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The Temple and the Lodge: The Strange and Fascinating History of the Knights Templar and the Freemasons
From the authors of the bestseller, Holy Blood, Holy Grail, comes a new book on the origins of Freemasonry. Its mysterious beginnings in the fourteenth century through currents of thought and political upheavals surrounding it in seventeenth-and eighteenth-century Europe are charted. "Compelling...sane and informed...Written with gripping academic-detective style."--TorontoStar. 36 black-and-white photographs.
1 pages, Audio CD
First published January 1, 1988
87 people are currently reading
1333 people want to read
About the author
Michael Baigent
42 books164 followersMichael Baigent was born in New Zealand in 1948. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in psychology from Canterbury University, Christchurch, and holds a master's degree in mysticism and religious experience from the University of Kent in England. Since 1976 he has lived in England with his wife and children.
Baigent is a Freemason and a Grand Officer of the United Grand Lodge of England. He has also been an editor of Freemasonry Today since 1991. As an author and speculative historian, he has been published in 35 languages; he is the author of From the Omens of Babylon, Ancient Traces, and the New York Times bestseller The Jesus Papers; he is the coauthor of the international bestsellers Holy Blood, Holy Grail and The Messianic Legacy (with Henry Lincoln and Richard Leigh); and the coauthor of The Temples and the Lodge, The Dead Sea Scrolls Deception, Secret Germany, The Elixir and the Stone, and The Inquisition (with Richard Leigh).
Baigent is a Freemason and a Grand Officer of the United Grand Lodge of England. He has also been an editor of Freemasonry Today since 1991. As an author and speculative historian, he has been published in 35 languages; he is the author of From the Omens of Babylon, Ancient Traces, and the New York Times bestseller The Jesus Papers; he is the coauthor of the international bestsellers Holy Blood, Holy Grail and The Messianic Legacy (with Henry Lincoln and Richard Leigh); and the coauthor of The Temples and the Lodge, The Dead Sea Scrolls Deception, Secret Germany, The Elixir and the Stone, and The Inquisition (with Richard Leigh).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 65 reviews
June 1, 2025
Learned a lot from this. I've seen conspiracists lob Freemasons into other more suspicious circles, but that seems to be a mistake after reading this.
November 18, 2016
Reversing a lot of what you'd ever thought you knew about the Templars and the Freemasons — even stuff stored in the backcorner of your mind — this book takes you through a stroll around European history, as the Order of the Poor Knights of Christ and the Temple of Solomon endure through regime changes in Europe with their superior manpower, savvy financial sense and goal of perpetuating human values in the face of powermongering and Church dominance. This, needless to say, is hardly what Dan Brown readers would get out the sub-John Grisham excursions he takes them on; where in the hell did all this history go?
Mostly, it got funneled (roughly) into what became Freemasons: a pursuit of "sacred geometry as a whole — compounded of Pythagorean, Vitruvian, Hermetic, Neo-Platonic, Judaic and Islamic thought" through shifting winds and more or less periods of tolerance. Why everyone got so frightened of these folks I don't know — 'cept for the fact that, as Adam Zamoyski shows in his 2015 book, Phantom Terror: The Threat of Revolution and the Repression of Liberty 1789-1848 , it suited the purpose of the paranoiac post-French revolution European leaders (particularly as fomented by the single figure of the Austrian Klemens von Metternich, who made ripples undisregardable by every other Sovereign). Huh.
Mostly, it got funneled (roughly) into what became Freemasons: a pursuit of "sacred geometry as a whole — compounded of Pythagorean, Vitruvian, Hermetic, Neo-Platonic, Judaic and Islamic thought" through shifting winds and more or less periods of tolerance. Why everyone got so frightened of these folks I don't know — 'cept for the fact that, as Adam Zamoyski shows in his 2015 book, Phantom Terror: The Threat of Revolution and the Repression of Liberty 1789-1848 , it suited the purpose of the paranoiac post-French revolution European leaders (particularly as fomented by the single figure of the Austrian Klemens von Metternich, who made ripples undisregardable by every other Sovereign). Huh.
March 9, 2015
Difficult to accept some of the premises offered when the history of the American Revolution is so warped and distorted. It falls into the category of extremely interesting conjecture. But well written and entertaining.
