The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1902-05-28
'ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT
OF THE KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

In the year 1899 A. D.. when the in
telligence OF the capture of Jerusalem
by the Crusaders (July 15) had been
conveyed to Europe, the zeal of the
pilgrimage blazed forth with almost
incredible fierceness. 1t had gathered
intensity during the interval of it's sup
preston by the Saracens five years be-
fore, and now all classes, of all nations
:nd of both sexes, old men and chill
tiren, virgins and matrons, thinking
the road then open and the journey
practicable, pressed forward atoward
the Holy City. The infidels had in
deed been driven out Of Jerusalem, but
Iiot out of Palestine. The passes of
the mountains bordering the seacoast
We're infested by warlke bands of fu-
E:tive Moslems, who maintained them
selves in the innumerable caverns with
which the country abounds, 'or on the
trackless deserts east and south of
Judea, came forth upon the high roads.
cut off the communication between
Jerusalem and the seaports, and re-
vcnged themselves for the loss of their
habitations and property by the indis-
Criminate pillage of all Travellers; and
the pilgrims, consequently, when they
approached the Holy City, We're ex-
posed to. almost daily hostility, to
plunder and TO death.
TO alleviate the dangers and distress
to which they We're exposed by these
implacable foes, to guard the honor of
the sanity virgins and matrons, and to
protect the gray hairs of the vener-
pbla palmer. nine noble knights, each
Of whom had greatly distinguished
himself in the assault upon Jerusalem,
formed holy brotherhood in, arms,
and in the year 1113 A. d. entered into
a solemn compact to clear the high
ways and protect pilgrims through the
passes and defiles of the mountains
leading to the Holy CITY, Their names
are thus given by reputable authori-
ties: /, Hugh de Payens; 2, Godfrey
de St, Aldemar; g. Roral 4. Gonde-
mar; 8. Godfrey Bisol; g. Payens de
Montidier; Z, Archibald de st. Amana;
8, Andrew de Montbar 0. the Count de
Provence. Warmed with the religious
and military fervor OF the day, and
animated by the sacredness of the
cause to which they had devoted
their lives, they called themselves the
'Poor Fellow Soldiers of Jesus" They
elected as the first grand master that
true knight, Sir Hugh de Payens;
uniting within themselves the two
most popular qualities of the age, de-
votion and valor, and exercising those
attributes in the most popular of all
enterprises OF that period, they speed
lily acquired famous reputation.
At first, we are told, they had no
church and no particular place of
abode, but in the year 1llS, nineteen
years after the conquest of Jerusalem
by the Crusaders, they had rendered
such good and acceptable service to
the Christians that Baldwin ii, King of
Jerusalem, granted them permanent
place OF habitation within the sacred
lnclosure of the Temple on Mount Nor
lah, amid those holy and magnificent
structures which were then exhibited
as the outbuildings of the Temple of
Solomon, whence the Poor Fellow-Sol-
diers of Jesus Christ came henceforth
To be known by the name of The
hnishtbood of the Temple of Solomon.
Or more briefly, knight Templars.