Templar Globe

The editor of the Templar Globe just found this interesting article that brings us the view of a Pakistan islamic journalist. To form a better view of the issued that are part ou our history we have to read both sides of the accounts.

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The Book and the Prophet they hold in such contempt are the only religious head and the book that glorify Jesus and Gospel. If Jesus commands the respect he has today it is owing to the declaration by Muahammad and the Quran that Jesus was a Miracle of God and his mother was pious and virgin when she gave birth to Jesus. If this was not the stand of Islam, Pope can very well understand what the majority of the world could have called Jesus as. But Islam gave Jesus his true place in the history of the world by describing him as Messenger and Word of God.

o The Bible advocates much greater violence against the detractors than the Quran The following verses are from the Bible, New International Version (NIV), 1984:

* Do not allow a sorceress to live. Anyone who has sexual relations with an animal must be put to death. Whoever sacrifices to any god other than the LORD must be destroyed. (Exodus 22:18-20)
* This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘each man strap a sword to his side. Go back and forth through the camp from one end to the other, each killing his brother and friend and neighbour.’ The Levites did as Moses commanded and that day about three thousand of the people died. (Exodus 32:27-28 )
* The LORD said to Moses, ‘Take vengeance on the Midianites for the Israelites…. The Israelites captured the Midianite women and children and took all the Midianite herds, flocks and goods as plunder. They burned all the towns where the Midianites had settled, as well as all their camps…. (Moses ordered) “Now kill all the boys. And kill every woman who has slept with a man, but save for yourselves every girl who has never slept with a man. (Numbers 31: 1-18 )
* (Jesus said) “But those enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them - bring them here and kill them in front of me. (Luke 19:27)
* He (Jesus) said to them, ‘But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one. (Luke 22:36 )

Christians who are always blaming Quran for asking Muslims to “kill the unbelievers” must stop this tirade, as Jesus asked for the “enemies” to be killed “in front of me.” The Old Testament is replete with the accounts of bloody battles that killed thousands of persons. In this context, following remarks from an article are important:

“Is Christianity only a religion of Peace and Love? I do not think that anyone can honestly and objectively examine American or European history and answer “yes” to that question. Christianity can encourage Peace and Love - but it certainly need not, and it quite often has done just the opposite. Although the people responsible for violence might have found a way to express their hatred without Christianity, it cannot be ignored that Christianity offers a convenient divine mandate for hatred and violent acts against a wide range of people………Violent inclinations in Christianity are apparent right from the beginning……The course of modernity has been one strewn with blood, bones, and bodies - much of which can be attributed to Christianity.” (Atheist.com)

In another article, “The Real History of the Crusades”, Thomas F. Madden, despite his huge defence of the crusades against Islam, admits:

“…I was frequently asked to comment on the fact that the Islamic world has a just grievance against the West. Doesn’t the present violence, they persisted, have its roots in the Crusades’ brutal and unprovoked attacks against a sophisticated and tolerant Muslim world? In other words, aren’t the Crusades really to blame?….. Ex-president Bill Clinton has also fingered the Crusades as the root cause of the present conflict. In a speech at Georgetown University, he recounted (and embellished) a massacre of Jews after the Crusader conquest of Jerusalem in 1099 and informed his audience that the episode was still bitterly remembered in the Middle East. (Why Islamist terrorists should be upset about the killing of Jews was not explained.) Clinton took a beating on the nation’s editorial pages for wanting so much to blame the United States that he was willing to reach back to the Middle Ages. Yet no one disputed the ex-president’s fundamental premise…… The Crusades are generally portrayed as a series of holy wars against Islam led by power-mad popes and fought by religious fanatics. They are supposed to have been the epitome of self-righteousness and intolerance, a black stain on the history of the Catholic Church in particular and Western civilisation in general. A breed of proto-imperialists, the Crusaders introduced Western aggression to the peaceful Middle East and then deformed the enlightened Muslim culture, leaving it in ruins. For variations on this theme, one need not look far. See, for example, Steven Runciman’s famous three-volume epic, History of the Crusades, or the BBC/A&E documentary, The Crusades, hosted by Terry Jones. Both are terrible history yet wonderfully entertaining.….The Crusades were wars, so it would be a mistake to characterise them as nothing but piety and good intentions. Like all warfare, the violence was brutal (although not as brutal as modern wars). There were mishaps, blunders, and crimes. These are usually well-remembered today. During the early days of the First Crusade in 1095, a ragtag band of Crusaders led by Count Emicho of Leiningen made its way down the Rhine, robbing and murdering all the Jews they could find. Without success, the local bishops attempted to stop the carnage. In the eyes of these warriors, the Jews, like the Muslims, were the enemies of Christ. Plundering and killing them, then, was no vice. Indeed, they believed it was a righteous deed, since the Jews’ money could be used to fund the Crusade to Jerusalem….. Jews perished during the Crusades, but the purpose of the Crusades was not to kill Jews”. He takes lot of pains in proving the better side of crusades, which of course is opposite to the analysis of most of the neutral historians. This is why he calls his analysis “the real history”. But the negative side of crusades is extremely ugly. Not only Muslims but Jews were also brutally massacred in the process. In the first Crusade, the Christian fighters, in order to avenge the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, massacred tens of thousands of innocent Jews, Muslims, and even Orthodox Christians who had the misfortune to dress or look like Muslims. On July 15, 1099, they reached Jerusalem where streets were drenched with the blood of Muslims and Jews. Those who survived were sold into slavery. In 1144, in the Second Crusade, the Jewish communities of Germany faced another slaughter in Jesus’ name. During the Third Crusade in 1170. Jews in York, Lynn, Norwich, Stamford, and other towns of England were massacred. In 1198, Pope Innocent III began the Fourth Crusade. He ordered Jews to wear badges to identify themselves, and then ordered them to be killed to atone for Jesus’ death. After the formal ending of Crusades, thousands of young Crusaders burned their way across Europe exterminating more than 150 Jewish communities. The worst victims were of course Muslims. In the First Crusade, nearly all of the Muslims inside Antioch. were killed by the merciless crusaders. . Then the crusaders attacked Marrat an-Nu’man where the crusaders (The Templars, known for their religiousness) slaughtered a hundred thousand people. The attack on Jerusalem witnessed the worst kind of brutalities that ever occurred before in the history. No Muslim was given mercy. Old, young, men, women and children were brutally massacred. The blooded flooded the streets, reaching as high as knees. Muslims were thrown from the tops and burnt. The crusaders mounted the Mount of Solomon and killed hundreds of thousands. In contrast when Salaadin recaptured Jerusalem, no Christian was harmed. Those who wanted to leave the city were allowed to do so; those who wanted to live were allowed to live by paying tribute. Those who could not pay tribute were condoned. The irony is that Crusaders themselves lost millions of lives in the fights; often Christens killed fellow Christians with the same brutality with which they massacred Muslims and Jews.”

Islam, Peace and Jihad

Peace” in Islam does not merely refer to the absence of war. It is a much more comprehensive term that includes peace at physical, mental, family and social (national and international) levels. This implies absence of all forms of diseases and weaknesses at individual level, and absence of all forms of mischief in society. The verses of the Holy Quran are full of messages that speak of tolerance, endurance and peace. Equally strong are messages against chaos, mischief, suppression and oppression. In fact when one goes through the Holy Book, one can easily feel the intensity with which Islam wants to achieve its aim of grand peace. True, in exceptional circumstances, it allows armed struggle, but it prefers to avoid violence. And whenever it allows violence, it is only aimed at preventing greater violence or widespread chaos. Let us examine the following verses:

· “..but if they cease, Let there be no hostility except to those who practise oppression.” (2:193)

· “Therefore if they withdraw from you but fight you not, and (instead) send you (Guarantees of) peace, then Allah hath opened no way for you (to war against them).” (4:90)

· “But if the enemy incline towards peace, do thou (also) incline towards peace, and trust in Allah.” (8:61)

· “……………with those Pagans with whom ye have entered into alliance and who have not subsequently failed you in aught, nor aided any one against you. So fulfil your engagements with them to the end of their term: for Allah loveth the righteous.” (9:4)

· “If one amongst the Pagans ask thee for asylum, grant it to him, so that he may hear the word of Allah and then escort him to where he can be secure. That is because they are men without knowledge.” (9:6)

· “Allah forbids you not, with regard to those who fight you not for (your) Faith nor drive you out of your homes, from dealing kindly and justly with them: for Allah loveth those who are just. Allah only forbids you, with regard to those who fight you for (your) Faith, and drive you out of your homes, and support (others) in driving you out, from turning to them (for friendship and protection). It is such as turn to them (in these circumstances), that do wrong.” (60:8-9)

· “Whenever two factions of believers fall out with one another, try to reconcile them. If one of them should oppress the other, then fight the one, which acts oppressively until they comply with God’s command. If they should comply, then patch things up again between them in all justice, and act fairly. God loves those who act fairly.” (49:9)

· “…and let not the hatred of others to you make you swerve to wrong and depart from justice. Be just: that is next to piety”(5:8 )

· “If they do come to thee, either judge between them, or decline to interfere. If thou decline, they cannot hurt thee in the least. If thou judge, judge in equity between them.” (5:42)

· “Verily, this brotherhood of yours is a single brotherhood, and I am your Lord and Cherisher.”(21:92)

· “Do no mischief on the earth, after it hath been set in order…”(7:56)

· “The blame is only against those who oppress men and wrong-doing and insolently transgress beyond bounds through the land…”(42:42)

· “And fear tumult or oppression, which affecteth not in particular (only) those of you who do wrong…”(8:25)

· “…………..if any one slew a person - unless it be for murder or for spreading mischief in the land - it would be as if he slew the whole people: and if any one saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of the whole people.”(5:32)

The above verses clearly spell out the principles of Islam. Quran is categorical in its condemnation of those who directly or indirectly contribute to mischief, oppression and anarchy. These terms surely include terrorism. But at the same time they also include glorification and commercialisation of human weaknesses (commercialisation of sex, gambling, smoking and drinking) that lead to rise in the incidence of several diseases, disintegration of families, crimes and social tensions. Terrorism is to be defined in a way in which it includes all its ramifications. The world today tends to define it in a way that suits its interests. Terrorism must include anything that can lead to diseases, instability and chaos at individual, family and social level. The states that directly or indirectly support such activities are also to be confronted with. The punishment of such activities is in fact extremely severe in Islam:

“The punishment of those who wage war against Allah and His Messenger, and strive with might and main for mischief through the land is: execution, or crucifixion, or the cutting off of hands and feet from opposite sides, or exile from the land: that is their disgrace in this world, and a heavy punishment is theirs in the Hereafter..” (5:33)

The term “Jihad” in Islam does not mean an armed fight, which at best is only a part of it. Jihad, in fact is an incessant struggle to spread what is good and uproot what is evil. The best Jihad, according to Islam is against one’s self. And when this definition is extended to a social level, it again means struggle against forces that exploit human weaknesses or oppress the weak and poor.

