The Knights Templar

The Knights Templar, formally known as the Poor Fellow Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon, constituted one of the most formidable and influential military religious orders of the medieval era. They were established in the 12th century and played a pivotal role in the Crusades, becoming a significant force in both military and financial spheres across Europe and the Middle East.

Origins and Foundation 

The genesis of the Knights Templar can be traced to the aftermath of the First Crusade, which saw the recapture of Jerusalem. In 1115, Hugh de Payns arrived in Syria and, by 1118, had become the protector of pilgrims traversing the perilous routes from Europe to the Middle East.

With seven other knights, he founded the Templars, a new order subsidised by Baldwin I, the Christian King of Jerusalem. Their headquarters were established at the al-Aqsa Mosque, which was believed to be the Temple of Solomon, hence their name.

The true moment of the military brethren's formation occurred with the involvement of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, a Cistercian monk. Bernard, considered the great moral force of his day, recognised the potential of Hugh de Payns's vision to unite the conflicting vocations of chivalry and the cloister. He thought of the new brethren as military Cistercians and heavily influenced their constitution, which survived from the 13th century.

The Templars wore a distinctive white hooded habit in the cloister, similar to Cistercian choir monks, which was replaced by a cloak for active service. Their simple attire and weaponry, devoid of gold or silver, mirrored Cistercian austerity. An emphasis on silence, even to the extent of using signs, was adopted, which is believed to be the origin of Masonic hand signs. They were forbidden from kissing even their own mothers or sisters.

The Templars, along with the Hospitalers (Knights of Malta) and the Teutonic Knights, were the three great military orders of their time, though Spanish orders like Santiago and Calatrava were also significant.

They were the first properly disciplined and officered troops in the West since Roman times, designed to provide the Church with stormtroopers for the Crusades. Their mission was to protect pilgrimage routes, which evolved into fighting and reconquering the Holy Land.

Military Role and Campaigns 

The Templars were renowned as monks of war, noblemen vowed to poverty, chastity, and obedience, living a monastic life in convents that functioned as barracks.

They waged relentless war on the enemies of the cross, believing that killing for Christ was malicide not homicide, and that death in battle constituted martyrdom, a path taken by approximately 20,000 Templars over two centuries.

Their influence extended across many lands and seas. They were crucial in defending Jerusalem, which was then part of Outremer, an all-encompassing term for the four Crusader states in the Middle East. They inspired their brethren to fight and pray, their great cloaks providing camouflage in the cold climates of Northern Europe.

The Templars and their fellow orders faced formidable adversaries. The Teutonic Knights, for instance, engaged in a holy war in northern Europe against pagans in areas now known as Ukraine, Lithuania, and Germany.

These pagans practised human sacrifice, worshipped idols in sacred groves, and were known for their brutal torture methods, such as placing victims in cleft tree trunks, lashing them to horses over fires, or roasting them alive in their armour. The Teutonic Knights themselves were responsible for the creation of the state of Prussia through thorough colonisation and the conquest of the heathen Baltic race.

The Templars were highly respected and feared by their enemies, including the formidable Muslim leader Saladin. They once routed Saladin's forces, forcing him to flee into the Sinai Desert. They also terrified the Saracens with their combat prowess. King Edward I of England, later applied Syrian military methods, such as sea-to-land assaults and castle administration points, to conquer Wales.

Wealth, Banking, and Intelligence 

Beyond their military might, the Knights Templar amassed immense wealth, owning over 9,000 estates across southern and western Europe.

They became the driving force behind much of the innovation during the Middle Ages, incorporating synergy between the Middle Eastern world of Islam and the West. They established the foundational system of European and, subsequently, global banking.

Their preceptories functioned as the safest banks available, and Templar bills of exchange were accepted universally, allowing them to amass more wealth through financial activities rather than just landed property. They were a powerful corporation responsible for the mercantile system and trade.

The Templars also cultivated a massive proto-spy network, extending across their hundreds of priories and castles throughout the Holy Land, the Middle East, and all of Europe, including the British Isles and Ireland. This intelligence network was so extensive that European royalty relied upon it.

Accusations and Downfall 

The Knights Templar's immense power and wealth ultimately led to their downfall. In the early 14th century, King Philip IV of France, driven by avarice, sought to confiscate their vast possessions. Philip had borrowed large sums from the Templars, including a dowry for his daughter, Isabella. He harboured ambitions for France to replace the Holy Roman Empire, requiring a subservient papacy and money.

On Thursday, 12 October 1307, which became known as Friday the 13th, Philip's troops carried out a coordinated arrest of Templars across Europe. The Templars, including their last Grand Master, Jacques de Molay, were arrested en masse.

