A Knight of Jerusalem with the Jerusalem cross,
or cross of Godfrey Bouillon on his chest.
The Knights of Jerusalem
a sub-Order called the Fourth degree of our SMONKT
As a 3rd Degree Knight of the Temple you may work now if you choose to take the 4th degree and earn the extra designation of Knight of Jerusalem
Order of Jerusalem Knights
Many orders of holy knights came into being during the middle-ages. Eachhad a specific quest or charge to perform, usually this took the form ofdefending a temple or artifact that was considered of religious significance.Artifacts ranged from items like the Holy Grail to something as simple asa finger bone of a saint. The Knights of Jerusalem were charged with defendingthe holy city, also known as the Kingdom of Heaven, against any aggresses.Maintaining the place where Christ was crucified, the Tomb of the Holy Sepulcher,was considered a great honor. The Old Guard unit which guards the tombof the unknown soldier in Washington, DC and other sacred sites (ArlingtonCemetery, White House, etc.) wear Army dress blues, the blue color chosenin honor of these Jerusalem Knights. They carry swords to this day. OurOrder’s founder, Sir Hauk, was an Old Guard soldier. The crest of the OldGuard has the words Noli Me Tangere. These are of course the words Yeshuasaid to Magdalene at his resurrection! The Knights of Jerusalem usedthe same motto to mean “don’t touch this sacred relic,” this holy grail,this tomb of the sepulcher.
THE OLD GUARD
United States Honor Guard Soldiers in Washington DC, the “Old Guard”. Sir Hauk was a member of this very unit and wore this very uniform, sword and all, to our wedding (Lady Katia and Sir Hauk were married in 1986 with a military wedding including eight soldiers looking like these guys above).
Crest of the Old Guard, Honor Guard regiment of the 3rd US Infantry, guardiansof the nation’s capitol and sacred sites. It says Noli Me Tangere,the motto of the Knights of Jerusalem and has their beautiful blue colorattached to the hat, originally a tri-corn hat because the Old Guard wasa “brother unit” to the French Old Guard who also modeled themselves, colors,etc., after the Knights of Jerusalem. The Knights of Jerusalem wereoriginally French knights, as were the Templars, so it is easy to see howthey would pattern their unit, their “order”, after the Jerusalem Knights.
As a Major Subordinate Command of the U.S. Army Military District of Washington(MDW), the 3rd U.S. Infantry is charged with the unique mission of providingsecurity for the nation’s capital, serving as the U.S. Army’s official ceremonialunit and performing tactical infantry missions.
As the U.S. Armys official ceremonial unit and escort to the President,The Old Guard represents the U.S. Army and the nation through ceremoniesand special events thousands of times each year. Familiar sights in thenations Capital, units of The Old Guard participate in official arrivalceremonies at the White House and the Pentagon for visiting heads of stateand other foreign dignitaries. Their most sacred duty is to guard the tombof the unknowns, called the tomb of the unknown soldier.
The Old Guard military regiment may exist in the modern secular world, buttheir duties are sacred and treated like a military priestly order, the Knightsof Jerusalem, from which they metaphorically sprung. For instance,an Old Guard soldier must make the following priest-like pledges — likea sacred knight of old who was also a priest.
- They must commit 2 years of life to guard the tomb, live in a barracks under the tomb, and cannot drink any alcohol on or off duty for the rest of their lives. They cannot swear in public for the rest of their lives and cannot disgrace the uniform {e.g. by fighting} or the tomb in any way.
- After two years, the guard is given a wreath pin that is worn on their lapel signifying they served as guard of the tomb.
- There are only 400 presently worn.
- The guard must obey these rules for the rest of their lives or give up the wreath pin.
- The shoes are specially made with very thick soles to keep the heat and cold from their feet. There are metal heel plates that extend to the top of the shoe in order to make the loud click as they come to a halt.
- There are no wrinkles, folds or lint on the uniform. Guards dress for duty in front of a full-length mirror.
- The first six months of duty a guard cannot talk to anyone, nor watch TV. This is equivalent to the vow of silence taken by monastic military orders of Europe and the holy land.
- All off duty time is spent studying the 175 notable people laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery. A guard must memorize who they are and where they are interred.
- Among the notables are:
PresidentJohn F Kennedy, President Taft , General of the Armies, John J Pershing (&2 grandsons) CinC US Forces WW1, Joe E. Lewis {the boxer} and Medal of Honorwinner Audie Murphy, {most decorated US soldier of WWII}.
Every guard spends five hours a day getting his uniforms ready for guardduty. Sir Hauk can testify to this! What a life.
