is Knight Templary?
The fourth, and last, of the
York Rite Bodies of Masonry, Commanderies of Knights Templar serves as the
crowning glory in completing the Christian Path towards Masonic Light. This
is the only recognized Masonic Body that has religious connotations, since
it is based on the Christian Religion and virtues. As a consequence, while
not all Masons will become Knight Templars, every
Christian Mason should to complete his Masonic journey. Today's Knight Templar is a
man dedicated to the living Christ, and the defense of the virtues contained
in the practices observed by all true Christians.
In the Commandery, there are
three 'degrees' or steps, which are called Orders. These are The Illustrious
Order of the Red Cross, The Mediterranean Pass and Order of Malta and The
Order of the Temple; after the Orders of Knighthood and
Chivalry as known in Europe before the reformation. Hence,
we are called Chivalric Masonry.
History of the Knights Templar
The Order was founded in Jerusalem in 1118 by Hughes de Payens
Geoffroy de St. Omer and seven other French knights.
It was consecrated to the protection of pilgrims and the defense of the Holy
Land. The founding knights took monastic vows and were known as "The
Poor Knights of Christ".
King Baldwin II, the French
King of Jerusalem (1118-1131) installed the Order in a
part of his Palace, on the site of Solomon's Temple, for
their residence, stables and armory, from which it took its name of Knights
of the Temple or Templars.
At the Council of Troyes in
1128 Pope Honorius II, who gave it the strict Rule dictated by St. Bernard,
a monk of the Cistercian Order who became the first Abbot of Clairvaux,
confirmed the Order. The Knights also received the white mantle as a symbol
of purity of their life, to which in 1146 Pope Eugenius
added the red Templar cross.
The Order's battle honors in
defense of the Holy Land were many. Following the fall
of Jerusalem in 1187 the Templars withdrew to Acre. They remained
at Acre with Grand Master William de Beaujue
until 1291 when the city was captured and he was killed. The surviving Templars,
with their new Grand Master, were the last to leave the city. The Order withdrew
to Limmasol, Cyprus and had its Headquarters at the Temple Monastery in Paris.
After many years of sacrifices
and rendering services to both Christianity and civilization, this very rich
and powerful Order excited the envy and greed of others. The principal malefactor
was Philippe le Bel, King of France, who was financially
indebted to the Order. In 1307 Philippe arrested all serving Templars in France
with the intention of sequestrating all the Order's possessions.
However, these were hidden in
a secret place and have never been found to this day. Not able to judge the
Order himself, (it was only answerable to the Pope) Philippe set about to
coerce the Pope to suppress the Order, but the Pope refused. Whereupon, the
king dismissed him and created his friend, the Bishop of Bordeaux, Pope Clement
V, who readily issued a Bull suppressing the Order in 1312. The Order then
reverted to its original status of a Secular Military Order of Chivalry.
Only in France were the Templars
treated with any severity, with Grand Master Jacques de Molay
and others burnt at the stake in March 1314 on an island in the Seine. In England,
Edward II (a patron) at first did not take any action against the Order, but
finally, he allowed the inquisitors to judge the Order at the Church of All Hallows By-the-Tower. Edward
then set about reclaiming English Templar lands and possessions including
the London Temple,
rather than passing them to the Hospitallers. After
Edward's actions The Templars sought refuge in Scotland where they were welcomed.
Prior to his martyrdom
in 1314 Grand Master Jacques de Molay invested Jean-Marc
Larmenius with his powers. Larmenius was unanimously recognized as the new Grand Master
following de Molay's death. He gathered together
the dispersed remnants of the Order and in 1324 gave the Order the Charter
of Transmission. This Charter is still one of the governing documents of the
The Order continued
in secret with an uninterrupted line of Grand Masters until 1705. In March
of that year a number of French nobles held a convention of Templars
at Versailles. They elected Philip,
Duke of Orleans, later Regent of France, as the Order's
41st Grand Master. Thus as Regent of France and Grand Master of the Temple
it provided an official renewal and legitimization of the Order of the Temple
as a Secular Military Order of Chivalry and also its right to resume the use
of "sovereign" in its title.
