The Secret History of Freemasonry: Its Origins and Connection to the Knights Templar

Explores the hidden history of Freemasonry from ancient Rome, through the Middle Ages, to the present

• Shows the close connection between medieval masons and the Knights Templar

• Illustrates the sacred nature of Roman and medieval trade associations

• Reveals the missing link that connects the lodges of modern Freemasonry to the medieval brotherhoods of builders

Historians often make a sharp distinction between the operative Masonry of the Middle Ages and the speculative Masonry of modern times, emphasizing that there is no direct bridge connecting the two. Modern historians also have scoffed at Masonic claims concerning the close relationship between the Lodge and the Temple. Using medieval archives housed throughout Europe, historian Paul Naudon reveals that there was in fact a very intimate connection between the Masons and the Knights Templar. Church records of medieval Paris show that most, if not all, the Masons of that time were residents of the Templar censive, which allowed them to enjoy great exemptions and liberties from both church and state as a result of the protection afforded them by this powerful order.

Naudon shows that the origins of Freemasonry can be traced back to the collegia of ancient Rome. He traces the evolution of organizations such as the Comacine Masters, the Arab turuqs, and the brotherhoods of builders created under the aegis of the Benedictines and the Knights Templar, all of which provide the vehicle for the transmission of a sacred tradition from pre-Christian times to the modern era. This tradition is the source of Masonic ritual and symbolism, and it provides the missing link in the transformation of the operative Masonry of the medieval cathedral builders to the spiritual principles of modern speculative Masonry.

Historian Paul Naudon reveals the intimate connection between the Masons and the Knights Templar, origins of Freemasonry in ancient Rome, and the traditions of the brotherhoods of builders. These traditions are the source of Masonic symbolism, providing the missing link between the Masonry of the medieval cathedral builders to the spiritual principles of modern speculative Masonry.

Publishers Weekly

Ever since Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code took the world by storm, the public can't get enough of books that unmask or further promote its conspiracies about Mary Magdalene, the Gnostic Gospels and famously secret societies like the Knights Templar. Naudon, a scholar in the history of the law and a Freemason himself, traces the origins of the elusive society of Freemasons, of which the medieval Order of the Templars is a branch, illuminating its sources step by step from antiquity to the present. Adopting a generally scholarly scientific and "objective" approach to his subject, Naudon painstakingly constructs the move of Freemasonry from a society of builders to one of intellectual life, sacred ritual being the tie that binds this brotherhood throughout history. Naudon's book is an impressive work of scholarship grounded in fascinating ideas about sacred space, the rituals of building churches, cathedrals and temples, as well as the varied brotherhoods established to conduct what was once considered a divinely inspired activity. For hardcore aficionados of architecture and academics interested in the creation of social sacred space across time, his book is a must-read. However, readers looking for an Elaine Pagels-style accessible foray into the mysteries of Freemasonry will be sorely disappointed. (June) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Paul Naudon is a law scholar specializing in the history of civil law and institutions. He is also a Freemason who has held many high ranking posts in France, including that of Grand Prior of the Gauls (Rectified Scottish Rite) and State Minister for the Supreme Council of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite. He lives in France.