Islam is for peace. God clearly abhors mischief, and loves peace:

· Every time they kindle the fire of war, Allah doth extinguish it; but they (ever) strive to do mischief on earth. And Allah loveth not those who do mischief. (5:64)

· And We shall try you until We test those among you who strive their utmost and persevere in patience; and We shall try your reported (mettle). (47:31)

· …verily Allah loves those who act aright. (3:76)

· ..but do thou good, as Allah has been good to thee, and seek not (occasions for) mischief in the land: for Allah loves not those who do mischief. (28:77)

· Those who believe, and suffer exile and strive with might and main, in Allah’s cause, with their goods and their persons, have the highest rank in the sight of Allah. they are the people who will achieve (salvation). Their Lord doth give them glad tidings of a Mercy from Himself, of His good pleasure, and of gardens for them, wherein are delights that endure.. (

Thus Islam has a perfect, yet pragmatic approach towards establishing a lasting peace in society. In an effort to prove that Islam is for peace, some scholars tend to totally disregard any form of armed struggle. Islam does not merely ask its followers to engage themselves in a few rituals; it prepares them to establish a system and protect it. Every ideology and system takes all the necessary measures to protect it from external and internal mischief and to consolidate it. Islam is no exception and it has greater right to work in that direction because it aims to establish the rule of God, not an oligarchy. All ongoing struggles in the world cannot be equated with terrorism. To fight against the occupation by external forces, usurpers of land, tyrannical rulers, exploiters, forces of evils and oppressors cannot be regarded terrorism. To sacrifice one’s life in a bid to harm the enemies for a justified cause cannot be condemned as “suicide attacks”; any bombing that is for a justified cause and is aimed at justified targets must be termed sacrificial bombing. There are some Islamic scholars who argue that Jihad can be undertaken only by an Islamic state. They are awfully mistaken, playing in the hands of those who want to reserve all military options open for them including pre-emptive strikes and at the same time want Muslims to forego their right to fight altogether. If Muslims can fight only under the command of a state, it means they cannot fight against an occupying force and against a tyrannical ruler. If the government of a state is corrupt, anti-Islamic or oppressive, nobody can deny the people the right to organise into groups and campaign against it. However, deliberate killing of innocents cannot be regarded desirable even if it is in response to killing of innocents by a country or a group. Though Quran allows Muslims to transgress against the enemy if it transgresses against them, this is surely the last and not the first option. Furthermore, state terrorism and state-sponsored terrorism are much more dangerous than the terrorism of splinter groups. The so-called Islamic terrorism has caused much less damage and has taken much fewer lives than the state terrorism of the US and Israel and state sponsored terrorism of some other countries. What is the US action in Iraq if not the worst form of terrorism? What are Israel’s actions against Palestinians if not terrorism of the most abominable kind?

Another allegation that is labelled against Islam is that Quran calls for killing all the unbelievers. The protagonists of this thesis base their arguments on the verses that call for killing the Unbelievers, forgetting that these verses are war-time-injunctions. “Unbelievers” in these verses means only the unbelievers engaged in the combat. Refer to the verses quoted above that speak against compulsion in the religion, Thus the Holy Book states:

· “..but if they cease, Let there be no hostility except to those who practise oppression.” (2:193

· “Therefore if they withdraw from you but fight you not, and (instead) send you (Guarantees of) peace, then Allah hath opened no way for you (to war against them).” (4:90)

· “But if the enemy incline towards peace, do thou (also) incline towards peace, and trust in Allah.” (8:6 1)

It is clear also that the injunctions of Quran are almost similar in the case of fights between factions of Muslims. It asks its true followers to also fight those Muslims who are unjust.

Jihad in Islam is obligatory. It is an important constituent of the Islamic mission of universal peace and justice. It is in fact incumbent on all the human beings to engage in this mission. But for Muslims it is a divine duty. Jihad is meant for protecting the weak against the mighty; for alerting the forces of evil that their sordid adventures will not go unchallenged; for giving the oppressed sections a voice and wrecking the nerve-centres of the tyrants; and for giving the exploiters sleepless nights. Jihad prepares a person to sacrifice his possessions including his life if required for the cause of God. But Mujahids must clearly know that the objective of Jihad is not to bring certain persons to power, nor to bring theocracies to the whole world through sheer use of force. “Deen”, the system of God does not necessarily mean the establishment of a theocratic government through violent means; it means the rule of justice. Fighting is only the last but an open option in Jihad. If conditions are justifiable for fighting, it becomes obligatory; if conditions do not demand fighting, it becomes aggression. If its objectives are for the welfare of the masses it is desirable; if it is an excuse for selfish ends, it is an unparalleled sin. Jihad through peaceful means must always continue without halt; Jihad through arms must be an aberration. But once the conditions are justifiable, fighting must see no sympathy for the enemy; it must be given a crushing below. Fighting against the wicked is no violence; it is an exercise aimed at minimising violence. Killing bacteria and viruses through antibiotics and antiviral drugs is essential to maintain a healthy life. If microbes are not killed, they will kill the very person who provides them the food for their sustenance.

Islam however does not accept that “all is fair in love and war”. Even in war, all Islamic conditions must be followed in letter and spirit. As soon as the conditions are bright for an honourable settlement, fighting must be stopped without delay; for the ultimate objective is not the subjugation of the enemy but an end to mischief, anarchy, chaos and oppression. The powers that dominate do always try to take the right to fight away from others, so that they can continue to hold reins. They amass massive stocks of deadly weapons, but deny others the right to possess them. They do not hesitate a second to attack or invade the positions of their challengers, but make too much fuss of even the smallest acts of armed resistance. They kill innocents in big numbers and label it as ‘collateral damage’; and lambaste their opponents, through the weapons of words and war, if their actions cause the deaths of even a handful of innocents.

Several thinkers have tried to prove that the expansion of Islamic State after its establishment at Medina was achieved through the use of force. The hawks within the Islamic community present this as a ground for their aggressive intents; the hawks outside Islam use this as an evidence of the religion’s expansionist designs and support for violence. The countries were given the option, they argue, to either accept the supremacy of Islamic State or face war. This is true that several Muslim rulers used such tactics. But there was nothing extraordinary about this strategy, for it had been an inveterate practice throughout the world at that time, before and even for centuries after that. There were no clear injunctions in Quran directing Muslims to expand the borders of their empire. What the Caliphs did was only in keeping with the established norm. At that time there was no UN charter in force, and no international treaty bound the states to certain international obligations. All the powerful rulers in that era used to demand allegiance from the smaller states, and this had been happening throughout the ages in Europe, Asia and Africa. Britain, Russia, France and China—all had been using force to expand their influences, till very recently. Islamic rulers must however be credited for their humanistic approach to their political consolidation. They did not usuallyin general followed. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) gave clear guidelines regarding conduct during combat. He prohibited Muslim soldiers from killing women, children and the elderly, or cut a palm tree. He advised them, “… do not betray, do not be excessive, do not kill a new-born child.” Another tradition of the Prophet states, “Whoever has killed a person having a treaty with Muslims shall not smell the fragrance of Paradise, though its fragrance is found for a span of forty years.” Yet another tradition states, “The first cases to be adjudicated between people on the Day of Judgement will be those of bloodshed.” Quran equated the killing of an innocent as the killing of the whole mankind. The Prophet also said, “Truly your blood, your property, and your honour are inviolable.” And “There is a reward for kindness shown to every living animal or human.” indulge in massacres. Moreover, they took practical steps to earn the favour of the masses. They gave them the right to practise their own religion, the right to refuse services in the military in return of a tax, the right to live as honourable citizens, the right to earn, the right to own properties and the right to follow their own family laws and laws of inheritance. Their life and honour were guaranteed full protection. Even in fighting, strict observance of certain principles was prescribed by Islam, which most of the rulers

The truth is that in most of the places conquered by Muslims the people took a sigh of relief at their arrival; they more often than not brought them out of the yoke of injustice and tyranny. This is why the masses thronged to accept Islam in most of the places, and even after the departure of their conquerors they mostly remained loyal to their new religion. In the conquered countries, Muslim caliphs often preferred to have local men in charge of the affairs. The rule of Muslims, with a few exceptions, proved to be far superior to that experienced by the masses before. It was this confidence in the new system that the Islamic caliphate, despite the fact that many of the caliphs were not as pious and upright as Islam would want them to be, was able to sustain itself for about a millennium. Even after the dismemberment of the caliphate, almost all the people of most of the Muslim countries have continued to be within the fold of Islam; some of them have emerged as its citadels. It is significant that an outstanding number of Islamic scholars in the current world hail from non-Arab countries like India, Pakistan, Malaysia, Iran and Turkey.

It should be made clear here however that the nations are now bound by the treaties of the UN that do not permit any country to conquer any other country for the expansion of ideology. Muslim as well as non-Muslim nations are parties to this agreement. So no Muslim or Non-Muslim nation can now be allowed to invade or threaten other nations for the export of its own ideology or for any other reason unless there are compelling reasons to do so and the majority of the members of the UN agree to it. However, people are free to propagate their beliefs, ideas and customs through peaceful means. But the world must be ready to ban all such substances and practices that lead to death and social problems at a big scale. In the name of freedom, the business of death cannot be allowed to prosper.

It can be seen that not only the constitutions of all countries as well as that of the UN permit the use of force for certain purposes, scriptures of almost all religions also prescribe the use of force in several situations. Compare them with Quran, and it will be clear that Quranic guidelines are much better example of a perfect and pragmatic approach in the current world.

in Editorial on Religion in the Pakistan Daily

AN EARLY Victorian cobbled street more than 150 years old has been unearthed by archaeologists investigating the site of a 12th Century Knights Templar mill at the 2012 London Olympics park.

The cobbled thoroughfare is to be ‘lifted up’ and preserved, then used in the huge park now being laid out as a legacy for East London.

Archaeologists believe the street unearthed 20ft below ground may be part of the original Temple Mills lane that was demolished in 1854 before being covered by thousands of tonnes of rubble over the last century-and-a-half.

The archaeologist Kieron Tyler said: “Looking below the amazingly preserved Victorian remains reveals an older mill structure and the exact form of the crucial industries in the Lea Valley down the centuries.”

His team of archaeologists from the Museum of London are carefully digging up the cobblestones and stockpiling them to be laid down in the new Olympics park.

Then they begin digging deeper to search for evidence of the original Knights Templar mill, known as Temple Mills, which started the industrialisation of the Lea Valley.

Olympics authority chief David Higgins said: “Clearing the massive site has given us the unique opportunity to look back into East London’s past before the area is transformed.

