The Bearded Head Of The Templars

The Knights Templar are said to have worshipped a Bearded Head. the
question is what was this figure and why was it of such importance to them?
During the Templar trials, the fifth category of accusations was that of
idol worship. In the guise of The Baphomet the idol was described as:
"A head with one face or two faces, sometimes bearded and sometimes not,
made of silver or of wood, a picture of a man or of a woman, an embalmed
head that glowed in the dark or a demon."
Supremely Abominable Crimes
by Edward Burman
Below is a listing of some of the theories of The Bearded Head:
The Baphomet (bearded goat head)
The Shroud of Turin
The head of Jacques de Molay
The head of John the Baptist
The Alchemists symbol called Caput Mortuum (the dead head)
A Representation of the Greek goddess Sophia
The Baphomet
The Knights Templar are most commonly connected with the image of the
Baphomet. How does a group of defenders of the name of Christ convert to
demon worship? The answer is they probably did not. King Philip (the fair)
who lusted for the Templar wealth, could only take it from them if they
were heretics. The charges of demon worship, kissing genitals and such were
common accusations of heresy that lasted through to the Salem witch hunts.
Guillame de Arbley who was the preceptor of the Templar house at Soissy in
the diocese of Meaux testified on October 22nd, 1307 that twice had he seen
the Bearded head which was guilded and made of silver and wood. Three years
later on November 10th, 1310 he claimed that the guilded head placed on
Templar alters was a representation of the 11,000 virgins. There is an old
tale of a group of Cornish noblewoman who are attacked by a group of Huns
on route to Rome. They are killed by the Huns while protecting their
virginity. It is in all likelihood that the confessions of demon worship
are non other than the product of the torture suffered at the hands of
their Tormentors. In some instances the Baphomet is also described as
having two heads and four legs. This could be a description of the image
made by the open Shroud of Turin.
The Shroud
The Templars are said to have possessed the Shroud of Turin . The shroud
which when open measures approximately 12 feet by 4 1/2 feet, was commonly
folded four times revealing an image of a head, that image allegedly being
the head of Christ. The Templars are believed to have come into possesion
of the shroud during the Fourth Crusade in Constantinopal. The shroud,

through carbon dating, is believed to be from around 1280. Now if the

Shroud is the true shroud of Christ, then this claim that the shroud is the
object of Templar idolation could be a valid theory, however a
contradictory theory is that the Shroud is actually the image of Jaques
deMolay. If this is the case as many are beginning to believe, then the
Templars certainly did not worship the shroud, since it came to exist after
the silencing of the order in its medieval form.
Jacques De Molay
It would seem immediately that any discussion of the worshipped head of the
templars being the head of Jacques de Molay could be immediately
discredited as De Molay was the last Grand Master of the order, being
burned at the stake in 1314, seven years after the orders arrest. It is
also rumored that the head was that of Hugues de Payens, the first Grand
Master of the order. I have as yet been unable to find any sort of
documentation on this possible theory. If anyone has anything to add to
this possibility you know how to reach me.
Caput Mortum
Caput Mortum is the alchemy symbol known in English as the dead head. It
is quite likely that the Templar Knights came into some contact with
alchemy during their time with the Moslems. Alchemy texts were translated
from Greek to the Arabic language. Insofar as the Templars worshipping a
singular alchemic symbol, the theory is quite unlikely.
John the Baptist
Saint John the Baptist, who was beheaded, is said also to be the source of
Templar idolatry. As ludicrous as this may at first seem, it is commonly
known that several bogus Baptist heads were around during this time. Could
the Templars have possessed one of these heads? It is possible, as the
Templars are said to possess many of the religeous relics of the time. As
supposed Poor Knights of Christ it is quite possible that the head of St.
John the Baptist would be an object of devotion and guidance since his
feast was to be celebrated by the command of the Templar Rule of Order.