The Knights Templar: The True and Surprising Story Of Histories Most Secretive Order

by Patrick Auerbach

  King Philip was indeed out to defame and destroy the Templars before absorbing their vast wealth by accusing them of such heinous crimes that even if they were somehow found innocent, the simple allegation would ruin their name among Christian nations. He had heard whisperings of a merger between the Hospitallers and the Templars. The two groups were in meetings about a possible joint effort and the King, in order to squelch any impending power shifts, approached Pope Clement with incredible reports of the Order. The king spouted wild accusations such as sodomy, orgies, homosexuality, incest, the worship of false idols, involvement with dark magic and the occult, spitting on the crucifix and denying Christ – essentially slander against the Templars. This is another example of how history and fantasy intertwine to form the sensational and mysterious legend of which we know today. Regarding the many accounts of the Order is difficult to discern where history ends and storytelling begins.

  The Grand Master of the Knights Templar, Jacques de Molay, was in Poitiers, France to meet with the pope in discussions of a new Crusade to recapture Jerusalem. For several months Molay had been working on securing financing for the Crusade, unaware of the dubious plot against he and his men. He had been in Paris at the funeral of Catherine of Valois serving as a pallbearer. Unbeknownst to him, Catherine’s brother-in-law Philip le Bel – referred to as the “scourge of France” by Dante – was the author of charges brought against him. The following day, the wave of Templar arrests swept Europe and the shocking charges levied.

  Realizing the error of his actions, Pope Clement wrote a letter to King Philip in defense of the Knights Templar stating “You have perpetrated these attacks on the persons and goods of people directly subject to the Roman Church. In this action of yours… everybody sees… an insulting contempt for us and the Church of Rome.”

  The beginning of the end is reported to have occurred on Friday, October 13th 1307, when a number of arrests were made on the Templars including their Grand Master de Molay. Imprisoned and cast into the depths of the dungeons, the men were subjected to isolation and physical and psychological torture on alarming levels. They were subjected to racking, starvation and water torture. The soles of their feet were covered in fat and blistered over hot coals. The strappado was a common technique involving pulling a bound victim off of the ground and dropping him suddenly, dislocating his shoulders and breaking his arms. They were humiliated, denied sleep and forced to defecate where they stood. Not surprisingly, an overwhelming majority confessed to any and all crimes against them in hopes that the Pope would throw out any unjust convictions. No one came to their aid however, and after a coerced confession was obtained 54 knights were burned at the stake for the “crime” of recanting their confessions. All of the Templar land holdings and other possessions were handed to the Hospitallers, a portion of which was strong-armed via an annual fee charged by Philip to offset the costs he incurred in persecuting the Knights Templar.

  “On this terrible day, in my final hour, I shall let truth triumph and declare, before heaven and all the saints, that I have committed the greatest of all crimes…” shouted Molay, “But my crime is this: That I confessed to malicious charges made against an order that is innocent so that I could escape further torture. I shall not confirm a first lie with a second. I renounce life willingly. I have no use for days of sorrow earned only by lies.” These were the last words uttered by the Grand Master before branches were set ablaze around him. The men shouted their innocence and faith in God as they burned alive. In a matter of minutes, the entirety of the Knights Templar was reduced to ashes.

  Chapter 10: Mysterious Religious Relics

  One major outcome of the Crusades has been a sort of glorification of religious relics. Even such objects as soil from Biblical locations and the bones of Saints are highly regarded and mythicized. Even more bizarre was the fact that King Baldwin II sold what was claimed to be the head of John the Baptist to King Louis IX of France, who then constructed a shrine for it. Considered one of the most sought-after pieces is the “True Cross”. The relic is described to have been plated in gold and studded with gemstones; reportedly discovered by Empress Helena, the mother of Constantine I, in the year 326.