September 16, 2007
Interesting book on the origins of the Masons. Pretty entertaining, but not entirely accurate.
March 26, 2022
Fascinating book
February 26, 2024
Brought alive a part of history that I hadn't fully understood - whether the life it brought is fictive and to what degree is a matter to tease out with more sober and academic study - there is something very pleasurable about this kind of writing - its raciness, its measured revelation of 'facts', its disclosure of secrets means the style is more akin to detective novel than non-fiction book, and that is why the authors do so well.
Starting in the period of absolute monarchies of the early part of 2nd Millenium AD, when Western Europe was staring at a consolidated Islamic Empire which had occupied Jerusalem and at times crept up as far as Southern France and Spain, and up to the revolutions, Republics and Constitutional Monarchies of the last few hundred years. From family lines of inherited title (and violent usurpations) to a more meritocratic system in some areas, guess which institutions (according to the authors) played a major role in this transition?
Whilst democracy does not equal meritocracy - votes by the majority definitely not guaranteeing that the best candidate gets in, the new systems of rule which have replaced Monarchies or severely limited their power, in America and Europe, were very often the direct or indirect result of Freemasonry, a spiritual system predicated on the separation of title from person, and a hierarchical ranking system through which initiates could rise (as was the Catholic Church, though not, the Church of England, which represented a return to a form of tribal/shamanic consolidation of State and religious power, rather than overarching religious and legal power ruling different States.)
Freemasons were, again according to the authors, in some ways a continuation of a line from the Knights Templar, who were major bankers in Western Europe as well as leading forces in the Crusades. The Templars learnt banking tricks from Jews in Southern Europe, but massively increased the rate of interest. They were a very rich organisation, acquired land and built churches through different parts of Western Europe. It is suggested that the Templars were related to the, perhaps mythical, Priory of Sion, a link which is explored further in Holy Blood, Holy Grail.
The Templars were a Christian organisation, with an unorthodox, some would say heretical theology. They had a troubled relationship with the Catholic Church and were eventually crushed, with the resurgence of Freemasonry experiencing further tensions with the Church, although some Catholics have been Freemasons.
Freemasons took their name and early structure from stone-masons responsible for building Cathedrals and Churches. A link is made to the Temple of Solomon, with illuminating analysis of Biblical narratives of the Temple's construction. Freemasons’ philosophy was not Christian as such, talking about the Great Architect or Master Builder, and drawing from a range of literary/spiritual sources including, but not exclusive of,
the Bible.
Prey to a wealth of conspiracy and conjecture, with all kinds of accusations which may or may not have some grounding in historical reality, besides the febrile imaginations of some, including what may have been forced out of cornered Templars and Freemasons whilst being tortured, the image of Freemasons remains questionable, despite their many philanthropic efforts in modern times. Hitler, influenced by 'The Protocols of the Elders of Zion', persecuted Freemasons, killing tens of thousands, and still today their reputation is smeared by accusations of involvement in paedophile rings and influence over different levels of politics.
This is not the book to discover the veracity or otherwise of such accusations - the authors taking a gentlemanly and fairly respectful view of Templars/Freemasons’ role in history. The topic is further explored in another book by the author (and others), called 'Holy Blood, Holy Grail', which was a major influence on 'The Da Vinci Code', and explores the role of Secret Societies in passing on information about Esteemed Bloodlines.
I had been in possession of 'The Temple and Lodge' book for many years, after an aquaintance gave it to me, and only recently felt motivated to read it after hearing some of the contemporary theories about Freemasons. I am glad I read it and so too, having started 'Holy Blood, Holy Grail', can recall the number of times that I dismissed recommendations of this book, having grown cynical after reading 'The Da Vinci Code' and then a debunking book by Tony Robinson which poured water on most of Dan Brown's theories. Michael Baigent's writing is intelligent, entertaining, well-paced and very honest, as far as I can tell, in explaining the process whereby he came across various discoveries and revelations. Whether his research methods are tight to academic standards is another matter. They clearly had fun.
What is disappointing about 'The Temple and the Lodge' is that he ends the history in the late 18th century, shortly after the American War of Independence, which was partly fought by Freemason-led forces on the American side, carrying on the tradition of military excellence that the Knights Templar had innovated. Since a lot of the conspiracy theories around Freemasons involve their activities now - in US government and alleged links with Zionism, this area is left tantalisingly unfulfilled.
