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Wednesday, December 05, 2007 Novel on Knights Templar honoured
The
novel Of Craft and Honour and a Templar’s Chronicles by George G.
Buttigieg and published by Miller Publications, has been awarded the
National Book Prize for 2006 in the foreign language literary prose
category. __________________________ Times of Malta Friday, 23rd November 2007 The Knights Templar revisited (2) James A. Marples, Texas, US. I read the article Vatican Proves Maltese Author Correct (October 26). The news of the Vatican opening their archives to reveal no heresy committed by the Knights Templar is truly welcome news. It clears the good name of Jacques de Molay and other Templars who were absolved by Pope Clement V. Sadly, the dark smudges of rumours and falsehoods have etched a mark in the pages of history that cannot easily be cleansed. Hopefully, the truth will eventually clean the official record of history. I applaud the Maltese author, George G. Buttigieg. In his account Of Craft and Honour, Dr Buttigieg has correctly described the true honour and valour of the Knights Templar which was recently corroborated by Barbara Frale's revelations of the Chinon Parchment. I also applaud the Vatican for graciously opening their Archives and ultimately swallowing their pride to admit a centuries-old falsehood. Had this been done centuries ago, we wouldn't have had the avalanche of ill-informed conspiracy theorists who peddled their trashy books on the world. Perhaps, the best result that can come from this is for more people to value the high ideals of chivalry. Chivalry isn't merely a knight in shining armour... it is a man who has sacrificed much for the sake of a greater good - to honour, preserve, and protect the Christian religion. __________________________ Times of Malta Saturday, 17th November 2007 Vatican, Templars and Hospitallers Lydia Grech, Balzan. I have recently accessed the article entitled Vatican Supports Maltese Author, which I found sufficiently intriguing to Google the book mentioned, namely Of Craft And Honour And A Templar's Chronicles, by George Gregory Buttigieg. The book's website (www.ofcraftandhonour.com) turned up among other information. Accessing this site, I reconfirmed that the author had written the book (though not published it) well before The Da Vinci Code's appearance as well as before Barbara Frale's public revelations of the Chinon Parchment. I ordered the book from amazon.com and I admit to being badly hooked enough to finish it in three days. I enjoyed it thoroughly and I was quite impressed that Dr Buttigieg's Templars truly conform to the picture we now have emerging from the Chinon document. I can now appreciate Malcolm Barber's comments about the difference between Dr Buttigieg's Templars and Dan Brown's Templars. I found this description so eerily accurate, that I started wondering if the author could have had "private" knowledge of the Chinon Parchment before it was revealed to public scrutiny. And then small bits of the puzzle started floating in my mind. We are told that Dr Buttigieg is a Hospitaller Knight of rank, decorated with the Commander's Cross, as well as also being a diplomat for his country to the Order's Rome headquarters and the Vatican. Could it be that the author's uncannily correct description of his Templars is based on information he was privy to as a knight or as a diplomat? Could he have been told about the Chinon document by Dr Frale or someone else whom he encountered in the "corridors of power"? More fascinatingly still, could he have had some access to other, still private documents, which, like the Chinon Parchment, have not been made public yet? Another possible line of thinking took me down another alleyway. Could Of Craft And Honour And A Templar's Chronicles and the release of the Chinon document be part of the establishment's timely reaction to the modern heresies threatening the Catholic Church in the wake of books like The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail and The Da Vinci Code? _____________________ 26 October 2007 The Times
Vatican proves Maltese author correct by Carmel Bonello The recent discovery by Barbara Frale that in 1308 Pope Clement V secretly absolved the last Templar Grand Master Jacques de Molay, and the rest of the leadership of the Knights Templar, from charges brought against them by the Medieval Inquisition was barely reported in Malta but it proved the theory expounded in 2006 by Maltese writer George Gregory Buttigieg as correct. In his Of Craft And Honour And A Templar's Chronicles, Dr Buttigieg then seemed to be going against the grain of popular opinion. His theory maintained clearly and loudly the Templar's innocence with regard to the accusation of heresy and rejection of Christ. His book appeared close after the "Da Vinci" wave. Dan Brown had taken the opposite view, namely that the Templars were keepers of dangerous knowledge on the divinity and humanity of Christ who was supposed to have fathered children by Mary Magdalene. According to Mr Brown this was the real reason why the Templars were arrested and destroyed in 1307. "Wrong!" seemed to shout Dr Buttigieg who in his Of Craft And Honour, published by Miller Publications, maintains that the Templars were destroyed by the King of France who arm-twisted Pope Clement V into suppressing the Order on a trumped up charge of heresy. Before these two books were published, a centuries-old historical controversy had raged about whether the Templars were truly heretic or not. Dr Buttigieg too