A knight directed Gerard to a nearby barracks that catered to French knights. After securing lodging, he walked to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and knelt before the Tomb of Christ. He felt soiled by what he had done last night. His lust for the woman had won out over his self-control. Jesus must have enjoyed the company of women. The Gospels show instances of that. Somehow, however, Jesus had learned to overcome His desire for sexual intimacy. Gerard knew he must learn to do the same.
While returning to his barracks several days after arriving in the city, Gerard passed near the Golden Gate, where Jesus entered Jerusalem triumphantly on Palm Sunday. A man who sat in the street called out to him.
“Please, sir, a few coins?” From his accent, Gerard knew the man was Provençal. “The Saracens raped and killed my wife. They robbed me of all I had and left me for dead. A pilgrim found me and saved my life.”
“You look fit enough. We can always use able-bodied men in our regiment. Come with me.”
“I cannot go.”
“Why not?”
“Because of this....” The man lifted his cloak. His right arm
was gone. “The Saracens cut it off. They do it so a Christian cannot make the Sign of the Cross.”
“Where did this happen?”
“On the desert road from Jaffa. Saracens are everywhere. They are butchers.”
Gerard gave the beggar the coins he had in his pocket.
That night Gerard de Montelambert could not sleep. The sight of the beggar haunted him. He wondered if the Saracens had laughed as they severed the man's arm. By morning, Gerard had made up his mind what he would do. The Templars were seeking temporary recruits to increase the number of patrols escorting pilgrims between Jaffa and Jerusalem. Gerard agreed to a four-month commitment.
In Tortosa, Brother Michael had warned Gerard of the hostility between the Venetian and Genoese merchants and the Order of the Temple. Gerard quickly learned, however, that in Latin Palestine hostility and rivalry among Christian factions were not the exception but the rule. It was safer, the Templars would say, to trust the word of a Saracen than the word of a Christian. On the long patrols through the desert, Gerard came to admire the discipline and training of the Templars, but it was their devotional practices that most impressed him. He noticed how two Templars always ate from the same bowl. When he asked the reason, a Templar gave Gerard an uncomprehending look. “To guard against secret abstinence, of course. To praise God, many of our brothers would eat too little.”
When his tour of duty was over, Gerard asked that he be admitted to full membership in the order. Gerard had no way of knowing that his request had set in motion a series of events that would result in tragedy both for him and for the Order of the Temple.
A turab blew through Jerusalem the night of Gerard's initiation into the Order of the Temple. Legend had it that the hot winds of the turab blow dust into one's heart, making it difficult to judge right from wrong.
Several hours after dark, the Templars stationed in Jerusalem filed into the dimly lit chapel adjacent to their commanderie. Gerard and three other initiates walked behind the others. The flickering candles on the altar cast eerie shadows on the chapel walls. Gerard wondered if the shadows belonged to long-dead Templars returning to help regenerate the order.
Gerard's thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of the seneschal of the order, a brooding hulk of a man with broad shoulders and protruding eyes. A curl in his lip left him with a permanent sneer. The seneschal administered the lands of the order and was responsible for its myriad financial interests. Behind the seneschal walked Jacques de Molay, the grand master of the order. Unlike the seneschal, de Molay was not a prepossessing man. He was short and wiry with thinning gray hair and beard. But while he did not display a commanding physical presence, de Molay did radiate a sense of inner conviction and integrity that was easily felt. But it was de Molay's eyes that caught Gerard's attention. A mixture of all the colors of the rainbow, they could probe deep into the darkest corners of one's soul.
The seneschal motioned for the Templars and the initiates to be seated. For several minutes, the congregation sat in silence. Finally the seneschal stood up and signaled the initiates to approach the foot of the altar. He took a thurible and incensed Gerard and the three other initiates. A cloud of smoke filled the church.
