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Overview
Following author Tobias Wabbel’s research and investigation throughout Europe, this book solves the mystery of the treasure of the Knights Templar. The most up-to-date archeological and historical information is discussed, from the history of the Knights Templar and the history of the Israelites and the Ark of the Covenant, to medieval literature and Gothic cathedral architecture. Disproving common theories—the Knights Templar never guarded the pilgrimage ways in Palestine, there is no Priory of Sion, there is no bloodline from Jesus to the present day, and there is no authentic Shroud of Turin—the book also proves the existence of the sacred Ark of the Covenant, also known as the treasure of the Knights Templar, which is still hidden in France. Wabbel researched iconography in the architecture of cathedrals and chapels, and found more evidence in texts and inscriptions that led to his theory on the location of the Templar treasure. Both a travel guide to the secrets of the treasure of the Knights Templar and a fascinating read, this book will shake commonly held beliefs on this interconnected history and renew the interest in it. A fact-based treasure hunt through time… The year 1120 A.D.: Hugues de Payns and eight other men of French high nobility gather in Jerusalem. Their pretense: Guarding the pilgrimage routes after the conquest of Jerusalem by the crusaders. Their real mission: Digging and searching beneath the Temple Mount for a mysterious object. When they return to France in 1128, they own the most dangerous artifact in European Christendom. Suddenly, the Order of the Knights Templar — as they now call themselves — becomes incredibly wealthy. Suddenly, huge Gothic cathedrals rise from the soil of Northern France — and with them a secret architectural code left by the Knights Templar that up to the present day marks the way to the hiding-place of the most important archeological relic in human history. Following author Tobias Daniel Wabbel’s research and investigation throughout Europe, this book finally solves the mystery of the legendary treasure of the Knights Templar. Both a travel guide to the secrets of the treasure of the Knights Templar and an enthralling tale, The Templar Treasure will shake commonly held beliefs in this interconnected history and renew interest in it.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781937584351 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Trine Day |
| Publication date: | 01/07/2014 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 264 |
| File size: | 9 MB |
About the Author
Tobias Daniel Wabbel has published six nonfiction books in his native German on subjects that range from the search for radio signals of extraterrestrial intelligences and the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) to the science-theology debate and a new theology after the Holocaust.
Read an Excerpt
The Templar Treasure
An Investigation
By Tobias Daniel Wabbel
Trine Day LLC
Copyright © 2014 Tobias Daniel WabbelAll rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-937584-35-1
CHAPTER 1
God's Army
We cannot afford to take mythology at face value.
— Dr. Henry Jones Jr.
The Founding of the Templar Order
My search for the Templar treasure begins in the French region of Champagne. If you take Route Nationale 19 that runs from Troyes in north-east France in the direction of Provins you will pass the commune of Payns after about six miles. This is a sleepy little community located on the left bank of the Seine in the midst of seemingly endless chalk-white fields. As I pass the entrance to the commune, on the left side of the road I spy a light yellow water tower with an impressively oversized Templar painted on it.
Two minutes later, I turn into Voie Riot 10. The Musée Hugues de Payns is located in a modest town house next door to a gravel car parking lot. For a long time, the Museum was only open for a few Sundays each year. Now, following the hysteria about a missing Templar treasure, it's open almost every day and is run by two young women on a voluntary basis on behalf of Dr. Thierry LeRoy, the founder of Fondation Hugues de Payns. In addition to merchandising items such as T-shirts, mugs, pens and stickers with Templar red crosses, interested visitors can also purchase various reading materials on the subject. Display boards and cases with medieval coins, pottery fragments and broken off spear tips document the dramatic history of the Templar Order that began here with the Knight Hugues de Payns.
The life-sized model of an armed Templar defending himself with a shield stares at me with lackluster eyes. Unfortunately, this figure of Hugues de Payns cannot speak and reveal the secrets of how the Templar Order came to be. But after in-depth research some aspects become increasingly clear....
Hugues de Payns was born 1080 in Payns. He was the Lord of Montigny-Lagesse and owned expansive estates in the Burgundian commune of Tonnerre. He was knighted at an early age. He probably served during the First Crusade between 1095 and 1099 in the army of the Count of Blois and Champagne and returned to France in 1100. Hugues de Payns had two brothers, Baldwin and Eustace of Boulogne. His cousin, Baldwin of Bourg, was Count of Edessa and under the name Baldwin II was crowned King of Jerusalem. Hugues' wife gave him a son Thibaud, who was made the Abbot of Saint Colombe at Sens Abbey – and became unpopular with the Abbey's monks because he pawned the Abbey's treasure to finance his participation in the Second Crusade. Through his wife, Hugues de Payns was related to the Montbard line, and the family of the Abbot Bernard of Clairvaux on his mother's side.