“Bringing back to life this cobbled street will be an important way of telling the fascinating story of the development of East London.”

The authority invited the archaeologists to look for evidence of prehistoric remains, from pre-Roman right through to Viking, Medieval and relatively recent industrial and military activities on the site.

Previous archaeological finds include a prehistoric settlement and the skeletons of four of its inhabitants, Roman artefacts and a complete 19 century boat used for hunting wild fowl on the River Lea. Second World War gun emplacements have also been unearthed.

The archaeological investigations are part of the work to clean up nearly two square miles of land to make way for the 2012 Games, much of it contaminated by its industrial past.

HISTORY TO TEMPLE MILLS

THE Knights Templar built a water mill at Temple Mills between 1185 and 1278. A second mill was built on the opposite side of the mill stream in 1308.

The mills passed to the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem in Clerkenwell after the suppression of the Templars, then eventually back to the Crown after the Dissolution of the Catholic Church and leased to Clement Goldsmith in 1593.

A gunpowder mill and a leather mill were added in the 16th century, with another added in 1627 to grind corn. Other mills followed in the 1630s for working leather and gunpowder.

mike.brooke@archant.co.uk

La fortaleza de Montségur es el paradigma histórico de la resistencia cátara, la herejía que arraigó en el sur de Francia durante la Edad Media. Actualmente, las ruinas de este castillo son la culminación de una ruta que parte de las tierras catalanas y que constituye una verdadera peregrinación por los santuarios y paisajes que fueron testigos de la Cruzada que los exterminó

El camino de los hombres buenos es un itinerario de 189 kilómetros que discurre por las rutas utilizadas por los cátaros durante los siglos XII y XIV, cuando huían de la persecución de la cruzada albigense y de la Inquisición. La senda empieza en el santuario de Queralt, en Berga, termina en el emblemático castillo de Montségur, en territorio francés, y puede efectuarse en coche, en bicicleta, a pie o a caballo. El Camí dels Bons Homes –como ha sido bautizado– ha sido institucionalizado como un sendero turístico de Gran Recorrido (GR 107) que atraviesa villas medievales, iglesias románicas y castillos. Además de su notorio interés histórico, la ruta nos permite contemplar paisajes encantadores, ya que transcurre por la zona protegida del Parque Natural del Cadí-Moixeró.

La religión de «los puros»

El catarismo es una doctrina procedente de una corriente de origen búlgaro conocida como bogomila. Se trata de una religión cristiana, con una interpretación muy peculiar de las Sagradas Escrituras, basada en el dualismo, que percibe la Creación como el escenario de una batalla entre los principios del Bien y del Mal. Esta doctrina arraigó con fuerza en el sur de Francia. Se dio a conocer en un concilio cátaro celebrado en la ciudad de Albí, en 1165, por lo que pronto sus seguidores fueron conocidos como albigenses. Sin embargo, ellos se consideraban cristianos u «hombres buenos». Predicaban a los humildes en plazas y mercados, aunque si eran invitados por los grandes señores para adoctrinar en sus casas a familiares y criados, aceptaban con agrado. Enseñaban el amor, la tolerancia y la libertad. Decían que Cristo no se encarnó entre los hombres, pues en sus concepciones la materia era una creación del Mal. Para los cátaros –término que según los expertos significa «puro»–, el Jesús que vieron los apóstoles y crucificaron los romanos no era sino una apariencia angelical engañosa. Pero el Cristo verdadero nunca fue crucificado ni sepultado. Estas ideas, como es lógico, les valieron la condena de Roma y una implacable persecución.

A principios del siglo XIII, el papa Inocencio III tomó conciencia del peligro que suponía para los intereses de la Iglesia la expansión de la herejía cátara en Occitania. Los intentos por convertir a los herejes habían sido vanos. Ante este fracaso y con el apoyo del rey Felipe Augusto de Francia –que deseaba hacerse con el territorio occitano a toda costa–, el Papa proclamó la «cruzada contra los albigenses».

Quienes formaran parte de la misma serían absueltos de sus pecados y se garantizaba la entrada al Paraíso de los fallecidos en combate. Los señores feudales que se sumaran a la iniciativa recibirían, además, las mismas prebendas que los cruzados en Tierra Santa. Sólo así se entiende la aparición de figuras como Simón de Montfort que escondían su desmesurada ambición bajo pretexto de erradicar la herejía.

Las tropas se organizaron bajo el mando del legado pontificio Arnaud Amaury y avanzaron hacia el sur por el valle del Ródano. El 22 de julio de 1209 los cruzados entraron en Béziers, matando a todos sus habitantes, sin distinción de creencias. Las crónicas aseguran que Amaury ordenó: «Matadlos a todos que Dios ya reconocerá a los suyos en el Cielo». Tras la masacre, los cruzados pusieron rumbo a Carcasona, donde resistía Raymond Roger Trencavel. Éste murió en prisión, después de ser desposeído de todas sus tierras. Más tarde caerían las plazas de Foix, Carbona y Comminges.

La muerte de Inocencio III hizo perder ímpetu a la cruzada y algunos de sus más importantes líderes abandonaron la empresa. Como consecuencia de este hecho el catarismo resurgió con fuerza. Pero en 1226, Luis VIII se lanzó a una nueva cruzada, dicen que influido por su esposa Blanca de Castilla, quien reivindicaba los territorios del sur para la Corona de Francia. Al parecer, sería ella quien habría instado al Papa Gregorio IX a crear la Inquisición. El terror se apoderó de Occitania. Los cátaros solicitaron protección a Raymond Péreilhe, señor de Montségur, y se prepararon para defenderse y resistir.

Esta legendaria fortaleza cayó en 1244. Y once años más tarde, en 1255, corrieron la misma suerte Quéribus y Puylaurens. La guerra había terminado con el extermino de la Iglesia de los hombres buenos, o «del amor», como también fue conocida. Con ella desapareció una tradición cristiana que llevaba su respeto a la vida hasta el extremo de abstenerse de matar o maltratar a los animales, y de cuya enorme piedad dejó testimonio incluso San Bernardo de Claraval, después de intentar en vano que renunciaran a su fe para abrazar el catolicismo.

El paisaje y su historia

Muchas de las rutas que hoy conforman el camino de «los hombres buenos» eran senderos de huida de los cátaros hacia Cataluña. Allí estuvo exiliado en 1240 Raymond Trencavel, un hijo de Raymond Roger que intentó en vano recuperar Carcasona. También fue utilizado por los tejedores cátaros y conocido como «la ruta de la lana», que llega hasta Sabadell o, más al sur, hasta Morella, en Castellón.

La senda señalizada hoy por el Consejo regulador del camí dels bons homes, entidad formada por diversos consejos locales, diputaciones y entidades culturales, discurre por las comarcas catalanas del Berguedà, la Cerdanya, el Alt Urgell, el Solsonés y el departamento francés del Ariège.

Parte del santuario de Queralt, en la cueva donde fue hallada su virgen románica presidida por una hermosa cruz cátara y, desde allí, se dirige a la pequeña localidad de Gòsol, en medio de un paisaje bellísimo presidido por el macizo del Pedraforca, un lugar mágico relacionado con la brujería catalana desde la Edad Media. Una vez en Gòsol podemos visitar las ruinas de su castillo o contemplar las tumbas del cementerio anejo, con numerosas cruces cátaras y templarias. Después recorreremos por carretera Gòsol, Saldes y Guardiola de Berguedà, hasta llegar a Bagá, en el límite norte de la provincia de Barcelona. Esta villa fue el feudo de los barones de Pinòs, señores de un extenso territorio que iba del Baridà y la Cerdanya hasta el Alt Berguedà. Algunos han relacionado a Galcerán de Pinòs con el fundador de los templarios Hugues de Payns, en una polémica que dura hasta nuestros días. En Bagà podemos visitar el centro medieval, el museo de los cátaros o la iglesia de San Esteban, donde se puede admirar una pequeña cruz bizantina del siglo X u XI, que fue llevada a Bagà por los cruzados. También cabe destacar la vidriera que representa «El rescate de las cien doncellas», concretamente el momento en que San Esteban libera a Galcerán de Pinòs de una prisión sarracena.

La ruta continúa por la comarca de la Cerdanya, a la que accederemos cruzando la sierra del Cadí por el Coll de Pendís, a 1764 metros de altitud y, desde allí, cruzaremos la frontera hasta Porté-Puymorens, L’Hospitalet y Ax les Thermes. En este punto ya estamos en el departamento francés del Ariège, donde nos aguardan impresionantes castillos, como Puylaurens que, junto a Quéribus, resistió hasta 1256.

Tras hacer una parada en el castillo de Puivert, escenario del film de Roman Polansky La novena puerta, y cuna de los trovadores occitanos, encaminamos nuestros pasos hacia la culminación de la ruta: Montségur.

El castillo de Montségur fue construido entre 1205 y 1211 en lo alto de una montaña extremadamente escarpada y de difícil acceso. Quienes lo «descubrieron», sin embargo, no fueron los cátaros. Desde tiempo inmemorial este lugar era considerado sagrado. Algunos autores, como el fallecido «papa cátaro» René Nelli, suponen que la fortificación fue erigida sobre un antiguo templo solar. La cima de este enorme bloque calcáreo se alza 1207 metros sobre el nivel del mar. El edificio está orientado astronómicamente. Nelli apunta el importante papel jugado por la figura del pentágono en la simbología cátara. Y lo cierto es que este castillo está construido sobre un plano pentagonal. Desde el interior, recuerda la forma de un gigantesco cofre. ¿Fue ésta la última morada del Grial, como algunos sostienen?

En cualquier caso, quienes asuman a pie los casi doscientos kilómetros del «peregrinaje cátaro», hallarán sin duda su particular Grial en el esfuerzo, la dedicación y la constancia, valores necesarios para llegar a cualquier Verdad trascendente.

The vaulted cellars of the Templarske Wine Company are located in the beautifully reconstructed buildings which were a former commandary of the Templar Knights back in the 13th Century. The Czech wine company uses the legendary Templar cross both as company name and emblem since their creation in 1992, although the cellars were never actually used as a winery back in that era. For the second year running, Templarske Wine company has won a prestigious SYBA “Packaging of the Year” Award for its emblematic packaging, developed in collaboration with O-I.

The range of containers combines nostalgic design with the latest trends, and includes traditional Bordeaux models with long neck and tall shoulders (two furthest bottles on right, above), and Bourgogne-inspired “vintage” models (centre and centre-left bottles), which already won the company a SYBA award in 2006. Completing the range, O-I has developed a prestigious tall, Catalan-inspired bottle with a modern flat finish and customized engraving, bearing the Company’s emblem, the “Templar’s Cross” proudly on its shoulders (far left bottle, above).