What we can be sure of, is that the Freemasons are used as a bogey-man, into which all kinds of theories and accusations are placed - partly stemming from a Catholic tradition which demonised them, for understandable reasons, since they posed a major threat to the hegemony and dogma of the Church, and succeeded in many ways (according to the book) in displacing that authority over time.
Starting in the period of absolute monarchies of the early part of 2nd Millenium AD, when Western Europe was staring at a consolidated Islamic Empire which had occupied Jerusalem and at times crept up as far as Southern France and Spain, and up to the revolutions, Republics and Constitutional Monarchies of the last few hundred years. From family lines of inherited title (and violent usurpations) to a more meritocratic system in some areas, guess which institutions (according to the authors) played a major role in this transition?
Whilst democracy does not equal meritocracy - votes by the majority definitely not guaranteeing that the best candidate gets in, the new systems of rule which have replaced Monarchies or severely limited their power, in America and Europe, were very often the direct or indirect result of Freemasonry, a spiritual system predicated on the separation of title from person, and a hierarchical ranking system through which initiates could rise (as was the Catholic Church, though not, the Church of England, which represented a return to a form of tribal/shamanic consolidation of State and religious power, rather than overarching religious and legal power ruling different States.)
Freemasons were, again according to the authors, in some ways a continuation of a line from the Knights Templar, who were major bankers in Western Europe as well as leading forces in the Crusades. The Templars learnt banking tricks from Jews in Southern Europe, but massively increased the rate of interest. They were a very rich organisation, acquired land and built churches through different parts of Western Europe. It is suggested that the Templars were related to the, perhaps mythical, Priory of Sion, a link which is explored further in Holy Blood, Holy Grail.
The Templars were a Christian organisation, with an unorthodox, some would say heretical theology. They had a troubled relationship with the Catholic Church and were eventually crushed, with the resurgence of Freemasonry experiencing further tensions with the Church, although some Catholics have been Freemasons.
Freemasons took their name and early structure from stone-masons responsible for building Cathedrals and Churches. A link is made to the Temple of Solomon, with illuminating analysis of Biblical narratives of the Temple's construction. Freemasons’ philosophy was not Christian as such, talking about the Great Architect or Master Builder, and drawing from a range of literary/spiritual sources including, but not exclusive of,
the Bible.
Prey to a wealth of conspiracy and conjecture, with all kinds of accusations which may or may not have some grounding in historical reality, besides the febrile imaginations of some, including what may have been forced out of cornered Templars and Freemasons whilst being tortured, the image of Freemasons remains questionable, despite their many philanthropic efforts in modern times. Hitler, influenced by 'The Protocols of the Elders of Zion', persecuted Freemasons, killing tens of thousands, and still today their reputation is smeared by accusations of involvement in paedophile rings and influence over different levels of politics.
This is not the book to discover the veracity or otherwise of such accusations - the authors taking a gentlemanly and fairly respectful view of Templars/Freemasons’ role in history. The topic is further explored in another book by the author (and others), called 'Holy Blood, Holy Grail', which was a major influence on 'The Da Vinci Code', and explores the role of Secret Societies in passing on information about Esteemed Bloodlines.
I had been in possession of 'The Temple and Lodge' book for many years, after an aquaintance gave it to me, and only recently felt motivated to read it after hearing some of the contemporary theories about Freemasons. I am glad I read it and so too, having started 'Holy Blood, Holy Grail', can recall the number of times that I dismissed recommendations of this book, having grown cynical after reading 'The Da Vinci Code' and then a debunking book by Tony Robinson which poured water on most of Dan Brown's theories. Michael Baigent's writing is intelligent, entertaining, well-paced and very honest, as far as I can tell, in explaining the process whereby he came across various discoveries and revelations. Whether his research methods are tight to academic standards is another matter. They clearly had fun.
What is disappointing about 'The Temple and the Lodge' is that he ends the history in the late 18th century, shortly after the American War of Independence, which was partly fought by Freemason-led forces on the American side, carrying on the tradition of military excellence that the Knights Templar had innovated. Since a lot of the conspiracy theories around Freemasons involve their activities now - in US government and alleged links with Zionism, this area is left tantalisingly unfulfilled.