  In an account from writer and historian Andrew Sinclair, “In AD 326, Helena went on a journey to ancient Israel and selected with Macarius the sites of Christ’s birth at Bethlehem and at Jerusalem, the adjoining places of his tomb burial and Crucifixion, where she happened to discover three ancient crosses in a cavern, one of which was called the true cross.” Bishop Macarius and Helena prayed for God’s help and placed a sickly woman onto each of the three crosses. Nothing happened as she lay on the first two, but when she was made to lie out on the third, she was healed. This is the method by which the two concluded which of the three crosses was the one on which Jesus was crucified. This was the True Cross.

  When Helena returned with the True Cross, it was held in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher until 614 when Chosroes II of Persia captured Jerusalem and took the Cross. Over a decade later, the Emperor of Rome Heraclius overthrew Chosroes and claimed the relic. He first took it to Constantinople and then eventually back to its original location in Jerusalem. It is believed that from there, the Christians hid the Cross in 1009 CE and it remained hidden for almost a century until the next appearance in history during the First Crusade in 1099. The Cross didn’t change hands again until it was taken from the Christians by Saladin in 1187 after the Battle of Hattin. It was said that when Saladin and his forces took Jerusalem, he rode through the street on horseback dragging the Holy Relic behind his mount. “After The Horns of Hattin, Saladin was master of the Moslem world, and rode through the streets of Damascus with the captured True Cross tied to his horse’s tail and dragging in the dust.”

  Richard I, despite his valiant efforts and determination during the Third Crusade, was unable to recapture the True Cross. After the relic was taken by Saladin, there hasn’t been a reliable record of the large beam carried into the Battle of Hattin. Many have come forward with splinters of the Cross, but most were undoubtedly counterfeit. The True Cross was a symbol of the Christian’s unwavering faith in their God and their cause. It was more than just an object, but an exalted piece of history and of the crucifixion story. Some would even say that the relic served as a reminder of the Crusaders entire purpose, which is why they carried it into battle that day.

  According to the crucifixion story in the book of John, Jewish leaders overseeing the event didn’t want the victims there by the next day. The Passover Sabbath was approaching and they asked Pilate to quicken their deaths by breaking their legs so they could then take them down. The soldiers came and broke the legs of the two men that were crucified with Jesus. When the soldiers got to him, they discovered that he was already dead so they didn’t break his legs.

  Because of this, the early Christian church in Jerusalem believed that Jesus was indeed who he claimed to be – The Messiah who was written about in the Old Testament. This fulfillment of the biblical prophecy has made the spear itself a sort of religious relic. The piercing of his flesh with the spear was considered proof of his death and later his resurrection. The Spear of Longinus was said to have been uncovered by Helena around the same time and place as the discovery of the Holy Nails. Later, it was reported to have been buried somewhere in Antioch as a way to prevent theft by the Saracens.

  Nothing is known of the weapon until St. Antonius of Piacenza while describing his pilgrimage to the Holy Land of Jerusalem claims that he saw at Mount Sion “the crown of thorns with which Our Lord was crowned and the lance with which He was struck in the side”. This cannot necessarily be relied on, but the simple mention of the name Longinus – which is believed to be a later addition – was spelled out in Greek characters in the Syriac manuscript and appears over the soldier who opened Jesus’ side during the crucifixion. Longinus, according to the manuscript, was converted and healed by a drop of Christ’s blood that spurted from his wound. In 615, when Jerusalem was c
aptured by the Persians, the spear and other religious relics fell into pagan hands. According to the “Chronicon Paschale”, the broken point of the lance was given to Nicetas who then took it to the church of St. Sophia in Constantinople.