Hugues had excellent contacts to the Cistercian order and Count Hugues I of Champagne, whose estates were larger than those of the French King. He became an officer of the Count. Most historians assume he was close friends with or even closely related to the noble family of Champagne, because in 1100 Hugues de Payns was mentioned several times in official documents with them, including in connection with the Counts of Bar and Ramerupt. So he was a well-known nobleman who moved in the highest circles and enjoyed considerable political influence.
Little is known about the years between 1100 and 1103 in the life of Hugues de Payns. In the year of our Lord 1104, it is documented that he embarked on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem together with his brother Stephen and the Count of Champagne. Whose initiative this was is unknown. But it is probable that this was at the instigation of the highly devout Count Hugues I of Champagne, a well-known sponsor of the Cistercian Order and friend of Abbot Bernard of Clairvaux.
And then things get a little mysterious. Directly after their return to France in 1108, Count Hugues I of Champagne sought out the Cistercian abbot Stephen Harding. Following in the footsteps of the founder Robert of Molesme and the second Abbot Alberic, Harding was the third Abbot of the Cistercian monastery Cîteaux from 1109 to 1134. A scriptorium was built there from 1109 to 1134, and Harding was often found there. Harding is famous for his revision of the incorrectly translated Latin Bible (Vulgate), which had been in use since Late Antiquity. He corrected this, and in particular many texts of the Old Testament, based on true-to-the-original translations from the Hebrew. Harding himself noted that he debated in French with the rabbis of Burgundy about problematic passages of the Old Testament and then corrected these in the Latin. He described the process as follows:
Astonished therefore at the discrepancies in our books, which all come from one translator, we approached certain Jews who were learned in their Scriptures, and inquired most carefully of them in French about all those places that contained the particular passages and lines we found in the book we transcribed, and had since inserted in our own volume, but did not find in the many other Latin copies. The Jews, unrolling a number of their scrolls in front of us, and explaining to us in French what was written in Hebrew and Aramaic in the places we questioned them about, found no trace of the passages and lines that were causing us so much trouble. Placing our trust therefore in the veracity of the Hebrew and Aramaic versions and in the many Latin books, which, omitting these passages, are in full agreement with the former, we completely erased all these unnecessary additions [...]"
The leading biographer of St. Bernard of Clairvaux, Elphège Vacandard, wrote the following about Stephen Harding: "For the Old Testament, which was lacking the original and instead contained a Hebrew or Chaldaic text that had been passed down by word of mouth, he did not hesitate to consult with the neighboring Jewish rabbis."
The result was the famous Harding Bible, and a contact between Harding and the Jewish rabbis who explained unknown, non-canonical Bible passages and the Talmud to him. Thus, Talmudic secrets were revealed to Harding that had been unknown to any other Christian cleric before him. As we can see, Cistercians and Jewish Bible and Talmud experts in the region worked together. At a time in which Jews were often victims of attacks and discrimination, this was remarkable.
After Count Hugues I of Champagne sought out his friend Abbot Harding, he ordered more precise Bible studies of the Old Testament. It is possible that the greatest Bible and Talmud scholar of his time, Rabbi Solomon Bar Isaac, known as Rashi, participated in these studies in Troyes. Rashi was the leading Jewish expert in the field of the Torah, the Five Books of Moses. In addition, Rashi lived in the direct neighborhood of the Cîteaux Monastery and had very good relations to Christians and in particular to the Count of Champagne, partly because of his wine-growing that he used to finance his Bible studies.
Why Hugues de Payns and Count Hugues I of Champagne worked with Stephen Harding and Jewish rabbis to study Hebrew texts of the Five Books of Moses and the Talmud (the Jewish commentary on the Old Testament) is initially unclear. However, the texts obviously seem to have been interesting enough to justify another journey to Jerusalem. This fact leads us to a compelling conclusion that we will discuss later.
But let's get back to Hugues de Payns. He was mentioned in documents from 1113 as a lord of the manor in Payns. In 1114, he and Hugues I of Champagne set off for Jerusalem again. This time Hugues de Payns stayed there. On the other hand, his friend, the rich and powerful Count, returned to France. About six years later, something amazing happens.