What we can be sure of, is that the Freemasons are used as a bogey-man, into which all kinds of theories and accusations are placed - partly stemming from a Catholic tradition which demonised them, for understandable reasons, since they posed a major threat to the hegemony and dogma of the Church, and succeeded in many ways (according to the book) in displacing that authority over time.
November 30, 2022
The Modern World tends to see its own history in a very silly mythological style. We learn our history in terms of the 'Renaissance', Scientific Humanism, and 'The Enlightenment', alongside the Protestant Reformation, the invention of the Printing Press, the Age of Exploration and the rise of colonialism and finally our global society. We're told this is somehow the revival of Greek and Roman society-- though the exact connection is never quite fleshed out-- and that in between the fall of Rome and the Rise of Colonial Europe there's something called the 'dark ages'. The surprising truth is that these 'dark ages' play a much more direct role in the rise of the modern world than do any Romans or Greeks, or Persians for that matter. It is in particular Crusades, and especially the collective faith-crisis brought about by their eventual failure, that shifted motivations and allegiances such that a new world became inevitable.
Baigent and Leigh are attempting to define a throughline capable of routing a path from those Middle Ages, which still appear oddly distant, and the shockingly unique futuristic world in which we find ourselves. Specifically, it is the fall of the squarely medieval Knights Templar, and the rise of deeply modern Freemasons which the authors pursue as a means of continuity. The argument goes something like this--
1. The Templar did not go extinct after suffering Papal suppression. But fanned out and rebranded, especially in Southwestern Scottland, where they formed Freemasonry.
2. These original (Scottish Rite) masons, having turned against the Pope and Catholic Europe, spurred on the age of exploration as they sought a New Land on which to found a non-Catholic Christian homeland. The result of this goal is the United States.
3. The American Revolution was won in large part because of British military leaders-- themselves Masons- who wanted the American Templar/Masonic project to succeed, and intentionally fought poorly.
4. The US Constitution was modeled on the Masonic Order. The Government of the US is not only the great dream of the Knights of the templar, but the structure of the government itself was set in stone by the Masons who carried on their legacy.
I'll admit that I found most of the arguments here surprisingly persuasive. The existence of Freemasonry is an anomaly that demands a good explanation. It's very hard for me to believe that a bunch of stone masons just kind of decided to form an anti-Catholic sacred geometry cult of freedom and democracy for no real reason other than that they were bored, which from what I can gather is the standard narrative favored by most historians. The Templars, superstitions aside, were a very real and very powerful group throughout medieval Europe. Their role as leaders of Jerusalem made them natural rivals to the papacy, the immorality of which was an open secret throughout Europe. Given their wealth, military prowess, transnational status, and widespread respect, it's very hard to believe they simply disappeared overnight. This is especially true considering how transparently unjust their persecution likely was. The most likely scenario is that they sought out a safe location to regroup, outside of Papal control. Scottland is the most logical choice here, if for no other reason than that they were the closest European land outside of Papal authority. Consider as well that they were in the midst of a difficult war, and so presumably in the market for powerful alliances. The nameless, Longsword gravestones around Southern Argyle and especially in Kilmartin demonstrate strong evidence for this position in my opinion. From such an opinion it would naturally follow that specifically Scottish Masonry, (and not the tradesman-typical 3-degree style of Craft Masonry) represents its origin.
Furthermore, I find it very hard to believe that the British Commander and Chief during the revolutionary war, General Robert Howe, was half as incompetent as his decision-making would suggest. He was not unfamiliar with the style of 'irregular warfare' present in the colonies, and he had actually pioneered many of the same tactics used by Washington's forces when fighting alongside him in the French and Indian war only a decade or so before. The sheer amount of intel miscommunication and unnecessary troop delays are staggering. The war is often compared to Vietnam, and so it's not exactly a hot take to point out that many Englishmen were sympathetic to the colonist's plight, members of parliament included. And this is not even to mention the ironic and tangled web of espionage networks. But when you consider Great Britian's strong protestant proclivities, the number of high-ranking Freemasons on either side of the conflict, and the consistent common respect between Masons in a variety of similar conflicts; then take that into account alongside Howe's uncharacteristic buffoonery, Franklin's network of deep contacts across Europe, and the general desire of the British people to let the New World be free-- it's really not a stretch to suggest that a bunch of Masons on both sides just got together and worked towards a common Masonic state. This is especially true considering the conceptual structure of the US Constitution, language it uses, the individuals chiefly involved, and the ritual trappings put on proud display throughout the inauguration ceremonies.
