Reception in the order of the Temple

General information

The commanderies have, inter alia, for role to ensure in a permanent way recruitment of the brothers of the order. This recruitment was to be broadest possible. Thus, the laic men of the nobility and the free farming community could claim with being received within the order if they answered the criteria required by this last.

First of all, the entry in the order was free and voluntary. It was necessary that the candidate is motivated because a trial period ago by the noviciate. The entry was direct (pronunciation of the wishes) and final (with life). The candidate could be poor. First of all, it made gift of itself. The principal criteria were the following:

to be old of more than 18 years (the majority for the boys was at 16 years) (article 58)
not to be promised in marriage (article 669)
not to belong to another order (article 670)
not to be involved in debt (article 671)
to be in perfect mental health and physics (not to be estropié) (article 672)
to have bribed anybody to be received in the order (article 673)
to be free man (the serf of no man) (article 673)
not to be excommunicated (article 674)

The candidate was warned that in the event of proven lie, it would be immediately renvoyé." … if you lie about it, you would be perjury and could about it lose the house, this gift god keeps you. " (Extracted from article 668)

Ceremony

The primitive version of the rule of the order devotes an article on " how one must receive the frères" . Here is an extract: " If a secular knight, or any other man, wants from to go away from the mass of perdition and to give up this century and to choose the common life of the Temple, you do not press too much to receive it. Because thus holy lord Paul says it: probate spiritus if ex Deo sunt, i.e. " Test the spirit to see whether it comes from God. " Article 55.

Thus, before the ceremony of reception in the order, one raises several progressive phases which aim to make reflect the candidate, to inform it on realities of the life in the order and finally to evaluate the force of his desire of engagement. The duration of this period was left with the discretion of the chapter of the commandery, i.e. with the whole of the brothers, and could be variable according to the cases.

All the course of the reception is indicated precisely in the last articles of the withdrawals of the Rule (articles 657 to 686).

The candidate makes his request for incorporation in the order near a community of brothers which can be in Occident as in the East.

When it made its request, the candidate is immediately informed hardnesses of the life templière. This first warning statement is made by two or three brothers of oldest of the commandery thus among those which have greatest experience of it. Then, those question it to know if he answers the criteria requested.

the brothers announce then this first maintenance to the Master (commander) at the time of a chapter keeping and confirm that the candidate is admissible. The commander then inserts the candidate in the chapter room. With knee and the united hands, this one must confirm before the assembly of the brothers his desire to be received in the order.

The French version of the rule in article 55 indicates: " So that the company of the brothers is given to him, that the rule is read in front of him and if he his commands, if likes him to the Master and the brothers to receive it want to obey, that he shows his will and his desire with the brothers assembled in chapter and in front of all and that he makes his request with courage. "

At this point in time the commander reiterates the warning of the hardness of the commands of the life templière: the candidate should not be dazzled by the appearance of the brothers and the advantages which it could draw (" their beautiful horses, their beautiful equipment, drinking and to eat it, and their beautiful dresses… ") but must know that nothing of what it will do will never again be ordered by its personal desire " Because with large pains you will not make the thing which you will want. "

the commander indicates to the candidate that its desire to enter the order must be based on three points (article 663):

To escape the sin from this world
To be used for God
Being poor and making penitence

Thus the candidate must seek the safety of his heart.

the candidate leaves the room. The commander takes council near the brothers to know so at least one of them has reasons to be opposed to the reception.

Then, the candidate joined the chapter and must again formulate its request with knees the united hands. The commander insists:

" did you reflect well, beautiful brother, if you want to be a serf and slave of the house and if you want to leave your own will the every day to do that of others? And do you want to suffer all hardnesses that one will make you? "

If the answer is affirmative, then the chapter rises to request. Then, on the open book of the Gospels, the candidate must answer the questions which are asked to him about the various criteria enumerated higher. He should not lie under penalty of being returned order.

the candidate pronounces his wishes and promises. (articles 675 and 676)

the commander pronounces the solemn sentence of reception in the order (article 677): " And us, from God and of share Notre-Dame Sainte-Marie and from our monseigneur Saint-Pierre of Rome, and by our father the pope and of all the brothers of the Temple, we accommodate you with all the benefits of the house (...) We promise bread and water and the poor dress of the house and work to you enough. "

Then, it gives the coat to him that it attaches to him to the neck by laces.

The brother chaplain says the psalm " Ecce quam bonum and quam jucundum habitares frates… " , (Here that it is good, that it is pleasant to live all together as brothers…), then he sings the speech of the Holy Spirit and the brothers say a patenôtre. The officiant made be raised the new brother and embraces it on the mouth which is the kiss of feudal homage. He makes it sit and the welcome in the " wishes him; beautiful company as is the knighthood of the Temple ". Then it recommends anything to him to make which can make him lose this company. He informs it that soon he will be prevented payment and will be informed of the behavior to be adopted within the order.

Promises of engagement

The entry in the monastic orders is characterized by the pronunciation of three wishes: of obedience, of chastity and poverty.

According to the Rule of the Temple, the candidate must pronounce a series of seven promises made with God and Notre-Dame, including those of the three wishes. These promises are posed by the officiant in the form of questions to which the candidate must answer " Oui, lord, if God likes it. "

By the promise or the wish of obedience, the candidate is committed obeying the Master of the Temple and any commander who is above him in the hierarchy.
the Chastity (" chastement") body is the second wish which engages it in the physical purity and symbolizes its courage.
poverty relates to a material poverty. From the moment when it enters the order, this man does not have anything any more into clean. All which it will need from now on will be provided to him by the order: home, food, care, clothing, material, weapons and horses.
the candidate is committed applying in its daily life " good uses and good habits of the house ". They are the articles the Rule, present and futures.
It must express its permanent engagement for the holy war in " helping to conquer the holy ground of Jerusalem ".
It promises to remain all its life within the order and never to leave it.
It is committed not making any wrong to the interests of the Christians where who they are.

To become Templier

To enter a monastic order required abnegation of oneself and withdrawal of the company. The reception in the order of the Temple was thus conditioned by the motivation maturely considered of the applicant. This one was generally received in a commandery of Occident which became its starting point for a new existence. The majority of the men of the Temple came from small and the average nobility. But one could also find wire of peasants free and wire of the middle-class, i.e. the notable ones living the boroughs, which were recruited by the urban commanderies.

From there, this man worked on order with the service of the Christians in an anonymous way and with the danger of his life: he gave up his patronym. Thus, Templiers were called Jehan brother, Guillaume brother, Hugues brother, etc Seuls the dignitaries preserved their family names for reasons related to their functions. It made nothing for glorifier his person because the entry in the order was not means of promotion social, except for the dignitaries. Thus, for the large majority of the knights, " such one was in the century, such one remained with the Temple ". To become Templier, it was necessary to prove reliable while being able of:

to respect the wishes
to observe the Rule
obey the hierarchy
to accept constraints of the community life
to give up the material pleasures of the century.

The brothers of Occident who answered these waitings perfectly were designated by their commander and were authorized to leave the Commanderie to leave in the East to provide the quota of the army.

For the men of this time, the reasons to join the order of the Temple were varied: the aspiration with the voyage and discovered the remote East, the attraction for the action (military in particular), guarantee of the lodging, cover and the care with life, the repurchase of its sins.

Random links: