Knights Templar History Blog and Medieval Resources

I can imagine there will be added interest in all things Masonic after Dan Brown's new book. How about a little excursion into masonic ring inscriptions?

As the novel would have us believe there is some level of freedom in the inscriptions one chooses to have engraved, there are, however, some traditional inscriptions:

P.D.E.P - (on Masonic Templar rings) stands for Pro Deo et Patria - For God and the Country

In Hoc Signo Vinces (Templar Motto, going back to Emperor Constantine) - With this sign thou shall conquer.

Deus Meumque Jus - (on Inspector General rings, i.e. 33rd degree) - God and my Right.

Virtus junxit, mors non separabit - (14th grade) Virtue has united (us), death shall not part (us). Curiously, I have seen this inscription quoted with the comma after mors and it just does not make much grammatical sense that way.

Ordo ex chao - Order out of chaos.

I feel that it is my obligation to become familiar with Dan Brown's new novel, The Lost Symbol. It is unlikely that Brown will bypass any sort of mention of the Knights Templar in his book. Like most people I am content with just waiting for the bookstores to open their doors. However, it seems like the very beginning of the book has become available on Parade.com:
The Lost Symbol | Parade
Of course, this could be a hoax, but the site looks somewhat legitimate. So, cavete, but who knows...

In Boston, 25 organizations are competing for grant money. One of these buildings is Salem Old Town Hall, designed by Charles Bulfinch, a very influential American Mason, who at one point was appointed the Architect of the Capitol. David Ovason's book "The Secret Architecture of Our Nation's Capital" discusses his role in creating the original dome of the Capitol building. The Bulfinch dome has been since replaced, but he must be credited for much of symbolism one sees in Washington today. It does not get more Templar than that, folks!!!

Salem's Old Town Hall is one of Bulfinch's New England creations. It needs some serious work, including reinforcement of the foundation. You can help this building win a $100,000 grant by voting for it daily until May 17:

Go to OTH's site
Salem Old Town Hall

Or use a direct link
Vote daily for Salem Old Town Hall!

If you want to pass this information around, go ahead!

There is a site that goes into considerable detail about the ways Knights Templar held certain numbers in great respect and built their practices around them. Such as:

The number 3 (omnipresent)

* The 3 religious vows (common to all monastic orders).
* The 3 mandatory alms every week.
* The 3 annual fasts.
* The 3 meals per day.
* The 3 meat meals per week.
* The 3 presentations of the novice before the Chapter prior to the reception ceremony.
* The obligation to accept a 3 against 1 fight.
* The 3 assaults of the enemy before the Temple's counterattack.
* The 3 horses that the Knight Templar received when setting off on an expedition.

and the list goes on...

The number 8

* The 8 days of penitence to be suffered by a Knight Templar guilty of a venial sin.
* The 8 sacraments received by the Knights Templar.
* The 8 angles of the cross pattee humettee.
* The 8 articles of the oath taken by the future Knight Templar.


The number 9

* The 9 traditional founders of the order.
* The 9 Knights Templar required to form a commandery.
* The 9 provinces of the Temple of the West.
* The 9 years' preparation for the Temple (1118 to 1127).
* The 72 articles (7 + 2 = 9) of the Primitive Rule.
* The 180 years (1 + 8 + 0 = 9) for which the order was in existence.
* The 9 000 Templar commanderies (unverifiable number given by Matthieu Paris).
* The 117 (1 + 1 + 7 = 9) charges leveled at the order during the Inquisition.
* The death of the last Grand Master, Jacques de Molay, also characterized by the number 9: he was executed on March 18 (1 + 8 = 9), 1314 (1 + 3 + 1 + 4 = 9).


Here is my take on this. Notice that there is a lot more things and entities listed under the auspices of number 3. It seems that 3 is just a good number for most things that are not in particularly great supply. So, there was nothing specifically "Templar" about using 3. 8 and 9, although both numbers with substantial numerological pedigree, are more difficult to come by in most cases. It seems to me that 9 was of particular importance, because the Templars for a long time insisted that there were only 9 members, even when undoubtedly daily operations of the Order required more knights and servants (who technically are also Templars).

http://www.maisnie-champenoise.org/uk/temple2.html

Every once in a while a movie comes out that manages to demonstrate with perfect clarity how bad the original book was and then adds more levels of ridiculousness to the whole deal. NBC's "Last Templar" is such a movie. The first night of the mini-series was completely unnecessary. It did not establish anything that could not have been told in a few words. Sure enough, you can't have Templars without a Templar treasure. And there should be a document describing the whereabouts of the said treasure. Can we get to the point now? Well, apparently not without showing Mira Sorvino fight crime Amazon style!

My favorite thus far is the miraculous delivery of a small group of Templar Knights during a storm. They way they rise victoriously out of the sea, wearing their chainmail suits of armor weighing over 50 pounds... And don't forget the swords!

I wish it was possible to come up with a more believable name for the Turkish town. When I read the book it became immediately clear to me that the word "Fonsalis" probably has something to do with the Latin words FONS and SALIX. And yet it took an almost revelatory experience on Tess' part to figure this out. She is supposed to know Latin, you know.

Still I am waiting to see if the script writers managed to escape one little mistake that the author of the book made. I will have to wait until later today to find out...

Just a quick note. The much awaited book by Barbara Frale "The Templars: The Secret History Revealed" well, has been revealed... I haven't received it yet. There is no doubt that the book was meant to capitalize on the interest in all things Templar when NBC shows its mini-series "The Last Templar" in late January.

The Templars: The Secret History Revealed