When the senechal put down the thurible, the grand master ascended to the top step of the altar and sat on a wooden chair. One by one, the initiates walked up the steps and knelt before de Molay to profess their vows. When it was his turn, Gerard walked nervously up the steps. As he knelt before the grand master, a strange feeling came over him — a feeling of intimacy, of personal communion — that somehow their two destinies were linked. Gerard did not know then just how inextricably bound their destinies would become.
The grand master's voice interrupted Gerard's thoughts. “Why do you come before me, Gerard de Montelambert?”
“To ask that I be initiated into the Order of the Poor Knights of Jesus Christ.”
“Then pronounce your vows before all in this chapel. Gerard de Montelambert, do you vow that henceforth, all the days of your life, you will obey the Bishop of Rome and the Grand Master of the Order of the Temple in all earthly and spiritual matters, so that you may better serve our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ?”
“Yes, Grand Master, if it pleases God.”
“Do you vow that henceforth, all the days of your life, you will live chastely in your body, denying yourself carnal relations with women so that you may better serve our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ?”
For a moment Gerard remembered the prostitute who had bathed him near the Jaffa Gate. “Yes, Grand Master, if it pleases God.”
“Do you vow that henceforth, all the days of your life, you will live without property and will protect and defend Christian pilgrims who travel the roads of Palestine?”
“Yes, if it pleases God.”
After the final vow had been taken, de Molay recited the paternoster and anointed Gerard's forehead, eyes, and hands with holy oil.
“Gerard de Montelambert, this anointing is a sign that you have become a member of the Order of the Temple. We promise you the food and water and the poor clothing of the order, and much pain and suffering.”
When the initiation ritual was over, the assembled Templars rose from their seats and began to recite a strange litany.
“Listen to the words of Jesus.
“I am the light to one who seeks the path.
“I am the mirror to one who looks deeply.
“I am the door to one who seeks entry.
“I am the road to one who journeys far.
“I am the food to one who hungers.
“I am the healing to one who is mortally wounded.
“I am the clothing to one who is naked.”
When the Templars had finished, the grand master continued reciting the litany.
“I am the ineffable one.
“I am the one who is beyond comprehension.
“I am not who I appear to be.
“When you come, then will you understand who I am.”
The grand master's words confused Gerard. “I am not who I appear to be. When you come, then will you understand who I am.” It must be a riddle, Gerard thought — but how was it to be unraveled? Did the words refer to Jesus? Jesus was beyond knowing — beyond understanding. Everything said about him is a metaphor. Jesus was fully God, but he was also fully a man. He lived and died here in Palestine. If Jesus was not what he appeared to be, then who was he?
During his first months as a Templar, Gerard mainly accompanied pilgrim convoys traveling back and forth along the Jaffa-Jerusalem road. On several occasions, Gerard was assigned to ride on special assignments — twice to Acre and once to the Templar Castle at Mount Pellerin.
As Easter grew close, attacks by Muslim bandits became more frequent and more daring. On the Wednesday of Holy Week, a large pilgrim caravan was attacked within sight of the walls
of Jerusalem. The Muslim bandits captured a group of children who had been sent by the Bishop of Jaffa to sing at the Easter Mass in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. The capture of the children's chorus shocked Jerusalem. A combined force of Templars and Knights of St. John rode out in pursuit.
The Muslim bandits were tracked to a rocky canyon north of the town of Bethany. The Saracens outnumbered the Templars several times over. While the size of the Saracen force was its greatest strength, it also proved to be its greatest weakness. Confident that the crusaders would not pursue so large a force, the Saracens violated two fundamental principles of desert warfare; they unsaddled their horses for the night and they allowed them to graze some distance from their tents.
The commander of the pursuing force divided the knights into two groups. The first group — mostly Knights of St. John — attacked the sentries and drove the horses into the desert. When the Saracens saw what had happened, they abandoned their camp and ran out into the desert to retrieve their horses. A second group of knights — mostly Templars under Gerard's command — disguised themselves as Saracens. They stole quietly into the camp and freed the children. Once the children were safe, Gerard ordered his men to shed their disguises and kill as many of the bandits as could be found. The Patriarch of Jerusalem personally thanked Gerard for his valor in freeing the children's choir.
