Templar Heretics?

By FRANCES D'EMILIO, Associated Press Writer Fri Oct 12, 7:53 PM ET
VATICAN CITY - It's not the Holy Grail, but for fans of "The Da Vinci Code" and its tantalizing story line about the Knights Templar, it could be the next best thing.

Ignored for centuries, documents about the heresy trial of the ancient Christian order discovered in the Vatican's secret archives are being published in a limited edition — with an $8,377 price tag.

They include a 14th-century parchment showing that Pope Clement V initially absolved the Templar leaders of heresy, though he did find them guilty of immorality and planned to reform the order, according to the Vatican archives Web site.

But pressured by King Philip IV of France, Clement later reversed his decision and suppressed the order in 1312.

Who were these noble knights of the Rosy Cross? How vast was their influence? Did it become a conspiracy or something else? Whatever they were, theirs is one of the most fascinating legends in Western history.

We have even inherited the superstition of Friday the 13th through them. That was the day their leader, Jacque Demolay, was put to death in 1312 by a coalition of the Pope and the French King.

My version of the story of the Knights of Solomon's Temple is basically that they were instrumental and revered warriors of the Crusades, who actually, at one time, had occupied the storied Temple Mount, today occupied by the Dome of the Rock, a sure symbol of Islamic victory. It had been one cause of the Crusades to secure the holy mount for the church.

The irony is that these church warriors were later closed down by the church-state itself. The question is, where did those go who escaped the purge? There is little doubt they had to go underground to survive; and it is logical that they would have at least influenced the rising secret societies in Europe. It is also likely that those societies had a marked influence on the revolutions and development of democratic systems that signalled the end of the church-state. It all has the smell of revenge to it.

Now this intriguing piece of history has become popular; and the question of the Templars is receiving public scrutiny. Freemasons and Catholics alike are ferreting for the truth. For instance, the idea is out there that the Shroud of Turin was actually the burial shroud of deMolay, not Christ. And there are the legends of the Grail, and the Merovingian kings, that all seem to commence with the mystery of the Templars. Were they the early entrepreneurs of modern banking? Did they smuggle occult ideas into Europe? Were they toying with ideas of revolution?

The DaVinci Code popularized Templar obsession. Indeed, these boys did generate a great deal of enigma. Many of The Code's ideas have been debunked and Templar history has been defanged: and now it appears the Catholic Church is seeking some exoneration. Still, the mystery is not likely to go away.

Also, the Temple Mount is linked in the minds of many Christian scholars with Bible prophecy. That very mount is still the focus of Middle East tensions today, as Jerusalem becomes again a "cup of trembling" for the world. Did the Knights once possess the Ark of the Covenant? Mysteries abound, still.