The Templars Quotes

“armed, and fight for God’s cause with your money and your lives’ Ibn Wasil, quoting Qur’an”
― Dan Jones, The Templars: The Rise and Fall of God's Holy Warriors

“Life within a Templar house was designed where possible to resemble that of a Cistercian monastery. Meals were communal and to be eaten in near silence, while a reading was given from the Bible. The rule accepted that the elaborate sign language monks used to ask for necessities while eating might not be known to Templar recruits, in which case "quietly and privately you should ask for what you need at table, with all humility and submission." Equal rations of food and wine were to be given to each brother and leftovers would be distributed to the poor. The numerous fast days of the Church calendar were to be observed, but allowances would be made for the needs of fighting men: meat was to be served three times a week, on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Should the schedule of annual fast days interrupt this rhythm, rations would be increased to make up for lost sustenance as soon as the fasting period was over.
It was recognized that the Templars were killers. "This armed company of knights may kill the enemies of the cross without stated the rule, neatly summing up the conclusion of centuries of experimental Christian philosophy, which had concluded that slaying humans who happened to be "unbelieving pagans" and "the enemies of the son of the Virgin Mary" was an act worthy of divine praise and not damnation. Otherwise, the Templars were expected to live in pious self-denial.
Three horses were permitted to each knight, along with one squire whom "the brother shall not beat." Hunting with hawks—a favorite pastime of warriors throughout Christendom—was forbidden, as was hunting with dogs. only beasts Templars were permitted to kill were the mountain lions of the Holy Land. They were forbidden even to be in the company of hunting men, for the reason that "it is fitting for every religious man to go simply and humbly without laughing or talking too much." Banned, too, was the company of women, which the rule scorned as "a dangerous thing, for by it the old devil has led man from the straight path to paradise the flower of chastity is always [to be] maintained among you.... For this reason none Of you may presume to kiss a woman' be it widow, young girl, mother, sister, aunt or any other.... The Knighthood of Christ should avoid at all costs the embraces of women, by which men have perished many times." Although married men were permitted to join the order, they were not allowed to wear the white cloak and wives were not supposed to join their husbands in Templar houses.”
― Dan Jones, The Templars: The Rise and Spectacular Fall of God's Holy Warriors

“Pilgrimage was a centrally important part of Christian life in the early twelfth century, and had been for nearly one thousand years. People traveled incredible distances to visit saints' shrines and the sites of famous Christian deeds. did it for the good of their souls: sometimes to seek divine relief from illness, sometimes as penance to atone for their sins. Some thought that praying at a certain shrine would ensure the protection of that saint in their passage through the afterlife. All believed that God looked kindly on pilgrims and that a man or woman who ventured humbly and faithfully to the center of the world would improve his or her standing in the eyes of God.”
― Dan Jones, The Templars: The Rise and Spectacular Fall of God's Holy Warriors

“Even given the advantage of a surprise attack, it was vain to believe that a few hundred men fighting against thousands would lead to anything but annihilation.”
― Dan Jones, The Templars: The Rise and Spectacular Fall of God's Holy Warriors

“The wrecked town of Gaza lay silent and empty. It had once been among the finest cities of the Near East: a stopping point on the coastal road from Syria through Palestine to Egypt, made rich by a thriving market and renowned for its mosques, churches and massive airy houses built in marble.1 But in 1149 only its natural wells and reservoirs remained to indicate that this was once a place where people of many religions had thrived. War had swept through the elegant streets and emptied Gaza, seemingly for good. ‘It was now in ruins’, wrote William of Tyre, ‘and entirely uninhabited.”
― Dan Jones, The Templars: The Rise and Fall of God's Holy Warriors

“The Templars charged into battle under a black-and-white flag, and as they rode they would sometimes sing a psalm to give them strength. It feels appropriate to quote those lines as we begin our story: ‘Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give the glory, for your steadfast love and faithfulness.’ Enjoy the ride.”
― Dan Jones, The Templars: The Rise and Fall of God's Holy Warriors

“who declared that they donated out of their “fear [of] the pains of hell and wish to see the joys of Paradise.”16 The brothers would pray regularly for the souls of those who made them their heirs—the better the gift, the more frequent the prayers.”
― Dan Jones, The Templars: The Rise and Spectacular Fall of God's Holy Warriors

“Abu Ishaq al-Ghazzi: “The past is gone. . . . You have but the moment in which you exist.”3”
― Dan Jones, The Templars: The Rise and Spectacular Fall of God's Holy Warriors

“sodomite.”
― Dan Jones, The Templars: The Rise and Fall of God's Holy Warriors

“friend of kings, a gossip and a significant political player in his own right,”
― Dan Jones, The Templars: The Rise and Fall of God's Holy Warriors

“Yet, ironically, by committing to live in penury the Templars become rich.”
― Dan Jones, The Templars: The Rise and Fall of God's Holy Warriors

“Principium fini solet impar sepe uidere. Often the end fails to equal the beginning.”
― Dan Jones, The Templars: The Rise and Spectacular Fall of God's Holy Warriors

“He told them that going willingly to their deaths in Christ’s name was a sure path to salvation. Of course, it was one thing for Bernard to write this, theorizing a thousand miles from the Holy Land and glorifying in a martyrdom he would never himself experience. It was quite another for a band of ninety Templars, called from their castle and told to attack against impossible odds, to swallow down their fear and do it. Yet they did.”
― Dan Jones, The Templars: The Rise and Spectacular Fall of God's Holy Warriors

“what Christians do to Christians is crueller’ than many of the worst evils perpetrated by Muslims.”
― Dan Jones, The Templars: The Rise and Fall of God's Holy Warriors

“Principium fini solet impar sepe uidere ‘Often the end fails to equal the beginning”
― Dan Jones, The Templars: The Rise and Fall of God's Holy Warriors

“Barbonne,”
― Dan Jones, The Templars: The Rise and Spectacular Fall of God's Holy Warriors