All in all, parts of it were dry, parts of it could have been explored further, parts of it felt like a stretch. Nonetheless, it's a fairly elegant theory insofar as it accounts for a variety of odd evidence concerning the seeming disappearance of the Templar, a bunch of weird graves in SW Scottland, the rise of the Masons, the simultaneous turn towards naval Exploration of a bunch of Europeans with odd connections to secret societies, and the dismal performance among several of Britian's otherwise brilliant military leaders in a war they pretty obviously wanted to lose. Good read. Would recommend.
Baigent and Leigh are attempting to define a throughline capable of routing a path from those Middle Ages, which still appear oddly distant, and the shockingly unique futuristic world in which we find ourselves. Specifically, it is the fall of the squarely medieval Knights Templar, and the rise of deeply modern Freemasons which the authors pursue as a means of continuity. The argument goes something like this--
1. The Templar did not go extinct after suffering Papal suppression. But fanned out and rebranded, especially in Southwestern Scottland, where they formed Freemasonry.
2. These original (Scottish Rite) masons, having turned against the Pope and Catholic Europe, spurred on the age of exploration as they sought a New Land on which to found a non-Catholic Christian homeland. The result of this goal is the United States.
3. The American Revolution was won in large part because of British military leaders-- themselves Masons- who wanted the American Templar/Masonic project to succeed, and intentionally fought poorly.
4. The US Constitution was modeled on the Masonic Order. The Government of the US is not only the great dream of the Knights of the templar, but the structure of the government itself was set in stone by the Masons who carried on their legacy.
I'll admit that I found most of the arguments here surprisingly persuasive. The existence of Freemasonry is an anomaly that demands a good explanation. It's very hard for me to believe that a bunch of stone masons just kind of decided to form an anti-Catholic sacred geometry cult of freedom and democracy for no real reason other than that they were bored, which from what I can gather is the standard narrative favored by most historians. The Templars, superstitions aside, were a very real and very powerful group throughout medieval Europe. Their role as leaders of Jerusalem made them natural rivals to the papacy, the immorality of which was an open secret throughout Europe. Given their wealth, military prowess, transnational status, and widespread respect, it's very hard to believe they simply disappeared overnight. This is especially true considering how transparently unjust their persecution likely was. The most likely scenario is that they sought out a safe location to regroup, outside of Papal control. Scottland is the most logical choice here, if for no other reason than that they were the closest European land outside of Papal authority. Consider as well that they were in the midst of a difficult war, and so presumably in the market for powerful alliances. The nameless, Longsword gravestones around Southern Argyle and especially in Kilmartin demonstrate strong evidence for this position in my opinion. From such an opinion it would naturally follow that specifically Scottish Masonry, (and not the tradesman-typical 3-degree style of Craft Masonry) represents its origin.
Furthermore, I find it very hard to believe that the British Commander and Chief during the revolutionary war, General Robert Howe, was half as incompetent as his decision-making would suggest. He was not unfamiliar with the style of 'irregular warfare' present in the colonies, and he had actually pioneered many of the same tactics used by Washington's forces when fighting alongside him in the French and Indian war only a decade or so before. The sheer amount of intel miscommunication and unnecessary troop delays are staggering. The war is often compared to Vietnam, and so it's not exactly a hot take to point out that many Englishmen were sympathetic to the colonist's plight, members of parliament included. And this is not even to mention the ironic and tangled web of espionage networks. But when you consider Great Britian's strong protestant proclivities, the number of high-ranking Freemasons on either side of the conflict, and the consistent common respect between Masons in a variety of similar conflicts; then take that into account alongside Howe's uncharacteristic buffoonery, Franklin's network of deep contacts across Europe, and the general desire of the British people to let the New World be free-- it's really not a stretch to suggest that a bunch of Masons on both sides just got together and worked towards a common Masonic state. This is especially true considering the conceptual structure of the US Constitution, language it uses, the individuals chiefly involved, and the ritual trappings put on proud display throughout the inauguration ceremonies.