was inspired by this story and painstakingly researched the 1307 - 1312 period of the Templars' destruction. Prof. Frale's discovery once again puts the spotlight on the Chinon Parchment, a historical document first published by Étienne Baluze during the 1600s, in Vitae Paparum Avenionensis (Lives Of The Popes Of Avignon). The parchment is dated Chinon, 1308, August 17 - 20 and the Vatican keeps an authentic copy with reference number Archivum Arcis Armarium D218, the original having the number D217. Detailing the trials of the Templars - Processus Contra Templarios, the Chinon document contains the record of the papal hearing of the Templars' leaders, namely Grand Master Jacques de Molay, Geoffroy de Charney, Preceptor of Normandy, Hugo de Perraud, Preceptor of France, Geoffroy de Gonneville, Preceptor of Aquitania and Potou, and Raymbaud de Caron, Preceptor of Outremer. This publication of the minutes of the hearing, which took place in August 1308, had been suppressed by the French king, as the records clearly reveal that Clement V absolved the Grand Master and the other four of high charges of heresy. Prior to this discovery, this historically-unique parchment had only been suspected of existing, being referred to in a letter, itself preserved in the French Chancery. The Chinon parchment vindicates Dr Buttigieg's expressed views on the Templars for the document does reveal papal absolution from heresy for the Grand Master of the Order and the chief administrators, whose trials have now been made available to and one all with the publication of the Chinon parchment. Dr Buttigieg admits that his Of Craft And Honour, although published after Mr Brown's Code, was written before he even heard of Mr Brown. While Mr Brown wrote an excellent fiction book, one must learn facts from academia in order to form opinions based on the truth, not from bestsellers. Available academic sources had already made it substantially clear that the Pope was neither a prime mover in the Templar arrests nor was he particularly happy that the members of a monastic military order, under his direct responsibility, had been arrested by the French king. Clement's repeated attempts to stop the legal process of interrogation and transfer it to ecclesiastical hands, where it belonged, are a clear indication. There were also historical reasons why the French king would benefit from the Templars' destruction, including the great amount of money he owed them, the properties he tried to inherit after their dissolution, his dream of being a great leader - Rex Bellator - of the unified and massed orders of military monkhood and to lead them into Crusade - a dream fired by the Catalan mystic Ramon Lull. Professional historian and world-acclaimed Templar expert Malcolm Barber, of Reading University, made distinctive reference to this point of head-on collision between the two books and what they implied when he evaluated Of Craft And Honour. Prof. Barber refers to Dr Buttigieg's Templars as a different breed altogether from the Templars in The Da Vinci Code. He points out that Dr Buttigieg speaks of Templars with human and individual faults and weaknesses in contrast to Mr Brown's keepers of a secret doctrine threatening the Catholic Church. The difference is irreproachable and has deep philosophical, religious and metaphysical implications. For Dr Buttigieg, Pope Clement V was constrained by the French king in helping him dissolve the Order of the Temple whereas for Mr Brown destruction came from the Vatican to silence dangerous knowledge and the French king played along. Dr Buttigieg reminds us that the French king had even manoeuvred the very election of Bertrand de Got to the papal throne as Pope Clement V, using his many transmontane cardinals. In 1307-1312, it was time to repay that debt. Dr Buttigieg felt so strong about this point that he commissioned Maltese graphic designer James Sciberras to paint the chessboard picture adorning the front cover of Of Craft And Honour And A Templar's Chronicles, clearly showing the papal tiara on the same side as the French king but behind, also flanked by the devil Asmodeus and all three facing the Templars with the good shepherd on their side. Incidentally, the black and white floor refers to chessboard mediaeval politics as well as the standard floor of the masonic lodge. Dr Buttigieg is a Knight Hospitaller of rank and has been decorated with the Order's prestigious Commander's Cross. He is also the Republic of Malta's Ambassador to the Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM) and a Councillor to the Holy See. He is well known and respected at the Order's Rome seat of government. Could his attitude be attributed to that of an apologist for the Catholic Church? Dr Buttigieg denies any hidden agendas in his books, and mentions the fact that he portrays Pope Clement V as a figure not particularly worthy of the seat of Peter, as an example. The arguments which follow his stance, which does oppose modern and fanciful concepts about Christ, are derived through logical reasoning if one accepts that there was no wholesale rejection of the Faith by the Templars and based on history, refusing to accept anything beyond that. In all fairness, he does not take sides but in the chapter entitled A Knight Hospitaller's Comments About The Knight Templars he does let rip about these airy fairy theories and their implications. His concepts and views are laid open there. It is evident that there is no hidden agenda. ____________________________ Reviews
What do the experts say about this book?
