The Knights Templar: Saints or Sinners - Research Paper Example

Knights Templar: Saints or Sinners? After roughly seven centuries the mere mention of the Knights Templar still draws out an intense reaction. The mysteries surrounding these warrior monks are known far and wide. Many questions about them still abound today. Are they saints or sinners? Were they merely a group of ill-mannered crusaders looting and murdering and ultimately being exposed for their corruption, decadence, and profane actions? Were they merely warrior monks? Were they an underground global faction involved in conspiracy and banking, making plans to take over the entire world? Or were they brave knights freeing the oppressed and fighting the wicked? Did they take possession of the Holy Shroud, the Ark of the Covenant, and the Holy Grail, defend a believed descendant of Jesus Christ, have supernatural abilities, engage in alchemy, bury a colossal treasure, or discovering the New World before Columbus? All the answers to these baffling questions lie somewhere in history. This paper argues that the Knights Templar was originally composed of well-intentioned warrior monks who followed rigid monastic duties and lived based on Christian ideals and teachings. However, this saintly image was tainted when they began to amass massive wealth and gain power and influence, and, in the process, invoking envy and resentment among their powerful enemies. A Brief Look at History Crusades to the Holy Land had started by 1100, as well as the recapturing of Jerusalem from the Muslims. Jerusalem was then governed by Frankish King Baldwin and became a common destination for medieval pilgrims.1 Yet, it was unsafe and disorderly and hence inn 1118 an order was established, supposedly to safeguard the pilgrims—Poor Knights of Christ, or the Military Order of the Knights of the Temple of Solomon, or so they were called, for they were awarded the al-Aqsa mosque, suspected to be on the location of the Temple of King Solomon. There were nine original knights, and the first Grand Master was Hugo de Payens.2 These knights pledged to monastic ideals and duties, had the obligation to reiterate the everyday monastic offices vowing fidelity only to the Pope, prepared for combat and prohibited to flee in combat unless the opponent was thrice stronger than them.3 At the Council of Troyes, in 1128, the powerful Cistercian St. Bernard of Clairvaux granted them their Rule, and awarded them the privilege to put on the unique white custom—mantle and tunic, with the red arms spread-out in the shape of a cross.4 Their motto was ‘Not for us, Lord, not for us, but in Thy Name the Glory’5 and their Rule explains thoroughly how the monastic duties should be carried out. With regard to obedience, the below is stated: For with great difficulty will you ever do anything that you wish: for if you wish to be in the land this side of the sea, you will be sent the other side; or if you wish to be in Acre, you will be sent to the land of Tripoli or Antioch, or Armenia; or you will be sent to Apulia, or Sicily, or Lombardy, or France, or Burgundy, or England, or to several other lands where we have houses and possessions. And if you wish to sleep, you will be awoken; and if you sometimes wish to stay awake, you will be ordered to rest in your bed.6 In addition, not merely were sexual activities and relationships prohibited, but a monk was forbidden from kissing even the members of his family, in fear of being tempted. Every knight had to put on a red rope around the waist as a reminder of what must be surpassed.7 Supported in 1128 by the Roman Catholic Church, the Knights Templar became a preferred charity all over Europe and expanded quickly in membership, influence, and authority. The Knights Templar was among the greatest soldiers of the crusades. Unfortunately, the military mission of the Knights Templar had been unsuccessful, which caused the dwindling of European support for the order.8 Over the two centuries of their presence, the Templar knights had become a vital component of the everyday life of the European people. The order handled numerous businesses, and numerous Europeans had regular interaction with the Templar system, for example making use of the network as a banking system wherein to keep personal belongings, or working at an estate or farm owned by the knights.9 The order remained autonomous from the local government, the cause of resentment of bishops far and wide. This state of affairs raised conflicts with European aristocracy, particularly as the Knights Templar was showing a desire to establish their own monastic realm.10 The Saintly Knights The Knights Templar had been known for their important contributions to many societies, especially their beneficial and righteous practices. The massive riches accumulated by the Knights Templar were not owned by the knights who had to sacrifice any form of wealth or