All in all, parts of it were dry, parts of it could have been explored further, parts of it felt like a stretch. Nonetheless, it's a fairly elegant theory insofar as it accounts for a variety of odd evidence concerning the seeming disappearance of the Templar, a bunch of weird graves in SW Scottland, the rise of the Masons, the simultaneous turn towards naval Exploration of a bunch of Europeans with odd connections to secret societies, and the dismal performance among several of Britian's otherwise brilliant military leaders in a war they pretty obviously wanted to lose. Good read. Would recommend.
May 6, 2015
يجذبك للكتاب وفرة المصادر والمخطوطات التي تثبت صحة كﻻم المؤلف ربما يعد الجزء المتعلق بفرسان الهيكل والكاس المقدسة بمثابة سؤال لدان براون عن شفرة دافنشي والمسيح وكيف اثبت حقا ان المسيح كان متزوج والكتاب هذا ينفي بالمصدر ؟؟
الجزء المتعلق بالماسونية عبارة عن روايات متضاربة واخرى صحيحة ﻻن الماسونين نفسهم يجهلون اصولهم الفعلية وقصة هيكل سليمان يزعون انها اتت عن كاتب التوراة وحافظها بعد موسى عزرا ايضا اصابها اﻻختﻻف بين العهد القديم والجديد ..الكتاب ممتع لكن النجمة اﻻخيرة سقطت بسبب الروايات الغير اكيدة
الجزء المتعلق بالماسونية عبارة عن روايات متضاربة واخرى صحيحة ﻻن الماسونين نفسهم يجهلون اصولهم الفعلية وقصة هيكل سليمان يزعون انها اتت عن كاتب التوراة وحافظها بعد موسى عزرا ايضا اصابها اﻻختﻻف بين العهد القديم والجديد ..الكتاب ممتع لكن النجمة اﻻخيرة سقطت بسبب الروايات الغير اكيدة
December 3, 2017
I ran across this at a Goodwill and picked it up because I knew almost nothing about Masons or Templars despite frequent references to them in popular culture. It turns out that it also tied in with the Eastern Roman Empire and the Crusades, two subjects that I've been interested in recently. It provides more information about the Knights Templar than about the Masons/Freemasons, and alludes to facets of the latter organizations. But they are secret societies, so I guess I can cut some slack there.
The book traces the origins, operations, persecution, and supposed continuation of the Knights Templar. I already knew that they were a religious order of knights founded during the Crusades, but I hadn't realized that fighting was only a very small part of their overall operations. The scale of their financial and logistical apparatus is surprising, as is their influence upon later institutions is. The book also presents some of the popular theories about the Knights Templar that exist about this powerful and elusive group.
The latter half of the book covering the Masons and Freemasons is equally interesting. The links between the Knights Templar and Freemasons posited in the book are somewhat tenuous but still plausible. The points made regarding the Freemasons' influence upon the Renaissance and the creation of liberal democracies in the west are intriguing. A fair amount of conjecture and allusion is involved, as would be expected in connecting dots of secret societies from hundreds of years ago. The only bothersome aspect for me was the frequent presence of the 'culture and values' of the Freemasons, without ever explaining what that entails, exactly. Perhaps having more knowledge of the Freemasons before reading this book would be helpful.
Overall, I found the book very illuminating on two organizations that everyone has heard of, but probably knows little about. This book definitely makes me want to study the subject further, and makes me understand why so many conspiracy theories exist in this area. I am thankful that the authors stayed in the historical realm and away from conspiracy theories.
The book traces the origins, operations, persecution, and supposed continuation of the Knights Templar. I already knew that they were a religious order of knights founded during the Crusades, but I hadn't realized that fighting was only a very small part of their overall operations. The scale of their financial and logistical apparatus is surprising, as is their influence upon later institutions is. The book also presents some of the popular theories about the Knights Templar that exist about this powerful and elusive group.
