Knights Templar Were a Secret Society

Two secret societies, actually – the whole order and a small group that I call Ark Templar within the order of Templars. It was the existence of the latter that made the former a secret society as well.

By definition, a secret society is an organization of a group, some or all beliefs, activities, events, inner functioning, and/or membership of which are concealed. In extreme cases its very existence is either totally unknown to anyone outside the society or is vehemently denied by its alleged members.

Both Knights Templar and Ark Templar fit this definition perfectly. Ark Templar because none of the above was known to anyone outside this group (most likely, of twelve individuals) and Knights Templar because the Ark Templar was an integral part of the latter (the top part as it included the top management of the order).

Therefore, the activities, events, inner functioning, and membership of Ark Templar were parts of the same for the whole order. Which technically made the whole order a secret society as well.

Actually, such composition was (and is) pretty common among secret societies: such society usually has a “front organization” (in this case, the order at large) that is by no means secret – and an inner group (core) which is.

However, Ark Templar (and thus, by extension, the whole order) was not “just” a secret society. It was a full-blown heretical Christian sect. Heretical because its beliefs were very different from the official ones held by the Christian Church; Christian because they venerated Christ as Son of God and Savior of mankind… they just did not need him – or His Church, for that matter.

They needed neither because, being in the possession of the Ark, they believed that they had the “alternative” (in fact, the original) channel of Divine Grace. Sufficient for salvation in the afterlife (yes, righteous Jews went to heaven centuries before the arrival of Christ – and they did not need Him or His Church to get there).

Ark Templar was not just an integral part of the order – it was comprised of its top management (and founded by the founders of Knights Templar). Which technically made the whole order a heretical Christian sect as well.

Consequently, French inquisitors working for the king Philip IV were fundamentally correct when they accused the order of heresy – despite irrefutable fact that all specific charges were totally bogus.