extravagant accessories for their horses. A Templar seal depicts two knights mounted on a single horse, which is widely viewed as an evidence of their poverty.11 Yet, another interpretation is that it is more a depiction of every knight having a guide or partner from the spiritual realm. The Order reached 15,000 members by 1300, but only 1,500 among these members were real knights, the others being workers, lay brothers, and sergeants.12 In order to be a knight a person must be a member of the nobility and contribute a huge dowry to finance the mission of defending the Holy Land, where several castles were constructed. Besides the significant duty to defend the Holy Land, castles were constructed in all the leading countries in Europe so as to draw the interest of able-bodied men and their riches.13 The key to sacred geometry, church building and architecture, and geomancy—the skill of choosing a place based on the movement of earth energy—have been associated with the Knights Templar, mainly through studying surviving spots, but also from the ritual that these pieces of knowledge were passed on to Masonic societies and organizations founded by the Order, which, according to records, influenced the grand medieval cathedrals.14 Moreover, there is an assumption that the Templar knights went to the Americas and returned with silver to finance them. Nevertheless, one can identify sacred geometry not just in the remaining churches but at locations like Cressing, Essex, where two extraordinary storehouses survive, revealing skilled carpentry in their synchrony15, which could have added to their value as barns for preserving the freshness of grains. These useful talents eventually raised charges of magical rituals—“Item, that [these idols] made the trees flower… the land germinate…”16 Defense of the Holy Land could have been the Knights Templar’s purpose, but two other vital duties are at times taken for granted or missed. The Templars were truly the earliest global bankers. Their massive network and credibility as a religious group allowed the people to store their valuables securely in one place and withdraw it in another location, hence avoiding being robbed while travelling.17 Associated with this activity is their other essential contribution to the economy of the Middle Ages as a whole. They make the most out of the land they managed in building mines, mills, vineyards, farms, and all forms of crafts and industry, hence creating employment opportunities for the local folks and stable earnings from rental fees. Markets were built in small communities; land was emptied, cleaned, barricaded, supplied and mostly well kept.18 Hence the Templars possessed huge influence usually more than what the other landlords had and its immunity from taxation heightened the displeasure felt by several people.19 Increasingly, opposition against the Knights Templar heightened because of its prosperity and influence and ‘assumed’ arrogance. Yet afterward, troublingly, other hearsays started to spread, shocking to the medieval imagination—lustful kisses, homosexual acts not only being accepted but supported, revering black cats or idols, underground ceremonies, which included disrespecting the Cross.20 And then the charge of treason arose, which was conspiring with the Saracen opponent. Circumstances had changed in the Holy Land. In 1187, Saladin took back Jerusalem and a Christian armed force did not reemerge until 1917 headed by General Allenby.21 For many years more the Templars stayed powerful, still owning a number of castles, but the city of Acre was occupied by the Muslims in 1291 and the Order was forced to pull out completely, establishing an Eastern form in Cyprus.22 The Knights Templar could have continued in some ways for a time had it not been for the selfishness and voracity of Philip the Fair, the King of France, whose character contradicted his name, because he was unscrupulous, merciless, and cold-hearted. He was controlled by an excessive greed for wealth and had already seized the riches of the Lombards and the Jews and had degraded and devalued the gold currency.23 He was also possessed by imperial expansionist visions and attempted to become part of the Order but was turned down. Angered, he was resolved to get its riches. He influenced the Papacy to acquire his personal ‘dummy’, Clement V, appointed at Avignon.24 He gained access to the Order through his accomplices and convinced the Pope that the Knights Templar should be broken up and prosecuted for blasphemy, sodomy, and heresy. Orders had been covertly disseminated— all Templar knights that could be located were imprisoned quickly.25 On the contrary, it was difficult to convince the other rulers to do the same—imprisonment and persecution of the Templar knights differed from place to place. Edward II of England prohibited torture but eventually sequestered the belongings of the Order for himself, whereas