In 1120, there was a secret meeting in Jerusalem. Its background is still a little vague today. Hugues de Payns and his representative Godfrey de St. Omer, appeared at the court of King Baldwin II and Garimond, the Patriarch of Jerusalem. Later, they were joined by the knights André de Montbard, Payen de Montdidier, Archambaud de St. Amand, Geoffroy Bisol and three other contemporaries who were either knights or monks: Roral (sometimes referred to as Rosal), Gondemar and Godfrey.
André de Montbard was the uncle of St Bernard of Clairvaux, the spiritual father of the Order whom we will talk about in more detail soon. André was related to the Count of Burgundy, his sister was the wife of Tescelin le Roux, the father of St. Bernard of Clairvaux. Godfrey de St. Omer, Payen de Montdidier and Archambaud de St. Amand were knights of medium-ranking nobility in Picardy, the "breadbasket" in north-east France, and the ground on which the most beautiful Gothic cathedrals were to be built. The only thing we know about Geoffroy Bisol, Roral and Godfrey is that they attended the Council of Troyes in 1128. Chroniclers remain silent about Gondemar.
Together with the Patriarch of Jerusalem, King Baldwin II debated the proposal of Hugues de Payns to allow him and his friends to settle in the royal palace. He subsequently granted them space for a headquarters in a wing of the former Al-Aqsa Mosque. This was also very remarkable. Without further ado, a king made space in his palace for what must have appeared to have been a disorganized troop of knights. But the King gave the nine knights the Al-Aqsa Mosque which was built on the grounds of the former Temple of Solomon – not just any old building in the Holy City. Without doubt, it was Hugues de Payns and Godfrey de St. Omer who asked for these quarters – and not the other way round. From then on, the nine pilgrims would go down in history as The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon, Knights Templar for short. The chronicle of William of Tyre also reported that Hugues and his men vowed to henceforth be chaste, poor and obedient in accordance with the rules of the Benedictine and Augustine Orders.
In 1120, the influential and very wealthy Count Fulk V of Anjou, the future King of Jerusalem and Baldwin II's successor, joined the Templars. He supported them financially. According to the official historical accounts the Templars were living off donations and alms. Up until 1121, Fulk V remained an unofficial member of the Order and gave them his continued support with thirty Angevin pieces of silver. It is highly unlikely that Hugues and his friends went hungry. It was also unlikely that they lived in poverty because their noble origins stood in opposition to their plans to deprive themselves like abstinent monks. Even if they may have wanted to, they wouldn't have voluntarily subjected themselves to this ascetic fate. Hugues de Payns' familial relationship to King Baldwin II leads us to conclude that he received financial support from the King and the Barons.
In 1125, something else mysterious happens: Count Hugues I of Champagne joined the nine inhabitants of the Temple Mount. But first he transfered his titles to his nephew Theobald II, separated from his wife and denied that he was the father of his child. The Count suddenly shocked his very pregnant wife Elizabeth of Varais with the news that he was impotent – and so she couldn't have born him a child. Instead "his" child was the result of an affair of Elizabeth. A crass accusation.
All in all, the Count was a strange fellow. Born circa 1074 as the third son of Theobald I, he was the first to hold the title "Count of Champagne." He didn't take part in the First Crusade, settled down in Troyes and did an active business with Jewish merchants. He also had an excellent relationship with the Jews in the region. As Count of Champagne, he had connections to Rabbi Rashi and his Talmudic school. In 1104, Count Hugues was the victim of an assassination attempt, but he survived. The reasons are unclear. There is also proof that he gave the Templars a huge piece of property. Even today, there is a forest and lake named after the Templars: Forêt de Temple and Lac du Temple, to the south-east of Troyes. During his lifetime, Count Hugues I of Champagne was one of the most powerful men in France. So it was all the more astonishing and inexplainable when he decided to join an order of knights. A letter to Count Hugues I of Champagne from the year 1125 documents the thoughts of St. Bernard of Clairvaux about the Count joining the Templar Order:
"If it is for God's sake that you from being a count have become a simple soldier, from being a rich man have become poor, then it is right that I should congratulate you, and glorify God in you, seeing in this a change of the right hand of the Most High [...] But that your joyous presence which, were it possible, I would never be without, should be removed from me by the inscrutable judgement of God, this is something hard to bear with equanimity. How can I forget your long-standing affection and generosity to this house?