The latter half of the book covering the Masons and Freemasons is equally interesting. The links between the Knights Templar and Freemasons posited in the book are somewhat tenuous but still plausible. The points made regarding the Freemasons' influence upon the Renaissance and the creation of liberal democracies in the west are intriguing. A fair amount of conjecture and allusion is involved, as would be expected in connecting dots of secret societies from hundreds of years ago. The only bothersome aspect for me was the frequent presence of the 'culture and values' of the Freemasons, without ever explaining what that entails, exactly. Perhaps having more knowledge of the Freemasons before reading this book would be helpful.
Overall, I found the book very illuminating on two organizations that everyone has heard of, but probably knows little about. This book definitely makes me want to study the subject further, and makes me understand why so many conspiracy theories exist in this area. I am thankful that the authors stayed in the historical realm and away from conspiracy theories.
September 12, 2017
Novus ordo seclorum
Un testo particolarmente interessante, che fa chiarezza sulla massoneria fino agli inizi del Diciottesimo secolo. In particolare si fanno risalire le origini di questa società alla fine dell'ordine templare, mentre si fanno supposizioni sulla fuga di un nutrito gruppo di templari combattenti nella Scozia del 13° secolo, dove si suppone siano stati di aiuto fondamentale a Robert Bruce nel respingere le invasioni inglesi. Appunto, dopo la caduta dei regni in Terra santa, Outremere, ciascun ordine è riuscito a trovare la propria vocazione, tranne i Templari, distrutti per volontà di Filippo il Bello. Nel corso dei secoli successivi i Cavalieri del Tempio ispirano la massoneria. Molto interessanti le informazioni collaterali degli autori, sulla storia e i costumi che servono al ragionamento di base per capire esattamente cosa ne fu dei Cavalieri del Tempio (in particolare in merito al discorso in Scozia: i cavalieri templari erano la versione europea dei catafratti, dei carri armati in grado di aprire un varco in vaste file di nemici appiedati mediamente corazzati, grazie alle armi e alla perizia nel loro uso). Anche se il testo si ferma al 1800, si fa molta chiarezza sull'aspetto positivo della massoneria, dato che oggi ha connotazione eccezionalmente negativa; si fa particolare chiarezza sul modo in cui la massoneria ha ispirato il nuovo ordine secolare degli Stati Uniti, e anche qui, in maniera collaterale, cosa fu in realtà la formazione della federazione americana.
Un testo particolarmente interessante, che fa chiarezza sulla massoneria fino agli inizi del Diciottesimo secolo. In particolare si fanno risalire le origini di questa società alla fine dell'ordine templare, mentre si fanno supposizioni sulla fuga di un nutrito gruppo di templari combattenti nella Scozia del 13° secolo, dove si suppone siano stati di aiuto fondamentale a Robert Bruce nel respingere le invasioni inglesi. Appunto, dopo la caduta dei regni in Terra santa, Outremere, ciascun ordine è riuscito a trovare la propria vocazione, tranne i Templari, distrutti per volontà di Filippo il Bello. Nel corso dei secoli successivi i Cavalieri del Tempio ispirano la massoneria. Molto interessanti le informazioni collaterali degli autori, sulla storia e i costumi che servono al ragionamento di base per capire esattamente cosa ne fu dei Cavalieri del Tempio (in particolare in merito al discorso in Scozia: i cavalieri templari erano la versione europea dei catafratti, dei carri armati in grado di aprire un varco in vaste file di nemici appiedati mediamente corazzati, grazie alle armi e alla perizia nel loro uso). Anche se il testo si ferma al 1800, si fa molta chiarezza sull'aspetto positivo della massoneria, dato che oggi ha connotazione eccezionalmente negativa; si fa particolare chiarezza sul modo in cui la massoneria ha ispirato il nuovo ordine secolare degli Stati Uniti, e anche qui, in maniera collaterale, cosa fu in realtà la formazione della federazione americana.
February 16, 2025
Normally, I would be a bit embarrassed to even say I read a book like this because it sounds so fantastical and speculative. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that this book actually is attempting to do serious history and investigative journalism. The connection between the Knights Templar, a military religious order founding during the Crusades, and the Freemasons, the well-known secret society, is based on the possibility of Templars fleeing to Scotland during the order's suppression. Robert the Bruce, the king of Scotland, as well as Celtic myths feature in this telling. While it is hard to know if this connection is truly historical, the possibility of it is certainly fascinating. For someone interested in exploring a possible origin of Masonic origins and how the Masons impacted the early modern era, this is worth reading since the author's do attempt to take what they're doing seriously and are not pursuing these connections to be sensationalist.