“A prizewinning radioplay writer, George G. Buttigieg uses his erudition to combine a rich historical novel with a modern detective story in a fascinating milieu of third millennium Gnosticism.”
Professor Peter Seracino-Inglott Rector Emeritus University of Malta Professor of Philosophy Chairman, Mediterranean Institute, University of Malta
"Of Craft and Honour is a stimulating tapestry, a thriller, interweaving the history of Malta, the Knights of St John, freemasonry, politics and more. It is an adventurous romp from medieval to modern times....controversial and provocative!'
Dr Karen Ralls, author of The Templars and the Grail
“A masterpiece of expert literary weaving drawing in 14th century Templar politics and a modern Malta-based mystery story where truth and fiction merge imperceptibly, with a final challenge to modern philosophical assumptions.”
Dennis Dziena, CEO Malta International Art Fund
“A captivating book which makes us pause to ponder seriously on the need for tolerance and the elimination of prejudice both in the religious sphere as well as in international politics as exemplified by the Israeli-Palestinian situation which is also drawn into the book. A work of deep reflections.”
Professor Guido de Marco Emeritus President of the Republic of Malta President Emeritus of the General Assembly of the United Nations
Evaluation
by Professor Malcolm barber, Professor Emeritus at Reading University, specialist in Templar Studies, Medieval Heresy and the Crusades with his main academic interests being the history of Medieval Europe of the 12 and 13t centuries. Extensively published author, perhaps more popularly known for his The Trial of the Templars (Cambridge UP, 1978, new ed,2006); The Two Cities – Medieval Europe,1050 -1320 Routledge, 1992, new ed 2004); The New Knighthood: A History of the Order of the Temple (Cambridge UP, 1994); The Cathars: Dualist Heretics in Languedoc in the High Middle Ages (Longman, 2000)
The trial of the Templars
This is a book with a dual narrative, for running parallel with the scandal of corruption and murder within the freemasons of contemporary Malta are the equally dramatic events which led to the arrest, trial and suppression of the military Order of the Temple in early fourteenth century. This is told through the testimony of one Templar in particular and, then, after his death, though various successors, both Templars and Hospitallers, who had access to his writings. It is the story of the end of the Christian settlements in Palestine and Syria, which had been established in the generation following the capture of Jerusalem by the forces of the First Crusade in 1099. These settlements survived until May, 1291, when Acre, the last major city held by the Latins, fell to the Mamluks of Egypt. Thereafter the Templars attempted to regain a foothold on the mainland, but their efforts were brought to an abrupt end when, in October, 1307, the brothers in France were suddenly arrested and accused of apostasy by the French king, Philip the Fair. According to these allegations, they were not an Order fighting for the faith as they pretended, but a secret cabal of conspirators, dedicated to the worship of idols and allied to the enemies of Christendom. The proceedings which followed led to the suppression of the Temple by Pope Clement V in 1312 and the transfer of all its property to the Order of the Hospital. The last Master, James of Molay, was burnt to death as a relapsed heretic in Paris in March, 1314.
Historical conspiracy
Interest in this trial has burgeoned in the last twenty years, for the nature of the Order’s demise has particularly fired the imaginations of those who like to see history in terms of a vast conspiracy, usually involving the papacy, responsible, it is alleged, for concealing the real truth about Christ and Christianity. The two most iconic works of recent times are The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail by Michael Baigent, Richard Leigh and Henry Lincoln (1976) and The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown (2003). A feature of both books is the idea that our predecessors left ‘clues’ which are there to be deciphered in our own times. The Templars, apparently a respectable Order of the medieval Church, but alleged to be addicted to anti-Christian rites and then, uniquely for the period, suppressed by the pope, have proved a flexible instrument for conspiracy theorists and they are usually woven into the plot in such a way as to become an essential element in the transmission of secret knowledge over the centuries.