Eternal Rest Grant Them O Lord, And Let Perpetual Light Shine Upon Them isa phrase engraved on the tomb and memorized by every Old Guard soldier
The US Senate & House of Representatives took 2 days off, as they couldn’twork because of the expected storm from Hurricane Isabelle. It was reportedthat, because of the dangers from Hurricane Isabelle approaching WashingtonDC, the military members assigned the duty of guarding the Tomb of the UnknownSoldier were given permission to suspend the assignment.
They respectfully declined the offer, “No way, Sir!” Soaked to the skin,marching in the pelting rain of a tropical storm, they said that guardingthe Tomb was not just an assignment; it was the highest honor that can beafforded to a service person. The tomb has been patrolled continuously, 24/7,since 1930.
The 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, traditionally known as The OldGuard, is the oldest active-duty infantry unit in the Army, servingour nation since 1784. The Old Guard continuously prepares for its contingencyand infantry missions by conducting year-round tactical training. This ensuresthe highest standards and the tightest discipline in its soldiers.
Knights of Jerusalem in ourOrder
Our New Order of the Knights Templar has a postulant phase followed by the3 holy degrees. Yet we do have “higher” degrees which are not reallyhigher per se, more like electives off to the side (not “above”) becausethey are optional. The Rosicrucians have an optional interior ordercalled the Martinists. The 4th degree for our Templar members is calledthe Knights of Jerusalem, modelled after the original order of JerusalemKnights who worked in tandem with the Templars and Hospitallers for eightdecades in Jerusalem. The Knights Hospitaller are called the Knights of theWhite Cross, and we Templars are the Knights of the Red Cross. TheKnights of Jerusalem are often confused with the Hospitallers, because theHospitallers’ full title has Knights of Jerusalem in it. But they wereseparate orders with distinct uniforms and different colors. No black tunicwith white maltese Hospitaller cross, but a vivid blue (used in Army dressblues to this day — their trousers are this color) with a golden JerusalemCross, not a maltese cross.
Pictured Left: The tunic and cape set worn in the movie Kingdom of Heaven by Tiberias (Jeremy Irons), Balian (Orlando Bloom), and the other Knights of Jerusalem in their sacred duty to defend the Holy Land. Rich blue heavy cotton sleeveless tunic has a full metal crewl coat-of-arms hand embroidered on the front. Blue long-sleeved hooded cloak has a tie front and hand-made frog closures. Still available at silvermane.com as of 2007.
The Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem is a modernorder that uses Knights of Jerusalem symbology meshed with Templar symbolism.
Ivan Sache writes: The Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem isan organization with non-religious (men and women) and religious members;it has currently 21,000 knights all over the world, grouped in 54 Lieutenanciesof Magistral Branches. The Order is recognized by 25 countries, includingBelgium.
The statutes of the Order were approved by Pope Paul VI on 8 July 1977. TheOrder is placed under the protection of the Holy See. Apostolic Letters byPius XII (14 September 1949) and John XXIII (8 December 1962) recognize tothe Order a legal status by canonical right; Apostolic Letters by John-PaulII (1 February 1996) recognize its legal status in the State of Vatican.
The goals of the Order are to increase among its members the practice ofChristian life, to support and help the Roman Catholic Church in the HolyLand, especially in the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, to encourage thepreservation and spread of the [Christian] Faith in the Holy Land, and todefend the rights of the Catholic Church in the Holy Land.
The Order is directed by a Grand Master, who is a Cardinal appointed by thePope. The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem has the title of Grand Prior of theOrder. Lieutenants are appointed by the Grand Master to run the Lieutenancies.
Here is their Emblem/Flag
Ivan Sache writes: The emblem (not necessarily a flag) and the mottoof the Order are those of Godefroid de Bouillon and his successors in Jerusalem:the cross potent gules, cantoned with four crosslets not potent of the same,which symbolize Christs’ five wounds, and the latin motto “Deus lo vult”,granted to the Crusaders by Pope Urban II when he called for the Crusadeon 27 November 1095. Note: in French the motto is: “Dieu le veult!”and became a Templar warcry. It means, as you know, God wills it. Perhapsduring the height of battle the Templars boosted their own morale with awarcry as if to remind themselves this is God’s idea, not ours and of coursethat they are doing God’s will, carrying out his divine plan.
The emblem shown is a square with the red cross and crosslets and the mottoDEUS LO VULT, in red too.
They have also revived an old middle ages gonfalon (banner or ensign) usedby holy soldiers in the terrasancta (holy land).
Ned Smith writes: At a webpage of the Magistral Delegation of EOHSJfor Canada-Atlantic there is an illustration of the order’s banner and oneof its gonfalon or ensign [sic].
