Knights Templar Encyclopedia: The Essential Guide to the People, Places, Events, and Symbols of the Order of the Temple

Features

• Cover Type: Paperback with 301 pages
• Published by: New Page Books April 30, 2007
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 1564149269
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-1564149268
• Book Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Weighs: 1.1 pounds

Product Description
-Who were the medieval Knights Templar?
-How is their name connected to Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem?
-What does their red cross symbolize?
-Why were they suddenly arrested on Friday, October 13, 1307?
-What unusual relics or Grail did they harbor?

Today, as never before, interest in the Knights Templar is growing exponentially, especially since The Da Vinci Code. But who were these powerful knights of the Crusades? What is fact and what is fiction? And how did they become the wealthiest multinational corporation in the medieval West?

A first of its kind, Knights Templar Encyclopedia presents in convenient, readable, A-to-Z format, the fascinating history behind the most famous military religious order of the Crusades--the Knights Templar. Written by leading Templar authority and medieval historian Dr. Karen Ralls, this authoritative sourcebook of hundreds of entries features a wealth of information on the key Templar people, places, events, symbols, organization, daily life, beliefs, economic empire, trial, and more.

The product of more than a decade of meticulous, scholarly research, this indispensable resource is for the general reader and specialist alike--for anyone, in fact, who is interested in the history and legacy of the powerful Knights Templar (1119-1312).

Knights Templar Encyclopedia includes photographs and illustrations, an extensive bibliography, a historical time line, and a list of major European Templar sites.

Back Cover Copy
"If you're looking for the one indispensable book about the Knights Templar, this is it."


--Robert Ellwood, professor of Religion Emeritus, University of Southern California, in praise of The Templars and the Grail

"Before heaven and earth and with all of you here as my witnesses.I declare, and I must declare, that the Order is innocent. Its purity and saintliness is beyond question."


--from the final recorded statement by Jacques de Molay, the last Templar Grand Master, on March 18, 1314, before he was led to the stake.

Reader Reviews
Confused about all the speculation & stories centered around the secret society known as the Knights Templar? Do you want to sort out the fact and fiction of Mary Magdalene and The Holy Grail? Find it hard to know just who to believe in all the so-called "codes" & "ancient mysteries?" Were the Templars guilty of witchcraft, Satanism & homosexuality as charged by The Church? Do you want FACTUAL history of the Templars presented in one well-written & engrossing format? Would you like a real encyclopedia of the subject that reads like an exciting novel? Then get this book. Inside you will find information about the history of not only the mysterious & romantic Templars, but also that of the Cathars, the journey of mystical relics, Gnostic sects & their persecution by The Church, the floor plans of the famous Rosslyn Chapel, Agnes Dei, and much, much more. KNIGHTS TEMPLAR ENCYCLOPEDIA is a gem of investigative reporting & analysis, in contrast to which other books of similiar genre should be compared. It is a fully engaging & intelligent work. The Secret History of Freemasonry: Its Origins and Connection to the Knights Templar Holy Blood, Holy Grail History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1) Opening the Ark of the Covenant: The Secret Power of the Ancients, the Knights Templar Connection, And the Search for the Holy Grail Bloodline of the Holy Grail: The Hidden Lineage of Jesus Revealed The Stone Puzzle of Rosslyn Chapel: The Truth behind its Templar and Masonic secrets Rosslyn and the Grail The Gospel of Mary Magdalene The Gnostic Gospels: Including the Gospel of Thomas The Gospel of Mary Magdalene (Sacred Wisdom)