Southern France, 1207 AD
The Mother of all things continued her teaching, “The Roman church was under a major threat to its power in the early 13th century. Let’s take a look at the many threats that were happening to Rome at this time.”
“Firstly, Rome had lost Jerusalem to Saladin and his Muslim forces. After capturing the holy city, the Christians were only briefly able to hold on to it for a century of time. Therefore, the function of the Knights Templar to be the forces which kept the travel ways of the holy land safe, were now at an end. The pilgrimages of the Christians had all but stopped, rendering the Templars an organization without a purpose. The Templars then withdrew to Acre, and other sites such as Crete in the Mediterranean.
“Yet the Templars had done well for itself since its founding in the early 12th century. They had basically created the world’s first international banking system. The way they did this was ingenious.
“During the time of the Christians holding Jerusalem, many pilgrims wished to travel to the holy land. But there were many obstacles in their path. Namely, robbers, and other bands of outlaws who wished to steal the wealth of those who wished to see the holy land. These outlaws would lie, waiting for the next caravan of pilgrims to approach. Then they would strike, and steal all the moneys and goods of the travelers. To combat this, the Templars set up their banking system.”
“This is how they accomplished this,” she resumed.
“Let’s say a group of travelers wanted to leave France for Jerusalem. The pilgrims would first seek out the nearest Templar castle. There they would give their money to the Templars, in exchange for a chit. On this chit, the Templars would write in a certain code that only they could understand. The code on the chit would state how much money the pilgrims had deposited to the Templar castle. Once the pilgrims arrived in Jerusalem or elsewhere, they would exchange their chit to the Templars located there. The Templars located at their final destination would then give the money that the chit stated back to the pilgrims. Minus a small percentage. This made pilgrimages far safer than before. Since the travelers weren’t carrying any money with them. Just a small sum to get them to their final stop.
“This system of protecting the pilgrim’s money was a tremendous success, and greatly increased the wealth of the Templars,” said the Mother.
The viewer onscreen was following along with her story. Showing a map of France, and the vast holdings of the Templars. She resumed, “Along with the money that was being generated by their chits that they were using for the pilgrims, many others, including noblemen, were joining the Templar ranks. When they enlisted, they pledged all their monies, and their vast holdings of land to the organization. Thus, increasing the Templars wealth even more so.”
“Along with the noblemen increasing the wealth of the Templars, the Knights Templar were also increasing their wealth via another means. They were lending money to Kings and other nobles, so that these monarchs could go to war with each other. Thus, another means of obtaining wealth.
“By the time of 1209 AD, the Knights Templar had been pushed out of Jerusalem. But in Europe, they had increased their wealth and properties tenfold. Making them the richest known organization on the planet.”
“But they weren’t the richest organization, were they?” asked the Father.
“Not by a long shot,” answered the Mother.
The Father once again winked at her, and asked, “Mind if I take over for a bit?”
“Not at all, my love,” answered the Mother. Grateful that she could take a break. Knowing that she would be the one to finish this lecture on the Holy Grail, and the Mother of all things needed to catch her breath. She smiled at her eternal partner, knowing that he had done her a favor.
The Father, reading her thoughts, knew what was needed. Therefore, he took over the sermon for the time being. He smiled back at her, and began, “As the mother has already stated, the Knights Templar became a very rich and powerful institution.”
“But not the wealthiest. That honor would belong to the Cathars. But the difference being was that the Templars was a known wealth, and the Cathars was hidden. Deep underneath an old, and abandoned Visigoth Castle in southern France. Yet the Templars were catching up to the Cathars. But they still had a ways to go.
“You have to keep in mind that the Cathars possessed all the riches of the Roman Empire. And that was one thousand years of accumulated wealth. The problem was that only one person on the planet knew about this wealth. The man named Guhibert de Castres. And he wasn’t telling anyone. He was far too busy defending the Cathar faith against the Roman church. Allow me to explain.
“Pope Innocent III came to power in the Roman church in 1198. He resolved to himself to deal with the Cathars of southern France. Knowing that their doctrine was completely against Roman Catholicism. Also, that the Cathars were, like their cousins the Templars, a growing and powerful sect.
“The Pope couldn’t do anything about the Templars at the time, knowing that Rome relied on much of the Templar wealth. But they could do something about the Cathars, whose wealth was hidden. The Templars had a well-trained army of thousands of soldiers, while the Cathars only had a few hundred soldiers drawn from the nobles of southern France.
“At first Pope Innocent tried to convert the Cathars. He sent only a few number of his representatives into the Cathar regions of southern France. These representatives met with several problems. They had to contend not only with the Cathars, they also had to deal with the nobles who protected them, and the people who respected them. Besides that, many of the bishops of southern France was very sympathetic to the Cathars.