The new package is aimed at both the Horeca and retail segments. The bottles in this Templar range are available in number of shapes and colours: amber, dead leaf green and flint colours. Whilst the coloured tints are made locally at the Nove Sedlo plant in the Czech Republic, the flint bottles are produced in limited quantities nearby at an O-I facility in Germany.

Rosslyn Chapel has chalked up a £1.35m surplus due to the stream of visitors who came to see the building in the wake of the Da Vinci Code film.

The 15th-century Scottish church, which featured in the controversial hit movie, saw the number of visitors climb from just 30,000 a year in 2000 to 120,000 in 2005/06 and 176,000 in 2006/07.

The cash is being ploughed into speeding up a planned £12.75m renovation of the building and a revamped visitor centre.

But the managers of the attraction, entrance to which costs £7 for adults and £5 for children, believe that Da Vinci Code fever has peaked and that annual visitor numbers are due to fall by about 20,000 a year.

They believe that the number of visitors in 2007/08 will fall to 155,000 as the effect of the film wears off – although numbers are still well above the annual target of 80,000.

Colin Glynne-Percy, the director of Rosslyn Chapel, said: “We think it’s clear now that the initial interest in the aftermath of the film has peaked. If you look at the figures for the August bank holiday, they were 31,000 in 2006 and 29,000 in 2007.

“We did achieve the aim of getting visitor numbers up and we want to make it an essential destination for visitors to Scotland.”

He explained the takings were being used to speed up a major series of works to the building.

Glynne-Percy said: “The money raised may only be used for the upkeep of the building. The renovations will be completed within five years. Without the extra money, they would have taken considerably longer. Several years longer.”

The chapel features in both the Da Vinci Code book and the film. It emerges in the film as the ultimate location of the Holy Grail.

Among Rosslyn’s many intricate carvings are a sequence of 213 cubes or boxes protruding from pillars and arches with a selection of patterns on them. It is unknown whether these have any particular meaning.

Many people have attempted to find information coded into them, but as yet no interpretation has proven conclusive.

By Murdo MacLeod

 
Cuenta la leyenda que recién inaugurada la iglesia, allá por el año 1162, murió un caballero de la Orden del Temple. Su cuerpo fue llevado hasta los muros de esta enigmática y espectacular construcción y un descuido hizo que el cadáver del caballero se quedara solo durante toda la noche.

Fue entonces cuando los grajos entraron en la iglesia y picotearon el cuerpo hasta dejarlo destrozado. A la mañana siguiente, el prior de la Orden entró en el recinto y comprobó en qué estado habían dejado las aves el cadáver. Gritó, corrió y espantó a los grajos que aún saqueaban el cuerpo, a la vez que lanzaba una maldición para que no volviesen a entrar en el santo lugar. La leyenda asegura que desde entonces nadie ha visto de nuevo a dichas aves sobre el tejado de la Vera Cruz. Sin duda algo más que una iglesia, algo más que un símbolo.

A los pies del Alcázar de Segovia, que dicen que alarga su sombra para proteger sus piedras, encuentro la citada iglesia. Un edificio santo que, al parecer, mandaron construir caballeros templarios en el siglo XII. Una teoría, la de su origen templario, que es la más extendida hasta nuestros días, aunque recientes investigaciones apuntan que su origen podría ser de la Orden del Santo Sepulcro, una congregación castellana que consagró la iglesia en el año 1208.

Contribuye a esta confusión una inscripción en el interior, frente a la portada lateral sur, en el edículo central, que dice: “Los fundadores de este templo sean colocados en sede celestial, y los que se extraviaron les acompañen en la misma. Dedicación de la Iglesia del Santo Sepulcro. En los idus de abril de 1246 –nuestro trece de abril de 1208–”.

Muchas son las teorías sobre este escrito. Muchos sus enigmas. ¿Lo fundaron templarios que luego se extraviaron? ¿Quiénes son los extraviados? ¿Se castigó a los extraviados y por eso el templo pasó a manos de otras personas? Parece que son los caballeros del Santo Sepulcro los que reconocen la labor de los templarios al consagrar la iglesia, pero nada está claro sobre tan encriptado texto. Parece que en esas palabras se recoge el castigo que recibió el Temple… No sería el único cambio de dueños. En 1531, tras unirse las Órdenes del Santo Sepulcro y la de Jerusalén, la iglesia pasó a manos de los caballeros de la Orden de Malta, Rodas y Jerusalén, sus actuales propietarios.

Ocho lados que en realidad son doce

Hiela en Segovia. El aire pesa, como el tiempo. Me apoyo en una cruz de piedra, que torcida mira al horizonte. La iglesia parece que nace del suelo. La luz hace vaho cuando uno intenta penetrar en la iglesia.

Muchas veces se afirma que la Vera Cruz es una iglesia de planta octogonal, típica de la Orden del Temple. En realidad son doce sus lados, con tres ábsides cilíndricos adosados, una sacristía también cilíndrica y una torre de planta cuadrada. Una extraña construcción en la España y Europa de entonces. ¿Por qué doce lados? Un octógono suponía –me explican– un elemento intermedio entre la tierra, que se representaba como un cuadrado, y el cielo, que era un círculo o cúpula. Cuantos más lados tiene un polígono más se aleja del cuadrado –tierra– y más se acerca al círculo –cielo–. Doce son los lados de esta iglesia, algo atípico y que como símbolo viene a hablar de su espiritualidad y cercanía al más allá. De hecho, en la Revelación de San Juan, la Jerusalén Celeste era representada como una ciudad circular provista de doce puertas, agrupadas de tres en tres en los puntos cardinales. La Vera Cruz que observo parece una metáfora de la Jerusalén de San Juan.

Por fuera es una iglesia sugerente, diferente, perdida en el viejo camino que conducía desde Segovia a la población cercana de Zamarramala. Una iglesia que recuerda a otras dos famosas construcciones que entonces se mantenían en pie a miles de kilómetros de distancia, que crecieron en el lugar en el que nace el Sol. Los investigadores creen que la Vera Cruz tiene sus precedentes en la famosa Mezquita de la Roca de Jerusalén y en la basílica del Santo Sepulcro.

Otra vez, como pasa con muchas de las construcciones templarias, encontramos la unión de islam y cristianismo; una vez más, los caballeros del Temple toman parte de la cultura y religión con la que más férreamente lucharon.

El edículo central

De puertas para adentro, la Vera Cruz es un enigma que recuerda a otros lugares parecidos, construcciones antiguas que se supone fueron propulsadas también por los templarios. El mes pasado recogíamos en esta sección los secretos de la ermita de San Baudelio, en Soria. A ambas les une la idea del tronco central. En San Baudelio era una palmera perfectamente detallada en su ramaje. En la Vera Cruz es el símbolo de un fuerte árbol el que sujeta sus muros. La palmera o el árbol son parte de la cultura islámica. La columna del mundo. La unión del cielo y la tierra…

El árbol de la Vera Cruz es sólido y macizo. Un edículo central de doce lados. Parece un templo dentro de otro templo. Nacen aquí dos plantas. Una inferior, en la que la luz entra por cuatro arcos que miran a los cuatro puntos cardinales, es estrecha y baja; una especie de cueva o cripta. Entro, miro el altar, donde las cruces blancas sobre fondo rojo de la Orden de Malta sobresalen sobre el Cristo allí representado. Parece que éste podría ser un lugar de iniciación de los caballeros. Un lugar donde empezar la meditación o cumplir penitencia. Se supone que es inicial allí la meditación o penitencia porque mis pies están pegados a la tierra, como lo estuvieron entonces los de muchos hombres piadosos. El camino para subir al cielo. Principio y fin. Algo parecido a lo que en San Baudelio se conoce como la linterna de los muertos.

Hay también un piso superior. Subo las desgastadas escaleras de piedra que dan la espalda al ábside central. Gastadas por el paso del tiempo, las escaleras al norte y al sur comunican las dos plantas. Allí, arriba, una mesa de piedra se encuentra justo en el centro. Sobre su tabla resbala la mirada hacia el altar, hasta el Cristo. Encima, una bóveda de influencia califal corona la planta. Otra vez el islam. A la izquierda una imagen de San Juan Bautista, columnas de tipo salomónico y pequeñas vetas en la pared por las que entra la luz. También son los arcos de influencia árabe. Parece una sala de reuniones de los hermanos, pero también parece un lugar elevado donde poder acercarse más a Dios, al mundo celestial; un segundo grado en los caballeros que quieren hacer terrenal el cielo. Pero hay una tercera sorpresa: una pequeña celda corona la construcción. Un lugar reservado para la alta meditación, en la que el hermano, en un habitáculo muy pequeño, quedaba casi colgado del cielo, para terminar su contacto con Dios. Se cierra allí el círculo. Muerte y resurrección. Parece una linterna. Ya tengo la similitud que buscaba. Aquí como en San Baudelio existe la linterna de los muertos. Se completa también en mi cabeza la simbología del árbol. Todo él –en su tronco que refleja toda la vida– lleva al caballero desde lo terrenal a lo celestial.

Esta iglesia fue también una perfecta excusa para acabar con la Orden del Temple. Las acusaciones de oscurantismo y adoración a un ídolo pagano fueron algunos de los motivos para llevar a cabo su disolución y ejecutar a muchos de sus caballeros. Y la Vera Cruz forma parte de ese misterio. En realidad, este templo tiene mucho que ver con una iglesia portuguesa de la Orden del Temple: la iglesia de Tomar, otro punto más para pensar que fueron templarios los que levantaron estas enigmáticas piedras.

En esta iglesia, como en tantas otras, cuentan que hay una astilla verdadera de la cruz de Cristo. En Semana Santa, los caballeros de la Orden de Malta escoltan una procesión en la que sale el Lignum Crucis. Dicen que si se juntaran todas las astillas que hay de la cruz de Cristo, se podría construir un palacio de madera. ¿Leyenda o realidad? Si alguna hubiera de ser verdadera, pocos lugares en el mundo parecen tan apropiados como éste. De hecho, otra de sus muchas leyendas relaciona a los caballeros de la Vera Cruz con el milagro de la Cruz de Caravaca, en Murcia. Pero esa es otra historia, otra memoria de las piedras que, si el tiempo nos lo permite, recorreremos en futuras ocasiones.

The OSMTHU welcomes its new members in Slovenia. As we had announced, the Priory of Slovenia met in the Castle of Turjak for a weekend of spiritual retreat and Templar ceremonial.

Prior General Fr+ Marin Zen was the perfect host to the over 100 attendants, including Fr+ Leslie Payne, Prior General of England and Wales and Fr+ Roman Vertovec, Visitor General, both members of the Magisterial Council, as well as members of the Priory of Croatia.