Regarding the gonfalon/ensign, it says:
The Ensign of the Order consists of the Gonfalon of white silkwith a red staff surmounted by Military Trophy. The cloth (1.80 x 2.10 m)is knotted to the staff set spirally. A fringe border of 0.40 m hangs fromthe horizontal lower pole, its colors and fringes symbolizing the Lieutenanciesof the Order. On the face of the Gonfalon stands the Crusader Flag. On thetop of the empty Sepulchre the ornamental scroll with festoon and the mottoin Gothic characters, Deus lo vult is extended.
The figure of the resurrected Christ is enclosed at the side by an ornamentalmotif alternated with Crosses of Godfrey of Bouillon and Crowns of Thorns.From the knobs of the upper transverse pole hang the ribbons of the Orderin watered black silk.
The Cross of Godfrey of Bouillon stands out on the side of the Gonfalon [Idon’t see that in the image].
The Gonfalon is kept in the seat of the Order in Rome. Its use is regulatedby the Cardinal Grand Master.
There is yet another ornate banner used by the Kings of Jerusalem and carriedby their blue Knights. It is quite beautiful and would’ve been carriedin processions inside Jerusalem’s holy cathedrals and used in the King ofJerusalem’s chapel and throneroom when blue Knights of Jerusalem or a holyrelic they protected was present.
Ned Smith writes: This banner is also hung verticallyfrom a crossbar as the gonfalon/ensign is. It has a blue field with a goldborder all around. The border is divided into compartments with religiousimagery and arms within. On the blue field is the Sepulcher, surmounted bya large medallion bearing the Cross of Godfrey of Bouillon, and above themedallion a papal tiara extends into the upper compartment of the border.In the upper corners of the blue field are two images – I can’t be sure butthink they are angels [source: samewebpage].
There are also descriptions of two other flags on the page:
Standard of the Lieutenancies
The Ensign of the Lieutenancies ofthe Order is a standard of white silk, with a red staff, surmounted by theMilitary Trophy. The wide panel (0.80 x 2.40 m), which ends in a point, bearson its face the figure of Christ Rising from the Sepulchre, and He is bearingthe Crusader Flag. At the base is the ornamental scroll with the motto: “Deuslo vult,’ which can also be translated into the language of the respectivenations. From the knobs of the transverse pole hang the ribbons: to the rightthat of the Order, in black watered silk, to the left the ribbon with thecolors of the nation of the Lieutenancy. The Cross of Godfrey of Bouillonstand out on the side of the standard. The standard is kept in the seat ofthe Lieutenancy and the Lieutenant regulates its use.
Illustration found here: http://www.eohsj.net/eohsgrandmagisterium.html
Ensign of the Sections
The Ensign of the Sections is a flag of white silk with a red staff, surmountedby the Military Trophy. On the face of the material (0.60 x 0.60 m), witha swallow-tail of 0.80 m, stands out the Cross of Godfrey of Bouillon. Thearms or the colors of the Region stand out on the side. The flag is keptin the seat of the Section and the President regulates its use. [can’tfind illustration of this one]
HOLY GROUND: The Church of the Holy Sepulchre
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is considered the most sacred place inChristendom and the center (omphalos or navel) of the world. Read howtheHolySepulchre has survived over the centuries, how it has been burned morethan once, torn down and destroyed with pick-axes by muslims, survivedearthquakes, etc.
Here’s the text of the article in case it ever disappears from online:
History of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre
The early Christian community of Jerusalem appears to have held liturgicalcelebrations at Christ’s tomb from the time of the resurrection until thecity was taken by the Romans in 66 AD. Less than a century later, in 135AD, Emperor Hadrian filled in the quarry to provide a level foundation fora temple to Aphrodite.
The site remained buried beneath the pagan temple until Emperor Constantinethe Great converted to Christianity in 312 AD. He soon showed an interestin the holy places associated with his new faith, and commissioned numerouschurches to be built throughout the Holy Land. The most important of these,the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, was begun in 326 AD.
Constantine’s builders dug away the hillside the leave therock-hewn tomb of Christ isolated and with enough room to built a churcharound it. They also cleared away Hadrian’s temple and the material withwhich an old quarry had been field to provide the temple’s foundations. Inthe process, the Rock of Golgotha was found. The Church was formally dedicatedin 335 with an oration by Constantine’s biographer, Eusebius of Caesarea.
In the course of the excavations, Constantine’s mother St. Helena is believedto have discovered the True Cross near the tomb. She actually discoveredthree – those of the two thieves and that of Christ. To discern the one belongingto Christ, a sick man was brought to touch to each one, and he was miraculoushealed by one of them. This is a relatively early legend, but one that Eusebius,the historian and contemporary of Constantine, did not know.
