The Templar Heresy
Page 29
Were the Knights Templar Christian?
It has been claimed by a number of researchers that the Templars, despite being an order of warrior monks endorsed by the Pope, were not actually Christians, in that they were required to trample and spit upon the cross and to deny Christ during their initiation ceremony. These accusations first saw the light of day after Philip the Fair of France had seized all the members of the Order he could lay his hands on, and had then begun levelling charges against them. However, these were almost precisely the same charges that he had earlier made against Pope Boniface VIII, which gives these accusations very little integrity.
But despite the likelihood that these accusations had no basis whatsoever in reality, it is still probable that the Knights Templar weren’t Christian but Johannite – meaning followers of John the Baptist – in their religious beliefs. Though this cannot be absolutely proven, there are a number of pointers.
First, a very large number of churches and chapels known to have been built by the Templars were originally dedicated to John the Baptist, rather than Jesus Christ or one of the Apostles, which was more usually the case. Second, one of the prevalent symbols associated with John the Baptist is the Lamb of God, the Agnus Dei, and this image is often found on Templar flags and seals, as well as forming a part of the decoration of Templar buildings, frequently in association with carvings of severed heads.
One of the most convincing pieces of circumstantial evidence is the seal of the Templar Master of England, which included the Agnus Dei image, while the counter-seal displayed the image of the head of John the Baptist together with the legend ‘I am the guarantor of the lamb’. If the Order had been a normal Christian organization, this would have been a most unusual choice of both images and wording.
There is another oblique reference to the Templars and the Agnus Dei that can still be seen all over Britain. In 1393, King Richard II passed a law that required all inns and public houses to display a sign identifying themselves to the largely illiterate populace as places where alcohol was sold. One common sign is the ‘Lamb and Flag’, a direct reference to the Knights Templar, the lamb being their symbol and the flag the Beauseant, their vexillum belli or battle flag. And, slightly more gruesome, the pub names ‘The Saracen’s Head’ and ‘The Turk’s Head’ are reminders of the likely result of an Islamic warrior encountering the Templars in battle.
And if it is assumed that the Templars did worship John the Baptist, and we take into account the references to them worshipping a head, it is not too big a leap of conjecture to suggest that they may have possessed – or they may have believed they possessed – the head of the prophet. This may well have been their Baphomet, and it is this assumption which has formed an important part of the plot of this novel.
Shobak Castle, Jordan, and the Église Saint-Christophe des Templiers, Montsaunès, France
Both of these buildings exist and are exactly as described in the pages of this novel, with two single exceptions.
First, the cistern that supplied drinking water to the defenders of Shobak Castle is located precisely where I described it, as is the access to the underground staircase that leads from the castle down to it. However, actually descending the staircase is not quite as easy as it appears to be in this book, so if you visit Shobak, please don’t expect that you’ll be able to retrace Bronson’s steps!
Second, the location and interior decoration of the Église Saint-Christophe des Templiers is accurate, and it is just as bizarre, mysterious and largely inexplicable as I have suggested. However, the crypt and the concealed doorway that I have described at the end of the book are entirely the products of my own imagination.
About the Author
James Becker spent over twenty years in the Royal Navy’s Fleet Air Arm and served during the Falklands War. Throughout his career he has been involved in covert operations in many of the world’s hotspots; places like Yemen, Northern Ireland and Russia. He is an accomplished combat pistol shot and has an abiding interest in ancient and medieval history. His previous novels, The First Apostle, The Moses Stone, The Messiah Secret, The Nosferatu Scroll, Echo of the Reich and The Lost Testament also feature Chris Bronson and Angela Lewis.
Also by James Becker
THE FIRST APOSTLE
THE MOSES STONE
THE MESSIAH SECRET
THE NOSFERATU SCROLL
ECHO OF THE REICH
THE LOST TESTAMENT
and published by Bantam Books
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First published in Great Britain in 2017 by Bantam
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Copyright © James Becker 2017
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