  As for the larger portion of the Holy Lance, it was proposed to have been seen in the year 670 by Arculpus. It was said to have been restored by Heraclius, but was then regarded at the church of the Holy Sepulchre. There is no known record of it after this time. Speculation is that it was moved to Constantinople along with the broken point and the crown of thorns. Various pilgrims attest to its presence there, particularly Russians. Though the relics bounced around through countless churches and institutions, their whereabouts had been surprisingly well documented. There are periods of time when the location of the spear was left only to speculation, but in 1492 it is documented to have fallen into the hands of the Turks under circumstances described in “History of the Popes”. Sultan Bajazet was said to have sent it to Innocent VIII to gain his favour for his brother Zizim, who was a prisoner at the time.

  Much speculation and sensationalism as to the true whereabouts surrounds the lance as well as other religious relics of medieval times. Wherever the true spear ended up, many historians and conspiracy theorists speculate that at some point, the Holy Lance would have ended up in the hands of the Knights Templar. After all, they were the most trusted Order of the time. Their involvement with banks and the safekeeping of objects such as this would lead most to believe that the knights were charged with stowing away the relic and creating a secret code to protect it and other objects of value such as the Holy Grail.

  The Knights Templar are suspected of playing a major role in uncovering and guarding the Holy Grail. Rumors and supposed eyewitness accounts have placed the Order in key areas during the time of the Crusades searching for holy relics while they had occupation of the Temple Mount. Scholars have suggested that once the Holy Land was no longer under Christian control, many of the knights were forced into hiding to avoid persecution and took with them the sacred relics that they had been protecting. These rumors and speculation further serve to perpetuate the mystery of the Order, combined with the fact that the knights were adept at using coded and secrets to move and store items like they did for clients during the time of Templar banks. Countless books past and present tell of decoding messages and signs of the Knights Templar in the search for the sacred chalice.

  The mystery of the Holy Grail lies not only in the search for its whereabouts, but also as to what it actually is. Some believe that it is the cup which was used by Christ himself during the last supper. Others believe that it was not an object, but a sort of metaphor. When considering the Templar code, they gave little importance to material objects- even those said to have been touched by Christ. They considered worldly possessions as mere illusions to be dismissed. During the time of Church inquisition, non-traditional Christians had to practice their religion in secret and communicate by code.

  In the time of the Order, non-traditional Christians were forced to hide their beliefs and communicate in secret code in order to avoid persecution by the Church. If you were to meet with someone whom you believed to also be Gnostic, you would proceed with the salutation “Beauseant”. If they knew the code, you would then etch a cross on the ground with all four sides being even – a symbol of balance. Then they would answer with a confirmation of the Star of David and both parties knew they were safe to discuss matters freely. This use of secrecy and codes direct our attention to the possibility that the chalice could be a symbol of an idea and not actually the cup itself. Dating back almost to the 5th century, the spiritual Heart was often symbolized with a drinking vessel. Gnostics consistently referred to the Heart of Christ opening in everyone. The Sacred Heart of the World makes a plausible connection between the spiritual heart of Jesus and the drinking vessel, much like the Catholic Church symbolizes the blood of Christ with wine or grape juice during communion. It is simply a way to bring physical examples of Christ’s love to a congregation. In using the symbol of the cup, the Holy Grail, Templars referred to a direct connection to the spiritual Heart of Jesus.

  Elaine Pagel’s Gnostic Gospels tells that the secret instructions given by Jesus to a chosen few became known as Gnosticism. Teachings such as these were promptly banned by the Church in the 5th century. But as we all know, you can get rid of the teacher but you can’t get rid of the idea. Those that were privy to these secretive teachings knew the true essence of Jesus’ love. They also knew all the biblical facts, such as that Jesus was an educated man who wrote and spoke both Greek and Aramaic. For a prophet who intended to promulgate his teachings, wouldn’t it stand to reason that he must have written them down at some point? If this is true it may mean that the Holy Grail is in fact not a lowly material possession, but instead a document that was written by Jesus himself.

