Solomon's Power Brokers: The Secrets of Freemasonry, the Church and the Illuminati

by Christopher Knight, Alan Butler

Is Freemasonry nothing more than a benign and charitable men's social club as the Order insists or does it have a deeper and perhaps darker purpose? Could these men be part of the "Illuminati" - a group of intellectuals with extremely grand plans for the development of civilization? And if so, what is the grand plan that these men were so determined to bring about, and why should there be such opposition to it? Christopher Knight and Alan Butler reveal that present-day freemasons are the spiritual descendents of an ancient priesthood that was forced to act in secrecy. In the early days of Christianity, their views offended and opposed those of the orthodox Church, and later in feudal Europe, both the State and the established Church considered them heretics and sworn enemies. Yet, they could not be silenced - or defeated - and members of this priesthood have continued to this day to work in subtle and sometimes subversive ways to achieve their aims, often occupying very elevated positions within Western society, and always maintaining complete anonymity to those outside their fellowship.
The extraordinary story that unfolds in "Solomon's Power Brokers" reveals that the building of the modern world was no haphazard process. There was a grand plan - and it has succeeded. The "New World Order" is already here.

Genres: Nonfiction, Religion, History

320 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2007

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.

Christopher Knight is an author who has written several books dealing with pseudoscientific conspiracy theories such as 366-degree geometry and the origins of Freemasonry.
In an interview about the book Who Built the Moon?: 2005 Knight stated that the moon is an artificial construction probably built by humans with a message in "base ten arithmetic so it looks as though it is directed to a ten digit species that is living on Earth right now - which seems to mean humans." He believes that it was created to make life on Earth possible, including humans, and that the most likely builders were humans of the future using time travel.

Reviews

[Haarlson Phillipps · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first eighty or so pages are a bit tough going. There is a lot of information, much of it arcane and delivered in a very dry, almost ponderous tone, like unedited lecture notes.
Though the title refers to Freemasonry the book does not begin to discuss freemasonry proper ('... the existence of Freemasonry, which is definitely not directly related to the act of cutting and dressing stone ...') until page 186 of 288 pages of text.
There is a lot of interesting stuff here, especially regarding the Knights Templar and the Cistercian order of monks, and a lesser known order called the Tironensians.
The authors' reading of Rosslyn Chapel makes for fascinatiing reading - especially the linkage to the tale of St. Matthew and the efforts made to disguise the chapel's true purpose.

While the front of the book could be said to be too dense the end of the book is too thin. We learn virtually nothing of the Illuminati - again referred to in the title. I felt much of the material at the back end of the book (viz. biographic details Annibale Bugnini et al)was added as padding.
Overall I found the book diverting and delivered good detail on the shift between sun worshipping and lunar worshipping creeds. However, I feel the title of the book is misleading - its title should refer to the Star Families - not Freemasonry as such (as the authors point out - Freemasonry was only one means among several deployed by the Star Families to achieve their purpose)but, then, without the explicit reference to freemasons it wouldn't sell as many copies.

[Jessi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting book on the history of “Star Families” who influenced history in a shadowy, elite group that eventually formed into the Masons. I do not recommend reading this unless you are firmly grounded in Christian theology, as this is a pro-Masonic thought perspective that greatly twists scripture in its worldview. I felt like I had to clean out my brain, spiritually speaking, after reading this.

[Lisa Pletz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a very interesting discussion of the origins of humankind, and religious belief and practice. The authors discuss the changes created in Christian beliefs over many centuries, and the influence of certain families on world politics throughout time. These families originated from a pious Jewish sect early in history, and may even be influencing events today. The writing can be a bit dry in some spots, but so much of the information presented is so intriguing that it is worth it to wade through the entire book. The authors provide much to think about.

[Catherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting look at the history and development of the Masonic Orders, beginning with King Solomon. Lots of speculation and conjecture because so much literature has been destroyed over time by the Church... Plenty of opportunity to take what you want and leave the rest!

[Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting speculative look at the origins of Freemasonry and it's alleged connections to the Illuminati. It is worth a read but probably not as strict history since they're scholarly sources are limited and the authors are listed in six books on the bibliography.

[Leonardo Nobrega · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting book about the origins of most powerful religion in the world, freemasonry, templars and the family of. Stars. Based on several documents that really exists it exposure a lot of nice info about our past as society.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty much antoher book on Masonry, other secret organizations and their history.