“In 1204, Innocent III suspended a number of these bishops in southern France. In 1205, he appointed a new and vigorous bishop in the Toulouse area. In 1206 Diego of Osma, and his canon, the future Saint Dominic, began a program of conversion in the Languedoc region of southern France. During this time frame, many public debates were held between the Cathars and the Catholics. These debates were held at many places along southern France.
“The man whom would come to be known as Saint Dominic met and debated with the Cathars in 1203 during his mission to the Languedoc. He concluded that only preachers who displayed real sanctity, humility, and asceticism could win over convinced Cathar believers. The institutional Church as a general rule did not possess these spiritual warrants. His conviction eventually would lead to the establishment of the Dominican order in 1216. The order was to live up to the terms of his famous rebuke, "Zeal must be met by zeal, humility by humility, false sanctity by real sanctity, preaching falsehood by preaching truth." However, even St. Dominic managed only a few converts among the Cathars.
“The man who opposed Dominic in these many debates was Guhibert de Castres. Therefore making him public enemy number one to the Roman church.”
A scene was displayed on the enormous viewer. It showed two men engaged in debate, while hundreds of others looked on. Both men were keen on religious knowledge, and the history of the Christian faith. Dominic verses Guhibert. It was a grand event in southern France. Attended by many Catholics and Cathars. Debates which pitted the Roman version of Christianity, versus the Gnostic version.
The Father was watching the scenes being displayed. Showing the zeal and passion of Dominic versus the knowledge and spirit of Guhibert. He turned back toward the audience, and continued on with the sermon, “As you can all see, this was a momentous occasion between two intellectual giants of their time period.”
“No one was better equipped to take on the Roman church than Guhibert. As skilled a man in oratory as there ever had been. The soul known as Amos, had plenty of accumulated knowledge through a vast, and diverse series of lives spent on planet earth. Not to mention the study that Guhibert had focused on in this particular life. He had a thorough understanding of the inner workings of the Roman church, as well as the beliefs of the Gnostic Cathars. It was quite easy for Guhibert to parry any argument that Dominic engaged him in. Easily defending his beliefs against those of Rome. With the vast crowds watching, Guhibert annihilated any and all arguments thrown at him from Dominic.
“But the losses of the debates didn’t deter the man whom history would call Saint Dominic. He was zealous for what he believed in. Deep in his soul, Dominic believed that he was following the correct path to salvation. Filled with a dogmatic belief that the Church of Rome was the true path for the salvation of humanity. His mind being incapable of any other route to God. Dominic debated with earnestness toward a man whom believed he was on a spiritual quest. Dominic also believed that he was here to convert the heretics of southern France. Believing that he was born for this purpose. That the souls of thousands depended upon his mission of spiritual salvation.
“Dominic’s problem was that Guhibert felt the same way. Except he was more privy to the truth than Dominic was, therefore giving him an advantage. Guhibert had read the entire secret book of the Cathars, knowing the true history of Jesus and Mary Magdalene. He was well versed on the true teachings of Jesus, and whom the Christ really was. That Jesus was a prophet and a messenger, sent from myself. A teacher, and an example for all of mankind. But not a God in the strict sense of the word, as the Roman church was teaching. A son of God? Yes! But not the only one. For all my children are sons and daughters of God. Not just Jesus, as Rome had been preaching for more than a thousand years. Guhibert knew the true soul of Jesus. That he was a man who had incarnated for the first time in his precious existence. Rendering his spirit very close to my own, and therefore incorrupt of all karma that could have possibly been built up through many lifetimes. His soul was specifically chosen for this mission to mankind.
“Guhibert knew the true Jesus far better than any clergy of the Roman church. He had within his person, a book of the secret teachings of Jesus given to Mary Magdalene. Within these teachings were the ability to cast out demons, to heal the sick, and to leave that world, and enter into this one.
“The book also contained within it the secret holy royal bloodline of Jesus and Mary Magdalene. A family tree, so to speak. The book taught many things as well, including the ability to communicate with the divine presence which exists within all humanity. The Roman church had only the gospels, and the letters of Paul. Guhibert had the entire story, while Rome’s version was only partial.”
The Father resumed, “But Dominic, and the Roman Pope were a persistent lot. Hell bent on converting the Cathar faithful to their way of life. Forsaking the Gnostic teachings, and bringing them over to Catholicism. With their limited knowledge, they only knew Jesus as a virgin son of God, therefore making him equal with God. And this God, the son God, was the divinity that Rome worshipped.”
“Let us proceed to what began the worst genocide of the Middle Ages. The annihilation of a people, and a way of life. What history calls the Albigensian Crusade. But what truly was the genocide of the Cathars in southern France.”