The nature of evil
The Templars in George Buttigieg’s novel, however, are very different, for they hold no esoteric secrets, nor do they participate in clandestine ceremonies in which they deny Christ and worship idols. They do admit to individual misconduct: sexual relations with women, an interest in Islamic philosophy, a dabbling in dualistic belief, an over-confident pride in themselves and their Order. But they do not hand on the torch to the mysterious ‘priory of Sion’, the conduit used in The Da Vinci Code. For them the continuity is provided by the few Templars who escape to Scotland, where they are absorbed into masonic lodges. Herein lies a serious purpose, for the fate of the Templars is not seen as one more piece in a cosmic jigsaw puzzle, but as a means of showing how the two narratives, ostensibly separate, have, in fact, important implications for each other. Thus, for example, Father Rafel’s speculations on the nature of evil, as seen in present-day Malta. ‘If God loved us as much as to send His Son to redeem us, why allow evil in the first place?’ Rafel’s modern crisis of faith is matched by that of the Templar Fra Anjelito, whose disillusion becomes ever greater as the Church betrays his Order to the regime of Philip the Fair. The narrator, Jean Jacques de St Georges, listening to Anjelito, wonders whether ‘he has been tainted by some heresy, such as that of the Cathars’ in that he keeps talking about ‘two equal powers, that of good and that of evil’. As the Templar implies, one answer to Rafel’s question is to deny God’s authorship of evil in the first place, and instead to attribute it to another, perhaps co-eternal, force, thus accepting a dualistic interpretation of creation.
Past and present crisis
Of Craft and Honour is not therefore simply a detective novel, entertaining as that is, but it is also a vehicle for consideration of fundamental ethical and religious issues, neatly delineated by two interlocking stories set at very different periods. What they have in common is a context of crisis, which in the fourteenth century saw war, disease, and famine undermine the civilisation created by the High Middle Ages, while today it takes the form of the pressures brought by rapid technological and environmental change combined with the constant warnings of unseen but deadly threats to our social cohesion. It is significant that the period most fertile in the conspiracy theories which find their modern descendants in The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail and The Da Vinci Code was the over-heated atmosphere of revolutionary Europe in the years between 1789 and 1848. Dr Buttigieg’s novel underlines our unease with our way of life without pretending that the answer lies in a stew of disparate elements, stirred together to form a faith for those without faith. Frederick Tonna Black, the narrator, encapsulates the motif which runs through the book’s two narratives: ‘each time I read one of these modern theories about the Templars’ secret knowledge, I think of the golden truth, lying unpublished in your [his father’s] desk drawer! Each year brings out crazier tales which the populace is lapping up like hungry dogs. Your work needs to come out whether appreciated or not. I had to do that at least for you.’
BOOK LAUNCH
Malta based Novel intertwines the Templars andInternational Masonic Intrigue
by di-ve.com
A present-day approach was taken by Professor de Marco when he evaluated
some of the principles which emanate from the book including tolerance and
the elimination of prejudice both in the religious sphere as well as in
international politics as exemplified by the Israeli-Palestinian situation
which is also drawn into the book. He spoke of the clash of civilisations
and explained that civilisations and cultures do not clash but are made to
clash by individuals. Professor de Marco referred to Buttigieg’s work as a
captivating book which makes us pause to ponder seriously a work of deep
reflections.”
Mr Miller, CEO of Miller Distributors Limited, said that through Agenda outlets, the Company is becoming more active in book publishing with a policy of giving exposure to new authors and subjects that highlight aspects of Malta or Maltese culture.
