New evidence is causing us to take a second look at possible connections between Freemasons and Crusader knights. And the knightly degrees in Masonry are starting to take on additional meaning.
In 1737, Chevalier Ramsay raised the prospect that Masonry was connected to the knights of the Crusades -- in particular the Knights Templar. That set off an explosion of interest in Freemasonry and membership soared. But he failed to provide supporting evidence, so that assertion eventually faded.
Others attempted to back Ramsay's explanation by claiming that -- after the Knights Templar were disbanded -- a troop of them rode to the aid of Robert the Bruce at the battle of Bannockburn. The king was said to have rewarded them by creating Freemasonry. This claim failed, leading over-zealous critics to conclude no possible connection could ever exist between the Templars and Masonry.
Yet a resurgence in Masonic knighthood came when John Robinson wrote Born in Blood and revealed many similarities between the Templars and Masonry in terms of their words, symbols and practices. Unfortunately this 1989 work stopped short of demonstrating a full connection between Freemasonry and the crusading knights.
Now the emergence of many facts and documents from the "lost years of Freemasonry" are filling in missing pieces of the relationship between Masons and the original Knights Templar. Going far beyond Robinson's discoveries, the importance and clarity of knightly impacts on Masonry's beliefs, practices and ritual is now very much in evidence.
The documents and manuscripts shown in Sworn in Secret reveal the lives of individual people during major events involved in the rise of Masonry. And the actions taken in those times continue to be reflected in the symbols and words of Masonic rituals and practices. Among these is the pyramid-and-all-seeing-eye. The sword-bearing officer outside the door. The Grand Hailing Sign of distress. Countless pieces of Masonry begin to take on new meaning for us today, when we see how they arose long ago.
For those who do not want to see all the documents and details, similar insights are experienced through personal stories of real-life people who lived through these remarkable events. Templars is much more of an easy-reading experience, with 45 illustrations and maps to help bring this exploration to life.
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