The priest stood at the pulpit. “We celebrate today the feast of John the Baptist, he who prepared the way for the Lord. The two men must have shared deep bonds of friendship and trust. In a very real sense, John's beheading marked the beginning of Jesus' ministry. Today we pray that John will guide us as we seek God's truth.”
Gerard's mouth was dry from nervousness. He had asked to speak with the grand master after Mass. Because of the feast day, however, the liturgy was taking longer than Gerard had expected.
When the Mass had finally ended, Gerard genuflected before the altar and walked outside. By custom the grand master was the last to leave the chapel. Gerard waited anxiously in the courtyard. Although it was only an hour after sunrise, the heat had already begun to make distant objects shimmer and appear unreal and impermanent. Gerard was glad that he had not been chosen to ride patrol today.
When Jacques de Molay finally emerged from the chapel, he squinted for a moment until his eyes adjusted to the sunlight.
“Grand Master, I asked to speak with you. It will only take a moment.”
“Yes, Montelambert. We can talk better in my quarters.”
Gerard followed de Molay through the courtyard and into a for-tress-like building that housed records and documents concerning Templar properties in Palestine. The grand master's quarters were cool and spacious. Except for a large cross, the walls were bare.
Walking over to a wooden table, the grand master poured two cups of water. “The sun is hot already.” He handed Gerard one of the cups.
“Thank you.”
The grand master sat at his desk. “Why did you ask to see me?”
“Five years ago on my sixteenth birthday, my Uncle told me a legend that has been passed down in our family for centuries.”
The grand master looked amused. “I am surprised at you, Gerard. Every day, I am besieged with reports of wondrous apparitions, discoveries of sacred relics, and yes, family legends. A Templar should be skeptical of such matters — not bring them to the grand master of the order.”
“The legend of the Montelamberts is not about apparitions or relics,” answered Gerard. “It is a story about the Jewish people and the Romans who conquered them.”
“If you must, Gerard, tell me this family legend of yours.” The grand master looked impatiently at Gerard.
“When Herod's Temple was besieged by the Romans, one of my ancestors, a merchant named Evardus, was selling wine to the Roman army. After concluding his business, Evardus left the Roman camp and rode west to the port of Jaffa. As a Christian, Evardus could not bring himself to witness the slaughter of the Jews who remained on the Temple Mount. After a time, he came upon an old rabbi lying unconscious in the road. When Evardus revived him, the rabbi told Evardus a strange tale.”
The grand master poured Gerard another cup of water.
“The rabbi said that a copper scroll lay buried under Herod's Temple — in the ‘stone of life.’ The rabbi whispered something more, but Evardus could barely hear it. All the merchant could make out were the words ‘vessels and records of the Jewish people.’ When he returned to Gaul, Evardus wrote down all he had seen of the Roman siege and what the rabbi had told him.”
De Molay smiled. “Ah, now I see. You wish permission to search for the copper scroll.”
“Yes. When she could not deliver me, my mother promised the Virgin Mary that if I lived, she would see to it that I followed the destiny God had provided for me. I believe that God has destined me to find the copper scroll. The ruins of Herod's Temple are close by the Templar barracks. Let me try, Grand Master.”
De Molay frowned. “During the pain of childbirth, it is easy for a woman to suppose that statues talk. Forget this silliness that you are destined to find this scroll.”
“My father once explained to me the meaning of the two bars on the Cross. One points up to God and the heavenly Jerusalem, while the other parallels the ground and this earthly Jerusalem. I know that I must balance the two.”
“Your father is a wise man, Gerard. But balancing the two Jerusalems is sometimes a difficult thing to do.”
“I realize that.”
