Talk:Knights Templar
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An event mentioned in this article is an October 13 selected anniversary.
Link to analingus
Why is this here? I've never heard it suggested specifically that this was the meaning of the kiss on the base of the spine. Certainly everyone from Philip the Fair on claimed it was evidence of homosexuality, but not that it was specifically a sexual rather than symbolic practice. I'm removing the link, as I think it's misleading, but if anyone has anything to say about the link, I'd be grateful for the explanation. Zabieru 03:44, 6 May 2005 (UTC)
Out of place
"Christ Gilbot was born in 1876 and learnt the art of carpentry from a young age."
This seems really out of place where it is, almost like there was more information that was cut out and this was accidentally left in. Is it supposed to be there?
Homosexual activities
I'd really like to see some information about the alleged homosexual activities of the Knights Templar. From what I've read, they were probably just allegations made to discredit the order and not true, but it's still a fascinating story. I'd like to see the evidence. --Dmerrill
- yep, it was basically a slander, and no, there's not much 'evidence' to show other than the testimony under torture about kissing the nether regions (which new agers like to think of as 'awakening the Kundalini serpent', which seems a little much for Palestine in the 14th century - they tend to blame it all on 'contact' with Muslim mystical movements). It's worth sending you to look at their seal, which is often strangely interpreted (I don't think I recommend the Jungian interpretation of the url I'm sending you to, but it has a picture of the seal and a fairly sound de-mystification of the homosexuality): http://www.templarhistory.com/seal.html Enjoy. --MichaelTinkler
- Just to dog you on every /talk article on the Encyclopedia, Dr. (?) Tinkler, don't you mean the Freudian interpretation? --Alex Kennedy
- Considering that Karl Jung is actually mentioned on the page in question, I'd say he meant Jung --Anders Törlind
Robinson and Baigent
I removed the references to Robinson and Baigent. They are not serious amateur historians, but conspiracy theorists. If you must work on this area, start with some serious bibliography. By the way - I love the mention of the Medieval Academy on Robinson's flap (on Amazon) - since he's elderly and non-professional he probably gets HIS membership for $10 less than I have to pay for it! MichaelTinkler
- Rule of the Templars : The French Text of the Rule of the Order of Knights Templar (Studies in the History of Medieval Religion), J. M. Upton-Ward -- this is what they said they were doing. You don't have to believe them -- but to believe Michael Baigent instead is not intellectually charitable.
- The New Knighthood : A History of the Order of the Temple, Malcolm Barber; sound, scholarly, and dull - no ark of the covenant or secret bloodlines of Jesus. Maybe that's why the hegemonic university-system published it (Cambridge Univ Press)
- Crusaders and Heretics, 12Th-14th Centuries, Malcolm Barber, and then THIS will give you the standard hegemonic scholarly line on what Philip was REALLY up to. Dull. Sorry.
Odd paragraph
Removed really odd paragraph with inaccurate references to feudal society and to an anachronistic "separation of church and state" under Pope Gregory VII (preseumably we're talking about the Concordat of Worms?) that has nothing to do with banking.
- separate of church and state has plenty to do with banking. Many feudal lords grumbled in the 13th century that by sanctioning the Templars the Church was horning in on their traditional control of currency and credit. Certainly each of them saw himself as the next Caesar, minting his own money with his own face on it, and the Templars stood flatly in the way of that. It was one of many resentments agaisnt the Templars that made it possible for "Phillip the Fair" to do what he did.
I would certainly like to see more sources for this interpretation before all the banking stuff is kept in the article JHK
- There are several books on this, but here's a quick link templarhistory "the knights returned to their Chapters throughout Europe and became known as moneylenders to the monarchs. In the process many historians believe they invented the Banking System. The Templars fought along side King Richard I (Richard The Lion Hearted) and other Crusaders in the battles for the Holy Lands.
The secret meetings and rituals of the knights would eventually cause their downfall. The King of France, Philip the Fair used these rituals and meetings to his advantage to destroy the knights. The real reason for his crushing the Templars was that he felt threatened by their power and immunity. In 1307, Philip, who desperately needed funds, to support his war against England's Edward I made his move against the Knights Templar.
