Knights Templar History - Medieval Crusades, Spirituality and Secrets

The Shroud of Turin and Barbara Frale's theory

In 1997 two French researchers, Marion and Courage, claimed to have discovered previously unseen characters on the surface of the Shroud of Turin, using certain image processing techniques. The letters did not make a whole lot of grammatical sense, and few were convinced that they really exist. In 2009, Barbara Frale published a book where she gave her own reading of these words. She also provided additional support for the theory that the Shroud was in the possession of the Knights Templar. Possibly this relic was the actual object that started the rumors about a mysterious "head" worshiped by the Templars. As far as Frale's interpretation of the words on the Shroud, she took them to be Jesus' "death certificate". I have some doubts about the validity of the proposed readings, but before I even attempt to come up with my own it would be nice to independently reproduce the image processing technique. So far, the only source I have for this method is found on this page (in Italian):

Christianismus: Barbara Frale e le scritte sulla sindone di Torino

In essence, the method consists of removing the "fish bone" texture of the canvas, in order to bring up the writing. Unfortunately, I don't have any Photoshop filters to achieve the same result...

It must be added that by simply looking at the untraced results of the two most important words in the inscription, one can see that they are by no means distinct and unmistakable.

This one is supposed to be (Ι)ΗΣΟΥ(Σ) - Jesus:

This one is being interpreted as ΝΑΖΑΡΕΝΝΙΟΣ - Nazarite:

To say the least, I am not convinced that there is much to this theory. But I would still like to try the same imageing techniques!

Walter Scott and Masonic Templarism

Need a good proof of the fact that Masonic Templarism that became so prominent in the 19th century is in no way connected with the original Order of the Knights Templar? Here it is.

Templar Freemasonry amongst its various symbols uses what is termed abacus - a wooden staff of office. You will spend countless unfruitful hours trying to find a single dictionary where this word is defined in a suitable sense. It just so happens that the originator of this most solemn Masonic term was none other than Sir Walter Scott. In his novel Ivanhoe, which features rather unsavory Templar Knight character, we find this passage:

In his hand he bore that singular abacus, or staff of office, with which Templars are usually represented, having at the upper end a round plate, on which was engraved the cross of the Order, inscribed within a circle or orle, as heralds term it.

Abacus, of course, is a primitive computational device. As any Latinist should know the word for 'staff' in Latin is 'baculus'. This is, in fact the word used by the Knights Templar in their documents to describe the Grand Master's staff. The similarity of 'abacus' and 'baculus', coupled perhaps with the fact that a diminutive of 'abacus' would be 'abaculus' we may suppose a possible chain of events that took place in the novelist's mind: "a baculus" - "abaculus" - "abacus". But that's really not all that important.

The important question is:

How would it be possible for a group that claims to have been descended from the medieval Order of the Knights Templar to use Walter Scott's novel for inspiration and freely borrow the author's clearly misplaced term? If Masonic Templars were unable to get a word right, being so influenced by Walter Scott's usage, how on earth could they possess a single morsel of the Knights Templar spiritual tradition (provided such a tradition really existed at some point)?

Agrippa's quote about the Knights Templar

It seems to me that the role of Cornelius Agrippa in originating modern myths about the Knights Templar has been exagerated. I will not bore the reader with multiple references to the works of modern researchers who borrow from each other's books the quote from Agrippa's De Occulta Philosopha. Nobody even bothers to indicate the exact place in the treatise that the quote originates from. So, first things first.

Chapter 39 of De Occulta Philosophia begins as follows:

Nemo ignorat malos daemones malis ac prophanis artibus allici posse, quemadmodum narrat Psellus gnosticos magos consuevisse, quos penes execrandae et abhominabiles turpitudines exequebantur quales olim in sacris Priapi et in servitio idoli quod vocabatur Panor, cui pudendis discoopertis sacrificabatur. Neque istis dissimile est (si modo veritas et non fabula est) quod legitur de Templariorum detestanda haeresi et similia horum de maleficis mulieribus constant, quae quidem anilis dementia saepe in eiusmodi flagitiis errare deprehenditur.

Everyone knows that evil spirits can be summonned through evil and profane practices (similar to those that Gnostic magicians used to engage in, according to Psellus), and filthy abominations would occur in their presence, as during the rites of Priapus in times past or in the worship of the idol named Panor to whom one sacrificed having bared shameful parts. Nor is any different from this (if only it is truth and not fiction) what we read about the detestable heresy of the Knights Templar, as well as similar notions have been established about witches, whose senile woomanish dementia is often caught causing them to wander astray into shameful deeds of the same variety.

