Product Description

Lively...illuminating. A refreshing example of scholarly detective work.--Kirkus Reviews

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #94455 in Books
• Published on: 1989-11-15
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 376 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Unlike most of its five million members, including many world leaders, who believe that the Freemasons, the world's largest fraternal organization, evolved from the guilds of medieval stonemasons, historian Robinson persuasively links Freemasonry's origins and goals to the once powerful and wealthy Knights Templar order. Banned and persecuted by a 14th-century papal bull, he claims, the Knights were forced to form an underground society. The author combines scholarly research and entertaining storytelling in tracing Freemasonry as a worldwide political, religious, economic and social body dedicated to self-improvement and charity while governed by secret rituals and symbols (explained here in detail).
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Historians are always wary of newcomers who try to reinterpret old events in a new way. Here, Robinson (not a professional historian) takes a fresh look at the Peasant's Revolt of 1381 in England and emerges with something really new. It had been thought that this revolt against feudal landlords and royalty was a spontaneous one led by ad hoc people. Robinson shows, in what seems to be a convincing way, that far from being spontaneous, the revolt was a well-planned and highly organized attempt on the part of remnants of the Knights Templar (disbanded by the Pope 65 years earlier) to get retribution against the Knights Hospitaller. Robinson's hypothesis explains many previously unanswerable facts; for those interested in medieval British history and Freemasonry.
- Gordon Stein, Univ. of Rhode Island, Providence
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Ingram
For history buffs, curious Catholics, mystery lovers, and Freemasons everywhere comes the first comprehensive and objective book in more than 100 years on the world's largest fraternal organization.

Customer Reviews

read this book, then you know why America is in Iraq and middle east
it is not for oil. it is the knights templars' mission. look at the symbols on the cover of the book.

A Very Well Researched, Well Written Theory of Freemasonry's Origins
This is an excellent book which presents a very well researched and very well written theory that Freemasonry originated in the suppression of the Knights Templar in 1308 rather than from the medieval stonemasons' guilds, as official Masonic histories suggest.

The conclusions Robinson draws from the available evidence are logical and rational, unlike some of the more far fetched theories on Freemasonry which have been published recently.

In short, an excellent book that is well worth reading.

Look at the evidence
Folks, the evidence that the Templars are the forerunners of the Masons is enormous. Lynn Picknett's book The Templar Revelation, the works of Baigent and Lincoln, and more just can't be ignored. Those who say that Freemasonry was founded by workingmen in Great Britain are people who are more emotionally comfortable with simple explanations.
One of the most interesting aspects of this whole Templar-Magdalene-alternate to standard Christian worldview genre is this: the importance of Egypt in the development of Western culture. We were taught as children to think of ancient Egypt as a bizarre hotbed of mummies and Sphinxes, with sideways drawings of cool people and animals, as having captured our spiritual forefathers (the Hebrews) but as hopelessly benighted pagan ignorami. This just won't cut it any more!