On October 13th, 1307, King Philip had all the Templars arrested on the grounds of heresy, since this was the only charge that would allow the seizing of their money and assets. The Templars were tortured and as a result, ridiculous confessions were given. These confessions included"
- the history of inquisitions and such is so loaded with property motives for accusations that this must be taken to be the default explanation, and such nonsense as "worshipping a bearded head" or "persecution of homosexuals", if mentioned at all, must be given extremely short shrift. It's just nonsense. The historical consensus is that Philip feared the Knights immunity and their enroaching on his privelege as a head of state, he found his excuse, took the money, and that's that. Any other explanation fails all test of credibility, and should only be incidentally mentioned here.
Much of what you say is not untrue -- but it's also not exactly correct, IIRC. Yes, it is generally accepted among medieval historians that Philip the Fair's persecution of the Templars was a strike against a powerful order, coupled with a chance to get rich. But some of the other assertions don't really do justice to the entire picture, instead oversimplifying the events and the time to fit an agenda that seems to pop up regularly on the templars-masons-kabbala conspiracy web.
For example, banking was carried out by Jews -- the resentment of the ability of Jews to profit from their moneylending activities was one of the reasons for anti-Jewish sentiment in the Middle ages, and expelling Jews from the land was an easy way to cancel the debts of Christians. I would like to know which "many historians" credit the Templars with the invention of Banking as we know it -- not just information from a templar-oriented website.
Secondly, although there were often property motives involved in many Inquisitions (although far fewer than in witch trials -- something very different and not necessarily related to Inquisitions), it is unrealistic to discount religious motivation. Religion (both belief and practice) was generally the primary force behind many investigations into possible heresy. unfortunately, that does not mean that secondary factors like profit did not play a large part.
Finally, what "feudal lords" (a term that is absolutely meaningless in the context used) grumbled? Give examples. Which traditional control? -- it depends on which lords you're talking about. And separation of Church and State didn't exist in the way you seem to think it did -- any separation was to the advantage of the Church -- the norm prescribed by most popes from Gelasius on was that the spiritual sword took precedence over the secular. It's bollocks to say that each lord (again, not specific) thought of himself as the next Caesar -- some kings, perhaps, some emperors, probably (although few). The article now contains too much inattributed information that really owes little to good historical method -- that method demands that history be studied with respect for the beliefs and motivations of the subjects, and NOT by looking at a set of historical circumstances through modern eyes with modern views.JHK
Al Aqsa
Is Al Aqsa octagonal, as the first or second paragraph suggests in reference to the inspiration for Templar churches and the figure on the flag? Not externally, according to my memory or in the photos I see on the Web. If octagonality is the inspiration, the referenced structure must be the Dome of the Rock, next door to Al Aqsa on the temple mount. I'll change the article to reflect this more sensible seeming theory.168... 06:49 25 Jun 2003 (UTC)
The Dome of the Rock is octagonal not Alaqsa.Harry Potter 00:27 26 Jun 2003 (UTC)
Templar theory
Thanks for a super page. I personally believe in "Templar Theory," the idea the Templars are the ancient ancestors of the Freemasons. I can't prove it so I will add nothing to your fine article.
Now, with three tildies … PaulinSaudi
Suggestion
suggestion: put a visible border around the image and caption: (the first time i read the page, thanks to my window size, the text looked like it said "accept tithing in homosexuality")
Moved
I moved this link from the article as it seems unconnected to what the article is about. Angela
- I have protected the page, please try to use this talkpage to sort things out. A revert war helps no-one. -- Cimon Avaro on a pogostick 02:21, Nov 16, 2003 (UTC)
The Grand Encampment is somewhat of a sticky subject; not only are they named for the early Knights Templar organization, but I believe it has been posited that they actually descend from that organization. Nevertheless, I think the modern organization is notable enough that it rates its own article on the 'pedia separate from this one. Even if this is decided against, and the modern organization's information is incorporated into this article, I think we should wait with this link until that happens, because as of yet the link would be the only mention of the modern organization in the whole article, adding confusion. - Hephaestos 02:52, 16 Nov 2003 (UTC)