Aragon, Majorca, and Portugal declined to accept the allegations and permitted the Order to remain in various ways.26 Yet, in France, prosecutions were arranged and declaration of guilt was obtained through horrifying tortures. Numerous knights consequently retracted hence, in 1310, fifty-four were burned and, in 1312, the Order was officially disbanded.27 On March 18, 1314, Jacques de Molay, the last Grand Master, along with Geoffroi de Charney, were executed. There were no recorded imprisonment in Scotland and numerous knights joined the Bruce and Wallace movement against the English.28 Nevertheless, in almost all countries there was some extent of reprimand; the belongings and lands were transferred to the Order of Hospitallers, and previous Templar knights were forced to become part of other religious organizations, still being pledged to their monastic duties. Scholars differ in their assumption, but have a tendency to think that there was a certain form of truth in the allegations.29 The Sinning Knights Even though a small number of Templars could have engaged in ‘spoken heresy’, the accusations that a whole Order was caught up in the dirtiest fraud and dishonesty do not allow greater inquiry. The fall of the Knights Templar has been attributed to the rising arrogance and self-importance within the Order that had transformed from being the impoverished fighters of Christ to the most influential bankers of Europe.30 The accusations stated that they sacrificed poverty and humility that guided the organization from the very beginning. Some form of truth on these allegations may be drawn out from the letter of St. Bernard to the Templars: “It was the holy sites that gave these soldier-monks their raison d’etre. Separate from them, they stopped being Templars.”31 The trial commenced in England on October 21, 1309. There were different admissions worldwide, but the book of John Robinson contained the major heresies: The Templars were forced to eat food which contained the ashes of dead Templars, a form of witchcraft that passed on the courage of the fallen knights. Some said they had to wear a cord next to their skin after the cord had touched the idol.32 Some confessed that they had also worshipped an idol in the form of a cat, which was red, or grey, or black, or mottled. Sometimes the idol worship required kissing the cat below the tail. Sometimes the cat was greased with the fat from roasted babies.33 Henry de la Wolde, a Templar knight, made a confession in England about kissing at ceremonies, but only on the mouth. However, as stated in their ‘chastity’ vows, they were prohibited from kissing anybody, even their loved ones.34 Another controversial proof against the Knights Templar was the confession of a Franciscan: … about 20 years ago the Grand Preceptor had some relics that he wanted to show the Brothers at Wetherby. At dead of night there was shouting in the chapel, and the Franciscan got up and looked through the keyhole, and saw a great light. The next day he asked a Brother about the night’s events and the Brother told him to go on his way and never speak of it for fear of his life.35 These are some of the most interesting, shocking, and controversial evidence against the Knights Templar, raising assumptions far and wide that they were indeed sinners. In addition, they were accusations of fraud and corruption. The Paris Temple held a ‘cash desk’, and Templar knights at times worked as accountants for other enterprises.36 Moneylending, or imposing interests on loans, was prohibited by the Church, yet this was bypassed by bank fees as a substitute. This very valuable banking operation has been one of the roots of resentment against the Order; bankers are rarely known, but more particularly it has raised the conspiracy theory of a global system.37 At long last, after enduring many years of torture, the last Grand Master admitted guilt to several of the heresy accusations, but not to the allegations of homosexual acts. When he was seized in 1314 to be executed through burning at the stake, he withdrew his admission and declared that the only offense he committed was lying about the other knights to end the torturing.38 Tarnishing a Saintly Image The accusations against the Templar knights were appalling and beyond the reaches of one’s mind. But were they really heretics? Were they sinners? Looking at evidence revealing the spiritual lives of these knights disproves all allegations of heresies against them. Rudolf Steiner attested to the spiritual commitment of the Knights Templar.39 He claimed that their blood was devoted to Christ alone: “…each one of them knew this. Every moment of their life was to be filled with the perpetual consciousness of how in their own soul there dwelt—in the words of St. Paul—not I, but Christ in me.”40 The Templar knights, when not in war, attended mass and performed the daily offices, they were flooded with the