After the death of
the Duke of Orleans in 1723, three Princes of Bourbon were Grand Masters of
the Order until 1776. That year the Duke of Cosse
Brissac accepted the Grand Mastership and remained in office
until his execution during the French Revolution in 1782. Having foreseen
the coming events he passed on the Order's archives and the Charter of Transmission
to Radix de Chevillon. The Order survived the Revolution
and went through a period of prosperity in France during the early C19th
with many people of high office asking to be admitted.
Between 1818 and
1841 the Order expanded greatly with over 20 Convents in France and Priories set up in Great Britain, Germany,
Belgium and Switzerland. Legations were
also established in Sweden,
Brazil, India and in New York.
History of the Knights of Malta
The Sovereign Military and Hospitaller
Order of St John of Jerusalem, called of Rhodes, called of Malta (generally
known as the Order of Malta), came into existence between c. 1080 when
a hospital for pilgrims was established in Jerusalem near the Abbey of St
Mary of the Latins, and 1113, when the hospital,
its administrators and dependencies were recognized by the Pope as an Order
of the Church, dedicated to the care of the sick poor. Half a century after
its foundation it assumed military as well as Hospitaller
functions, and by 1200 it was playing a major role in the defense of the Christian
settlements in Palestine and Syria which had been set up
by the Crusaders. From its origins it was endowed on a massive scale in Western
Europe and it developed an international structure to manage these properties
for the benefit of its work in the East.
Driven from Palestine with
the rest of the Catholics in 1291, the Hospitallers
of St John took over the island of Rhodes, off the coast of Asia Minor, which became
their base for naval operations against Muslim shipping. They ruled the island
as a semi-independent state until 1522. They were then given the island
of Malta, which they held until 1798. During the
centuries of the Order's government of Rhodes and Malta it became recognized
as a sovereign power.
With the loss of Malta the order's military functions ceased, and
Hospitaller work again became its only duty. It
moved its headquarters to Rome in 1834. It is still regarded by many states (though not by all)
as a sovereign subject of international public law. The seat of the Grand
Magistracy in Rome, under the present
Grand Master, HMEH Fra´ Andrew Bertie, has the right
of extra-territoriality recognized by the Italian state.
The Commandery of Knights Templar
The Commandery orders represent a new direction of Masonic thought
and experience, in that they no longer refer to Ancient Craft Masonry, but
to ideals and practices of chivalry and Christianity. The first Commandery
order, the Illustrious Order of the Red Cross, presents the story of the Jewish
Prince, Zerubbabel, and his efforts to secure permission
of the Persian King Darius to rebuild the second temple at Jerusalem. The next order, Knight of Malta, is
a complete departure from Masonry based on the Old Testament and is the first
Christian order. Here, the candidate represents a knightly warrior of the
Crusades prior to his departure for the Holy Land. The last order is that of Knight Templar, the crowning glory
of the York Rite system. Again, in this totally Christian order, the candidate
represents a knightly postulant who desires to unite with a Commandery of
Knights Templar during the era of the Crusades. After several trials to test
his faith, courage, and humility, achieving his desire rewards him. Let us
consider these orders in more detail.
The Orders of Knighthood, the Commandery of Knights
Templar, are three in number. The Order of the Red Cross, The Order of Malta,
and The Order of the Temple. Each
of these portrays beautiful and impressive lessons and explains the Christian
interpretation of Freemasonry.
of the Red Cross
This order consists
of two sections: (1) Zerubbabel's (the candidate)
admission to the Jewish Council at Jerusalem, in which he is invested with
permission and authority to travel to Babylon and attempt to obtain leave
from King Darius to stop the enemies of the Jews from hindering their progress
in building the Temple, as well as to recover the holy vessels of the Temple
which were taken as booty to Babylon by King Nebuchadnezzar when he destroyed
the First Temple. Zerubbabel is also given a sword
to defend him; a sash to remind him of his cause; and a password to get him
by Jewish sentinels on his journey. Unfortunately, he is captured and made
prisoner upon reaching the domains of King Darius. (2) At the court of Darius,
Zerubbabel renews his earlier friendship with the
king, and is granted a position in the royal household. He then participates
in a friendly contest with other nobles of the realm regarding the question:
" Which is greater? The strength
of wine? The power of the king? Or the influence of woman?" Zerubbabel
contends for the latter, and adds an additional factor: The force of truth.
