Who Were the Knights Templar?

Heresies that Rocked the Papacy

Aug 14, 2009 Marilynn Hughes

St.Thomas of Aquinas defines heresy in his Summa Theologica.

The tragic story of the Knights Templar began on the date of their instigation in 1118 and ended horrifically in 1314 when King Philip I of France had the remaining leaders of the Knights Templar burned at the stake under charges of heresy.

What Was the Original Purpose of the Knights Templar?

The Knights Templar have been laid down in legend after legend over history, but their initial purpose was simply to serve as a group of European knights who would protect and defend the Christian community in Palestine after the Muslims had taken over Jerusalem.

Two knights are known to have been responsible for the bringing together of the order, Hughes de Payn and Godefroi de St. Omer. After the first crusade, these two men organized a second wave of crusaders to go the Holy Land. Becoming a brand of fighting monks, it wasn’t long before the church began making offers of salvation to those who would join in the crusades.

It was Hughes de Payn who was able to obtain the support of St.Bernard of Clairvaux and it was St. Bernard who got the church firmly behind the Knights Templar.

What the Knights Templar Became

The Knights Templar actually became a very isolated order with a lot of myth and secrecy surrounding them. Tales of strange rituals remained popular then and today.

But the bottom line was that the Templars were offered indulgences to take upon themselves all the major crusades against the Muslim invaders in Jerusalem. The Knights Templar were eventually utilized to wipe out other heretical groups that became a problem for the Church, like the Cathars.

When they were unable to take back the holy land and when other crusades failed, they became weaker in the eyes of the people and the Church.

Over time, the Knights Templar formed what may very well have become the first banking system. Since they became very rich and many powerful people owed them money, this banking system became problematic for the Knights Templar, as powerful individuals took action against the group rather than pay their debts.

One instance of this involves the French king, who, rather than finding a way to pay his final debts to the Templars, declared them heretics and had their leaders burned at the stake. The Pope supported this action and was present at the execution.

At the time of Jacques de Molay’s execution, he predicted that both the French King and the Pope would stand before God for their trials within one year. And indeed, both of men died within that same year.

Heresy According to the Early Church Fathers

The early Church fathers could never have predicted how true their statements regarding heresy would be in the 13th century when they wrote these words: “They therefore form opinions on what is beyond the limits of understanding. For this cause also the apostle says, ‘ Be not wise beyond it is fitting to be wise, but be wise prudently," according to (Irenaeus) A Dictionary of Early Christian Beliefs: A Reference Guide to More than 700 Topics Discussed by the Early Church Fathers.

Other heresies of the time included Jovinianism and the Lollards.

Sources:

• Encyclopedia of Heresies and Heretics, by Charles S. Clifton.
• A Catholic Dictionary, by William E. Addis and Thomas Arnold, M.A.
• Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma, by Dr. Ludwig Ott.
• A Short History of Christian Doctrine: From the First Century to the Present, by Bernhard Lohse.
• The Church in Crisis: A History of the General Councils, 325 - 1870, by Philip Hughes.
• A Dictionary of Early Christian Beliefs: A Reference Guide to More than 700 Topics Discussed by the Early Church Fathers, Edited by David W. Bercot.

The copyright of the article Who Were the Knights Templar? in Catholicism is owned by Marilynn Hughes. Permission to republish Who Were the Knights Templar? in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Encyclopedia of Heresies and Heretics