impact of these rituals. Quite strong was their innermost perception that numerous achieved a genuinely Christian experience. Furthermore, they belonged to a secret Christian unit of St. John, which involves the Rosicrucians, the Grail, and the Manichaeans.41 The secrets of the conversion of a physical object through the power of the blood of Christ when it descended to the world are acknowledged here, and the future restoration of evil is a faraway objective.42 Another possibly more interesting fact about the spiritual life of the Templar knights was their dedication to the Virgin Mary, the divine female, and also perhaps to Mary Magdalene. There was little evidence of this besides the fact that their churches were consistently devoted to ‘Our Lady’.43 It is very difficult to be certain whether their beliefs, teachings, and practices were heretical or not. For example, they did not establish an independent Church. Yet they were motivated to look for those who had been thrown out by the Church as potential members, an uncommon directive.44 There were numerous ancient Christian teachings and rituals that were eventually judged heretical, easily classified as Gnostic, although there were no, even one, gnostic schools of thought.45 Steiner claimed that there was a covert group within the Knights Templar. It was this that was confessed by one of the knights-- the existence of underground groups which only specific members could join in. Under the severe pain caused by torture the persecuted members explained how they were initiated into these secret groups: “they were required to spit upon or defile the cross, to strip naked and receive kisses on the mouth, the navel and the genitals, to venerate a bearded ‘head’ or ‘idol’.”46 Scholars, like Steiner, explained how such admission can become misleading and inaccurate when given under torture. Under severe psychological and physical agony, the accused was forced to believe that they can really perpetrated acts which they had struggled to surpass or defeat in themselves.47 The admissions of guilt were mostly untrue. Steiner declares in one of his writings that this was because of the control and impact of particular ‘adversary powers’. He mentioned one of the strongest adversary powers, the Sun Demon, Sorat, the anti-Christ, in relation to the pattern of 666.48 If this figure is doubled the numbers 1332 surface, which was the year immediately after the demise of the Knights Templar, yet it is certain from historical records that the influence and power of Sorat can expand both prior to and after a particular time. Steiner believes that the spirits owned by this entity infiltrated the Templar knights under torture and forced them to confess and malign themselves.49 Yet, the overriding question still remains: was each and every confession totally untrue? For many years the veracity behind these confessions has caught much of the interest of those fascinated with the history of the Knights Templar. Bits and pieces of evidence have surfaced which claim to contain the Order’s secret laws, which were discovered in the Vatican libraries and transmitted by Masonic Lodges.50 It is hard to determine whether they are genuine, or entirely forged. It is possible that there is a certain extent of truth in them yet with likely exaggerations or overstatements afterward. The rituals might also have developed progressively, or might involve deviations in some extent, which were not performed by the entire Knights Templar. Such has been the effort to explain the Knights Templar’ external history, particularly their more uncommon ideals, beliefs, and rituals; without a doubt, they will keep on capturing the imagination of many. Many scholars will remain baffled by the political conspiracies and mysteries surrounding the Templar knights. But one thing is for sure, the contributions and achievements of the Knights Templar will stay in the spiritual realm as a motivation for subsequent generations. Conclusions In a world quite withered by religious passion, it could be more difficult for people nowadays to recognize the importance of a movement, like that of the Knights Templar, which aimed to defend what were regarded to be the most sacred sites. The Templar knights were indeed surrounded by mystery. Pieces of evidence found revealing their true nature were far from conclusive hence scholars like Steiner were left no choice but to deduce some form of truths from these discoveries. Apparently, one of the most controversial aspects about the Knights Templar was their confessions of heresies. Until now, scholars are uncertain of the truth behind these confessions, which were produced under horrific torture. Until now, it is not known whether the Templars were saints or sinners. However, this paper tried to answer that controversial question. From the discussion, and from the evidence collected, it is surmised here that the Knights