I like Cyan's idea of me just writing a new article on the modern organization, with a link to THAT article on the old article. What do u think of that? Justin L. Smith 02:55, 16 Nov 2003 (UTC)
I think that would be the way to go, yes. - Hephaestos 02:57, 16 Nov 2003 (UTC)
Agreed. That would be great Justin. Would it make sense to unprotect these pages now things have calmed down? Angela 03:00, 16 Nov 2003 (UTC)
I dont see a need to protect them now if you dont. I consider the matter solved. Justin L. Smith 03:01, 16 Nov 2003 (UTC)
Hey. The linked article discussing the relation between the Templars and modern Freemasons is, to be blunt, crackpottery: it even cites Foucault's Pendulum as a factual source. If one continues reading, it turns into paranoid conspiratorial raving about the Masonic plan for global dominance and the eradication of religion: evolution, astronomy, and physics (modern science in general, really) are all named as parts of this far-reaching Masonic/Kabbalistic/Ancient Egyptian plot. I really think this link should be removed, and perhaps replaced with a link to the article on the History of Freemasonry. --Mirv 20:18, 18 Nov 2003 (UTC)
Speculation of Knights Templar in America
The claim of Templer in America (misspelled) makes me doubt this entire added text is true and not modern fiction. Can anyone verify this? - Tεxτurε 22:22, 8 Jul 2004 (UTC)
- For the real underlying reason however, we probably need look no further than simple greed. Philip was nearly broke. He had inherited huge debts from his father and from wars against England and Flandres. One of the king’s closest advisers, William de Nogaret, suggested the easiest solution to Philip’s cash crisis was to confiscate as much of the Templar wealth as he could lay his hands on. The scheming William had already been excommunicated in 1304 for his part in trying to kidnap Pope Boniface VIII. At the time he had merely been carrying out Philip’s orders. King Philip had also come to regard himself as a scourge of heresy and a purifier of the kingdom. In 1306, he had expelled the Jews from France, bringing against them vague accusations of sacrilege and sorcery. If William could supply proof that the Templars were also sorcerous heretics — that their Christian wealth was in danger of pollution — then he could legitimately take it over. Weren’t the Templars, after all, notoriously secretive? There was much talk of their ‘great secret’. What was it? For them to have amassed so much wealth over two centuries, it must be something powerful — perhaps even occult.
- William befriended an embittered renegade Templar named Esquin de Florian of Béziers, who had been expelled from the Order. Esquin had already approached the thing of Aragon, offering to sell him the Templars’ ‘great secret’. At the same time he had accused them of blasphemy and all kinds of scandalous practices. William lapped all this up. With Esquin’ help, he managed to plant spies in Templar houses. The stages was set for the grand arrests. And, as William hoped, for the improvement of the king’s finances.
- On the day of the arrests, the Paris Templars arranged the treasures and ‘great secret’ be loaded on a wagons which headed toward the port city of La Rochelle. From there, it was deposited aboard the 300 Templar ships, setting sail to an unknown destination. The Templars were said to flee with there treasure to Scotland. A small contigent of ships 8 ships did make port in scotland. The fate of the fleet remains a mystery. There is speculation that Templers in North America had a birth at Oak Island previously french acadia. Another templer group specilated migrated and settled in what today is the swiss alps.
- I have read many books on Templar lore and history, and have never heard of any of this. It appears to be speculation and more conspiracy theory than information that should in in an encyclopedia article. There has been widespread speculation on the "disappearance" of vast Templar wealth, and the fact is that many Templar knights escaped the arrests on Friday the 13th. But I cannot find any supporting evidence on most of this story. Oktemplar 21:50, 30 November 2005 (UTC)
Modern Orders & Claims of Descent Section
I corrected some of the information regarding Masonic ties to the Knights Templar. The section referenced below was totally rewritten to be more expansive:
Some Freemasons believe they were descended from Templars who fled to Scotland and that the group really did have heretical beliefs. There is a Masonic Knights Templar organization which in America and other countries is part of the York Rite. In most jurisdictions it is open only to those who profess a belief in the Christian religion. It is unknown whether or not it has historical connections with the original Knights Templar.
I essentially rewrote the section to put the full influence of the Tempars in Masonry into context and correct some statements that were a bit off (claims of descendency).
I also added a new section regarding DeMolay and the reference to the Templars in the novel, The Da Vinci Code.