The decision to destroy the order is believed to have been made by Philip's chancellor, Guillaume de Nogaret, a lawyer whose parents had been executed as Albigensian heretics. Nogaret is suspected of having orchestrated the Templar's destruction, potentially driven by his intimate knowledge of heretical rituals and a desire to supplant the order.

The Templars faced a French Inquisition, staffed by Dominicans, who were adept at extracting confessions through brutal torture. Accusations against the Templars included:

• Denial of Christ
• Idol worship
• Spitting on the crucifix
• Homosexuality and "unnatural vices"

Torture methods employed were horrific, including thumb screws, the boot, the rack (to dislocate limbs), being spread-eagled and crushed by lead weights, waterboarding, burning of the feet, hammering wedges under fingernails, and wrenching out teeth.

Although hardened soldiers, they were broken not by the physical torment itself, but by the psychological warfare of being tortured by fellow Christians. Many confessed under duress, with 123 out of 138 examined confessing to the least nauseating charges, but these confessions were often later recanted.

Jacques de Molay, humiliated by a charge of Homosexuality, furiously denied it. Before his execution, burned alive over a slow fire, he declared the order innocent, stating that his confessions were lies made to save himself from torture. He refused to confess to "foul crimes which have never been committed," asserting that "life is not worth having" at the price of infamy.

After their destruction, the Templars' wealth was confiscated and absorbed by Philip IV and other royal figures across Europe. However, some groups, such as the Teutonic Knights, refused to acknowledge Clement V's authority, even offering trial by combat to refute the charges. Robert the Bruce never legally ratified the Scottish Temple's dissolution.

Rituals and the Icon of Baphomet 

A central accusation against the Templars was the worship of s Baphomet. Joseph Von Hammer-Purgstall, a Viennese orientalist, posited that Baphomet was a secret Ophite Gnostic initiation ritual.

He identified images of Baphomet in various museums as hermaphroditic figures, often with two heads or faces, a beard, serpents, the Sun and Moon, and Arabic inscriptions. These were believed to represent Sophia, depicted as half-man, half-woman, symbolising wisdom and "unnatural voluptuousness and the principle of sensuality". These small figures were allegedly carried by Templars in their coffers.

The Templars were accused of participating in various rituals associated with Baphomet, consistent with practices of other Gnostic sects, such as the Borborites and Ophites. These rituals included:

• Urinating and spitting on the cross during initiation
• Various forms of male sodomy
• Kissing the Master's penis
• Cross-dressing, with remains of Templars found buried in women's dresses
• Mock ritual resurrection, a practice still symbolically present in Freemasonry

The Ophites, for example, venerated serpents, kissing them and having snakes lick Eucharistic bread during their rituals. A Templar grave in Germany was found to contain an Ophite talisman seal. Some scholars argue that the Templars encountered these Gnostic practices during their Crusades in the Holy Land.

The iconic imagery of Baphomet, as widely recognised today, was largely developed by Éliphas Lévi in 1856. Lévi's depiction, known as the Sabbatic Goat, embodies the bringing together of opposites:

Legacy and Modern Interpretations

The traditions of the Templars are believed to have survived through their movement to Scotland after the Inquisition, leading to the development of Scottish Freemasonry, which claims a direct lineage not only from the Templars but also from the Eleusinian Mysteries.

Albert Pike and P.D. Newman's works are cited as sources connecting the Templars, Baphomet, and Freemasonry. Roslin Chapel in Scotland is said to have direct connections to Crusading Templar knights and is replete with Masonic and Templar symbolism, with carvings believed to represent psychedelic mushrooms.

Baphomet has become an iconic symbol of modern Satanism, particularly the Church of Satan, which, while claiming to be atheistic, uses Baphomet as an emblem to represent the separation of church and state. The Satanic Temple has actively sought to erect Baphomet statues on government properties where Ten Commandments monuments stand, arguing for religious pluralism and freedom. The figure has also permeated popular culture, appearing in video games, music, and television.

The modern association of Baphomet is tied to the concept of Satan or Lucifer as a Promethean figure, a true bringer of light and liberator, leading to the veneration of oneself as God. This is seen as a form of demonic possession, where individuals pursuing wealth, fame, or power through magical rituals exchange their souls, thereby submitting to the "Baphomet Universal God". This has contributed to the Feminisation of the masculine and an inversion of the Christian worldview.

In summary, the Knights Templar, originating as warrior monks protecting pilgrims, evolved into an immensely wealthy and influential order. Their downfall was precipitated by political and financial motives, leading to accusations of heresy and perverted rituals, including the worship of Baphomet. While some argue these accusations were false, made by accusers engaged in similar practices, the Templars' alleged connection to Gnostic traditions and the symbol of Baphomet has persisted, influencing secret societies and modern cultural movements that challenge traditional boundaries and established morality.