  The construction of the Ark of the Covenant was commanded of Moses by God while the Jews were camped at Mount Sinai. The Ark was a small box 2 ½ cubits in length, 1 ½ cubits in height and 1 ½ cubits in width. It was crafted out of acacia wood and plated inside and out with pure gold. Four gold rings were fitted to the bottom and in those were placed two gold-plated acacia poles. These poles were used by the Kehath family of the tribe of Levi in order to carry the Ark atop their shoulders. A gold covering called a kapporet featuring a pair of gold Cherubs adorned the outside of the box. The two Cherubs were depicted facing one another with the wings of each wrapping around their golden bodies to touch the other in the space between the two. These were said to be the archangels Gabriel and Michael, who according to the Hebrews are the gatekeepers of Heaven.

  The contents that were contained inside the Ark have been the subject of speculation throughout the ages, but it is generally accepted that the Ark contained the stone tablets broken by Moses and etched with the Ten Commandments as well as the second intact set. The Talmud claims that both Tablets were put together into one Ark; yet according to other accounts there were in fact two separate Arks containing one set each. The Ark was reported to have been constructed by the son of Bezalel, who was the son of Uri, who in turn was the son of Hur; the man responsible for constructing the Tabernacle which was the Temple used in the desert during the conquest of Israel. The Ark along and other artifacts used in worship were held in the Tabernacle.

  As the Jews marched through the desert, the Ark accompanied them on their travels and wars with Midian and Emor. The Ark was carried along while they came into the land of Canaan and the Jordan River split miraculously for them to cross as well as when the walls of Jericho were leveled by them blowing horns and circling the city. After their conquest, the Jews set up the Tabernacle in Shiloh and remained there until after the battles between the Philistines and the Jews. After suffering from incredible defeat at the hands of the Philistines, the Jews took the Ark to Even-Ezer with the hope that its divinity would assist them in the next battle. Their plans were thwarted however when the Philistines took ownership of the Ark.

  The Philistines took their prize to Ashdod, the capital in the south of Canaan and gave it a home in the Temple of the god Dagon. The following morning, the idol was found to have fallen face down. Another day passed and after replacing the statue back upright, it was found vandalized with only the bottom half remaining in the temple. Shortly following these anomalies, the city of Ashdod was stricken with plague. The strangeness continued when after the Ark was relocated to the city of Gath and then from there to the city of Ekron. Wherever the Ark was housed, plague followed and decimated the city’s inhabitants. After seven deadly months in the possession of the Philistines, they decided to return the cursed idol to the Israelites with a number of other fine gifts to serve as an apology and gain favor to avoid any further plagues.

  The Ark was then taken to Beit Shemesh and according to legend, the oxen that pulled the cart carrying the Ark burst into gleeful song at the prospect of the artifact once again being in the possession of the Israelites. Other st
ories were a bit darker in nature. For example, some of the men in Beit Shemesh were reportedly severely punished for disrespectfully staring at the Ark and many were killed by plague afterward. Eventually, the Ark found a home in Jerusalem in the First Temple constructed by Solomon, son of King David and remained there to be accessed annually by the High Priest during Yom Kippur. After the temple was destroyed by the Babylonian empire, the whereabouts of the Ark became a mystery.

  Sometime later, in the 1180s, a troupe of English knights came upon a treasure at the foot of Jebel Madhbah – the Arab name for Mount Seir, which is believed to be Mount Sinai. According to the chronicles of Numairi, these knights stumbled upon a curious sealed cave at the base of the mountain where they uncovered “treasures of pure gold, precious stones and a golden chest.” There was no direct reference that this chest was indeed the Ark of the Covenant; however the claim was that the treasure included religious relics once belonging to the Israelites. The chest was reported to have been made from gold panels featuring two winged creatures atop the lid which were reminiscent of statues from Numairi’s native Egypt. Unfortunately there was no mention of the chest’s dimensions, but according to biblical accounts the Ark was constructed a short time after the Israelites emancipation from generations of Egyptian rule. It is very plausible that the craftsmen may have drawn inspiration from other Egyptian architecture and art.