After delivering his declamation on women and concluding in favor of truth
above all, Zerubbabel is declared the winner of
the contest and is granted his desires by the king. To perpetuate the occasion,
Darius creates a new order, the Illustrious Order of the Red Cross, and after
an obligation, makes Zerubbabel its first member.
Next follow the signs, grips, and words as well as a historical lecture. The
body is called a Council. The cornerstone of this order is the all-important
attribute of truth, and the importance of keeping one's word. It foreshadows
the words of Jesus: "I am the Way, the TRUTH, and the Life."
This Order actually
consists of two: The Order of St. Paul, or the Mediterranean Pass, which is a preparatory
order, and the Order of Malta itself. The Order of Malta must be conferred
in either full or short form. The full form is quite elaborate and beautiful
but, alas, is not conferred by many Commanderies. The short form is but a
summary of the lessons taught in the full form, and this is what I will describe
here. The Order of St. Paul is based on the story of Paul's shipwreck on the
island of Melita (Malta). The candidate represents
a knight about to depart for the Crusades in the Holy Land. He receives sustenance, both spiritual and physical, to prepare
him for the ardors of his journey. The Order of Malta is a suitable preparation
for the Order of the Temple, in that
it provides the candidate with additional New Testament instruction, particularly
in the eight Beatitudes. The symbol of the order is the Maltese cross, symbolic
of the Beatitudes and the eight languages, which once were spoken by its members.
The candidate is created a Knight of Malta and invested with words and signs
specific to the Order. The body is called a Priory.
of the Temple
This Order begins
with the candidate, a Knight of Malta, who, after soul-searching reflection
and suitable answers to certain questions, seeks to unite with a Commandery
of Knights Templar. To test his faith, his directed to perform a certain number
of years of pilgrimage. Being full of zeal and wishing to accomplish more
useful deeds, he requests and is granted remission. He assumes a most solemn
obligation, and then is obligated to a certain number of years of knightly
warfare, as a test of his courage and constancy. Having satisfactorily performed
these, he is admitted to the Asylum of the Knights Templar, where he is a
participant in certain memorial exercises to KS, HKofT,
GMHA, and Simon of Cyrene. Accompanying these exercises is a reading of New
Testament scripture and an inspirational slide presentation. He is then required
to perform a time of penance in token of his humility. Following this, he
seals his membership in the Order in the most solemn, impressive and binding
manner, and is duly dubbed a member of the Valiant and Magnanimous Order of
the Temple. Again, he receives certain
signs, grips, and words, as well as an explanation of the important accoutrements
of Templary, the Grand Standard, Baldric, Beauceant,
Sword, and Spur. The body is called a Commandery. The relevance of this sublime
Order to the Christian Mason can scarcely be overstressed. It provides a vivid
connection between the Craft and Christianity. Especially relevant and meaningful
is the address given by the Prelate during the course of the ceremonies.
A Knight Templar
Commandery has 12 officers, in order of rank: Eminent Commander, Generalissimo,
Captain General, Recorder, Treasurer, Prelate, Sr. Warden, Jr. Warden, Standard
Bearer, Sword Bearer, Warder, and Sentinel. Some jurisdictions also have a
Marshal. Members are styled "Sir Knight". At least 9 Knights must
be present to open a Commandery. Commanderies usually meet monthly. The state
governing body is the Grand Commandery. The national body, to which Grand
Commanderies must belong, is the Grand Encampment of Knights Templar of the
United States of America.