Knights Templar

An inscription on a sun-dial at the church porch of St. Levan, Cornwall:

SlCUT UMBRA TRANSEUNT DIES. As the shadow pass the days.

The church is rich in old oak, and also
possesses a fragmentary copy of the letter of thanks
written by King Charles I. to his people of Cornwall
for their fidelity, dated from his camp at Sudeley Castle,
1643, and ordered to be printed, published, and
read in every church or chapel in Cornwall, and to be
kept for ever as a record of their king's gratitude.

(From The Book of Sun-dials)

I like how the letter thanking the people of Cornwall for their fidelity was ordered to be read. Surely, many were punished for not properly heeding its warm tone, or worse, not attending the special gathering of loyal subjects. And if they somehow forget about the King's gratitude, the letter should conveniently remind them of it.

I have observed that there is considerable interest regarding the looks of the Knights Templar rings. Unfortunately, my research has only extended to the Masonic Templars, who are in no way connected to the actual military order. However, having found a reference to a Latin motto I felt obliged to make a note of this design.

In hoc signo vinces - In this sign thou shall conquer.

This excerpt is taken from:
Rings for the Finger, from the Earlieast Known Times to the Present. by George F. Kunz:

In rings of the Knights Templar the design is usually a cross passed through a crown, with the motto of Constantine the Great: In hoc Signo vinces. The cross will be of black enamel (occasionally of red enamel) and the crown is gold. A special ring for this order has a Blue Lodge emblem on one shoulder and the Chapter emblem on the other, and is arranged for a diamond to be set in the centre of the bezel. On a fourteenth degree ring ( Lodge of Perfection) appears the initial Hebrew letter ( yod) of the Tetragrammaton, or Ineffable Name, now approximately sounded Yahweh. Sometimes the symbols of more than one degree appear on the ring, one example bearing those of the fourteenth, sixteenth, eighteenth, thirtieth and thirty-second; this is one of the Consistory rings, as those for thirty-second degree Masons are denominated. These usually have the double eagle on the bezel.

By the way, if you have your own message you want to engrave on a ring it's very easy to do. You can even choose IN HOC SIGNO VINCES!

Now, not too long ago another phrase was suggested as a Templar motto: Veritas vos liberabit". Unfortunately, it appears to have no direct connection with the Templars.

Knights Templar Vault - Veritas vos liberabit

Non nobis, Domine, non nobis, sed nomini tuo da gloriam! - Not unto us, o Lord, not unto us, but unto your name grant glory!

When I decided to see how often this phrase from Psalm 113 was used in the Middle Ages I discovered that it really was not all that popular until Berndard de Clairvaux started using in his sermons and writings. He apparently really liked this short prayer that eventually became the motto of the Knights Templar, being displayed on their black and white banner, the Bauseant.

Another Church writer who favored this phrase was Augustine. I would not be surprised if Bernard was heavily influenced by his works, but I am really don't know theology well enough to be a judge of this.

http://www.24-7pressrelease.com/view_pr ... ?rID=35962


It would have helped for the cross to be red!