These words display Bernard's great admiration, but also his regret. The Cistercian Abbot Bernard of Clairvaux, who in the 12th century was more powerful than the Pope, expressed his disappointment over the fact that Count Hugues I of Champagne was not joining the Cistercian Order, but was instead rushing to Jerusalem to join the knights at the Temple Mount. We can tell from this that the Count previously had a close relationship to Bernard and the Cistercian Order – and very probably was a frequent visitor to the Cîteaux Monastery. In his letter, Bernard also refered to the generous gift of land in the forest of Bar-sur-Aube by the Count of Champagne on which he had erected his monastery, the world-famous Clairvaux Abbey, in 1115. Thanks to this gift and the close friendship of Count Hugues I of Champagne, Bernard was henceforth an avid supporter of the Templar Order.
But what were Hugues de Payns and his friends doing in Jerusalem? After Count Hugues I of Champagne joined the Templars, neither he nor Hugues de Payns and his seven followers took part in battles although there were plenty of opportunities to participate in armed disputes. In 1119, the armies of Seljuqs from present-day Syria and Fatimids from Egypt attacked the Kingdom of Jerusalem. Baldwin II successfully drove back both armies – but the Templars with Hugues de Payns did not fight. In 1123, Baldwin II was captured by Seljuqs and not liberated until 1124 – the Templars didn't rush to his aid this time either. The same year, Baldwin II had lain siege to the Syrian town of Aleppo – but once again without any Templar support. In 1125, he defeated the army of Seljuqs in the Battle of Azaz – without the involvement of the Templars. It really did not seem as if the Templars were the least bit interested in battles and were in fact pursuing other goals.
But the Kingdom of Jerusalem was not just threatened by armed disputes. In 1125, after its conquest by the Crusaders (1095 -1099), because of its Biblical sites Jerusalem became a popular destination for Christians from the whole of Europe. Particularly the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. But, due to the lack of militia, many pilgrims were regularly attacked, robbed, kidnapped or even killed. Thus, Crusades chronicler William of Tyre described the task of Hugues de Payns' Knights Templars as being that of guarding the pilgrimage routes. Since then, this explanation has been unquestioningly accepted by the majority of historians.
Several facts clearly refute this explanation. First and foremost, William of Tyre wasn't born until 1130. Therefore, it was impossible for him to report directly on the founding of the Templar Order. William of Tyre didn't compose his chronicle of the crusader states until 1170. William based it on preserved and accessible documents and eyewitness accounts of chroniclers and survivors – decades after the Templar Order had been founded in Jerusalem.
Therefore, it is conceivable that Hugues de Payns and his followers were considering guarding the pilgrimage routes between Jaffa and Jerusalem as a possible future task. However, they were most certainly not capable – with nine and occasionally 10 men – of fighting against tens of thousands of bloodthirsty highway robbers who wouldn't shy away from murder. This concept is rather absurd.
In contrast, English historian Malcolm Barber from the University of Reading states that the Templars initially led a rather secluded life as lay brothers with secular clothing behind the walls of the Al-Aqsa Mosque. They did not fight. And yet it appears to be the case that the community of the Templars already existed before their official founding. The German biographer of Bernard of Clairvaux, August Neander, writes the following about the founding of the Templar Order in 1120: "For ten years the association subsisted without the observance of any fixed rule, and without any great extension of their fame, or any addition to their number." So the connection between Hugues de Payns and his eight comrades-in-arms had existed for much longer – at least 10 years – not to mention Hugues' acquaintance with the Count of Champagne.
In 1137, a certain William, Castellan of St. Omer, reported in a document that the "Patriarch Garimond and the Barons" had advised the Templars to defend Jerusalem. This shows us that King Baldwin II, the Patriarch and the King's barons had asked the Templars to guard the pilgrimage routes – years after they had set up their headquarters at the Temple Mount. So it was clearly not originally an idea of Hugues de Payns and his men. This task appears to be only assigned to them once they were already living on the Temple Mount.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from The Templar Treasure by Tobias Daniel Wabbel. Copyright © 2014 Tobias Daniel Wabbel. Excerpted by permission of Trine Day LLC.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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Table of Contents
Contents
CoverImage,Title page,
Copyright page,
Dedication,
Jaques de Molay,
Prologue,
1) God's Army,
2) God's Relics,
3) God's Ark,
4) God's Temple,
5) The Final Clue,
Epilogue,
Acknowledgments,
Index,