Qadosh - The Temple.

8. The Temple

SO, then, we are told that Hugues de Payens and Godefroi de Saint-Omer, and others, went to Palestine, and were Initiated, or Initiation was conferred upon them, by the old style of anointing and investiture. Between the hands of Theoclet, the then current successor of John. Hugues de Payen, by virtue of this ceremony, became the next John in the succession, and possessed a title equal to, if not greater than, that of the Pope of Rome. His successors, in their turn, would also have the Title and Name conferred on them.

"In 1099, immediately after the capture of Jerusalem, a group of anonymous figures convened in secret conclave. The identity of this group has eluded all historical inquiry ~~ although Guillaume of Tyre, writing three quarters of a century later, reports that the most important of them was 'a certain bishop from Calabria.' In any case, the purpose of the conclave was clear ~~ to elect a King of Jerusalem."⁽¹⁾

This is a parallel, in 1099, to the legend given about Theoclet.

"It is known that in 1070, twenty-nine years before the First Crusade, a specific band of monks from Calabria in Southern Italy arrived in the vicinity of the Ardennes Forest, part of Godfroi de Bouillon's domains. According to Gérard de Sède this band of monks was led by an individual called Ursus ~~ a name the 'Prieuré documents' consistently associate with the Merovingian bloodline. On their arrival in the Ardennes the Calabrian monks obtained the patronage of Mathilde de Toscan, duchess of Lorraine ~~ who was Godfroi de Bouillon's aunt and, in effect, foster mother. From Mathilde the monks received a tract of land at Orval, not far from Stenay, where Dagobert II had been assassinated some five hundred years earlier. Here an abbey was established to house them. Nevertheless they did not remain at Orval very long. By 1108 they had mysteriously disappeared, and no record of their whereabouts survives. Tradition says they returned to Calabria. Orval, by 1131, had become one of the fiefs owned by St. Bernard. "Before their departure from Orval, however, the Calabrian monks may have left a crucial mark on Western history. According to Gérard de Sède, at least, they included the man subsequently known as Peter the Hermit....."⁽²⁾

And, in the notes section of the same source, is more information on this group:

"This same bishop from Calabria was a friend of one Arnaulf, a very minor ecclesiastic who, with the help of the bishop, was later elected the first Latin patriarch of Jerusalem! "A strange group survived from the earlier 'people's crusades' called TAFURS,⁽³⁾ who earned a certain notoriety when some of their numbers were accused of cannibalism by the emir of Antioch. Of this group there was an inner 'college' presided over by a King Tafur. The contemporary chronicles present King Tafur as a man whom even the crusade princes approached with humility, even reverence. It was this King Tafur who is said to have performed the coronation of Godfroi de Bouillon. Moreover, King Tafur was said to be associated with Peter the Hermit. Could it be possible that this inner group, and the King, were the representatives from Calabria? The name TAFUR could, with one letter change, be an anagram for ARTUS, a ritual name...."⁽⁴⁾

And ARTUS, with two letter changes, is ORMUS...

We had come across this name, ARTUS, independently. When we were conducting research into our genealogy, we came across a document on the Stiffler family.⁽⁵⁾Stiffler is the Americanized form for Stöffler. And Stöffler is connected to Staufen, i.e., Hohen-staufen.

The Stöfflers are of Alleman descent. But there is reason to believe a connection exists with the Merovingian bloodline through marriage alliances with the Dukes of Swabia. Swabia, in Baden Württemberg, is where the Stöfflers originated. And one of the earliest on the record is Conrad von Stöffler, who, in 1280, wrote 'Gaurich de Muntarce' as a member of the ARTUS Group.

So, this group existed in 1280. Perhaps it was another name for SION. Perhaps SION is a more recent name for what the ARTUS Group was. We know, from evidence found in Masonic Encyclopaedias, that there are allusions to SION going back to the late 18^th Century. At any rate, it seems odd that a German would write a book about a key Merovingian, for a group associated with the Merovingians, if he wasn't a descendant himself. For, "Gaurich de Muntarce" is similar to, but not necessarily the same as "Garin de Monglane," ~~ a cycle of Provençale Romance based on the deeds of Guillem de Gellone, for which see Holy Blood, Holy Grail. But, we will state, that Guillem de Gellone was called Prince Ursus in that book, and Ursus and Artus being related, the connections seem to pile up.

Qadosh Fathers. Kedoshim. Johannites. Monks of Calabria/Orval. The Tafurs. The Artus Group. The Order/Priory of Sion. These are all related concepts, and groups, and they are all a part of the same tradition.

And, as Ursus is Latin for Bear, so Arth is Welsh for Bear. Therefore, Ursus and Arthur are without question, related concepts as well. And, L. A. Waddell sees in the name Arthur, none other than Her-Thor, a version of Thor, in his Aryan manner of thinking, but perhaps we could interpret it as Ha-Thor.

As to the concept of the Temple, a few remarks might be appropriate here. When we speak of 'the Temple', we are not speaking of 'a Temple', like a church, or a synagogue. We are speaking of "The Temple" ~~ a living organism, an idea which has existed forever on planet Earth. The Temple is the same, whether it is the Temple of the Templars, or the Temple of the Wise Ones at Eridu. This is related to the Grail, both in bloodline and in the DurAnKi lineage. The same thing can be said regarding "The Order" ~~ not merely an Order, like a holy order so-called, but the Order which has existed in many forms, but with one object, as long as humankind has existed, and before, if we include those who exist elsewhere than planet Earth. We are not speaking of a religious cult, like a group of crazies following orders from invisible space brothers, or crazed militia men clothed in robes, obese, balding men with big-lunch ties and fezzes driving tiny little cars in the parade, or anything like these. However, the chief object is the maintenance of a communicating link with the Unknown Superiors, who definitely exist, and, to further the course of the Initiation of humankind. And, ultimately, with the Eternal One, Blessed Be IT!

For this reason, the concept of the Temple has always been foremost in the thoughts and actions of the Jewish people. Unfortunately for them, they continuously made the wrong choices, and this cost them the Temple which they desired. The same thing can be said in reference to the Christians, who have made similar mistakes. In the case of Christianity, the mistakes were made immediately. In the case of Islam, it might have been better if Husayn had lived, and for 'Ali to have been recognized as the true successor of the Prophet. Some may say that it is not as simple as that, especially when a non-Moslem offers these sentiments, but the Johannite Tradition flows through the Isma'ili lineage.

The Johannite Tradition is not limited to one sect, or one race. It covers many sects and many races, nations, peoples, dispositions, all ends of the political spectrum. As it goes back to Enki, it covers a great deal more than any other sect on the face of the planet. It includes paganism, Gnosticism, Thelema, some elements of Judaism, Christianity, Islam. It includes the Esoteric sections of all of these, and it includes more secular institutions, like the New Physics, post-Quantum, that is, and Consciousness Expansion, Radical Libertarianism, Art Schools. And it is not hampered by the bogus East/West difference constructed by people who fail to understand that both east and west have the same roots, just like Mysticism and the New Physics(so-called) can be seen to be One. It has been said that by equilibrating the symbols the Secret Chiefs confer communication. This work is a testament to the equilibration of the symbols.

(Connect to excerpt on the Tafurs, here.)

FOOTNOTES

1. Holy Blood, Holy Grail, p. 115.

2. Ibid.

3. See the extract from The Pursuit of the Millenium.

4. Ibid., pp. 454 - 455.

5. Daniel A. Stifflear, Genealogical Notes and Information on the Name of Stiffler, 1972.