Commentary Sunday 30 April 2006 The B and B publications
Recently Comm Dr George Gregory Buttigieg, a senior lecturer at the University, published a book which although strictly fiction is based on historical facts with Malta as its background. The book is a welcome addition to our Melitensia. The newly appointed Rector, Professor Juanito Camilleri, has mentioned that he wishes to see a combination of traditional and historical episodes surrounding Malta with present achievements to gain an impetus in ensuring success of the Malta product. As an example he mentioned the association of the Knights Hospitallers with our highly respected medical profession and the medical school, which has an outstanding reputation. A characteristic of our medical academics is that they have often contributed not only to the medical field, but also to cultural and scientific activities. One could mention Sir Temi Zammit, who besides being a professor and rector at our University, also contributed in many fields, apart from that of medicine. In fact, he is also renowned for his distinguished contribution to archaeology. More recently, we have the present Rector, Professor Roger Ellul Micallef, who contributed significantly to various historical aspects, adding to the monumental work of the late Dr Paul Cassar. Besides being an eminent psychiatrist in his own right and a lecturer at our University as well as an honorary Fellow, Dr Cassar has published a book which is considered the benchmark for most other work on the history of medicine in Malta. There are many other healthcare professionals from the University who have contributed to historical and cultural aspects, in addition to the scientific areas of their particular specialisation. However, the recent publication by Dr Buttigieg may be said to be in a class of its own. This publication was an instant success as one could determine by its good sales and readership. The book was received with excitement and the publishers Miller Distributors saw to it that it was given well deserved publicity in the local papers by both adverts as well as by learned reviews, and by organising a highly well attended launch, placing it prominently on street billboards. It is said that there is now an interest in presenting the book on the screen. Many have compared Buttigieg's book with that of Dan Brown's and these are being referred to as the B and B publications in unofficial circles. The difference mainly lies in that Dan Brown's publishers could afford an international launch. And this is where the University comes into the picture. The University had its own publishing unit - a University of Malta Press. It has succeeded to publish a very small number of books, albeit of a highly significant value. The University also has a bookshop on the premises. The bookshop is run by Agenda, which is also owned by the publishers of Buttigieg's book. Perhaps the University should seriously think of joining forces with a publisher with a business acumen and also a press with significant experience, which can publish with the same quality and cost as that of international printers. Professor Peter Serracino-Inglott, in his foreword to Dr Buttigieg's book Of Craft and Honour and a Templar's chronicles wrote that "this work has ingredients with the same power of fascination as are, for instance, to be found in works in third millennium agnosticism such as The Da Vinci Code, but without any extravagant figment of imagination such that a serious scholar would object to it." I.M. Beck in his Saturday 'quote unquote' column wrote on Brown's book (The Times, April 22) that "an enormous whoop, one for joy, that was no doubt let out by Mr Dan Brown when he read about the Vatican busy-body who just recently saw fit to dedicate a sermon to the nefariousness of The Da Vinci Code. "I mean to say, after only 93 weeks in the Sunday Times (the one in London) Best Seller list, I'm sure Mr Brown was starting to worry that the sales of his novel ("novel"-story, fictional, written to amuse and divert) were flagging, so another burst of fundamentalism was just what the doctor ordered." It is a pity perhaps that some supporter of Pope Clement V who is described by Dr Buttigieg as the notorious Philippe le Bel's puppet (and perhaps even better still if these supporters are joined by some "anti- Templar" movement) did not come forward with a huge or at least a mild protest against Dr Buttigieg's writing. This action would certainly have stimulated the already good sales of the book to a greater extent, perhaps putting it well on the road to the international market, at least, according to the philosophy of I.M. Beck. However, as the situation stands today, there should be a concerted effort to sell Maltese-produced books on the international market. It is a question of marketing. As a bonus, such an action would help to put Malta's name on the map and such little actions help to attract the type of tourists we are now seeking, that is temple worshippers rather than just sun ones. The setting of the book in Malta helps to advertise Malta the same way that books like Death on the Nile attracts tourists to spend an extra week in Egypt to include a Nile cruise. A novel written with the Great Siege as a background may be another book that could be marketed internationally. The University Publications Committee should work hard in this area and should be assisted to internationalise the publications by the Malta Tourism Authority, Malta Enterprise and various embassies and ambassadors who may contribute by writing articles and reviews on Maltese-authored and produced books with Malta as a background. The University, perhaps through its influence with academics in other universities, should help to put the book on the shelves of as many university libraries as possible. There are other features that the Maltese academia and printer would need to contribute to have a publication acceptable on the international shelves. A note on Dan Brown's book states: "Papers used by Transworld Publishers are natural, recyclable products made from wood grown in sustainable forests. The manufacturing processes conform to the environmental regulations of the country of origin." These aspects must be considered when embarking on projects of an international dimension. It is such innovations that Maltese citizens need to think of and pursue in order to expand our development. Science and technology are essentials for advancement but art and artists also have a great role to play in Malta's economic and cultural role.
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