Turning the Templar Key: The Secret Legacy of the Knights Templar and the Origins of Freemasonry

Features

• Cover Type: Hard Cover with 384 pages
• Published by: Fair Winds Press October 25, 2007
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 159233279X
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-1592332793
• Book Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 1.3 inches
• Weighs: 1.6 pounds

Product Description
Discover the truth about the connection between the Knights Templar and the Freemasons!

The third volume in Robert LomasÆs Key trilogy, this book explains the relationship of the Knights Templar to modern-day Freemasonry.

The contemporary view of the Knights Templar, according to Lomas, has been romanticized and glorified to the point where it does not resemble the reality: namely, that the Knights Templar were uneducated religious zealots more akin to Al Qaeda than a true monastic order. The order only existed for a couple of hundred years, and was disbanded seven hundred years ago. Lomas asks the question, Why do people even care about them anymore?

Lomas draws on Freemasonic information to answer this question and to explore the rituals and myths of the Knights Templar and how they relate to Freemasonry. Along the way, he delves into the mysteries of Roslin chapel, the history of agriculture, and the role of women in spreading it. At the heart of the book is LomasÆs exploration of how the tolerant and inclusive spiritual practices of modern Freemasonry managed to grow out of what was effectively an order of suicide bombers.

October 13, 2007 is the 700th anniversary of the Dissolution of the Knights Templar

About The Author
Robert Lomas is also the coauthor of The Hiram Key, The Second Messiah, and UrielÆs Machine. A Freemason, he lectures at Bradford University in England.

Reader Reviews
The title of this book is a little misleading, as it is more concerned with the history and rituals of Freemasonry than with the Knights Templar, but otherwise, this is a must read for anyone who is interested in the topic. When I first saw who the author of this book was, I was half expecting another slightly nutty volume along the lines of "The Second Messiah" or "Uriel's Machine", but after reading a couple of chapters, I realized that Mr. Lomas must be the straight guy in the Knight & Lomas team, and that this is, in fact quite a serious work. The author dismisses any direct link between the Knights Templar and Freemasonry about halfway through the book, and then launches into what appears to be about 100 pages of padding on different myths around the world and how they might have impacted Freemasonry. I lost sight of what he was trying to say at this point, but he does sort of bring things back together in the last couple of chapters, where he opines that Freemasonry rituals are in fact a repository for many of these myths, including stories about the Knights Templar. It's hard to know how much he says about Freemasonry is correct or not, since Freemasons are sworn to secrecy about their different rites and rules, but if only some of the descriptions are accurate, then they are an interesting bunch of people. So, don't go into this book expecting great revelations about the Knights Templar. You will, however, learn a lot about the Freemasons.