Wgfinley 02:02, 16 Jul 2004 (UTC) (Senior DeMolay)
Moved from article
but these accusations were in reality due to a misunderstanding of arcane rituals held behind closed doors which had their origins in the Crusaders’ bitter struggle against the Saracens. These included "denying Christ and spitting on the Cross three times", as well as "kissing other men’s behinds". These acts were intended to simulate the kind of humiliation and torture that a Crusader might be subjected to by the Saracens if captured. They were taught how to commit apostacy "with the mind only and not with the heart." As for the false accusations of head-worship and trying to syncretize Christianity with Mohammedanism, the former referred to rituals involving the alleged relics of Saint Euphemia, one of Saint Ursula's 11 maidens, Hughes de Payens and John the Baptist rather than pagan idols while the latter to the chaplains creating the term "Baphomet" through the Atbash cipher to mystify the term "Sophia" (Greek for "wisdom"), which was equated to the concept of "Logos" (Greek for "Word").
- This portion is extremely POV, and strikes me as without factual merit. Please cite the references, and we can see about reintegrating some if it into the text. Sam [Spade] 05:31, 7 Aug 2004 (UTC)
- I agree. I will reword this portion before reintegrating it. One reference is a London Times article that is no longer available online. However, here is a partial mirror site for the article in question. Loremaster 15:42, 7 Aug 2004 (UTC)
These acts were intended to simulate the kind of humiliation and torture that a Crusader might be subjected to by the Saracens if captured. They were taught how to commit apostacy "with the mind only and not with the heart." As for the false accusations of head-worship and trying to syncretize Christianity with Mohammedanism, some scholars argue that the former referred to rituals involving the alleged relics of Saint Euphemia, one of Saint Ursula's 11 maidens, Hughes de Payens and John the Baptist rather than pagan idols while the latter to the chaplains creating the term "Baphomet" through the Atbash cipher to mystify the term "Sophia" (Greek for "wisdom"), which was equated to the concept of "Logos" (Greek for "Word").
- How can we possibly know how these acts were intended, or if they even occured? I find the whole line of reasoning unneccesarilly detrimental to the Knights. Sam [Spade] 20:52, 7 Aug 2004 (UTC)
- According to some scholars, the recently-recovered testimonies of some Knights Templar. Loremaster 18:05, 8 Aug 2004 (UTC)
- FS AncientMysteries News: Vatican File Shows Pope Pardoned Massacred Knights"recently-recovered testimonies of some Knights Templar" might be an overstatement on my part so I have rephrased this line in article to be more accurate. Loremaster 19:53, 8 Aug 2004 (UTC)
I'd really like to see some information about the alleged homosexual activities of the Knights Templar. From what I've read, they were probably just allegations made to discredit the order and not true, but it's still a fascinating story. I'd like to see the evidence. --Dmerrill
- yep, it was basically a slander, and no, there's not much 'evidence' to show other than the testimony under torture about kissing the nether regions (which new agers like to think of as 'awakening the Kundalini serpent', which seems a little much for Palestine in the 14th century - they tend to blame it all on 'contact' with Muslim mystical movements). It's worth sending you to look at their seal, which is often strangely interpreted (I don't think I recommend the Jungian interpretation of the url I'm sending you to, but it has a picture of the seal and a fairly sound de-mystification of the homosexuality): http://www.templarhistory.com/seal.html Enjoy. --MichaelTinkler
- Just to dog you on every /talk article on the Encyclopedia, Dr. (?) Tinkler, don't you mean the Freudian interpretation? --Alex Kennedy
- Considering that Karl Jung is actually mentioned on the page in question, I'd say he meant Jung --Anders Törlind
I removed the references to Robinson and Baigent. They are not serious amateur historians, but conspiracy theorists. If you must work on this area, start with some serious bibliography. By the way - I love the mention of the Medieval Academy on Robinson's flap (on Amazon) - since he's elderly and non-professional he probably gets HIS membership for $10 less than I have to pay for it! MichaelTinkler
- Rule of the Templars : The French Text of the Rule of the Order of Knights Templar (Studies in the History of Medieval Religion), J. M. Upton-Ward -- this is what they said they were doing. You don't have to believe them -- but to believe Michael Baigent instead is not intellectually charitable.
- The New Knighthood : A History of the Order of the Temple, Malcolm Barber; sound, scholarly, and dull - no ark of the covenant or secret bloodlines of Jesus. Maybe that's why the hegemonic university-system published it (Cambridge Univ Press)
- Crusaders and Heretics, 12Th-14th Centuries, Malcolm Barber, and then THIS will give you the standard hegemonic scholarly line on what Philip was REALLY up to. Dull. Sorry.