We hope to be able to publish a detailed description of the days events shortly. In the meantime, we give you two photos. In the first we can see Prior Fr+ Zen investing a Knight with the attentive assistance of his officers. In the second we can see Fr+ Vertovec and Fr+ Payne during the gala dinner.

Blue is everywhere, differing shades of sky, sea, the blues aboard the boat and ashore. With a cool drink in my hand, a novel on my lap and the golden hues of a sinking Mediterranean sun, it’s an idyllic picture.

Sailing past islands that have inspired myths and legends, yachting is the perfect way to do the Greek Islands and Turkish coast.

Our host for the holiday are Tussock Cruising, a small company which employs Turkish sailors with cooking expertise. Tussock have a fleet of nine vessels and all of them, from the six man to the 16, are designed to sail the seas. Our seven-day trip includes tours of two Greek Islands, sailing and visits to small Turkish harbours.

Most of the wooden yachts you see these days in Turkish harbours have had their sails stripped off and run on noisy petrol motors. But Tussock pride themselves on the fact they sail and have indeed won the Bodrum Cup on a number of occasions, including that of 2007.

On arrival at Marmaris, where our group board the Grande yacht, we are introduced to the Captain (Ali who led the crew to victory at the Bodrum Cup). Our itinerary for the week is discussed, drinks in hand, and routes are negotiated.

One of the unique points of Tussock is you can choose your route and stop off points with your fellow passengers as long as you are all in agreement.

After a delicious meal and plenty of wine we enter our cabins. They are small but comfortable. If you are expecting luxury you need to look elsewhere but if you’re happy with a bed to sleep in and your own shower, hand-basin and toilet these cabins will do just fine.

After a good night’s sleep – the gentle rocking obviously did the trick – we have a great breakfast of boiled eggs, fruit, cheese, olives, bread and honey, tea and coffee – and set sail for Rhodes.

It takes a few of our group a while to find their sea legs once the sails are up and the course set (my husband included) but luckily anti-seasickness tablets and wristbands are stocked onboard. But it is beautiful sailing with the sails up and a breeze calming down the Mediterranean sun as you sail past cove after cove, craggy rocks and small fishing villages.

Coming into Rhodes it is hard not to be impressed by grand medieval city walls which have housed the Knights Templar, the Ottomans and, more recently, the Italians.

As we come into harbour there is much debate about where the Colossus may have stood but, hungrily, we are more concerned with where to eat.

My husband and I stop at a fish restaurant where we eat delicious sea bass with Greek salad and bread, followed by chocolate cake (not very Greek but very nice) all washed down with local wine and Ouzo.

Wandering around the old town is a magical experience, thousands of people still live in Rhodes old town and it is filled with nooks and crannies, archways over alleyways, all within the city walls. We stop off for a coffee at the music bar and then stroll back to the yacht.

Next morning we get up for a tour of Rhodes, organised by Tussock.

The old town and Lindos are easily the best sights on the island, we take in the old town on the tour, the residents of the Knights Templar are pointed out, and the magnificent walls of the old city, a mix of Eastern and Western architecture, evoke centuries gone by.

Rhodes’ history has been chequered by conquests by the Ottomans and Italians among others, and all have made their mark on the city’s architecture.

After our historical tour we stop for a delicious meal at a taverna in Anthony Quinn Bay (where the actor filmed The Guns of Navarone). Mezze starters lead to a delicious swordfish main course.

Tired but satisfied we head back to the boat and set sail to a secluded cove (back in Turkey) where there is a tiny church built in the shadows of mighty cliffs. After dropping anchor there are plenty of diving opportunities for people to show off their skills and a fabulous area to watch the sun set.

Small swimming bays are an essential part of the Tussock experience and, having sailed these seas for years, the crew know them well. People come here to relax as well as to sight-see and plenty of opportunity is given.

Symi is the next island on our itinerary. The small harbour of Yialos with brightly-coloured houses clustered around the surrounding hills is picture-postcard perfect.

After docking, my husband and I take a stroll, checking out the menus at seafood restaurants we pass, as we make our way to a harbour-side hotel.

The hotel wouldn’t look out of place on Brighton seafront and we decide to sit a while, eat an ice-cream and listen to the sea lapping on the shore.

As the evening follows on, with an aperitif back on the ship to watch the sun setting we then stroll back to one of the restaurants we passed earlier.

We dine in a typical taverna, and have a very pleasant meal with fresh fish, stuffed vine leaves and a tasty aubergine dish in a tangy tomato sauce.

Next day we go on a tour of Symi. One hundred years ago this was one of Greece’s most prosperous islands. There has been virtually no modern concrete construction here, conserving its character.

We travel via bus from Yialos to the Monastery of the Archangel Michael at Panormitis. The interior of Panormitis, which still houses Greek Orthodox priests, is fabulously ornate.

After the dose of culture there follows a trip to another beachfront taverna for a wonderful lunch – plate after plate of fried shrimps, octopus, fish, lamb and salad keep on coming out as our enthusiastic party tuck in.

The next day we visit a Turkish bath on the mainland for the first time. It is definitely a “traditional” experience and, as someone whose only real experiences of massage are being lightly rubbed by immaculately coiffured women, a full on lathering and then rub-down by a hairy Turkish guy and his son is a quick education in real massage. It also sees the end of all of my fake tan.

Our final day is spent swimming in a cove and then a stroll through the culture shock of Marmaris, after all of those quiet bays, before settling down to a final dinner on the boat.

A Tussock holiday is not suitable if you need your own space or if you’re less than enthusiastic about mixing with other people. It is a lesson in communal living which, for some people is fantastic, but which some may find exhausting.

Families hire out individual yachts for reunions, get-togethers and special occasions, as do groups of friends. But Tussock also specialise in themed holidays from cooking trips with celebrity chefs, to painting tours and wine-tasting, in addition to a few cruises for people travelling alone.

If its a proper Mediterranean sailing holiday you’re after, without any of the hassle, Tussock Cruising is ideal.

by Hannah Davies

Questo é il video preparato por il Priorato de Italia in occasione della Festività della Candelora lo scorso 2 febbraio 2008.

Il termine Candelora (o Candelaia) deriva dal tardo latino “candelorum” o “candelaram” cioè benedizione delle candele ed indica una festività collocata, nel tempo astronomico, a mezzo inverno e coincidente, nel ciclo agreste/vegetativo, con la fine dell’inverno e l’inizio della primavera; il più famoso detto popolare a riguardo infatti recita: “Quando vien la Candelora, de l’inverno semo fora; ma se piove o tira il vento, de l’inverno semo dentro” suggerendo che se nel giorno della Candelora non si avrà bel tempo, si dovranno aspettare ancora diverse settimane prima della fine dell’inverno e dell’arrivo della primavera. Si tratta di un momento di passaggio, tra l’inverno/ buio/ fine e la primavera/ luce/ nascita: passaggio che viene celebrato attraverso la purificazione e la preparazione alla nuova stagione.

Per la Chiesa Cattolica, la Candelora è la festa della purificazione di Maria, celebrata dalla Chiesa e dai fedeli il 2 di febbraio in simultanea con la presentazione di Gesù al Tempio che non poteva avvenire prima dei 40 giorni,cioè del tempo previsto dalla legge ebrea per la purificazione di una puerpera dopo il parto di un maschio.

La prima testimonianza della festività in Terra Santa é raccontata da Eteria che la descrive come una grande festività pubblica. Successivamente, da Gerusalemme, la festività si diffuse in tutto l’Oriente e in particolare a Bisanzio. Con l’imperatore Giustiniano I divenne giorno festivo e assunse il nome di Ypapanté (= incontro del Signore). Le origini della Candelora, però, hanno radici lontane nel tempo.

In Italia, a Roma, risaliamo ai Lupercalia che si celebravano alle Idi di febbraio, ultimo mese dell’anno per i romani, che servivano a purificarsi prima dell’avvento dell’anno nuovo e a propiziarne la fertilità. In questa celebrazione, dedicata a Fauno Lupercus, due ragazzi di famiglia patrizia venivano condotti in una grotta sul Palatino, consacrata al Dio, al cui interno i sacerdoti, dopo aver sacrificato delle capre, segnavano loro la fronte con il coltello tinto del sangue degli animali. Il sangue veniva poi asciugato con della lana bianca bagnata nel latte, e subito i due giovani dovevano sorridere. A quel punto i due ragazzi dovevano indossare le pelli degli animali sacrificati; con la medesima pelle venivano quindi realizzate delle striscie (dette februa o anche amiculum Iunonis) da usare a mo’ di fruste. Così acconciati e con le strisce in mano, i due giovani dovevano correre attorno alla base del Palatino percuotendo chiunque incontrassero, in particolare le donne che si offrivano volontariamente ad essere sferzate per purificarsi e ottenere la fecondità. Altro momento particolare della festa era la ‘februatio’, la purificazione della città, in cui le donne giravano per le strade con ceri e fiaccole accese, simbolo di luce.

L’uso di fiaccole e candele accese durante la processione sacra aveva due funzioni: la prima, di natura spirituale, indicava la vittoria della luce sulle tenebre, la presentazione sociale del Divino in terra; l’altra di natura pratica, derivava dalla necessità di avere visibilità nell’attraversamento notturno delle città in cui avvenivano i festeggiamenti. La benedizione dei ceri, allora come oggi, è un momento significativo e la grande processione chiamata Cerorum luminibus coruscans (ovvero “risplendente mediante ceri e lumi”), è un grado di generare nei cuori dei partecipanti un forte senso di congiunzione con la madre di Gesù. Ancora oggi, l’offerta dei ceri al Papa viene fatta in forma solenne ed in molte altre città italiane, come a Trapani, si celebrano rappresentazioni popolari che rievocano la purificazione di Maria, o si mettono ceri, torce e fiaccole alle finestre, come si faceva anticamente anche a Napoli. I ceri benedetti sono poi conservati in casa dai fedeli e vengono accesi, per placare l’ira divina, durante violenti temporali, aspettando una persona che non torna o si ritiene in grave pericolo, assistendo un moribondo, e in qualunque momento si senta il bisogno d’invocare l’aiuto divino.

