The Templars were certainly adept at making money even though they existed as part of the church - Essay Example

Over the time, Templars amassed huge money and property, first as donations and then through their commercial dealings and political machinations. The Templars owned lands in France, Portugal, Scotland, England, Spain, Italy, Austria, Germany, Aragon and Hungary (Baignet & Leigh 1991, 43). To a great extent the position of the Church as a primary spiritual guide to the kingdoms of Europe, eventually passed on to the Templars, in practice if not in theory. The Templars who came into existence to serve the Holy See and to establish the writ of the Church in the Holy Land, in the later days emerged as a parallel power centre to the Catholic Church, which though professed allegiance to the Church, in practice did not hesitate to assiduously indulge in unscrupulous dealings and arrangements.

Thus the Templars undermined the political hold and power of the Church over the Christian kingdoms of Europe. Since the times of Christ and the apostles, the true strength of the Church had been its message of love and austerity. However, Templars initiated various steps that diluted the very essence of the message of Christ. In 1153-4, the Templars in England attempted a translation of the Old Testament into the vernacular (Baignet & Leigh 1991, 44). This translation sounded like a chivalric romance, very unlike the simplicity and piousness of the original work.

One could certainly conclude that Templars must have attempted many other such unknown translations, which were explicitly worldly and compromised the crux of Christian dogmas. Also, though knowing that usury was abhorrence to the Church, Templars arrogantly indulged in financial operations and transactions, hiding their rapaciousness under the garb of “semantics, euphemism and circumlocution (Baignet & Leigh 1991, 48)”. So, the biggest damage that Templars inflicted on the Catholic Church was by being the living examples of the distortion and pollution of both the Word and the Way.

The lifestyle, business and politics of Templars must have definitely disheartened and discouraged the lay believers, who were earlier attracted to the sobriety and humility of the Church. No doubt, the very existence of Templars was a visible mockery of the Christian values. Both, owing to the military and temporal power of the Templars and their massive financial clout, the feudal lords and the kings and queens of Europe became more than vulnerable to their influence. The sovereigns not only relied on Templars for safety and military assistance, but also hired Templars to collect taxes.

Templars in turn, exhibited such a savagery and ruthlessness in their operations that they conveniently surpassed the excesses of their political customers. One other reason, the sovereigns became a toy in the hand of Templars was because of their need to procure loans. Hence, Templars’ alliance with the Mammon, proved more effective and utilitarian than the piety and poverty of the Church. Not to mention, the Crusades which were initiated with much religious zeal and fervor, in a way weakened the Church in the sense that from being Holy Wars, they eventually degenerated into cheap Witch hunts. The