Comments on the heresy accusations. Dr. Barton.
Many things could be said about the heresy accusations against the Templar, and sir Richard has already said many of them. I want to concentrate on one element of the accusations, and as my way in, I want to start with the Templar head: what was it? A fiction, yes, but why?
Actually many of the heresy accusations against the Templar are based on Medieval European conceptions of Islam. Muslims were supposed to spit on the cross and desecrate it in... other ways. They were supposed to have all sorts of idols in their mosques, Mohammed, Jupiter, Apollo... you name it, they were said to worship it (maybe even cats). There is a charming story from the siege of Acre (1189-91) concerning a Muslim who had got hold of a crucifix. He waved it about (so the story goes), yelling abuse and making obscene gestures. Finally he dropped his trousers and urinated on the crucifix, at which point a crossbowman shot him in the groin, which was generally supposed to be a judgement.
Of course (despite the silly behaviour of one Azerbijani newspaper) real Muslims do not insult Jesus (well, not by their standards. I think that denying He is the Word of God incarnate in the face of His claims could be regarded as an insult). They claim he was a prophet. And Muslims do not have idols. In fact they are violent iconoclasts... so the Templars were accused of acting like mythical stereotyped Muslims. Since the Templars knew very well what real Muslims acted like (having fought them in the East and in Spain), they were not going to adopt mythical Muslim practices, therefore the charges were untrue because absurd. And that is how I solved the Edward Irving Code, if you care to know.
No-one does
You don't know that.
Actually many of the heresy accusations against the Templar are based on Medieval European conceptions of Islam. Muslims were supposed to spit on the cross and desecrate it in... other ways. They were supposed to have all sorts of idols in their mosques, Mohammed, Jupiter, Apollo... you name it, they were said to worship it (maybe even cats). There is a charming story from the siege of Acre (1189-91) concerning a Muslim who had got hold of a crucifix. He waved it about (so the story goes), yelling abuse and making obscene gestures. Finally he dropped his trousers and urinated on the crucifix, at which point a crossbowman shot him in the groin, which was generally supposed to be a judgement.
Of course (despite the silly behaviour of one Azerbijani newspaper) real Muslims do not insult Jesus (well, not by their standards. I think that denying He is the Word of God incarnate in the face of His claims could be regarded as an insult). They claim he was a prophet. And Muslims do not have idols. In fact they are violent iconoclasts... so the Templars were accused of acting like mythical stereotyped Muslims. Since the Templars knew very well what real Muslims acted like (having fought them in the East and in Spain), they were not going to adopt mythical Muslim practices, therefore the charges were untrue because absurd. And that is how I solved the Edward Irving Code, if you care to know.
No-one does
You don't know that.
posted by Highland Host at
10:44 AM
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