Il carattere mariano della festa fu introdotto da papa Sergio. Ma sarà la mistica orientale a cantare più profusamente nella sua liturgia il gesto della Vergine soprattutto nell’antifona “Adorna, o Sion, la stanza nuziale, accogli Cristo tuo Signore…” che si canta nel responsorio alla prima lettura nell’ufficio delle letture. Questa intuizione mistica è possibile seguendo questo passaggio: a Natale ecco affacciarsi lo “sposo” (antifona al Magnificat dei primi Vespri e seconda antifona all’ufficio delle letture) come sole che si leva all’orizzonte; all’Epifania è la Chiesa che si presenta come una sposa adorna delle sue gioie: è la festa delle nozze della Chiesa con Cristo. La festa della Presentazione del Signore al Tempio, anche se celebrata nel tempo “durante l’anno”, è il punto conclusivo del tempo di Natale. La stessa antifona, che abbiamo ricordato sopra, colloca Maria nella posizione giusta cantando: “… (o Sion) accogli Maria, porta del cielo, perché ella tiene fra le sue braccia il re della gloria, la luce nuova. La Vergine si ferma, presentando il Figlio, generato prima della stella del mattino. Simeone lo tiene fra le braccia, e annunzia alle genti che egli è il Signore della vita e della morte, il Salvatore del mondo”. Verso il secolo undicesimo nasce l’antifona Lumen ad revelationem gentium che caratterizza la fede e la preghiera della Chiesa in questa circostanza, e viene intercalata al cantico di Simeone Nunc dimittis.

Per questo il Vaticano II invita a cogliere l’intima natura della festività: “L’unione della Madre col Figlio nell’opera della redenzione si manifesta dal momento della concezione verginale di Cristo fino alla morte di lui. E quando lo presentò al tempio con l’offerta del dono proprio dei poveri, udì Simeone mentre preannunciava che il Figlio sarebbe divenuto segno di contraddizione e che una spada avrebbe trafitto l’anima della madre, perché fossero svelati i pensieri di molti cuori” (LG 57).

SPIGOLATURE SULLA CANDELORA
La Candelora in alcuni luoghi viene chiamata “Giorno dell’orso”. In questo particolare giorno, l’orso si sveglierebbe dal letargo e uscirebbe fuori dalla sua tana per vedere come è il tempo e valutare se sia o meno il caso di mettere il naso fuori. Un proverbio piemontese in questo senso recita: “se l’ouers fai secha soun ni, per caranto giouern a sort papì”. Ovvero, se l’orso fa asciugare il suo giaciglio (cosa che starebbe a indicare tempo bello per quel giorno) per quaranta giorni non esce più. Un altro proverbio simile al primo, ma meridionale in questo caso, sostiene che se il 2 Febbraio il tempo non è buono, l’orso ha la possibilità di farsi il pagliaio e quindi l’inverno continua.

L’orso era anche protagonista di alcuni riti rurali del mese di febbraio, collocati nel ciclo agreste/vegetativo: al termine di una caccia simulata, l’orso viene catturato e portato all’interno del paese dove viene fatto oggetto di dileggi e di scherzi. L’epilogo può variare dall’uccisione dell’orso alla sua liberazione/fuga e ritorno alla natura. La figura dell’orso è rivestita da qualcuno del luogo che non deve essere riconosciuto fino alla fine della rappresentazione rituale.

A Urbiano si celebra la “festa dell’orso”: qualche giorno prima della ricorrenza, i cacciatori con il volto annerito, andavano alla ricerca dell’orso, che (rappresentato da un uomo travestito) veniva immancabilmente trovato la sera della vigilia. Cacciatori, “orso”, e domatore visitavano le stalle e le osterie con il pretesto di spaventare la gente (e le ragazze) si lasciavano andare a trasgressive bevute. Il giorno dopo, l’orso compariva in paese e, dopo aver fatto il giro della borgata, ballava con la ragazza più bella prima di scomparire per ritrasformarsi in uomo.

Questa festa ricorre non solo in Piemonte e nelle zone dell’arco alpino, ma anche in altre regioni (e nazioni); in tempi più remoti l’orso della festa era vero, portato in giro da un montanaro/domatore che andava da un paese all’altro facendo ballare l’orso nelle piazze. In seguito questo uso scomparve e in alcuni paesi, per mantenere la tradizione, l’orso fu sostituito da una persona appositamente mascherata che ripeteva la stessa pantomima.
A Putignano, in Puglia, chi impersonificava l’orso girava per le vie del paese, fermandosi nelle piazze: lì, al suono di tamburi, si metteva a ballare la tarantella, tra i presenti disposti in cerchio che battevano le mani a tempo e lo punzecchiavano e colpivano con qualche sberla. A volte, a seconda del tempo, l’orso imitava o no l’atto del costruire il suo rifugio (u pagghiar’).

Questi riti riproponevano comunque una tradizione antica che celebrava la festa del ritorno della luce e della bella stagione, con la sconfitta delle forze del buio e del freddo. Nello svolgimento di questi riti traspare la simbologia dell’orso (che con l’inverno va in letargo e si risveglia a primavera), interprete della forza primitiva della natura. L’orso può anche essere accostato alla figura dell’”uomo selvaggio”. In entrambe le raffigurazioni rappresenterebbe comunque il binomio natura - uomo.

IL NUMERO “QUARANTA” NELLA BIBBIA
Il giorno della Candelora fa riflettere sul numero 40, un numero che ovviamente rappresenta la purificazione così come ricorda il libro della Genesi quando racconta che il diluvio è durato quaranta giorni e quaranta notti. (7,12), oppure, come dice Matteo al capitolo 4,2, quando racconta del digiuno di Gesù nel deserto per altrettanti giorni ed altrettante notti. Che dire poi dei ricordi di san Paolo, quando, scrivendo ai cristiani di Corinto, racconta loro di avere ricevuto 40 frustate dai giudei. (2Cor. 11,26)

Nella Bibbia il numero 40, ovviamente col suo preciso significato religioso, ricorre molte volte: Abramo implora Dio di salvare Sodoma se vi avesse trovato almeno 40 giusti (ma dovette scendere a meno di dieci che non furono trovati); e per salvarsi da Esaù dovette offrirgli 40 vacche. In Egitto, Giuseppe impiegò 40 giorni per imbalsamare il corpo del padre; e usciti dall’Egitto, Mosè rimase sul Sinai per 40 giorni e 40 notti; e quando fu costruito il tabernacolo occorsero 40 basi d’argento. Peggio se la videro gli esploratori della terra di Canaan all’arrivo verso la terra promessa: impiegarono 40 giorni, durante i quali se la spassarono, ma ebbero in cambio 40 anni di punizioni. Il giudice Abdon ebbe 40 figli, e il filisteo perseverò nell’insistenza per 40 giorni, come ricorda Samuele (1 Sam. 17,14).

Anche il grande profeta Elia rimase sul monte Oreb per 40 giorni e 40 notti e Giona predicò la penitenza agli abitanti di Ninive per 40 giorni e fu ascoltato. Quaresima dunque davvero 40 giorni (e 40 notti) di vera interiore penitenza, un digiuno non semplicemente corporale ma soprattutto spirituale.

Fr. Vincenzo TUCCILLO KCT, Priorato de Italia

It was a beautiful morning in late December when we set off on the coastal highway towards Haifa, just an hour or so northwest of Alfe Menashe. Along the way, we passed new construction on the beach front that one of our party, a friend from England, hadn’t seen before. Lately, developers have built up most of the available land along the Mediterranean coast, resulting in high-rises galore. This growth is a product of Israel’s fertility rate - the developed world’s highest - and the increase in home sales to wealthy Jewish North Americans and Europeans, as well as increasing numbers of Christian Zionists.

We also passed Jisr az-Zarqa, an Israeli-Arab village, the only wholly Arab town on the Mediterranean coastline in Israel. During and after the War of Independence, other Arabs living on the coast fled or were forced from their seaside towns. Notwithstanding that, the cities of Acre, Haifa, Tel-Aviv-Jaffa, Lod and others, all have large Arab populations.

Located just north of the wealthy town of Caesarea, Jisr az-Zarqa has been problematic since its beginnings in the 19th century. It was founded by black Sudanese, probably brought to the area by Napoleon to serve his troops. From the beginning, the villagers were shunned by the other Arabs in the area. Working for the residents of Caesarea has proved to be the most lucrative means of employment for the townspeople, but relations between the two communities are not good. A barrier separating the towns, built by Caesarea to distance itself from the noise of loudspeakers emanating from the mosques and the sound of gunfire from revelers at celebrations, hasn’t helped matters. Though it is relatively dilapidated, Jisr az-Zarqa has a fine beach and a modern sports/social center provided by the government, like the ones in nearly every Israeli town.

Entering Haifa, we quickly found a parking space at the foot of Ben Gurion Boulevard in the German Colony. From this vantage point, the view upwards towards the Carmel Mountain features the glorious Bahai Gardens … but more about that later. The German Templar neighborhood was established in 1868. The Templars purchased land that in those days was far from the town, which had only 4,000 residents. They also established other colonies in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa, and throughout Palestine.

The Templars took their name from the German Temple Society, which strictly followed the New Testament. They intended to build the first planned agricultural community in the Holy Land. The large, beautiful stone homes they constructed are popular tourist attractions today. The Templars prospered in Palestine but suffered as a result of their German affiliations during the two World Wars, when members of the community sided with the Germans. In 1947, the Templars were deported from Palestine to Australia by the British. Eventually, in 1962, they were compensated for their lost properties by the Israeli government.

We continued walking towards Wadi Nisnas, Haifa’s only Arab neighborhood that has preserved its original character. It typifies the religious and communal coexistence of Haifa, with its stone houses, narrow alleyways, and Oriental-style market. Because of its picturesque buildings and streets, Wadi Nisnas hosts the annual three faiths festival, the Festival of Festivals, held during the Christmas season. On the way there, we couldn’t resist stopping at Mama Pita’s, a hole-in-the-wall shop with people crowding the entrance. We sampled the cheap and tasty pita pizza, topped with salty cheese and zatar (hyssop). Delicious!

We had a hard time sticking together in the midst of the festival crowds, but we enjoyed an antiques exhibition, musical events, hawkers selling everything you can imagine, crowded pastry shops with mouth-watering displays, and a felafel restaurant with a loud greeter (the best felafel in Israel! he proclaimed) giving out free samples to entice customers to buy. There was a street art competition in the area, so we looked at the walls, roofs, even dustbins for their particular artistic messages. After we grew tired of fighting the crowds, we walked leisurely out of Wadi Nisnas to the lower terrace of the Bahai Gardens.

The Bahai Faith, a post-Islamic monotheistic religion, was founded in mid 19th century Persia and has about six million adherents today, spread around the world. More than two million live in India, with the balance residing in nearly all the world’s countries. Israel is the center of the Bahai Faith and hosts its most prominent sites: the terraced Bahai Gardens of Haifa, including the tomb of the messianic Bahai precursor “the Bab”, and the mausoleum of the founder Baha’u'llah in Acre. Since its inception, the Bahai religion has faced persecution from some Islamic authorities, since it defies the Islamic teaching that Mohammed is the last prophet.

