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7 - The Charges

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 July 2015

Malcolm Barber
Affiliation:
University of Reading
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Summary

When, on 14 September 1307, Philip IV had issued his secret orders for the arrest of the Templars, he had justified his action on three main grounds: the denial and the spitting, obscene kissing and homosexuality, and idol worship. In July 1308 Clement V finally agreed to reopen the proceedings which had been suspended the previous February, and on 12 August 1308 a fuller and more systematic list of charges was drawn up. This runs to 127 articles, which can be summarised under seven main headings. Firstly, that when a new Templar was received, he denied Christ and sometimes the Holy Virgin and the saints, an act instigated by those receiving him. He was told that Christ was not the true God, that he was a false prophet who had not been crucified for the redemption of the human race, but on account of his sins. There was therefore no hope of receiving salvation through Christ. The new member was then made to spit on a crucifix or on an image of Christ and, in some receptions, to trample or to urinate on it. Secondly, that the Templars adored idols, specific mention being made of a cat and a head, the latter sometimes having three faces. This head was worshipped as a saviour and venerated as a giver of plenty which could make the trees flower and the land germinate. They touched or encircled it with small cords which they wore around their waists. Thirdly, that they did not believe in the sacraments and that the Templar priests omitted the words of consecration during the mass. Fourthly, that they believed that the grand master and the other leaders could hear their confessions and absolve them from sin, despite the fact that many of these leaders were laymen. Fifthly, that the Order's receptors kissed new entrants on the mouth, the navel, the stomach, the buttocks and the spine, and that homosexuality was encouraged and indeed enjoined on them.

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Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2006

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  • The Charges
  • Malcolm Barber, University of Reading
  • Book: The Trial of the Templars
  • Online publication: 05 July 2015
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511617904.010
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  • The Charges
  • Malcolm Barber, University of Reading
  • Book: The Trial of the Templars
  • Online publication: 05 July 2015
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511617904.010
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • The Charges
  • Malcolm Barber, University of Reading
  • Book: The Trial of the Templars
  • Online publication: 05 July 2015
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511617904.010
Available formats
×