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Miscellaneous The Templars and the Assassins: The Militia of Heaven by James Wasserman $16.95 / Inner Traditions / 2001 The legends on the Old Man of the Mountains and his hashish-eating fanatics, as well as the tales of the Knights Templar, are among the best-known stories of the medieval world. In Templars and the Assassins, Wasserman presents a brief but facutal overview on the myths and history of these two powerful yet interesting groups. The book begins with an introduction to secret societies in general, and then provides some background on the Crusades. The next nine chapters explain the relationship between the Assassins and the rest of Islam, the teachings of Nizari Ismailism, the politics of their emergence, and the activities of the Aga Khans. The following 15 chapters are devoted to a history of the Knight Templar. In addition to a detailed summary of their beginnings, the author examines their roles in the various Crusades, including their relationship with the Assassins, as well as a look at the Cathars and the Albigansian Crusade. These histories alone would make the book worth reading, but the author has also given readers a special treat in the appendices, which includes a summary of the Nine Degrees of Wisdom of the Ismaili system (which discusses, among other things, conversion, recruiting, and philosophy), as well as a translaion of the first five chapters of The Books of the Knights of the Temple: In Praise of the New Knighthood, St. Bernard of Clairvaux's "constitution" for knighthood. Although primarily aimed at readers interested in the development of esotericism, The Templars and the Assassins avoids conjecture and speculation to provide us with probably one of the best volumes to date in the subject. —Robert Nelson, PhD.

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