The gardens themselves are magnificent, with terraces from the upper city down the Carmel slopes to the foot of Ben Gurion Boulevard, which ends near the water. Everything growing in the gardens is pristine and is beautifully maintained by the devotees of the faith, who volunteer to spend time at the shrine. Almost unbelievably, the beautiful lawns, shrubs, and trees are maintained without man-made irrigation. It’s a “must see” attraction in Israel, which explains why reservations are needed to tour the gardens, which is accomplished by descending the many sets of stairs from top to bottom. But even without entering the grandiose gates, tourists like us were able to enjoy the view and the ambiance near the bottom entrance.

Tired by now, we had a pleasant rest in the lovely garden of an attractive coffee bar/restaurant, sitting on upholstered chairs and sofas, listening to good music. We were just biding our time until our reservation time at the Isabella Restaurant, located in a Templar building on the boulevard. We enjoyed excellent scallopini there, the only place we’ve found in Israel that serves it. On our way out, we were thankful that we had made reservations, since there was quite a throng of hungry people at the entrance. So ended a lovely day in Haifa, port city and industrial capital of Israel’s north.

By Steve Kramer, in http://www.infoisrael.net

Head of rural district Hrunamannahreppur Ísólfur Gylfi Pálmason believes an ancient knife found in Kjölur mountain pass in 1990 in Iceland’s central highlands could lead the way to a secret underground dome where some believe the Holy Grail is being kept.

“The knife was discovered […] in a place where there is a good overlook of Skipholtskrókur, where the dome is believed to be located,” Pálmason told Fréttabladid. “A guard may have stood there to watch over the place.”

Pálmason has authorized a team of scientists, led by Italian cryptographer Giancarlo Gianazza, to search for an underground dome in Skipholtskrókur which they believe the Knights Templar created in the 13th century for hiding the Holy Grail.

“Gianazza has submitted some very credible theories on this matter,” Pálmason said. “The ancient knife […] may support his theories further.”

A group of scientists believe the Holy Grail and other lost objects, which according to Christian mythology were guarded by the Knights Templar, may be located in the rural district Hrunamannahreppur in southwest Iceland.

“There are strong indications that the solution to this mystery may be found in Iceland,” architect Thórarinn Thórarinsson wrote in a letter to the local authority of Hrunamannahreppur, requesting permission for himself and Italian cryptographer Giancarlo Gianazza to search for the treasure in the region, visir.is reports.

According to visir.is, Gianazza believes to have found important clues to where the Holy Grail is hidden in poems by Dante and artwork by Leonardo da Vinci and other Renaissance painters. His research has led him to conclude that the treasure is located in a five-meter-large secret underground dome by Skipholtskrókar near Kjölur mountain pass.

One of the clues is a consistency between da Vinci’s painting of the Last Supper and an aerial photograph of the area. (Click here to see a picture overlaying the painting and the aerial photograph.)

The theory is that the Knights Templar came to Iceland in 1217 to find a hiding place for their treasure and that Snorri Sturluson, the author of Prose Edda and other mediaeval scripts, helped them create the underground dome in Iceland’s central highlands.

“We have investigated that place since 2004 with field work both in summer and winter and undertaken extensive geological measurements,” Thórarinsson said in his letter. “The information that we have gathered during these trips as well as further research of original sources give us reason to investigate the area in more detail.”

Thórarinn was given permission by the local authority of Hrunamannahreppur to dig a two-meter-deep and five-meter-wide ditch by Skipholtskrókar with the condition that the ditch will be closed after the research is done.

“Although we have our doubts, we think this project is exciting,” said head of the local authority Ísólfur Gylfi Pálmason. “It is at least a different kind of project than what we have to deal with on a daily basis.”

in Iceland Review

Salomón es sin lugar a dudas uno de los personajes más apasionantes de cuantos son citados en la Biblia. De hecho, su fabulosa estela ha trascendido como la de ninguna otra figura bíblica el texto sagrado para echar raíces en el terreno del paganismo, la magia y el conocimiento hermético, pero… ¿quién fue realmente?

Los templarios ocuparon las ruinas de su templo reconstruido; los francmasones aseguran ser herederos de su sabiduría; los cabalistas lo sitúan como uno de sus primeros y principales maestros y su sello es uno de los talismanes más potentes que ha llegado a nuestros días. Incluso, la ficción literaria y más tarde el cine han alimentado la leyenda de Salomón a través de la búsqueda de sus míticos tesoros que, desde hace unos años, han vuelto a cobrar protagonismo en el terreno de la novela histórica, vinculando su figura con un aspecto herético que es objeto de gran polémica.

Existen pocas dudas acerca de la historicidad del personaje en cuestión, cuya vida aparece descrita con cierto detalle en el Libro Primero de los Reyes. Respondiendo también al nombre de Yedidyá, que significa “el amado por Dios”, Salomón equivaldría con algunos matices a “el Pacífico”, siendo el segundo de los hijos que nació de la unión del patriarca David con Betsabé. El segundo libro de Samuel nos explica que el rey David vio a una hermosa mujer bañándose y quedó prendado de su belleza; se trataba de Betsabé, esposa de Urías el hitita. De inmediato, David consumó su adúltera pasión para poco después ordenar que el fiel guerrero Urías fuese colocado en primera línea de batalla contra los ammonitas, muriendo en una de las contiendas. Yahvé recriminó a David a través del profeta Natán este pasional comportamiento castigando la acción con la muerte al poco de nacer, fruto del adulterio. El nacimiento del segundo hijo, Salomón, sería visto con buenos ojos por un Yahvé que enviaría de nuevo a Natán a comunicar su aprobación y a dictar su nombre.

Salomón accedió al trono de Israel hacia el año 970 a. de C., en medio de una pugna con su hermanastro Adonías, que como otros hijos de David de mayor edad aspiraban al codiciado trono. No obstante, los designios divinos había elegido a Salomón para tal fin y su padre no dudó en traspasarle el poder en vida, ayudado de una purga interna en la que Adonías y sus simpatizantes serían pasados a cuchillo. Salomón se convirtió así en el tercer y último rey del reino unificado, que posteriormente, al morir el sabio monarca hacía el 926 a. de C. se fragmentaría en el reino de Judá en el sur y el de Israel en el norte. Desde el punto de vista histórico, todo apunta a que en sus cuarenta años de reinado el monarca realizó una buena gestión, proporcionando a la mayor parte de su pueblo una época de bonanza y paz, articulando una corte de esplendor y riqueza gracias a las buenas relaciones externas facilitadas inicialmente por su matrimonio con la hija del faraón. “Sobrepasó el rey Salomón a todos los reyes de la Tierra en opulencia y sabiduría”, nos dice I Reyes (10, 23), y no era para menos, pues el relato nos da cuenta de caprichos como la construcción de doscientos grandes escudos de oro batido y otros trescientos de menor tamaño, así como un trono de marfil cubierto de oro, material del que igualmente estaban hechos todos los utensilios de la casa. Hasta mil cuatrocientos carros y doce mil caballos formaban parte de su guarnición. La construcción de infraestructuras y posterior potenciación de líneas comerciales fueron determinantes para el fortalecimiento del reino, en el que reorganizó los territorios convirtiendo a las doce tribus antes errantes en otras tantas provincias satélites cuya existencia giraba en torno a la costosa corte salomónica.

Mujeriego, sabio y constructor del templo

Nuestro protagonista estrechó lazos fraternales con el rey de Tiro Hiram I, quien colaboró con él en diversidad de proyectos, como la construcción de la más fabulosa obra de la antigüedad: el Templo de Salomón. Del mítico rey han llegado hasta nuestros días infinidad de referencias, entre las que no son en absoluto despreciables las que aluden a sus amoríos y promiscuidad. Especialmente célebre fue su encuentro con la reina de Saba, del que hallamos un prolífico desarrollo en el texto etiope Kebra Negast o La Gloria de los Reyes, aunque mucho más explícita y concluyente resulta aún la cita del Libro Primero de los Reyes en la que literalmente se nos dice que “además de la hija de Faraón, amó también a muchas mujeres extranjeras (…). Pero Salomón se apegó tanto a ellas por amor, que llegó a tener setecientas princesas por esposas y trescientas concubinas. Y sus mujeres pervirtieron su corazón”, I Reyes 11.

No obstante, también fue un hombre sabio, “más sabio que todos los hombres”, nos dice la Biblia, extendiéndose su fama por todas las naciones. Si hacemos caso de I Reyes, “formuló tres mil proverbios y compuso mil cinco cánticos”, y se le ha atribuido el Cantar de los Cantares, aunque ningún estudioso serio es capaz de sostener con argumentos históricos tal afirmación. De hecho, sólo una pequeña parte de los proverbios de la Biblia parecen corresponderse con la época en la que vivió el monarca, mientras que para el Cantar tampoco hay ningún dato sólido. La tradición y el fuerte contenido sensual del libro, en consonancia con la apasionada vida amorosa de Salomón, parecen constituir el único nexo de unión entre ambos.

Este compendio de metáforas sería, en opinión del experto en esoterismo Robert Ambelain, un “texto iniciático egipcio que llegó hasta Israel en el equipaje de la princesa de Egipto que se casó con Salomón, y se degradó al nivel del canto profano al llegar a los medios judíos ordinarios”.

Con todo, y lejos de estar reñida su promiscuidad con su sabiduría, sus profundos y variados conocimientos tal vez hayan sido determinantes para que escuelas y sociedades herméticas de toda índole hayan reivindicado su filiación salomónica. Ese saber, que la Biblia no termina de concretar si era innato o un atributo divino, quedó magistralmente recogido en el episodio de las dos mujeres que reclaman la maternidad de un bebé. La pugna se zanja cuando, ante la amenaza de partirlo en dos con una espada para dar a cada mujer una parte, la verdadera madre conmovida renuncia al niño con el único fin de que pueda seguir viviendo, ante la impasibilidad de la otra, acción reveladora para Salomón, que hace justicia entregándoselo y logrando con ello un efectismo que populariza aún más su sabiduría. Anécdotas como esta debieron contribuir a que un proyecto como la construcción del Templo de Jerusalén pudiera ser acogido por el pueblo como un designio verdaderamente dictado por Yahvé, y a que el mismo haya sido contemplado por hombres de todos los tiempos como símbolo de la perfección absoluta.

La edificación se levantó en una explanada del monte Moriah entre los años 969 y 962 a de C., bajo la dirección de un arquitecto que en la Biblia responde también al nombre de Hiram. Es significativo que el lugar sagrado de edificación de este templo haya sido el escenario, según la tradición judía, de notables episodios anteriores, como el frustrado sacrificio del hijo de Abraham, el célebre sueño de la escalera celestial de Jacob o los rituales del enigmático rey Melquisedec. El relato de I Reyes ofrece abundantes descripciones sobre las medidas y características particulares del Templo.

