A powerful, wealthy and secretive medieval order originally formed to protect Christian pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem, the Knights Templar were accused of heresy, blasphemy, sodomy and the worshipping of idols, particularly a mysterious bearded figure. "The Templars had powerful reasons to guard and venerate the shroud. They needed it as an antidote to the heresies that had arisen in Europe at that time," Frale said. According to Frale, who will publish a book on her findings in June, the Knights Templar were afraid of becoming a refuge for heretics who denied the existence of Jesus. In particular, they feared the Cathars, heretics who rejected the Resurrection, the very core of Catholic belief, by saying that Christ never had a human form. "Obviously, the shroud, with the dramatic, detailed depiction of a man who was scourged and crucified, strongly countered the Cathars' belief," Frale said. However, the shroud didn't do the Templars much good. The order, whose secret rituals and lost treasures have long fascinated conspiracy theorists, was brutally dissolved after the 1314 trial. Several knights, including the Grand Mater Jacques de Molay, were burned at the stake. Two years ago, Frale discovered that at the end of the trial, Pope Clement V found the disgraced order not guilty of heresy. However, he succumbed to the pressure of King Philip IV of France, who coveted the Templars' wealth. Related Links: Shroud of Turin's Authenticity Probed Anew |
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