Removed really odd paragraph with inaccurate references to feudal society and to an anachronistic "separation of church and state" under Pope Gregory VII (preseumably we're talking about the Concordat of Worms?) that has nothing to do with banking.
- separate of church and state has plenty to do with banking. Many feudal lords grumbled in the 13th century that by sanctioning the Templars the Church was horning in on their traditional control of currency and credit. Certainly each of them saw himself as the next Caesar, minting his own money with his own face on it, and the Templars stood flatly in the way of that. It was one of many resentments agaisnt the Templars that made it possible for "Phillip the Fair" to do what he did.
I would certainly like to see more sources for this interpretation before all the banking stuff is kept in the article JHK
- There are several books on this, but here's a quick link templarhistory "the knights returned to their Chapters throughout Europe and became known as moneylenders to the monarchs. In the process many historians believe they invented the Banking System. The Templars fought along side King Richard I (Richard The Lion Hearted) and other Crusaders in the battles for the Holy Lands.
The secret meetings and rituals of the knights would eventually cause their downfall. The King of France, Philip the Fair used these rituals and meetings to his advantage to destroy the knights. The real reason for his crushing the Templars was that he felt threatened by their power and immunity. In 1307, Philip, who desperately needed funds, to support his war against England's Edward I made his move against the Knights Templar.
On October 13th, 1307, King Philip had all the Templars arrested on the grounds of heresy, since this was the only charge that would allow the seizing of their money and assets. The Templars were tortured and as a result, ridiculous confessions were given. These confessions included"
- the history of inquisitions and such is so loaded with property motives for accusations that this must be taken to be the default explanation, and such nonsense as "worshipping a bearded head" or "persecution of homosexuals", if mentioned at all, must be given extremely short shrift. It's just nonsense. The historical consensus is that Philip feared the Knights immunity and their enroaching on his privelege as a head of state, he found his excuse, took the money, and that's that. Any other explanation fails all test of credibility, and should only be incidentally mentioned here.
Much of what you say is not untrue -- but it's also not exactly correct, IIRC. Yes, it is generally accepted among medieval historians that Philip the Fair's persecution of the Templars was a strike against a powerful order, coupled with a chance to get rich. But some of the other assertions don't really do justice to the entire picture, instead oversimplifying the events and the time to fit an agenda that seems to pop up regularly on the templars-masons-kabbala conspiracy web.
For example, banking was carried out by Jews -- the resentment of the ability of Jews to profit from their moneylending activities was one of the reasons for anti-Jewish sentiment in the Middle ages, and expelling Jews from the land was an easy way to cancel the debts of Christians. I would like to know which "many historians" credit the Templars with the invention of Banking as we know it -- not just information from a templar-oriented website.
Secondly, although there were often property motives involved in many Inquisitions (although far fewer than in witch trials -- something very different and not necessarily related to Inquisitions), it is unrealistic to discount religious motivation. Religion (both belief and practice) was generally the primary force behind many investigations into possible heresy. unfortunately, that does not mean that secondary factors like profit did not play a large part.
Finally, what "feudal lords" (a term that is absolutely meaningless in the context used) grumbled? Give examples. Which traditional control? -- it depends on which lords you're talking about. And separation of Church and State didn't exist in the way you seem to think it did -- any separation was to the advantage of the Church -- the norm prescribed by most popes from Gelasius on was that the spiritual sword took precedence over the secular. It's bollocks to say that each lord (again, not specific) thought of himself as the next Caesar -- some kings, perhaps, some emperors, probably (although few). The article now contains too much inattributed information that really owes little to good historical method -- that method demands that history be studied with respect for the beliefs and motivations of the subjects, and NOT by looking at a set of historical circumstances through modern eyes with modern views.JHK
Is Al Aqsa octagonal, as the first or second paragraph suggests in reference to the inspiration for Templar churches and the figure on the flag? Not externally, according to my memory or in the photos I see on the Web. If octagonality is the inspiration, the referenced structure must be the Dome of the Rock, next door to Al Aqsa on the temple mount. I'll change the article to reflect this more sensible seeming theory.168... 06:49 25 Jun 2003 (UTC)
The Dome of the Rock is octagonal not Alaqsa.Harry Potter 00:27 26 Jun 2003 (UTC)
Thanks for a super page. I personally believe in "Templar Theory," the idea the Templars are the ancient ancestors of the Freemasons. I can't prove it so I will add nothing to your fine article.