August 21, 2019
Siendo justos, su calificación sería un 3.5. Reunir estos dos temas -masones y templarios- es una jugada editorial inteligente; atraen, mueven y emocionan. No obstante, no se aportan datos reveladores ni resultados de nuevas investigaciones. Este par de autores conocen bien la receta de muchos de los libros best-seller: un par de verdades disfrazadas de un enorme fárrago de especulaciones inostenibles.
February 20, 2022
Interesantes teorías sobre los templarios y el origen masónico, a través de Robert de Bruce y la importancia de Escocia e Inglaterra para los templarios, los autores indagan en la historia para conectar datos sobre la influencia templaria en la masonería moderna. Bien construido, aunque no deja nada concreto, como muchos misterios cuyas respuestas quizás nunca sean descubiertas.
January 10, 2023
I'm a Mason and a York Rite Mason as well. It was interesting to learn the Masons during the revolutionary War. That's about all I cared for about the book. Some of the stories and history they stated about the Knights Templar and history of Masonry was spotty and incorrect at times. But kudos for the research they did.
August 21, 2017
The Temple and the Lodge did a very good job on going through history to explain in detail how the Masons came to America. The authors go back to the Templar Knights up to the Revolution. Deep read.
October 19, 2018
Covers a little too much time, geography, history and more names than you can shake a stick at. I did learn some things, for instance, that it would be good to visit Scotland and see some related ruins, having done that in Portugal.
March 16, 2021
Un libro muy interesante, que no solo habla acerca de esta agrupación, los masones, sino que hace un recorrido por la historia en el último milenio, que hace entender un poco los acontecimientos de la historia. Recomendado para aquellos a los que la historia sea de su agrado.
April 1, 2023
This book is a very comprehensive story of Templars and Freemasons, identifying the commonalities in traits and rituals, supposed to prove the link between the two groups across the centuries. The content is very detailed, but the narrative at times is a bit tedious.
April 15, 2024
Damn, that's some good crazy Mason stuff. Worth searching for an old copy of this thing, although The Elixir and the Stone is better as a reference work for my particular milieu and The Messianic Legacy is funnier.
May 19, 2025
I kept getting distracted as the book read like Aunt Pittypats rendition of the Hamilton name in Gone With the Wind. There are some interesting nuggets in the book but still no clear decisive time for on when the Templars became the Freemasons or vice versa.
June 22, 2025
Una investigación muy profunda para relacionar los principios templarios con la masoneria especulativa. Un trabajo bien planteado y serio mediante el cual se acerca en la relación templarios con los masones.
August 5, 2018
I read this book with an open mind . I am not a Freemason. However some of the Templar historical narrative overlaps with the Freemasons.
March 13, 2019
Really Interesting! It shows us what it is to do some research and how long it can be, how disappointing it can be but mostly how exciting it is to do some research directly on the scenes
May 13, 2019
A good entertainment, especially if you would like to know more about Scottish history, Freemasonry and American Revolutionary War
November 2, 2020
Interessante cronologia sui Templari e il loro collegamento/divenire nei Massoni. Tuttavia alcuni passaggi mi hanno fatto rimanere perplessa, non sono certa della loro esattezza storica.
August 20, 2021
Entretenido, a veces pierde el objetivo del libro como tal, pero aporta muchos datos históricos y fuentes de consulta.
January 10, 2022
This book is "speculative history", but still a fun read.
There are many factual nuggets between the speculation so taken with a pinch of salt, if nothing else, you get some good history.
There are many factual nuggets between the speculation so taken with a pinch of salt, if nothing else, you get some good history.
August 23, 2022
An interesting historical journey through Scottish history with a focus on Templar and Masonic perspectives.
April 16, 2023
Details are understandably sketchy in places, but overall a fine exploration of a deeply misunderstood history.
Read
April 18, 2023Some say dudes have rocked since the 12th Century. Others place this milestone a few centuries later.
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