Customer Reviews

The Temple and the Lodge

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

When I bought THE TEMPLE AND THE LODGE I thought I would read about the Templars and the Masonic order and I did. However, I did not know I would discover so much of interest about US history. Baigent and Leigh provide a great amount of information about the origins, experiences and demise of the Knights Templar including their battles in the Holy Land and the persecution and destruction of their order by King Phillip of France. The authors also provide a cogent argument for the involvement of the remnants of the Templar order in the battle of Bannockburn which freed the Scots from England. And, Baigent and Leigh discuss the rise of the Freemasons and their connections to the White-Robed Knights.

However, one of the more interesting parts of this book is the story of the founding of the US (shift from British colony to Republic) which took place under the guidance of Freemasons such as George Washington and Benjamin Franklin. Was the Revolution a Masonic plot? Baigent thinks not, but he does point to British officers and their men who were Masons (Howe, Cornwallis, etc) who might not have put their hearts and souls into a fight with fellow American Freemasons. He also notes Freemasons came from all over Europe to assist the colonists-France (Lafayette), Germany (von Steuben), Poland (Pulaski), etc.

Baigent points out quite correctly that the ideas of European thinkers such as Locke, Hume, Adam Smith, and the French philosophers are incorporated in the Constitution. He also suggests that most of these thinkers were Freemasons or men who moved in Masonic circles. Masonic notions such as the "separation of church and state" are at the heart of the Constitution. "In God We Trust" (found on the one dollar bill) was not the motto of the men who drafted the Constitution. Their motto was "Novus Ordo Seclorum" (also found on the one dollar bill above the pyramid-a symbol of Freemasonry). Novus Ordo Seculorum refers to the "new secular order" the founders thought they were establishing. They recognized the tyranny of religion and wanted it kept arms length from the public arena. Novus Ordo Seculorum was pushed aside in the 20th century-may it be restored in the 21st.

Readers who found Foucault's Pendulum intriguing will probably be surprised by this non-fiction account of the history of the Templars and early Freemasonry. Many of the characters are the same as those found in the novel, but any expectation that the facts are less bizarre than fiction will meet with disappointment.

Friday, October 13, 1307, Phillip IV of France ordered the immediate and surprise arrest of all the Knights Templar in France. His captive Pope, Clement V, subsequently excommunicated them all and dissolved the order. The Grand Master, Jacques de Molay, was roasted alive over a slow fire by the Inquisition. The last Crusade was over, the Holy Land was lost and the Templars, the best fighting force in Post-Crusades Europe were no longer needed. An international Order of warrior monks, the Templars were too powerful, too wealthy and too unpredictable in their future allegiances for Phillip to tolerate.

Evidently, the French contingent of the Knights Templar was forewarned. Most escaped France to places unknown on 18 sailing vessels, carrying with them the vast Templar treasure. Leigh and Baigent surmise through exhaustive research that the Templar destination was Scotland, where they secretly carried the order through several violent centuries of intrigue. The authors argue convincingly that Templar intervention was responsible for the victory by Robert Bruce over English forces at Bannockburn on June 24, 1314. Their descendants gradually evolved, these authors suggest, the organization that became Freemasonry.

March 20, 1737, Andrew Michael Ramsey, member of the English Royal Society, Rosicrucian and Freemason, delivered a public address (concerning Freemasons and Templars) in France, which stated, in part, "This sacred promise was therefore not an execrable oath, as it has been called, but a respectable bond to unite Christians of all nationalities in one cofraternity."

Police in Holland and Sweden had already acted against Freemasons. Within a few days of Ramsey's oration the French police followed suit. April 24, 1738, Pope Clement XII issued a Papal Bull "En enimenti apostolatus specula', forbidding all Catholics to become Freemasons under threat of excommunication. Two years later, in the Papal States, membership in a lodge was punishable by death.

The long, winding trail through the centuries with these authors in the facts leading monarchs and church authorities to damn members of the organization to which such notables as George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Sam Houston and countless others is well worth the reading. Baigent and Leigh have done a great job of research and writing.

As a Master Mason I find books such as these to be, more often than not, complete fiction. This one has just enough historical truth in it to keep you reading. I feel that the authors focused on Scotland a bit much, but there were some interesting data that I was unaware of.

Baigent and Leigh have a bit of a reputation for jazzing up history to make it more interesting... OK, that was putting it very nicely. I do not believe that they made up any of the facts, but the conclusions they sometimes draw could use a little help. I'd recommend this book to anyone that is mildly interested in either Freemasonry or the Knights Templar. "Born in Blood" is slightly more scholarly, if you wish to step up a notch. Not saying either are 100% true, but what is? The "official" history of Masonry is based partially on speculation also, Baigent and Leigh just have a more exciting speculation...

"This book is not an expose. It does not adress itself to the role or the activities, real or imagined, of Freemasonry in contemporary society; it does not attempt to investigate allegations of conspiracy or corruption. Neither, of course, is it an apology for Freemasonry. We are not Freemasons ourselves, and we have no vested interest in exculpating the institution from the charges leveled against it. Our orientation has been wholly historical. We have endeavored to track down the antecedents of Freemasonry, to establish its true origins, to chart its evolution and development, to assess its influence on British and American culture during its own formative years...

