Neo-Templarism

Following the dissolution of the Knights Templar, or the Order of the Temple, several groups have claimed to have unbroken descent from the initial Order. The idea of the Templars' continued existence has been criticized by scholars of Templar history, and was described by French historian Régine Pernoud as "totally insane."^[1] These orders typically draw from western esotericism.

History

19th-century revival

The original Knights Templar had been dissolved by Pope Clement V following accusations of witchcraft and heresy at the beginning of the fourteenth century.^[1]^[2] In 1310, fifty-four Templar knights were burned at the stake, and four years later the Grand Master Jacques de Molay and a local leader were as well.^[3] Following the dissolution of the Knights Templar, or the Order of the Temple, several groups have claimed to have unbroken descent from the initial Order.^[1]^[2]

Most neo-Templar groups' origins can be traced to a revivalist Order of the Temple founded by Bernard-Raymond Fabré-Palaprat, a physician from Paris, in 1805.^[4] This was during the French Revolution, a period of upheaval for Freemasons – from whom the claims of Templar continuity typically drew from.^[5] That year, Fabré-Palaprat proclaimed himself the Grand Master of the Templars, claiming to have discovered an unbroken line of Grand Masters that descended from de Molay to himself.^[6]^[7] Fabré-Palaprat died in 1838, resulting in a schism.^[8] Following Fabré-Palaprat's death, the British Admiral William Sidney-Smith, previously appointed by Fabré-Palaprat to be the Grand Prior for England, was chosen as a Grand Master by the two schismatic wings of the order, attempting to merge, but this did not last and both branches split for good.^[9]

The Regency of the Order of the Temple was at one stage passed on to Joséphin Péladan, later becoming amalgamated among other occult groups headed by Papus, finally becoming legally incorporated by a Belgian group known as the Ordre Souverain et Militaire du Temple de Jérusalem, OSMTJ.^[10]

Arginy Renaissance

In 1952, the French esotericist and author Jacques Breyer – following what he claimed was a mystical experience in the Arginy Castle [fr] – began a rebirth of activity of neo-Templar groups in France (the 'Arginy Renaissance'). This led to the founding of the Sovereign Order of the Solar Temple (OSTS).^[3]^[11] In 1968, Breyer and the former grandmaster of AMORC, Raymond Bernard, established the Renewed Order of the Temple (ORT).^[1]^[3]^[12] The ORT's main headquarters were located in Auty, where its grand master, Julien Origas, a former member of the Gestapo, was stationed. Origas led members of the far right to join ORT.^[13] As of 1980, there were over 100 rival Templar orders, which incorporated a variety of different practices.^[6] Jean-Louis Marsan later became the grand master of the OSTS; Marsan and Origas were both affiliated with Breyer's revival movement.^[14]

An Order known as the Sovereign Order of the Initiatory Temple (OSTI), and its outer order known as International Circle for Cultural and Scientific Research (CIRCES International), with CIRCES being created by Raymond Bernard in 1988. Raymond Bernard describes his initiation into the OSTI in 1955, and the mission he was charged with for bringing OSTI public, in his 1966 book entitled A Secret Meeting In Rome. Raymond Bernard created CIRCES International as an outward Templar vehicle to eventually prepare people for initiation into the inner Order of the OSTI. CIRCES International also continues to protect and perpetuate L'Ordre Martiniste of Papus, which Josephin Péladan had been initiated into.^[15]^[16]

Masonic groups latched on to the idea of having heritage of the Knights Templars as a way to back up the idea of an ancient heritage.^[17] Neo-Templar organizations were active in France and Switzerland in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.^[1]^[2] During this period, political conservatives and fascists used these ideas and lodges to appeal to an "old order" and an idea of a master race (through ideals of aristocracy common to the groups).^[17]

In the mid to late 90s, many groups tried to "reduce the number of acronyms" and reconcile the differences between the many groups, including the split between OSMTJ and OSMTH. These reconciliation attempts failed for a variety of reasons and new schisms emerged in the meantime, though there did come the success of one agreement between OSMTJ and OIMT. These schisms were additionally influenced by the desire of many neo-Templar groups to distance themselves from the Order of the Solar Temple, a neo-Templar splinter group that became notorious in the 1990s for several mass suicides and murders.^[18]^[19] The leader and founder of the group, Joseph Di Mambro, was a member of many other neo-Templar groups, including the OSMTJ, and the OTS had been founded out of some of the members of AMORC and ORT.^[17]

