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| | DA themysthica.comBAPHOMETSCITAZIONE There have been many strange idols throughout the ages but the idol of Baphomet seems to be among the most mysterious. All which seems to be known about this unknown figure it that it is sometimes called the goat idol of the Knights Templar and the deity of the sorcerers' Sabbat. Even the name Baphomet seems to be a composition of abbreviations: 'Temp. ohp. Ab.' which originates from Latin 'Templi omnium hominum pacis abhas,' meaning "the father of universal peace among men."
The many accounts concerning Baphomet describe the idol as a monstrous head, a demon in the form of a goat, a figure with a goat's head and a body combining the characteristics of a dog, bull, and ass. The body was thought to symbolize the burden of matter from which arose the repentance for sin. The human hands formed a sign of esotericism to impress mystery upon the initiates. First they represented the sanctity of labor; and by pointing two lunar crescents, the upper being white and the lower black, they also represented good and evil, mercy and justice. The lower part of the goat's body was veiled but expressed the mysteries the universial generation symbolized by the caduceus or the phallus. The goat's female breasts were the only symbols of maternity, toil, and redemption.
Most accounts of the idol Baphomet were from the confessions of the Knights Templar at their trials after the Inquisition. This is why the idol still remain a fascination and a puzzlement. Instead of definitely establishing the existence of the idol the variances in the Knights confessions did the opposite. Not only is there an uncertainty whether the idol existed but, also, whether there was just one or several idols. The uncertainty of the idol's existence arises because some of the heresy and devil-worship charges brought against the Templars were never proven, and Baphomet was thought to represent the devil. During the knights' confessions the idol seemed to change or was shown in different forms. It was described differently as having a frightful head with a long bird and sparking eyes; or a man's skull; or having three faces. Some said it was made of wood while others said it was metal.
Although some accounts give the idol a goat's body as previously mentioned and others are vague, others described the head in detail. It possessed horns and between the two horns was a torch which represented the intelligence of the triad. Still below the torch, on the forehead, is the sign of the microcosm, or the pentagram with one beam in ascendant symbolizing human intelligence. The situating of the pentagram below the torch was to signify that human intelligence is the image of the divine intellect.
Among the heresy charges brought against the Templars was that some had embrace Mahometanism even though they had sworn to fight against every pagan belief. The charge arose when a knight confessed that he was made to adore the idol by kissing its feet and uttering the word 'Xalla,' which was a word of the Saracens. This was seized upon for proving heresy against the Order, but it must be remembered that western Christians were constantly trying to attribute the idol to Mahomet as an expression of their desire to persecute the Knights.
The belief in Baphomet still exists among some occultists. They hold the idol of the Templars was really the god of the witches deriving from the nature god Pan. In the 19th. century the Austrian Orientalist Baron Joseph von Hammer-Purgstal discovered an inscription on a coffer in Burgandy which he claimed indicated the Baphomet came from the Greek words meaning "Baptism of Metis (Wisdom)." This seemed to exalt Metis or Baphomet as the true divinity.
In the 20th. century German occultists formed the secret order of the O.T.O. (Ordo Templi Orientis or Order of Templars in the East). They installed the English occultist Aleister Crowley to head their British section. Crowley took Baphomet as his magical name. A.G.H. ancora BAPHOMETS DA altreligion.comCITAZIONE The Tempars and the origin of Baphomet
At first look, it appears ghastly-a grotesque sphinx like creature, with the head of a goat, cloven hooves, and the body of a nude woman. It is the Baphomet, one of the most misunderstood religious symbols of all time.
The name Baphomet is derived from an enigmatic figure first described at the trials of the Templars, a medieval order of Crusader Monks accused of Heresy, witchcraft, and other crimes against the Catholic Church.
The Order, (ostensibly) founded in 1118 by nobleman Hugues de Payens, was the first of a number of Military Monastic Orders that flourished during the Crusade years. The word "Templar" derives from the full official name of the order, "The poor knights of Christ and the Temple of Solomon." Originally promoted as the protectors Christian pilgrims to Jerusalem, they were known as fierce warriors with tremendous military prowess.
In a very short time after their inception, the Knights Templar became very popular. They were exempted from taxation, and had amassed great wealth and property by the 13th century. By this time, Jerusalem had fallen back into Muslim hands, and enthusiasm for crusades was waning. The Templars were now living quite well. They had tremendous political and financial influence (even instituting Europe's first banking system).
However, with no Crusades to justify their continued existence, they became to some a target of resentment. King Phillip of France, possibly with an eye toward gaining control of Templar finances, issued secret orders to have all of the Templars in France arrested on grounds of heresy and sorcery. Torture elicited confessions of various crimes and heresies from many of the Knights. The laundry list of unlikely confessions included spitting on the cross, denying Christ, and worshipping an idol called Baphomet.
The Baphomet is still an enigma, and there is of course some debate whether or not it was a real item or the product of torture. Several knights recalled that Baphomet was variously a severed head, or an idol possessing two or four heads, or sometimes, as a goat or goat's head. The name is highly unusual, and many suggestions about the origin of the word have been put forward. Idries Shah has proposed that the name is a corruption of a name of Mohammed. Abufihamat, pronounced "Bufihimat," a word very similar to Baphomet, is Moorish-Spanish for "father of wisdom," an epithet used to describe the Prophet. This seems unlikely, although there seems to be a concerted effort to link the Templars with Islam. The Templars certainly had contact with Muslim ideas, and even incorporated symbols of Islam into their emblems, but Islam forbade Idol worship just as strenuously then as now- creating an image of the prophet in order to worship it would have been a tremendous blasphemy. | | | |
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