Templar members recognized only the authority of the Pope. Consequently, the kings of the various countries in which the Knights Templar dwelt regarded the order with hostility and disdain. By 1307, King Phillip of France had his eye on the tremendous political power and wealth of the French Knights Templar, where the Templar Grand Master resided. King Phillip coveted both the power and the wealth of the Templars. Therefore, he decided upon a plan that would bring the order down and deliver their power and wealth to him. King Phillip turned the responsibility of destroying the Templars over to Guillaume de Nogaret. De Nogaret planted twelve of his own men in a number of Templar commandaries. These spies served the King well in his plan to destroy the Knights Templar. When the King struck at dawn of October 13, 1307, he was well prepared with a list of offenses with which the Knights Templar were accused. These are some of the offenses. 1. Heresy against the Roman Catholic Church 2. Rejection of Jesus Christ, as exemplified by spitting and trampling on the cross 3. Sodomy and other acts of homosexuality. 4. Several of the French Templars confessed to witchcraft, including one of the King's spies. "Templars confessed to worshipping a bearded idol, apparently a head, which they called 'Baphomet'. This is a very serious charge, because it would label the Knights Templar as a Satanic group. However, historians have traditionally dismissed this charge, largely because most of the confessions were gained as the result of horrific tortures inflicted by both the King's men and the Pope's Inquisitors. However, most historians conveniently overlook the testimony of the King's twelve spies, at least one of whom 33 personally witnessed the witchcraft of Baphomet.
Despite being very descriptive, the title of 'The Templars: History and Myth: From Solomon's Temple to the Freemasons' still doesn't cover the full scope of Michael Haag's book. Notwithstanding its relatively modest page count, Templars not only manages to place the fascinating tale of the Knights' astonishing rise and spectacular fall in a rich historical context, but also provides an entertaining account of the Templars' 'afterlife': from the Masonic lore of the title to novels, films and games to conspiracy theories. There is also a travel guide and good list of source materials for further reading. The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon, commonly known as the Knights Templar, were an order of warrior monks founded in 1119 to protect pilgrims visiting the Jerusalem shrines and to defend the Holy Land. From humble beginnings, they grew to become one of the the wealthiest and most powerful bodies in the medieval world, playing a pivotal role in the history of the Crusades and maintaining the settlements of the Outermere. They soon grew in wealth and influence, with huge donations of property made in Europe and special rights given by the monarch and popes. The Templars developed a financial network that allowed for safe transfers of money within the whole of the Christendom, and started to lend to the wealthy and the powerful. The Templar fortunes started to turn at the end of the 13th century, when the Mamelukes drove the last European forces out of the Holy Land: the Templars lost their main purpose of existence and eventually they became a casualty of their own wealth and the growing ambitions of King Philip the Fair of France: in 1307 the Templars were arrested in France and most of Europe, charged with heresy and obscenity; tortured and many confessed. In 1314 the Templars' last grand master, Jacques de Molay was burnt at the stake. Haag's book starts with the ancient history of what was to become the Holy Land: biblical accounts of the arrival of the Tribes of Israel, the Ark of Covenant and King Solomon and his temple, to then present a fascinating account of the raise of Islam (which was initially perceived, especially in Byzantium, as another kind of vaguely Christian heresy) and the role of Jerusalem in all there major religions that still squabble over the location, two thousand years after the main events. A narrative of the two hundred years of Templar history follows, enriched by informative contexts ranging from the Crusades as such to the Knights Hospitalliers to the conflicts within the Muslim world to the Christian heresies of Cathars and Gnostics. Haag also explores the enduring mystery of the papacy's role in the Templar trials, taking account of the recent discovery of the Chinon parchment in the Vatican Secret Archives. What sets Michael Haag's book apart from the normal fare of books about the Templars is how much time he spends not talking about the Templars, but rather other groups, movements and religions that existed alongside the Templars. This is a real strength of the book, as he sets the tone for understanding how the Templars came into existence and the politics that allowed them to become the movement they were, as well as the politics and intrigue that eventually led to their demise. Haag is also very good about presenting, classical thinking about the Templars, and then alongside this he includes newer source material that the modern view. Throughout the book he intersperses short essays on related topics to give the reader a better feel for the history of the time, with topics such as: The White Slave Trade; Chivalry and Reality; Richard the Lionheart and the Templars, etc.
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Your Next Edition: On time February 24th 2012 of the