Frankenstein & Other Man-Made Monsters by Bob Curran

Author:Bob Curran
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc

The Templars

Foremost among such orders were the Templars. Formed in the Holy Land in 1119, just after the end of the First Crusade, by the French knight Huges de Paynes and his cousin Geoffrey Saint-Omer, this military monastic order was specifically brought into being to protect pilgrims on their way to the newly accessible Christian shrines. The Crusader King of Jerusalem, Baldwin II, granted the order the newly captured Al-Aqsa Mosque, part of the Temple Mount, as their headquarters. This temple was supposedly built on an even older one—said to be the Temple of Solomon. Although the order originally called itself The Poor Fellow Soldiers of Christ, they soon added “and of the Temple of Solomon” to their title. Buried in such a location were said to be a number of mystical and magical artifacts and documents, and the order is supposed to have uncovered at least some of these. This gave them something of a mystical and even sinister reputation among other orders, especially when the Templars began to rise in favor with Church authorities, including the pope. Many of the stories about them, therefore, may be no more than rumor spitefully circulated by other orders of monks. But there is no doubt that the Templars did indeed advance in ecclesiastical circles. Their protection of their rites and rituals, many of which were held in secret, only added to suspicions about them. It was rumored that the Templars had found certain scrolls in the ruins of Solomon’s Temple, which were supposedly written by a legendary but mystical figure named Melchezidek. Melchezidek had been the patriarch Abraham’s teacher in Ur of the Chaldees. The Chaldees were said to be great sorcerers and wonderworkers, and are mentioned early in Genesis 14:18–20; however, Melchezidek is described as the priest-king of Salem, which is an ancient name for Jerusalem (Yeru-Salem). He was also supposedly born of a virgin, who died during childbirth and was the sister-in-law of Noah. He was also supposedly a survivor of the Great Flood. These texts had been preserved by Solomon, together with a sect of Hebrew priests, and contained many mystical and alchemical formulae, including guidance on the creation of life. The Templar Order was later accused of creating homunculi in several of its monastic houses across Europe during the 13th and early 14th centuries. Such creatures, it was said, were actually worshipped by the order. There seems to be little evidence of this allegation that the Templars practiced witchcraft. The order became heavily involved in finance—together with the protection of valuables of those who were on pilgrimage—and initially began and developed one of the earliest forms of banking in Europe. Many of the European monarchs were in debt to them—the Templars may have covertly financed many of the European conflicts of the time—and might have been glad to see the order collapse and their fiscal obligations with it. However, the order enjoyed a great deal of papal patronage. In 1128, for example, Pope Honorius II granted them

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