About 60% of the content of this revised edition was first published in 2007 to mark the seven hundredth anniversary of the destruction of the Knights Templar in 1307, under the title Turning the Templar Key. I have revisited that material to create this new edition that is a fuller discussion of How, Where and Why Freemasonry started and returns to the issue of whether the Knights Templar had anything to do with the genesis of Freemasonry. The main questions which I posed myself when I wrote Turning the Templar Key were. 1. Did the original Knights Templar survive their apparent destruction and morph into Freemasonry? 2. Are the Masonic Knights Templar the legitimate successors of the original Order of Knights Templar founded in Jerusalem and disbanded in 1307? Whilst investigating these questions, and explaining and discussing them in Masonic lectures, I uncovered the real history of Freemasonry. I discovered how it came to have such a strange legacy of mythical histories, including the persistent and popular idea that Masons are really Knights Templar in disguise. The original book, which had to meet the anniversary of the destruction of the Templars did not leave enough space to tell the full story. Large sections of the purely Masonic material had to be cut out to meet the publication dead- lines and that is something I have always regretted. As I have since uncovered more detail I decided to revisit the book and write this revised and extended edition. This edition focuses purely on the role Templarism played in the development of Freemasonry. Whilst writing it I decided to remove a lot of material which was concerned with the ancient origins of major Masonic mythical themes and symbols (I do intend to revisit those chapters on Symbolism and write a revised and extended volume on the Ancient Origins of Symbolism). I have added more historical information about Freemasonry and if you are interested in where the Craft really came from, and how it developed, then this book will enlighten you.

Were the Templars wiped out or did they survive by starting new Orders to preserve their secrets? Why were the Knights Templar forcibly disbanded? What happened to their legacy? Did they survive disguised as other Orders?

Robert Lomas is a real-life Dr. Robert Langdon! Co-author of The Hiram Key, the bestseller that Dan Brown notes as his inspiration for the Roslin Chapel–set climax of The Da Vinci Code, is a renowned freemasonry historian and truth-seeker. In Turning the Templar Key, Lomas reveals the origins of the Knights Templar and the historical context for Dan Brown’s thrillers. Buy this book if you couldn’t get enough of The Lost Symbol and want to discover more about the exciting and mysterious symbols, puzzles, codes, and characters that were derived from Lomas’ research and writings. Lomas investigates the facts, challenges the conspiracy theorists, and guides you on an inspiring and complex quest to uncover the truth, explain the motives, and document—for the very first time—the genesis of the Templar Freemasonry.

THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE AND COMPELLING BOOK EVER WRITTEN ABOUT THE SECRET SOCIETY THAT SHAPED THE MODERN WORLD. Freemasonry, with its arcane rituals, occult symbols, and labyrinthine hierarchy, has mystifi ed the outside world for centuries. But it has become apparent that even the most senior Freemasons do not understand its ancient origins or purpose. So what is this powerful and arcane organization really for? In this eye-opening account, two seasoned researchers show that today’s Freemasons are the spiritual descendants of an ancient priesthood that was forced to act in secrecy. They predicted the birth of the coming Messiah, and Jesus Christ was part of their mission. Soon after the Crucifi xion they were nearly wiped out by a program of mass genocide conducted by the Romans; later, in feudal Europe, they grew to a position of unparalleled power before being branded as heretics and forced underground. But they could not be stopped, and they continued to work in subtle, sometimes subversive, always anonymous, ways to pursue their objective—a new world order that put God above, and yet out of, human affairs.

Dispelling myths and challenging the traditional evaluations of European and American history, here is an illuminating investigation into the evolution of...

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For the first time ever, a source from within reveals the shocking truth that the roots of the Knights Templar, and thus those of Freemasonry, were actually more deeply linked to Islam than to Christianity. The Knights Templar of the Middle East breaks new ground in this well-tilled sphere and is guaranteed to stir more fires of controversy than any other book to date on Freemasonry and Templars. Prince Michael writes with sterling scholarship, making full use of his access to libraries of the secret orders of which he is a member. The book delves deep to examine the true roots of this worldwide society, revealing both historical events from Europe to the Middle East and the author's own deeply personal, perilous journey to research and expose this hidden history. Going against the accepted history of the Freemason society as evolved from a remnant of Knights Templar who settled in Scotland, The Knights Templar of the Middle East takes readers much farther back to the true historical biblical land, based in Western Arabia rather than Palestine. The true secret of the Inner Circle of the Order of the Templars was such that, had they revealed it, the knowledge would have rocked the cradle of Christian and Judaic beliefs.