The Temple and the Lodge
by By Baigent, Michael and Leigh, Richard
Category: History , General

Coauthors of Holy Blood, Holy Grail Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh recount the events that led to the strange and sudden  disappearance of the Knights Templar in the fourteenth century  and their reappearance in the court of excommunicate Scottish  king Robert the Bruce. Following the survival of certain unexpected Templar traditions, the authors document the evolution of  a world-changing order through the birth of the Masonic lodge.  They chart the history of Freemasonry through its medieval roots  and into the modern era. The book posits that the order’s contribution to the fostering  of tolerance, progressive values, and cohesion in English society  aided in preempting a French-style revolution in England; that  Freemasonry was an essential keystone in the formation of the  United States; and that America itself is an embodiment of the  ideal ?Masonic Republic.” This groundbreaking thread of analysis  challenges the accepted traditions of Western history as it is currently taught. What is the true source of our most valued traditions? Twenty years since its original publication, The Temple and the  Lodge remains a trenchant and essential edition to any collection  of Western history.