First Knights Templar Discovered

Daily Telegraph (UK) ^ | 4-10-2006

[blam]

First Knights Templar are discovered

April 10, 2006

LONDON: The first bodies of the Knights Templar, the mysterious religious order at the heart of The Da Vinci Code, have been found by archaeologists near the River Jordan in northern Israel.

British historian Tom Asbridge yesterday hailed the find as the first provable example of actual Knights Templar.

The remains were found beneath the ruined walls of Jacob's Ford, an overthrown

castle dating back to the Crusades, which had been lost for centuries.

They can be dated to the exact day -- August 29, 1179 -- that they were killed by Saladin, the feared Muslim leader who captured the fortress.

"Never before has it been possible to trace their remains to such an exact time in history,' Mr Asbridge said. "This discovery is the equivalent of the Holy Grail to archaeologists and historians. It is unparalleled."

[Jimmy Valentine]

woops!No I did not. Still kind of confusing, though.

[bannie]

The Knights Templar still exist.

[ZULU]

They should be reintered as heroes and among the first Christians to die fighting the Islamic menace.

[ZULU]

Which motion picture?

[RegulatorCountry]

I think the author is using “first” interchangeably with “earliest,” here.

[hinckley buzzard]

I don’t know what the problem is with people who attack the writers of these books as long as they are clearly fiction and meant for entertainment. If they blend in some accurate history with the fiction, so much the better.

The problem is not with the books. We have had historical fiction as a genre forever. The problem is that with the deterioration of education and the cynical marketing by unscrupulous authors, who deliberately blur the boundaries of what is 'clearly fiction."

Too many people no longer can tell the difference between "accurate history" and fiction, and there is a media echo chamber which profits by encouraging ignorance. Recall how many times the author of daVinci Code was interviewed on TV and acted as if his schlock was a genuine hypothesis. Imagine how many people think the Code is real: millions no doubt.

[beebuster2000]

one of the dead guys had a newspaper in his backpack. they took the date from that.

headline in the newspaper was “christianity is doomed, withdraw the templars before december”

[Redleg Duke]

The Davinci Code has absolutely nothing to do with historical fact. The reporter is as intellectually shallow as oil on a mirror.

[Cvengr]

"I met an 88 degree Mason on a job, once. He couldn't lay a square corner if his life depended on it."Did you give him the 2nd degree? ;^)

[wildbill]

Well, these authors (Berry and Brown) are getting an awful lot of flack here among the literate cognoscenti who should know better.

I never saw Brown blur the line between fiction and truth on any interview. He does point out the factual history he used, but he always states his book and the Code are fiction.

I think the antagonism problem occurs when folks think their religion is being undermined by fictional accounts that question the truth of doctrine or dogma. Of course, that doesn’t happen if they truly have faith in the tenets of their church.

[mad_as_he$$]

Why? I found it served very little purpose and life was much better after ti was gone!!! :-)

[mad_as_he$$]

Isn’t the “big” mystery supposedly Ren le Chateau?

[roamer_1]

sarcophagi

Sarcophagus... My sister pronounced it sarco-fag-us for many a year. It gave me great pleasure to withhold correction. Every time the word is mentioned (which isn't often), it causes me to giggle... Thanks for the memories!

[RightWhale]

Umberto Eco is as prolific as Stephen King with about ten times the vocabulary.

[mass55th]

Do a Google search for the thread title and you'll find some other stuff on it. Here's one:

Click Here

[mass55th]

There's also Temple Church in London, off the beaten path of Fleet Street. I went to visit it in August but it was undergoing renovations and access was closed. I did get a few pictures of the outside. It's the same church that was featured in The Da Vinci Code. Here's the link with a virtual tour of the inside:

Click Here

[Cvengr]

Thanks for the link.

[Cvengr]

Is it an easier read than Gravity’s Rainbow?

[Chaguito]

Thank you. Exactly my first thought. Why tie a verifiable historical find to a fictional novel? There seems almost a pathological desire to make the absurd Da Vinci Code historical.

[norton]

Thanks!