Western Michigan University ScholarWorks at WMU Master's Theses Graduate College 6-1991 The Original Rule of the Knights Templar: A Translation with Introduction Robert T. Wojtowicz Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/masters_theses Part of the European History Commons, and the History of Religion Commons Recommended Citation Wojtowicz, Robert T., "The Original Rule of the Knights Templar: A Translation with Introduction" (1991). Master's Theses. 1007. https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/masters_theses/1007 This Masters Thesis-Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate College at ScholarWorks at WMU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Master's Theses by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at WMU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE ORIGINAL RULE OF THE KNIGHTS TEMPLAR: A TRANSLATION WITH INTRODUCTION by Robert T. Wojtowicz A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of The Graduate College in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the Degree of Master of Arts The Medieval Institute Western Michigan University Kalamazoo, Michigan June 1991 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. THE ORIGINAL RULE OF THE KNIGHTS TEMPLAR: A TRANSLATION WITH INTRODUCTION Robert T. Wojtowicz, M.A. Western Michigan University, 1991 This study consists of a complete translation of a previously untranslated, twelfth-century Latin text: the original Rule of the Knights Templar (Regula commilitonum Christi). Furthermore, since previous scholarship has not dealt much with the content of the original Rule, the introduction, using the Rule as its source, attempts to present a more detailed exploration into the structure and organization of the Order during its incipiency. Though the body of the text is chiefly translation, findings noted in the introduction indicate that further i research into the Rule is necessary to understand the main areas of influence which comprise the Order's original Rule and that there are indeed more facets to the Rule than previous scholarship has divulged. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would first like to express sincere thanks to one of my committee members, Dr. John Wickstrom, Professor of History at Kalamazoo College, for his criticism and encouragement of this project. Without his analytical eye and supportive words this thesis may have never reached its end. I am humbly indebted to him. I would also like to express thanks to another committee member, Dr. Otto Grvindler, Director of The Medieval Institute at Western Michigan University, not only for his crucial commentary on my thesis but also for his support of my academic and personal life throughout my term in the Medieval Studies program. Also, I convey thanks to my final committee member and advisor, Dr. Rand Johnson, Professor of Classics at Western Michigan University, who assisted me in a line-by-line translation of the text. My knowledge of translation in general and of Medieval Latin in particular was greatly enhanced by our weekly meetings. I turn now to offer gratitude to those friends who assisted me in this endeavor directly and indirectly: Wally "Beaver" Abramson, Gabrielle Bigge, Gail Jacobson, Daniel LaCorte, Kirk and Cheryl Morschauser, Virginia C. Nayman, Andrew Pearson, Jody Retzer, Scott Savage, Pongracz Sennyey, Ardis and Larry Syndergaard, William Wambaugh, ii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Acknowledgements— Continued Candace Woodruff and Mark Porath, and my very dear friend, Paul Lent. Special thanks go to Ulrike Strasser for her help in getting this project off the ground and her "Teutonic" support throughout. Thanks also to my supervisor, Janice Sickbert, who graciously allowed me to pursue my academic studies when my work environment offered little on which to focus my attention. Lastly, I recognize Dr. Joyce Salisbury, Professor of History at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, for her support and encouragement of me during my undergraduate studies. Finally, I offer endeared thanks to my family for their support of me throughout my studies and work on my thesis: my brother and sister-in-law, Edward and Lori Wojtowicz; my sister, Teresa Wojtowicz; and, lastly, my dear cousin and friend, Pam Markovich. I also extend special heartfelt thanks to my wonderful "Thursday-night" family. I dedicate this project to my father, Tadeusz Andrej Wojtowicz, who instilled a desire for learning in me that has opened many doors in my life and continues to do so. Robert T. Wojtowicz iii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. INFORMATION TO USERS This manuscript has been reproduced from the microfilm master. UMI films the text directly from the original or copy submitted. Thus, some thesis and dissertation copies are in typewriter face, while others may be from any type of computer printer. The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. 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Contact UMI directly to order. University Microfilms International A Bell & Howell Information Company 300 North Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor. Ml 48106-1346 USA 313/761-4700 800/521-0600 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Order Number 1344708 The original “Rule of the Knights Templar”: A translation with introduction Wojtowicz, Robert Thaddeus, M.A. Western Michigan University, 1991 Copyright ©1991 by Wojtowicz, Robert Thaddeus. All rights reserved. 300 N. Zeeb Rd. Ann Arbor, MI 48106 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Copyright by Robert T. Wojtowicz 1991 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS i i INTRODUCTION.............................................. 1 The Problem............................................ 1 Historical Background................................ 3 The Rule: A Synopsis................................ 7 A Note on Editions and Dictionairies Used......... 24 PREFACE TO THE RULE OF THE KNIGHTS OF CHRIST.......... 26 HERE BEGIN THE CHAPTERS FOR THE RULE OF THE KNIGHTS OF CHRIST................................ 31 HERE BEGINS THE RULE OF THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE POOR KNIGHTS OF THE HOLY CITY...................... 36 ENDNOTES................................................... 68 BIBLIOGRAPHY.............................................. 75 iv Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. INTRODUCTION The Problem The twentieth century has witnessed the publication of various monographs and articles about one of the most well- known military-religious orders of the Middle Ages: the Knights Templar. From George Campbell's 1937 work, The Knights Templar: Their Rise and Fall, to the most recent and comprehensive survey, The Templars: Knights of God, by Edward Burman, these works provide valuable insight into the order's origins, expansion, and dissolution.1 But aspects about the Templars still need examination. n One such aspect is the order's original Rule. Studies of monastic orders reveal that analyses of rules are essential for understanding the structure, organization, and ideals of an order. In the introduction to The Rule of the Master, for example, Adalbert de Vogiie demonstrates that a rule can be utilized as a basis for disclosing aspects about an order's monastic community, liturgical observances, spirituality, and theological doctrine.^ Another example of this type of inquiry into rules is RB 1980: The Rule of St. Benedict, a translation and in-depth discussion of the Benedictine Rule.4 In it, Timothy Fry et al. present substantial insights into 1 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Benedictine ideas of community, structure, and organization as well as into the sources for the Rule of St. Benedict.® Such detailed studies as these which aim at uncovering structural and spiritual aspects of monastic orders as well as the origins of rules have not been undertaken with the original Rule of