"...At the same time, it must be acknowledged that Freemasonry itself has done little to improve its own image in the public eye. Indeed, by its obsessive secrecy and its stubborn defensiveness, it has only reinforced the conviction that it has something to hide. How little it does in fact have to hide will become apparent in the course of this book. If anything, it has more to be proud of than it does to conceal."

Introduction, THE TEMPLE AND THE LODGE; Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh

I haven't read Baigent and Leigh most famous book, HOLY BLOOD, HOLY GRAIL, which put them on the map with alternative historical perspectives regarding religion, secrecy and culture, but now I want to. This book, THE TEMPLE AND THE LODGE, makes clear in its erudition and almost ideally objective/journalistic approach that, unlike the general statement made by the writer of the book HOW THE IRISH SAVED CIVILIZATION, a select few men who formed an ancient society centuries ago that evolved and metamorphose into what we now know as Freemasonry have both developed and cultivated their organization into being the spine of Western Civilization after Christ itself. It is magnificent in that their approach is so historically innovative and nearly all-encompassing, in regards to the cultural scene of the time periods in question, and its strange bedfellows/dance with Catholicism and Protestantism over several hundred years. It is embarrassing to think that the average educated person can rip off a dozen or so names of great historical figures in many disciplines who were either Masons or a part of a similiar and related organization (Isaac Newton, George Washington, Ben Franklin, Claude Debussy, Duke Ellington to name a very small few), and yet we do not even consider what the ramifications of such a fact are to our view of history and culture. And, how culture itself as we know it was actually shaped--regardless of what we were told.

The section on the American Revolutionary War, elucidated in such a way as to make clear it was 18th Century England's Vietnam and a hotbed of Masonic activity simultaneously (if not definitively), makes it worth the price of admission all by itself. But the significance, grandeur and antiquity they lend to our perception of the Masons via the connection with the mythical Nights Templar in Scotland after the 12th century is something that must be read to be fully appreciated.

An excellent and important work of history and culture that quietly revels in what it reveals. I enjoyed it very much.

You need to read 2 previous books : "The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail" and "The Messianic Legacy" from the authors to have a complete picture. Profound research, but written in a journalistic style, creating a "non-stop" reading book for those intersted in the subject. I feel a small lack of bibliography and secure references, for those as me, who seek more information. I strongly recomend

Unfortunately these authors set such a high standard from their previous books that it was inevitable that they should fall a little short with this delivery. Essential reading though it still remains, if you are interested in Masonic History, I found it a little dissappointing. A book that blends ALL this information, is the truly inspiring "THE Autobiography of Jesus of Nazareth and the Missing Years " by Richard G. Patton. Patton appears to have taken all the work that Baigent and Leigh have done and then set it around the real human being that was Jesus. Where Baigent and Leigh leave you thirsting for the prime motivator of all this information, Patton convincingly supplies the figure around whom all this controversy first started. This book is drier than their previous works, but essential reading if you want the full picture of that time.

This is a well written, highly readable book. Those who are interested in either the Knights Templer, the Medeival era, or Masonry will find something to enjoy. Like most books on the orgins of Masonry, what you believe is open to debate. The authors paint a fairly convincing portrait in defense of their theory, but even if you do not entirely concur with their conclusion it is still pleasant to spend an afternoon listening to their arguments. If you are new to reading about this subject, though, I would recommend Born In Blood by John J. Robinson first. It is far and away the best on the subject.

In "Holy Blood, Holy Grail," Baigent and Leigh connected the secret of the Holy Grail with Freemasonry. In this book, they follow-up on that connection by taking a closer look at how the Freemasons were formed, and why. The funny thing is, there's no way you'll know if this is all made-up or real. Almost every isolated fact in the book is undisputed, but the connections between those facts are disregarded as conspiracy theories. For example, they connect the persecution of the Templars with Robert the Bruce in Scotland. There is *some* connection, but how meaningful is it?

As you read this book, you'll either lose your patience with the authors' ability to turn small connections into secret plots, or you'll see a lot of truth in their research. Americans will love the final chapters, in which the authors present an alternative history of the Revolution of 1776 as a rivalry between Masons. Is that really what happened? Probably not, but it's an interesting idea. In the end, this book is little more than a way to make more money from the people who enjoyed "Holy Blood, Holy Grail," but it's easy to read and gives you a lot to think about.

Baigent and Leigh create an interesting work here. Little did I know the involvement of Jacque de Molay, or the Knights Templar (historically) on modern day Freemasonry. This book is unlike the others that attempt to trace an absolute origin of Freemasonry; Baigent and Leigh simply offer ample suggestions with strong evidences behind its possible origin, and even throw in, although probably unkowingly, some political psychology in their thesis. This is a great book for the history buff.

The title would make you assume that the authors would link the Knight's Templar to Freemasonry. At times, there is a tenuous connection at best. The authors never seem to come to a solid conclusion based on their thesis. The last chapter itself is dedicated to Freemasonry in America, with absolutely no connections to the theme of their book. It was as if they said, we don't have enough pages let's through in a completely unconnected chapter. If you are looking for a book that does a good job of tying to the fraternity to the Knights Templar, try Born in Blood by John J. Robinson, a much better and well thought out book