Beliefs

Neo-Templar groups exhibit a diverse array of beliefs,^[20] but most orders typically draw from western esotericism,^[21] and freemasonry.^[17] Other orders incorporate ideas from the New Age movement, or are merely ceremonial organizations only in existence for social purposes.^[20]^[22]

Accuracy

Some members of the OSMTH, the Ordo Supremus Militaris Templi Hierosolymitani, claim to be the direct descendants of the original Knights Templar, citing the Larmenius Charter as proof; however, this document is suspected to be a forgery.^[23]

The idea of the Templars' continued existence has been criticized by scholars of Templar history, and was described by French historian Régine Pernoud as "totally insane."^[1]^[2]

List of neo-Templar organizations

Ordre du Temple, founded by Bernard-Raymond Fabré-Palaprat,^[4] not to be confused with the original Ordre du Temple, the Knights Templar
Sovereign Military Order of the Temple of Jerusalem (French: Ordre Souverain et Militaire du Temple de Jerusalem, OSMTJ)^[24]
Ordo Supremus Militari Templi Hierosolymitani (OSMTH),^[23]^[18] sometimes also uses the name OSMTJ
Ordo Templi Orientis (OTO), occultist organized founded by Theodor Reuss^[20]
Renewed Order of the Temple (French: Ordre rénové du Temple, ORT),^[25] founded by Jacques Breyer
Sovereign Order of the Solar Temple (French: Ordre Souverain du Temple Solaire, OSTS)^[14]
Ordo Internationalis Militiae Templi Confederationis (OIMT),^[18] federation of neo-Templars founded in Rome in 1979
International Federative Alliance (IFA),^[18] federation of neo-Templars founded in 1989
An Ordre du Temple revival movement,^[20] founded by René Guénon in his youth
Order of the New Templars (Latin: Ordo Novi Templi, ONT),^[20] fascist secret society, founded by Lanz von Liebenfels in Germany
Order of the Solar Temple (French: Ordre du Temple solaire, OTS),^[19] notorious for the mass murder-suicides committed by its members

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Clusel & Palmer 2020, p. 219.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Introvigne 2006, pp. 19–20.
^ ^a ^b ^c Lewis 2005, p. 297.
^ ^a ^b Lewis 2006, p. 3.
^ Zoccatelli 2004, p. 438.
^ ^a ^b Bogdan 2006, pp. 137–138.
^ Chryssides 2006, p. 122.
^ Introvigne 2006, p. 22.
^ Introvigne 2005, p. 355.
^ Introvigne 2006, pp. 22–23.
^ O'Callaghan 2004, p. 318.
^ Palmer 1996, p. 305.
^ Clusel & Palmer 2020, p. 220.
^ ^a ^b Mayer 1999, p. 176.
^ Anyangwe 2008, p. 122.
^ Massimo Introvigne claimed Raymond Bernard asked Julien Origas (1920-1983) to establish an OSTI chapter in 1971, that remained largely dormant until it was revived by Bernard in 1988. In Massimo Introvigne, "The Magic of Death: The Suicides of the Solar Temple" in, Catherine Lowman Wessinger (editor), Millennialism, Persecution, and Violence: Historical Cases, page 142 (New York: Syracuse University Press, 2000).
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Hall & Schuyler 2000, p. 124.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Zoccatelli 2004, p. 439.
^ ^a ^b Introvigne 2006, p. 19.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Mollier 2005, p. 853.
^ Asprem, Egil (2011). "The Birth of Counterjihadist Terrorism: Reflections on some Unspoken Dimensions of 22/7". Pomegranate. 13 (1): 30. doi:10.1558/pome.v13i1.17. ISSN 1743-1735.
^ O'Callaghan 2004, p. 319.
^ ^a ^b Hodapp & Von Kannon 2007, p. 176, 384.
^ Introvigne 2006, p. 23.
^ Introvigne 2006, p. 26.

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Zoccatelli, Pierluigi (2004). "Neo-Templarism". In Clarke, Peter (ed.). Encyclopedia of New Religious Movements. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-134-49970-0.