The Constantinian Church of the Holy Sepulchre was much larger than the onethat stands today, but its layout was simple. It consisted of an atrium (whichreused part of Hadrian’s temenos wall), a covered basilica, an open courtyardwith the stone of Golgotha in the southeast corner, and the tomb of Christ,enshrined in a small, circular edifice. The tomb of Christ was not completedat the dedication because of the immense labor involved in cutting away therock cliff in order to isolate the tomb; it was completed around 384 AD.
This building was severely damaged by fire in 614 AD when the Persians invadedJerusalem. They also captured the True Cross, but in 630, Emperor Heracliusmarched triumphantly into Jerusalem and restored the True Cross to the rebuiltChurch of the Holy Sepulchre. The church was reconstructed under the patriarchModestus with no major changes to the original plan.
In 638, the Christians were forced to surrender Jerusalem to Muslim controlunder caliph Omar. In a remarkable gesture for the time, Omar refused topray in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, saying, “If I had prayed in thechurch it would have been lost to you, for the Believers [Muslims] wouldhave taken it saying: Omar prayed here.” This act of generosity would haveunfortunate consequences, however.
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre continued to function as a Christian churchunder the protection of Omar and the early Muslim rulers, but this changedon October 18, 1009, when the “mad” Fatimid caliph Hakim brutally andsystematically destroyed the great church. Ironically, if Omar had turnedthe church into a mosque, Hakim would have left it alone. But instead, Hakimhad wrecking crews knock over the walls and he attacked the tomb of Christwith pricks and hammers, stopping only when the debris covered the remains.The east and west walls were completely destroyed, but the north and southwalls were likely protected by the rubble from further damage.
The poor Jerusalem community could not afford repairs, but in 1048 EmperorConstantine Monomachos provided money for reconstruction, subject to stringentconditions imposed by the caliphate. The funds were not adequate to completelyrepair the original church, however, and a large part of it had to be abandoned.The atrium and the basilica were completely lost; only the courtyard andthe rotunda remained. The latter was made into a church by the insertionof a large apse into the facade.
This was the church to which the knights of the First Crusade arrived tosing their Te Deum after capturing Jerusalem on July 15, 1099. The Crusaderchief Godfrey of Bouillon, who became the first king of Jerusalem, declaredhimself Advocatus Sancti Sepulchri, “Defender of the Holy Sepulchre.”
The Crusaders were slow to renovate the church, only beginning to makemodifications in the Romanesque style in 1112. They first built a monasterywhere the Constantinian basilica used to be, having first excavated the Cryptof St. Helena. In 1119 the shrine of Christ’s tomb was replaced. The coronationof Fulk and Melisende at the church in 1131 necessitated more radicalmodifications. The Constantinian courtyard was covered with a Romanesquechurch (dedicated in 1149), which was connected to the rotunda by a greatarched opening resulting from the demolition of the 11th-century apse. Abell tower was added in 1170.
The three primary custodians of the church, first appointed when Crusadersheld Jerusalem, are the Greek Orthodox, the Armenian Apostolic and RomanCatholic churches. In the 19th century, the Coptic Orthodox, the EthiopianOrthodox and the Syrian Orthodox acquired lesser responsibilities, whichinclude shrines and other structures within and around the building. An agreementregulates times and places of worship for each Church.
Subsequent centuries were not altogether kind to the Church of the HolySepulchre. It suffered from damage, desecration, and neglect, and attemptsat repair (a significant renovation was conducted by the Franciscans in 1555)often did more damage than good. In recent times, a fire (1808) and an earthquake(1927) did extensive damage.
Not until 1959 did the three major communities (Latins, Greeks, Armenians)agree on a major renovation plan. The guiding principle was that only elementsincapable of fulfilling their structural function would be replaced. Localmasons were trained to trim stone in the style of the 11th century for therotunda, and in the 12th-century style for the church.
The church’s chaotic history is evident in what visitors see today. Byzantine,medieval, Crusader, and modern elements mix in an odd mish-mash of styles,and each governing Christian community has decorated its shrines in its owndistinctive way. In many ways, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is not whatone would imagine for the holiest site in all Christendom, and it can easilydisappoint. But at the same time, its noble history and immense religiousimportance is such that a visit can also be very meaningful.
Quick Facts:
Address: Suq Khan e-Zeit and Christian Quarter Rd., Jerusalem, Israel
Phone: 02/627-3314
Hours: Apr.-Sept., daily 5am-8pm; Oct.-Mar., daily 5 AM-7 PM.
Cost: Free
Dress code: No shorts or sleeveless shirts
Services: See the Christian Information Center inside Jaffa Gate for times.
Photos: Allowed.
Sources:
Jerome Murray O’Connor, Oxford Archaeological Guide to the Holy Land (1998),p. 47.
Kay Prag, Blue Guide to Israel and the Palestinian Territories (2002).
Eyewitness Travel Guide to Jerusalem and the Holy Land (2002).
