The Templar Papers: Ancient Mysteries, Secret Societies and the Holy Grail - Paperback

by Oddvar Olsen (Editor), Karen PH. D. Ralls (Contribution by), Robert Lomas (Contribution by)

Much has been written about the group of 14th-century warrior monks known as the Knights Templar. Some authors, such as Dan Brown in The Da Vinci Code, portray them as folk heroes wrongly accused. Others disagree, saying the Templar story is ultimately one of greed, deception, and idolatry. Just who were the Knights Templar? And what is their legacy? In The Templar Papers, author and historian Oddvar Olsen has assembled a veritable Who's Who of experts to unravel the mystery. Instead of rehashing previous scholarship, this book delves into new aspects of Templar lore, such as the origins of the order and its supposed survival after 1314.

It attempts to answer the following:

• Were the Templars devil worshippers who venerated a mysterious head?
• Was the head that of John the Baptist?
• What exactly did they find in Solomon's Temple?
• Did they keep, and later hide, the Holy Grail and the Ark of the Covenant?

You'll also discover the Templar link to Mary Magdalene and the Freemasons, including answers to questions such as:

• Were Jesus and Mary lovers or, in fact, husband and wife?
• Did Mary give birth to a child after Jesus' death?
• Did Freemasonry originate from the Templars?

The Templar Papers offers the inquisitive reader several lifetimes of research and insight. This is a distinctive and truly unique compilation that will stimulate your mind and settle the controversy.

Author Biography

Oddvar Olsen has studied mystery traditions and mythology since the late 80s, when he decided to specialize in the Knights Templar. In 2002 Olsen started The Temple, a successful periodical on the Knights Templar and related subjects, which he still edits and publishes. He lives in Somerset, England.

Karen Ralls, PhD, medieval historian, international lecturer, and media consultant, was postdoctoral fellow at the University of Edinburgh for six years before continuing her specialist medieval research at Oxford. A member of the Oxford University Religious Studies Society, the American Academy of Religion (AAR), and the British Society for the Study of Religion (BASR), Dr. Ralls was also former deputy director of the Rosslyn Chapel Museum exhibition (1996-2001). Originally from the United States, she has frequently appeared on the History Channel and Discovery, and in National Geographic TV documentaries. The author of The Templars and the Grail and other books, she has an award-winning Website www.karenralls.com.

Robert Lomas is a British writer and business studies academic. He writes primarily about the history of Freemasonry as well as the Neolithic period, ancient engineering and archaeoastronomy. Lomas regularly lectures at the Orkney International Science Festival. Author website: www.robertlomas.com