“If I give you permission to search for this scroll, I know you will do your utmost to find it. But I am not sure that giving you permission is the best thing either for you or for the order.”
“I know that I can keep this balance.”
Jacques de Molay was silent for a moment. “I often rode into battle with your Uncle Edouard. Because of my admiration for him, I will give you permission — but only on one condition.”
“What is that, Grand Master?”
“Your first responsibility must always be to the order and to your fellow Templars. You must shoulder your normal patrol duties and whatever else is required of you. This is the condition.”
“I will not abuse your trust.”
“Well, then, let us see if this legend of the Montelamberts has any substance to it.”
CHAPTER XII
THE CPPER SCRLL
EDOUARD WAS RIGHT. As Gerard stood before the ruins of Herod's Temple, he realized that no one person would ever be able to search through this vast and bewildering subterranean world and discover something so small as a scroll. The only clue was that the scroll was buried in the ‘stone of life’ under the Holy of Holies. Yet the Romans had so devastated the Temple in 70 A.D. that it was virtually impossible to trace the original boundaries of the Sanctuary.
After hours of walking through endless corridors, however, Gerard noticed something peculiar. Regardless of which direction he took, he invariably found himself back at one particular passageway. Gerard saw that the floor of the passageway had been worn smooth from heavy use. In his mind, the condition of the passageway floor could be a clue of sorts. Once the Temple caught fire, the Jews would have had little time to bury the scroll. Most likely they would have hidden it quickly in an easily accessible place.
Gerard lit a torch and began to examine the stones along the walls of the passageway. After weeks of painstaking work, he discovered a stone marked with the faint outline of what appeared to be a chai, the Hebrew character for “eighteen.” At the abbey, Gerard had learned that in Hebrew chai also meant “life.” Because of its association with life, the Jewish people believed that the number eighteen had a mystical significance. Edouard had told Gerard to search for the scroll through the eyes of faith. When the Rabbi said the scroll was buried in the “stone of life,” could he have meant that the scroll was hidden in a stone marked with a “chai”? With his knife, Gerard pried the stone loose from its place in the passageway wall. As he was lowering it to the ground, the stone slipped out
of his arms. It struck the ground with a crack and split apart, revealing a small wooden box sealed with red wax. Gerard's body tensed as he broke the seal. Inside was the copper scroll that had been buried by Rabbi Yohannen more than a thousand years earlier.
The grand master was incredulous as Gerard handed him the copper scroll. “How did you find it?” he asked.
“Through the eyes of faith,” Gerard responded.
“What does it say?” There was excitement in de Molay's voice.
“It is written in Hebrew, Grand Master.” The sound of a Templar patrol returning from the Jaffa road could be heard in the distance.
De Molay handed the scroll back to Gerard. “Translate it for me!”
Gerard held the scroll near a candle. “‘Five leagues to the northeast from the Oasis of the Red Waters stand three hills. Near the top of the middle hill is a cave.’”
Gerard's eyes opened wide. “Of course! This is what the rabbi meant!”
“What are you saying?” The grand master looked puzzled.
“According to Evardus, Grand Master, the old rabbi said something about ‘vessels and parchments of the Jewish people.’ The scroll says the Jews concealed their Temple vessels and records in the cave to keep them from being desecrated by the Romans.”
“Incredible!”
Gerard looked at the scroll a second time. “The cave is five leagues northeast of the Oasis of the Red Waters. Where is this oasis?”
The grand master frowned. “I have never heard of it. There are no red waters in the Judean desert, Gerard.”
Several days later, Gerard passed the place where Simon of Cyrene helped carry Jesus' cross. He heard a muffled cry and saw a knight hitting a young girl with his open hand. Gerard ran over and pulled the girl away.
“Stop hitting her. She is only a child!”
“This Christ-killer tried to cheat me. Stay out of this, Templar.”
Emboldened by Gerard's presence, the girl blurted out, “You are wrong, sir. The ointment cost four copper coins, not three.”
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