Customer Reviews

The Knights Templar and Their Myth

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This book is not for anyone hoping to keep delusions about the Templar Knights. It does in places draw conclusions that are non-sequitur, but the history presented is factual according to reliable sources. As the author points out, it is possible that some of the crimes and 'heresies' attributed to the Templars could have been performed by some Templars, but it is unlikely that all of them performed the described rituals. The purported worship of 'Baphomet', for example, was probably created under the duress of torture. 'Baphomet' is the French word for Mohamad at the time, and the various descriptions given seem to be people searching for a way to stop being tortured. Did the Templars hold onto holy objects like the Ark of the Covenant, the Shroud of Turin, or the Holy Grail? These are questions that are not addressed in this book, except with an enduring scepticism. However, the author does leave room for possibilities. As a historically accurate depiction, it should preclude any such searches as a basis for knowledge. It is an interesting and factual look, with a fascinating plot.

Peter Partner's 'The Murdered Magicians: The Knights Templar and Their Myth' is a book no serious student of the Medieval crusading order of the Poor Knights of the Temple of Solomon should be without. For anyone whose knowledge of the Templars comes from the nonsense written by Baigent and Leigh in 'Holy Blood, Holy Grail' Partner's book is a must-read-but only if they are interested in historical fact and not the fantasies of the type offered under the guise of scholarship by popular authors like Baigent and Leigh.

The first part of the book deals with actual Templar history; the second half deals with the subsequent myths which developed around them. Partner does a good job of documenting how nineteenth century Masonic Lodges appropriated the Templar story in order to legitimize and provide an ancient pedigree for the Craft.

This is a very good little book requiring a great deal of rather obscure background knowledge to appreciate. The first half deals with the Knights Templar, from their conception in the aftermath of the first crusade to their utter destruction by inquisition after the loss of the final crusade two centuries later. The rest of the book explores how a strange mythology has grown around that extinct brotherhood; specifically how the rumors of hidden templar wealth and posession of secret knowledge has been integrated into the myth of Freemasonry.

To enjoy this book a substantial amount of background information is required. A somewhat throrough knowledge of the Crusades is reccomended; specifically Steven Runcimans Crusade Trilogy. The last half of the book would seem like a terribly confusing study in name dropping without some basic understanding of the Bavarian Illuminati, Freemasonry, or conspiracy theories in general. The paranoid diatribes of Robert Anton Wilson in his various Illuminatis Novels provide a nice foundation for this book to contrast against. Ironically, since these two schools of knowlege do not normally come together, this is a book written for an exceptionally small audience. It makes a facinating aside to students of the crusades, and an interesting counterpoint to the study of paranoid conspiracies.

Overall this is a very good book. Illustrating the most unlikely of Crusader legacies; the book should be read by those who enjoyed Runcimans work, but were dissapointed by his historical dead end conclusions regarding that bloody peiod in medieval history. It does loose a great deal of focus in the last few chapters, and with some more time devoted to fleshing out the authors argument it would have scored much higher than three stars. Unfortunately the reccomended background reading comprises roughly twenty three hundred pages of written material. I would very much enjoy a more detailed study of this subject matter.

I agree with the reader of 13 July 1998. The book, content and style are interesting at the start; the author is good on the history of the Knights Templars and clear about separating fact from fiction or myth, with evidence rather opinion. However, the reader does need a good grounding in the general history of the period, including the various religious faiths and heresies to make full use of the book. A chronological table of events and a glossary of terms and/or people would have been useful, especially for the second half of the book. The author is interesting on the growth of Freemasonry in the seventeenth century but by the end of the book he degenerates almost into lists of 'people who' without really describing who they were or their relevance. The author seems to lose sight of his argument and gallop to the finish. Hard going for the last three chapters but worth reading for the first half and I would recomend it for that alone.

Taking a critical look at the slow and saddening destruction of the Templars, Partner removes the veil of superstition and occultism that has surrounded this knightly order for decades. It is a refreshing look at a disconcerting trend - the acceptance of history written by the winners. Too many New Age references casually mention Templars as having secret knowledge, and too many fundamentalists point to the Templars (and Masons, who have their roots in the Knights Templar) as signs of occult influence. The answer would not please either side: The Knights Templar were an ostracized group of warriors who were treated in a similar fashion to Vietnam veterans - losing a war is bad for business, and in the Templars' case, fatal.

This is a great book offering new insights into the evolution of the Templar mythos; however, it requires a fairly thorough understanding of the history of the time period. Partner frequently names people and events without providing sufficient background. I also wish he had been a bit more thorough in the second part of the book. That said, it's worth reading as he does provide views and evidence that won't be found in another single source.

Read this book and you might find out. The first part, dealing with the rise and fall of the Knights Templar, is fairly standard. The second part, however, dealing with the stories and myths later associated with the Templars, is outstanding. Partner porvides a detailed look at how many post-medieval and modern groups came to appropriate the Templar heritage as their own. Several "legitimate" claims are disposed of through Partner's careful detective work.

This book purports to be a "factual" exploration of the Knight Templars. It is not. This author is very biased. He began witha particular viewpoint. He chooses to ignore the historical facts about where Templars who survived their betrayal/inquisition gathered (Spain, Scotland, England, Switzerland) although he admits relatively few were actually arrested in France. He gives great credence to Catholic criticisms of the order, yet the Pope and King of France were the ones who broke their oaths, proclamations, promises and pledges. The author is sarcastic and dismissive toward original sources of that era which defend the Order, and is even harsher on the speculative defenders of later years. He shows very little knowledge of the founding of the Knight Templars(there were meetings well before the official founding date, and this author is totally ignorant about them) and their connections to Godfroi and Baldwin. The Knights' early military successes are ignored. Yet, the author blames them for all problems in the Holy Land. (I suggest one read about how the Byzantines led the Crusader reinforcemtns to their deaths after the First Crusade. This is what doomed Outremer.) In short, this book is a warped, biased view which ignores or dismisses the facts when they don't fit the author's personal feelings.

I agree with aspects of the other reviews, that the book is largely factual, but also part editorial. The first half of the book, briefly documenting the history of the Knights Templar and their demise, is pretty good. The early part of the second half, documenting the curious history of the "Masonic Templar" organizations and societies, is also informative and at times even comical. But after that, the latent ridicule the author has directed at esotericism throughout comes through undiluted, and can be summed up with such obvious intellectual elitism as "But the sad fact is that most societies are pervaded at some levels by superstitious and occult beliefs for most of the time, and a generalized concern about the bad effects of these beliefs get us nowhere" (178). I'm not sure why occult beliefs should be considered a "sad fact" of "most societies", nor what exactly their "bad effects" have been, but to have stumbled across that statement on the third-to-last page of the book removed from my mind any doubt about the author's lack of sincere academic motive. I'm fine with a sincere interpretation of the facts, but blatently unsupported personal opinion is a little much from a book that proports to be a "systematic examination" of the facts.

A responsible, serious, historical examination of the Knights Templar and the myths that arouse from their destruction and disappearance. He treats all masonic claims of Templar origin as fanciful at best and intellectually dishonest at worst.

While more academically responsible than those that try to prove the Templar origins of the Craft which inevitably and invariably stretch the meaning of good evidence to cover gaps in documentation, Partner may be too timid about accepting the wealth of evidence suggesting that order's influence on the development of Freemasonry.