The Concept of Martyrdom in the Order of the Knights Templar

"Martyrdom in the Order of the Knights Templar must be understood as an extremely multilayered and versatile concept. It sometimes reveals itself openly, for example in the works of Bernard of  Clairvaux or the carefully constructed stories of Templars suffering martyrdom prior to being received into heaven. 

 

Sometimes, however, the concept’s influence is more difficult to discern, for example in the area of liturgy or the members’ personal experience. Thus, alternative ways of uncovering the concept need to be found. A key to this might be the “special importance [of] the motifs of the Lamb, the military sign, and the crown of victory,” (...)

In any case, a core assumption with regard to martyrdom is Christ’s sacrifice for humanity. To the Templars, this was the central point of reference and the legitimization of their military and liturgical activities."  

 

"Bernard became aware of the Templars because of the goodwill that had grown up around their cause. He would never have been able to manufacture their popularity out of whole cloth. He was attracted to their military mission, which was carried out in an atmosphere of real poverty. For a Cistercian reformer, this voluntary penury combined with a lifelong willingness to die in the battle for Christ would have increased the Templars ' sanctity to the level of martyrdom. Despite Bernard's rhetoric in In Praise of the New Knighthood, however, no individual Templar was ever canonized. Personal martyrdom was absorbed into the corporate image."

 
Source first three paragraphs: Joachim Rother - Embracing Death, Celebrating Life: Reflections on the Concept of Martyrdom in the Order of the Knights Templar; source last paragraph page 14 of Stiles, Paula Regina, "BETWEEN TWO FAITHS: THE ARABIZATION OF THE KNIGHTS TEMPLAR DURING THE CRUSADES" (1999). Open Access Master's Theses. Paper 1805;  Illustration Miniature of the Battle of Cresson Bibliothèque Nationale FR. 5594 Fol. 197, Sebastian Mamerot, Les Passages fait Outremer, vers 1490 Wikipedia, Public Domain

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