Now, with three tildies … PaulinSaudi
suggestion: put a visible border around the image and caption: (the first time i read the page, thanks to my window size, the text looked like it said "accept tithing in homosexuality")
I moved this link from the article as it seems unconnected to what the article is about. Angela
- I have protected the page, please try to use this talkpage to sort things out. A revert war helps no-one. -- Cimon Avaro on a pogostick 02:21, Nov 16, 2003 (UTC)
The Grand Encampment is somewhat of a sticky subject; not only are they named for the early Knights Templar organization, but I believe it has been posited that they actually descend from that organization. Nevertheless, I think the modern organization is notable enough that it rates its own article on the 'pedia separate from this one. Even if this is decided against, and the modern organization's information is incorporated into this article, I think we should wait with this link until that happens, because as of yet the link would be the only mention of the modern organization in the whole article, adding confusion. - Hephaestos 02:52, 16 Nov 2003 (UTC)
I like Cyan's idea of me just writing a new article on the modern organization, with a link to THAT article on the old article. What do u think of that? Justin L. Smith 02:55, 16 Nov 2003 (UTC)
I think that would be the way to go, yes. - Hephaestos 02:57, 16 Nov 2003 (UTC)
Agreed. That would be great Justin. Would it make sense to unprotect these pages now things have calmed down? Angela 03:00, 16 Nov 2003 (UTC)
I dont see a need to protect them now if you dont. I consider the matter solved. Justin L. Smith 03:01, 16 Nov 2003 (UTC)
Hey. The linked article discussing the relation between the Templars and modern Freemasons is, to be blunt, crackpottery: it even cites Foucault's Pendulum as a factual source. If one continues reading, it turns into paranoid conspiratorial raving about the Masonic plan for global dominance and the eradication of religion: evolution, astronomy, and physics (modern science in general, really) are all named as parts of this far-reaching Masonic/Kabbalistic/Ancient Egyptian plot. I really think this link should be removed, and perhaps replaced with a link to the article on the History of Freemasonry. --Mirv 20:18, 18 Nov 2003 (UTC)
Names
Why isn't William de Beaujeu cited as Guillaume de Beaujeu? If one first is to translate names into more English-sounding, why not translate Jacques de Molay into Jack of Molay?
- I don't know if there is rule about this but, as far as I know, some of these historical characters are better known in the English world by their French names. Loremaster 16:24, 15 Aug 2004 (UTC)
- Then why is Guillaume cited as William? The person who made the list of Templar Grand Masters should keep to the French (or original, as some of the Masters were not French) version of the names, not putting in English versions where he or she seems it fitting.cun 21:23, 15 Aug 2004 (UTC)
- I agree. The list should consist of the real names of the grand masters rather than their translations. Can you work on this? Loremaster 23:41, 15 Aug 2004 (UTC)
- I have tried as best as I could. cun 08:43, 16 Aug 2004 (UTC)
I suggest to use the French list of Grand Masters to correct the misspellings. Also the title "Grand Masters from 1118 to 1314" IMHO in not correct, because the order was deleted in 1312 (1314 is the death of De Molay). Marcok 11:20, 1 Jan 2005 (UTC)
quality article
excellently written, unlike most of the so-called "brilliant prose". fascinating topic.
Modern templars
Aside from the Freemasons, I know of at least three separate modern KT organisations operating in Scotland, I think that these should be referenced. There are a number of modern KT lodges, even if their connection with the original is dubious.
Temple Society/Tempelgesellschaft
The German and Hebrew editions of Wikipedia have articles on the German society founded by Christoph Hoffmann in 1861 (http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tempelgesellschaft; http://he.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D7%98%D7%9E%D7%A4%D7%9C%D7%A8%D7%99%D7%9D_%28%D7%AA%D7%A0%D7%95%D7%A2%D7%94%29). Extra-wiki sites can be found via http://clusty.com/search?query=%22Temple+Society%22++%22Christoph+Hoffmann%22 and http://www.google.com/search?num=100&hl=en&lr=&safe=off&c2coff=1&q=%22Temple+Society%22++%22Christoph+Hoffmann%22&btnG=Search (Yahoo only gives 17 results for: "Temple Society" "Christoph Hoffmann"). Could someone {I don't know enough} add a similar article in English {if one already exists I can't find it} with at least links between between it and this article. Michael {is this the accepted procedure for making comments?}
Copyvio sections
Parts of the "Heresy and pardon" section seem to be directly copied from [1] (search for "misunderstanding of arcane rituals"), but it looks like there's been some rephrasing and NPOV-ing since. The material in question should really be rewritten completely. DopefishJustin (・∀・) 20:10, Apr 12, 2005 (UTC)
Masonic Belief Requirements (are they relevant?)
