Forbidden Worship: The Templars, the Mandaeans and Gnosticism
In 1307, one of medieval Europe's most powerful military organizations faced sudden, devastating accusations: the Knights Templar were said to worship a severed, mummified head and perform rituals that defied the very faith they had sworn to protect. But where did these allegations come from? Were they evidence of genuine heresy lurking within the order's ranks, or a convenient excuse to destroy a rival power too wealthy and influential for any king to tolerate?
Stories started to come out about the strange practices hidden at the heart of the order in Jerusalem. They were accused of worshipping the mummified severed head, supposedly of John the Baptist. Described in vague terms: it was the fount of wisdom, it was forbidden, it was terrible.
If the stories were well founded, where did this group of Templars get these ideas? Who taught them these hidden, occult practices and what secret treasures did they have?
This is the story of an organization born from holy crusade that may have discovered something far stranger in the sands of the Holy Land - and the catastrophic consequences that followed.
The Templars
The Knights Templar started out in the same way as almost all Catholic military orders, with the crusades. With the Pope legitimizing military service as penance for earthly sins, orders arose which put aside their own possessions and positions in return for a life of holy piety and violence in the name of God.
One of the first and one of the most powerful of such orders, they were also known as the wealthiest Western Christian military order. The Templars were effectively the inspiration and model for other military orders. The main rationale for founding the Templar order was to ensure the protection of the Christian pilgrims in the Holy Land.
Granted a wing of the Royal Palace on Temple Mount in Jerusalem, the Templars became extremely rich with astonishing rapidity. Many have speculated that they tunneled under their headquarters during their time there, and many have wondered what they might have found, and whether there is a link between this and their meteoric rise.
By the start of the 12th century, the order had far greater military duties than its original remit. The Templars were often described as the men whose souls were clothed with the breastplate of faith and bodies protected by iron.
The Templars and the Mandaeans
So much for the external history of the Templars, but why were they suddenly arrested and from where did they learn their rumored occult ceremonies. Many have speculated that this worship came from the Mandaeans.