Todo detalle parecía crucial para un espacio sagrado en el que se iba a custodiar nada menos que el Arca de la Alianza, de tal manera que a la vista de la suntuosidad que rodeaba la corte no es de extrañar que el espacio a ocupar por el objeto sagrado, el santo de los santos, estuviera recubierto de oro fino, con un altar de cedro revestido del mismo material, oro que según el texto bíblico llegó a recubrir el templo en su totalidad. Dos querubines de olivo silvestre con una envergadura alar de cinco metros cada uno se tocaban por un extremo de sus alas mientras que por el otro rozaban los muros.

En el exterior fueron especialmente célebres las dos columnas de bronce con capiteles vegetales, bautizadas como Yakin –la de la derecha– y Bóaz –la de la izquierda–, piezas que hoy en día también forman parte de la simbología esotérica de la masonería. Se trataba de columnas que físicamente no sustentaban nada de la estructura del templo y que, como los obeliscos egipcios, pudieron tener una utilidad ritual. La destrucción del majestuoso edificio tres siglos y medio más tarde fue obra del rey babilónico Nabucodonosor II, no siendo convenientemente restaurado hasta la irrupción en la historia de Herodes el Grande, quien rehabilitó y amplió el edificio hacia el año 20 a. de C. Sus espacios devolvieron el eco de las palabras de Jesús, si hacemos caso a los Evangelios, siendo nuevamente destruido por las tropas del romano Tito en el año 70 de nuestra era.

Mientras muchos hebreos esperan con entusiasmo la reconstrucción del tercer templo, anunciador de un tiempo nuevo y de la llegada del Mesías, el lugar acuna a cristianos, a creyentes del judaísmo –que oran en el Muro de las Lamentaciones– y a seguidores del Islam, pues no en vano sobre la ruinas del mítico edificio –que también albergó cultos paganos de sirios, fenicios, romanos y griegos–, se encuentra la llamada Mezquita o Cúpula de la Roca, donde la tradición arábica fija los rezos y el ascenso de Mahoma con su caballo alado al-Boraq.

El señor de los genios, las máquinas y la magia

Puestos a resaltar curiosidades sobre la tradición musulmana y la figura de Salomón, es reseñable la estrecha relación que se plantea en el Corán entre el monarca y los djins, genios o espíritus elementales sobre los que nuestro protagonista parecía ejercer un importante grado de poder, y que aparecían en algunas suras del texto sagrado del islam.

La experta Montserrat Abumalham detalla, en un trabajo publicado en Anaquel de Estudios Árabes III, la especial relación del monarca con los genios, a partir del estudio de un capítulo del texto Kitab Adad al-Falasifa en el que se describe, para sorpresa de muchos, la transmisión de sabios conocimientos por parte de estas entidades, frecuentemente vistas como diabólicas. Transportado por un viento, se encontró con 110 genios filósofos en una isla donde le transmitieron supuestamente enseñanzas en forma de proverbios.

La tradición le vincula también con la magia –ver recuadros–, la cábala y el esoterismo, pero todavía hoy la figura de Salomón sigue rodeada de un aura de misterio que sólo ha sido en parte desvelado.

There are two Israeli cities that truly warrant visiting for a culinary tour: Nazareth and Acre. In both you can still find echoes of the magnificent cuisine of what was once, long ago, known as Greater Syria - an area that included Syria, Lebanon and Palestine and was blessed with the ingredients typical of the region: lamb, olive oil, lemon, garlic, eggplant and other fresh vegetables along with an abundance of herbs. In the seaside city of Acre, fish and seafood are added to the mix, as well as the ancient traditions of a port city that in various periods served as a central crossroads for the transport of raw materials and products from east to west and vice-versa. The cuisine of Greater Syria, which many consider more interesting than the relatively meager cuisine of Jordan and Egypt, also absorbed something of the area’s cosmopolitan atmosphere, which enjoyed many periods of economic prosperity throughout its long history.

Another thing Nazareth and Acre share is that it is both uplifting and sad to walk their streets, because of how deserted they are. It’s hard to avoid thinking that these two beautiful cities, which have so much historic and religious significance, really ought to be thronged with tourists.

Tour guide Abdu Matta is Acre’s best ambassador. His real specialty is history and the encounter between cultures, particularly in the Western Galilee, but he also leads groups and individuals on fascinating culinary tours of Acre, his hometown.

in www.haaretz.com

An ancient Lincolnshire pathway believed to have been used by the Knights Templar is at the centre of a community row.

Residents living along the path have been accused of turning away horses and verbally abusing people trying to use the bridleway, believed to be 1,000 years old.

Now county councillors have been asked to step in and secure public access to the lane, between Eagle Barnsdale, near Swinderby, and the A46 south of Lincoln.

A ‘private road - access only’ sign has been erected at the entrance to the lane, which runs between Tunman Farm off Southern Lane and the ancient Fosse Way.

In a letter to Lincolnshire County Council, parish members have complained that those trying to walk or ride down it have been “experiencing aggression and hostility”.

Ernie Cater (74), who lives at Tunman Farm, said that research carried-out on behalf of the villagers had proven that the route was used by the Knights Templar - an order of soldier-monks founded in 1118.

Shirley Nicholson of Tunman Cottage admits her family put up the sign but strongly denied that horseriders and walkers were being intimidated or turned away.

“My late husband put the sign up to stop vehicles coming down here because it was damaging the path and we are responsible for maintaining it,” she said.

Her daughter Eileen Northcott, who also lives on the bridleway, said: “We’ve never stopped or been aggressive to horseriders or walkers. These allegations just aren’t true.”

The business of banking relies very much on its independence from government.

For example, our currency is regulated by the governing council of the European Central Bank, comprising the six members of the executive board and the central bank governors of the 15 participating countries.
These 21 make a monthly decision as to interest rates and it is comparative interest rates which steady the euro as against the US dollar, Japanese yen, British pound and others.

Our man, John Hurley, may well bring to the table concerns expressed here, by ministers or others, but the bank is independent. Indeed, one of the most interesting acts done by a British Labour government in recent times has been the granting of independence to the Bank of England in managing the pound and, so far at least, it seems to have worked.

Many can remember a time when the principal bank for most families was the local post office, with its savings accounts, postal orders, money orders, telegraphic sending of money, etc. That was all people needed at the time.

The big, imposing, cut stone or brick commercial banks, with their mosaic floors and timbered panelling, were definitely not for the little man or woman. The austere formality of the buildings alone exuded an intimidatory aura.

These days, of course, with on-line banking and with supermarkets operating as financial institutions, the definitions have become ever more blurred.

But would it surprise you to know that the traveller’s cheque was in fact invented more than 800 years ago? And that there may well have been a couple of issuing branches in Limerick city and county?
In the year 1118, early in the time of the crusades, Hugues de Payens, Geoffroi de St Omer and seven other knights formed a military order dedicated to the protection of pilgrims on the way to the holy places in Palestine.

King Baldwin of Jerusalem gave them premises to the side of the site of the old Jewish Temple and they thus became known as the Poor Fellow Soldiers of Jesus Christ and the Temple of Solomon.

The knights took vows of poverty, chastity and obedience and they had both Benedictine and Cistercian rules imposed on them. From 1172, some members who were fully ordained priests were added to their numbers, and their fame and numbers grew and grew.

They expanded across Christendom, taking upon themselves a broader remit to defend Christianity in general. They received lavish gifts and bequests as their presence expanded. Their existence in Ireland after Strongbow’s arrival in 1170 was meant to underpin the Anglo Norman footprint and we are told that they had a house in Limerick and went on to found Garrigogunnel Castle overlooking the Shannon Estuary and Newcastle West which guarded the way into Kerry. So there might have been three, maybe even four “branches” of the Templars here in Limerick during the 1200s.

Crucially, the Knights Templar were not responsible to any national king. They held their authority from the pope and from nobody else. Their grand master behaved and expected to be treated as a prince and considered himself equal to any sovereign in Europe.

And the wealth of the order allowed them not only to protect pilgrims, but also to help finance their pilgrimages.

Across Europe and within Palestine, Templar houses served as fortified hotels, safe resting places from which pilgrims could move on to the next similar establishment.

It would have cost a fortune to go on a pilgrimage to the holy places, and carrying gold carried grave risks. So the Templars invented the traveller’s cheque.

It worked like this: a pilgrim and his entourage would arrive at a Templar stronghold near his own home and hand in an agreed amount of gold or silver, or maybe granted some land. In return for this, he would be given an official receipt, and he’d set off on his journey.

On arrival at the next Templar house, he could purchase whatever services, perhaps shipping and fodder, needed for the next stage of the adventure and a new receipt would be issued representing the balance remaining from the original amount. And so on.

Upon the traveller’s safe return, he would be given back whatever was unspent, although, as with all banks, terms and conditions probably applied. But, being wholly independent of the local kings at all stages along the way, the mega-rich Templar order held money locally which nominally existed somewhere else. So they also invented bogus offshore investment accounts.

But it couldn’t last.

The biggest concentration of Templar Knights was in France and King Philip IV was annoyed that, while he was deeply in debt, the Templars had lands and money to flaunt. So, in the early 1300s, with the connivance of Pope Clement V, a very bloody clampdown was suddenly inflicted on the Templars, with show trials hearing the most perjurous testimony, mainly from expelled members of the order.

Very many knights perished and the land and booty was divided up between the king, the pope and remaining orders of knights, most notably those of St John.

The Templar presence in Ireland was also wound down, although not brutally. The Irish dioceses, which had been formalised in the year 1111, were still in a state of flux as between native Irish and Anglo Norman incumbencies.

Older Irish monasteries, which had been the engines of Irish Christianity, were being overtaken by Continental orders of monks, friars and nuns who were very much part of the mainstream church, without the freedom of thought and of administration which the native monasteries had enjoyed.

But these new monasteries, because they were elements of multinational religious organisations, seem also to have acted as international go-betweens and may even have continued in a smaller and less formal way the banking and foreign exchange practices of their luckless Templar brethren, although the crusades, having finally failed to recapture Jerusalem and the Holy Sepulchre, meant that the pilgrim routes hardly mattered much any more, and they probably never did from Ireland anyway as we had plenty of holy places of our own to visit.

Organised banking came about here with the commencement in business of the Bank of Ireland in 1783, the charter of which required its directors to take an oath undertaking to oppose popery.
Disorganised banking, unfortunately, also came about in the succeeding years and the turmoil of 1798 and subsequent such events caused many to fail, leaving gullible investors penniless and with nowhere to look for assistance.

It’s been about 700 years since a sealed receipt on Templar parchment was passport, visa, traveller’s cheque, pass book and reasonable guarantee of safe passage. The euro has removed money borders across half a continent, so it is only now that we are getting back to the multinationalism which our remote forefathers might have been quite used to.

By Martin Byrnes in the Limerick Leader