(beginning of paragraph) While the only requirement to join Scottish Rite is to be a Mason in good standing, DeMolay does require its members to profess a belief in a 'Supreme Being' as a part of its ritual. There are DeMolays from a wide variety of both monotheistic and polytheistic faiths.
Another branch of Masonry however, York Rite, does require its members to be of Christian faith. Among the three branches of the York Rite is The Commandery of Knights Templar. (rest of paragraph)
- These aren't quite correct. Masons in Blue Lodge must profess a belief in a Supreme Being, and since all members of York Rite and Scottish Rite (plus others) must be Master Masons this becomes a de facto requirement. Only the Knights Templar (Commandry) level of the York Rite requires members to be Christian, the other York Rite bodies (Chapter and Council/Cryptic) don't.
- Rewrote it to be:
DeMolay, like the regular Masonic (or Blue) Lodge, requires its members to profess a belief in a Supreme Being. Very broad interpretations of Supreme Being are common allowing DeMolays and Masons to come from a wide variety of both monotheistic and polytheistic faiths. Most appendant bodies of Freemasonry such as the Scottish Rite, the York Rite (including Chapter and Cryptic or Council), and the Shriners require membership in a Blue Lodge, so de facto they require such a belief in a Supreme Being.
The Commandery of Knights Templar is the third major branch of the York Rite and open only to Christians. (rest of paragraph)
- But I'm not sure how relevant the various Masonic organizations' requirements about religous beliefs are to an article on the Knights Templar. Wouldn't this be a good candidate for moving to the pages for the appropriate organizations instead? Scott 13:30, 20 Apr 2005 (UTC)
In 2001, Dr. Barbara Frale found the Chinon Parchment in the Secret Vatican Archives, a document that shows that Pope Clement V secretly pardoned the Knights Templar in 1314. -- contradicts -- As he burned at the stake, Jacques de Molay, Grand Master of the Knights Templar, cursed King Philip and Pope Clement to meet eternal justice within the year. Pope Clement died only one month later and
Which was it? Did Clement V pardon them 3+ months later or did he die 1 month later in Nov or 1313?
Largest and most powerful?
Is it really accurate to say that it was significantly larger or more powerful than the Hospitallers? john k 05:14, 24 Jun 2005 (UTC)
I think so on the count of wealth - most reliable sources identify them as arguably the wealthiest organisation in Europe - as to the numbers, its hard to say.
A good online Catholic resource (ie, utilizing reliable primary sources instead of questionable conspiracy theorist or masonic material) on the two orders - www.newadvent.com, specifically:
Hospitallers - http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07477a.htm Templar - http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14493a.htm
--DonaNobisPacem 05:59, 18 October 2005 (UTC)
A question
It is said that an "Order of Sion" was found at the same time with Knights Templars in Holy Land.
Is it true ?
User:Siyac 11:17, 10 Apr 2005 (UTC)
- No...but we do have an article about that, Priory of Sion. Adam Bishop 15:34, 10 August 2005 (UTC)
- Yes. From PRIORY OF SION: THE FACTS, THE THEORIES, THE MYSTERY at http://www.fiu.edu/~mizrachs/poseur3.html: there was indeed an Order of Sion based on Mt. Sion, and according to a papal bull of the 12th century, it had monasteries and abbeys elsewhere in Palestine (in particular, Mount Carmel), in southern Italy (Calabria), and in France. There is little in the official histories linking Godfroi to this order, but he is said to have founded the Order of the Holy Sepulchre, whose relationships to these other orders (the Temple and Sion) are unclear. And the official histories do not indicate any overlap between these monks and the soldier-monks of the Knights Templar. The Order seems to have occupied its "mother" abbey, Notre Dame de Sion/St. Mary of Mt. Zion, built on the foundations of the original apostolic Cenacle or Coelaneum, up until around 1291 or so, when like many Crusader holdings, it was overwhelmed by the Moslem onslaught. It actually was in the hands of the Franciscans for several more centuries, until it finally was lost to Christian ownership and was converted to a mosque. Loremaster 17:05, 10 August 2005 (UTC)
- Hmmmmm......that's pretty POV. I would be inclined to side with Adam Bishop in that the NPOV view under Priory of Sion is much more historically verifiable and much more reliable.DonaNobisPacem 07:34, 9 November 2005 (UTC)
suggestion for a new page
I'm a wikipedia contributor in the italian language ad I want to suggest you that both in italian and french there is a list a page devoted to list the places where Templars had one of their monastry or church:it:Sedi templari and fr:Liste des commanderies de Templiers. It would be interesting to have something similar for english speaking lands.--82.51.164.166 18:12, 29 September 2005 (UTC) (dommac)
banking?