Templar was actually saintly in their ways, especially in the beginning, fulfilling their monastic vows and defending the Holy Land. The confessions of heretical practices (e.g. the kissing, the worshipping of black cats, etc), as Steiner has claimed, could be false and misleading due to the condition under which the accused knights were put into during their interrogation. But their faith in Jesus Christ and the saints somewhat belie these confessions and reinforces the theory that the Knights Templar’s image was tarnished by black propaganda instigated by their powerful enemies, like Philip the Fair and the anti-Christ. Bibliography Primary Sources Anonymous lament for the Templars, 1308. From “The Downfall of the Templars and a Letter in their Defense”, C.R. Cheney, in his Medieval Texts and Studies, Oxford, 1973, 322-7. Barber, Malcolm. “The Knights Templar: Christian Chivalry and the Crusades: 1095-1314,” The Catholic Historical Review 70.1 (1984): 153-154. Bennett, Matthew. “The Crusaders ‘Fighting March’ Revisited,” War in History 8.1 (2001): 1-18. Bernard of Clairvaux, In Praise of the New Knighthood, early 12th century, translated by Conrad Greenia. http://www.the-orb.net/encyclop/religion/monastic/berhard.html\ Chronicle of the Third Crusade: A Translation of the Itinerarium peregrinorum et gesta regis Ricardi, tr. H. Nicholson (Aldershot, 1997) Documents relating to Templar Holdings in Somerset before 1312, and Hospitaller Holdings in Somerset until the Dissolution (Winchester College Archives) E142/111 Dorset and Somerset (National Archives Public Record Office) Gilmour-Bryson, Anne. “Sodomy and the Knights Templar,” Journal of the History of Sexuality 7.2 (1996): 151-183. Gilmour-Bryson, Anne. “The Templar Trials: Did the System Work?” The Medieval History Journal 3.1 (2000): 41-65. Hoggard, Brian. “Knights of the Temple (Part 1)”, www.~whitedragon.org. Howarth, Stephen. “The Knights Templar: Christian Chivalry and the Crusades: 1095-1314,” The Wilson Quarterly 6.4 (1982): 130-131. Jerusalem Pilgrimage, 1099-1185, J. Wilkinson, J. Hill, and W.F. Ryan (eds.) Hakluyt Society second series 167 (1988) Lane, Barry. The Knights Templars in Blagdon. A History of Blagdon Series, Blagdon Local History Society. A draft of 8/3/08 on-line www.britarch.ac.uk/cat/uploads/CharterhouseEvironsResearchTeam Menache, Sophia. “The Rule of the Templars: The French Text of the Rule of the Order of the Knights,” The Catholic Historical Review 79.3 (1993): 519-520. The Catalan Rule of the Templars: Barcelona, Archivo de la Corona de Aragon, ‘Cartes Reales’, MS 3344: A Critical Edition and English Translation, tr. J.M. Upton-Ward (Woodbridge, 2002) The Conquest of Jerusalem and the Third Crusade: Sources in Translation, tr. P.W. Edbury (Aldershot, 1996) Upton-Ward, Judith. The Primitive Rule of the Templars, ORB: The Online Reference Book for Medieval Studies, http://www.the-orb.net/encyclp/religion /t_rule.html Whitley, T.W. “Christian Military Orders,” Review & Expositor 37.2 (1940): 141-162. Secondary Sources Barber, Malcolm. The New Knighthood: A History of the Order of the Temple. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2012. Currer-Briggs, Noel. The Holy Grail and the Shroud of Christ. New York: ARA Publications, 1984. Davis, Graeme. The Knights Templar: A Secret History. UK: Osprey Publishing. Dubois, Pierre. The Recovery of the Holy Land. New York: Columbia University Press, 1956. Frale, Barbara. The Templars: The Secret History Revealed. New York: Maverick, 2009. Gooder, Eileen. The Warwickshire Preceptory of the Templars and Their Fate. Chichester: Phillimore and Co. Ltd., 1995. Jones, Sydney, Marcia Means, & Neil Schlager. The Crusades: Primary Sources. New York: UXL, 2004. McHattie, Gil. The Knights Templar: Influences from the Past and Impulses for the Future. New York: Temple Lodge Publishing, 2011. Napier, Gordon. The Rise and Fall of the Knights Templar. UK: The History Press, 2011. Nicholson, Helen. Knight Templar 1120-1312. UK: Osprey Publishing, 2004. Nicholson, Helen. The Knights Templar: A Brief History of the Warrior Order. New York: ReadHowYouWant.com., 2012. Olsen, Oddvar. The Templar Papers: Ancient Mysteries, Secret Societies, and the Holy Grail. New York: Career Press, 2006. Peters, Edward. Heresy and Authority in Medieval Europe: Documents in Translation. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1980. Robinson, John. Dungeon, Fire and Sword—the Knights Templar in the Crusades. London: Michael O’Mara Books Ltd., 1991. Sanello, Frank. The Knights Templars: God’s Warriors, The Devil’s Bankers. New York: Taylor Trade Publishing, 2005. Silvercloud, Terry. The Shape of God. New York: David Silvercloud, 2007. Steiner, Rudolf. The Knights Templar: The Mystery of the Warrior Monks. Forest Row, RH: Rudolf Steiner Press, 2007. Stroud, James. The Knights Templar & the Protestant Reformation. New York: Xulon Press, 2011. Read More