Michael Haag ("The Templars. The History & the Myth") believes that by placing the Templars in the same context with witches Agrippa "thrust the order into the phantasmagoria of occult forces which were subject of the persecuting craze for which the Malleus Maleficarum was a handbook." Obvious anachronism aside (the Templars have been well put away by the early 16th century), Cornelius Agrippa says absolutely nothing that his contemporaries did not know. Marino Sanudo (c. 1260 � 1338) in his Historia Hierosolymitana comfortably discusses the worship of the gilded head, the practice of dissolving the ashes of deceased knights and drinking them for increased strength of their comrades, and of course smearing the idol with fat produced by roasting baby girls engendered Knights Templar. This account is often repeated by later writers. In Agrippa's time, for instance, Pietro Crinito (Peter Crinitus, 1475 - 1507) relates these horrific details in his work De Honesta Disciplina (incidentally, a book used by Nostradamus). The tradition continued in such works as Hofmann's (1635-1706): Lexicon Universale. Nicholas Guertler also mentions these allegations, but clearly does not find them to be grounded in reality.

As far as I am concerned, Cornelius Agrippa's brief mention of the Knights Templar is of very little importance. Agrippa himself certainly did not make much of it.

Masonic Ring Inscriptions

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.

The Lost Symbol partially leaked

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...

Help a building designed by a famous Masonic architect!

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!

Templar Numerology

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

The Last Templar - highlights of the first night (Fonsalis and beyond)

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...

The Templars: The Secret History Revealed

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

Medieval Knights - Set of Bookends

I have a growing collection of Templar related merchandise. Yet I find it silly for an adult to buy toy soldiers, no matter how well they are made. This exquisite set of bookends features Crusader knights in armor. There can hardly be a better way to highlight an area in your home library (should you have one) where you keep books on the Knights Templar, the Middle ages or history in general.

See also:
Bookends in home library design

The Last Templar trailer

I feel this is sort of an obligation :) The trailer for The Last Templar is out:

Once again, this is a NBC Mini-series that will be shown in the winter of 2009. In my personal opinion, this will not be a huge hit, but for those of us who enjoy codes, Knights Templar and that sort of stuff it will be a nice little distraction.

Knights Templar Initiation Practices

Here is a very concise account of the Templar initiation practices. I have seen longer descriptions, as well as various references to the initiation that are contained in Templar documents (and let's not forget the Chinon parchment, where some of the references are potentially incriminating). For a brief account, though, this should suffice.

A knight was received as a Templar in the following manner:

Their chapters or meetings were generally held at night in their church. The candidate remained outside the door, and was three times asked, by messengers from the grand master, if he wished to be made a ' Templar.' When he had answered, he was formally brought in. 'The rules of our order,' the grand master would say, ' are strict, and you are beginning a life of endurance, and not one of ease; one of danger, and one of self-denial. You will have to watch, when perhaps you will be sighing for sleep; to endure fatigue, when you would fain rest; to be hungry and thirsty, when you are longing to eat and to drink; and to leave one country for another without a moment's hesitation, if your vow requires it. Do you really wish to be a Templar? Are you in good health? Are you betrothed or married ? Are you in debt, and cannot pay? Do you belong to any other order?' If the candidate was able to give satisfactory replies to all those searching questions, the vow of the order was administered to him. It consisted of three things � 'poverty, chastity, and obedience,' and was in these words: 'I swear to defend with my life, my strength, and my speech, the holy doctrines of the Trinity and the Catholic faith ; I promise to be obedient and submissive to the grand master; and to travel by sea or by land if need be, to defend my brother Christians against the Infidels. My right hand and sword shall be dedicated to the service of the king and church against the Moslems; and I swear never to shun a combat with any miscreants if only three in number. I will fight them in single combat, and never fly from an enemy.' The principal duty of a Templar was to fight Infidels; and three seemed their especial number, as they were enjoined to communicate three times a year; to hear mass and eat meat three times a week; and if they failed in doing their duty, they were flogged three times in the presence of the whole chapter. If a Templar failed in his especial duty of fighting the Moslems, he was banished for ever from the order.

From "Heroes of the Crusades", by Barbara Hutton, Paolo Priolo