Their activities would more accurately be described as venture capitalists and charity providers rather than bankers in the traditional sense.
Capitolo Otto
deleted text
Capitolo Otto is among the secret societies that traces a link to the Knights Templar. The society, which recruits from the Yale University campus (among other recruiting mediums), puts an emphasis on internationalism and the merger of East and West, giving central importance to the cipher 1071. Highly secretive, the order has links to European secret societies.
This points to a deleted page, it seems to be a hoax. Paul, in Saudi 04:22, 13 October 2005 (UTC)
Guillaume de Nogaret
What this article states about the meeting of Guillaume de Nogaret and Pope Boniface VIII does not agree with what is stated in the article about him, see: Guillaume de Nogaret. Huldra 06:16, 17 October 2005 (UTC)
Chinon Parchment
Is the Chinon parchment factual, or another "Hitler's Diaries?" In doing a research paper on the Knights, I could find virtually no reliable sources confirming the discovery of the Chinon parchment - the only references were a few mentions on sketchy conspiracy theory sites. It seems to me that it was a fake - many of the mentions of it put the date of the document after the death of Pope Clement V, the supposed author of it!!!! And I don't really see why there was a need for it - the Church dissolved the Order by Papal Bull, as oppossed to condemning it - they never needed to be pardoned in the first place.
Removed FS AncientMysteries News: Vatican File Shows Pope Pardoned Massacred Knights - dead link.
DonaNobisPacem 06:59, 9 November 2005 (UTC)
If no one can provide credible sources for the Chinon parchment, I think the reference should be removed - particularly as Clement V's handling of the affair was not to condemn the order as heretic anyways, so the reference to the Chinon parchment does not really change the overall reaction of the Church heirarchy to the affair. DonaNobisPacem 00:15, 22 November 2005 (UTC)
Considering no references for the Chinon parchment have been posted since Nov 9, I have removed the reference to it from the article.DonaNobisPacem 06:30, 23 November 2005 (UTC)
Heresy and Pardon
Changed wording regarding the curse of Molay upon Clement V and Philip the Fair to read "According to legend......,' as this tidbit is not historically verifiable. Perhaps it should be moved to the legend section? DonaNobisPacem 00:13, 22 November 2005 (UTC)
The removal of the reference to the Chinon parchment kind of negates the "pardon" part of this title. However, well-researched sources (such as Malcolm Barber's "The New Knighthood") indicate that the papal process did not denounce the overall order as heretic, and therefore had no need to be pardoned (see Chinon parchment, above). Overall, I have changed the section to reflect more accurately the end result of the claims of heresy, and the church's response. And out of necessity, of course, the title had to be re-worded. As a note - I have used Barber's book as a primary source, with some reference to the Newadvent.com article.
I apologize if it is not my usual carefully written style - I hammered this off a bit faster than usual, and will try to polish it up in the next little while.
It is perhaps expedient to also consider placing the claims of heresy before the ruin section - and some of the content I've just added might be a bit more appropriate there, now that I consider that. Input? DonaNobisPacem 06:37, 23 November 2005 (UTC)
PS - if you feel the need to revert, feel free to do so, but please provide explanations as to WHY and how the content I'm attempting to add could be made useful. I'm a bit of a newb, so don't mind input. That said, I've also done quite a bit of boring, conventional history on the Templars, and consider myself relatively knowledgeable in the subject.DonaNobisPacem 07:02, 23 November 2005 (UTC)
Thanks for some stylistic changes - it has helped this section flow more smoothly.DonaNobisPacem 23:15, 24 November 2005 (UTC)