A review of the book 'The Templars and the Assassins: The Militia of Heaven' written by James Wasserman.
In The Templars and the Assassins: The Militia of Heaven, occult scholar and secret society member James Wasserman provides compelling evidence that the interaction of the Knights Templar and the Assassins in the Holy Land transformed the Templars from the Pope's private army into a true occult society, from which they would sow the seeds of the Renaissance and the Western Mystery Tradition.
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Coming up: A review of the book 'The Templars and the Assassins: The Militia of Heaven' written by James Wasserman.
Namaste Friends. My name is 'Shinil Subramanian Payamal' and you are listening to the Historylogy podcast.
Before I proceed, a full disclosure: This book was bought with my own money and not been provided to me by the publisher.
Little bit about the author:
James Wasserman was an author and designer of several heralded works on the occult, including Art and Symbols of the Occult (Inner Traditions) and The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Chronicle Books). A member of Ordo Templi Orientis since 1976, he lived in New York and passed away in November, 2020.
Let me read a brief description of the book:
QUOTE
A thousand years ago Christian battled Muslim for possession of a strip of land upon which both their religions were founded. These Crusades changed the course of Western history, but less known is the fact that they also were the meeting ground for two legendary secret societies: The Knights Templar and their Muslim counterparts, the Assassins.
In The Templars and the Assassins: The Militia of Heaven, occult scholar and secret society member James Wasserman provides compelling evidence that the interaction of the Knights Templar and the Assassins in the Holy Land transformed the Templars from the Pope's private army into a true occult society, from which they would sow the seeds of the Renaissance and the Western Mystery Tradition. Both orders were destroyed as heretical some seven hundred years ago, but Templar survivors are believed to have carried the secret teachings of the East into an occult underground, from which sprang both Rosicrucianism and Masonry. Assassin survivors, known as Nizari Ismailis, flourish to this day under the leadership of the Aga Khan. Wasserman strips the myths from both groups and penetrates to the heart of their enlightened beliefs and rigorous practices, delivering the most probing picture yet of these holy warriors.
UNQUOTE
This book published in 2001, begins with an introduction to secret societies in which the mystical secret society is examined and distinguished from both the political conspiracy and the religious hierarchy. The balance of the book is divided into four parts:
Part 1 attempts a broad overview of the historical conditions in Europe and the Near East from the birth of Christ through the Crusades.
Part 2 is an investigation of the Order of Assassins. After presenting some of the legendary tales that survive to this day, the author undertakes a detailed look at Islam from the birth of the Prophet through the birth of the Nizari Ismaili sect.
Part 3 is a history of the Knights Templar that begins with a close look at the origins of the Order and the Rule initially drafted by Saint Bernard of Clairvaux.
Part 4 is an afterword that briefly surveys the development of the Western esoteric tradition from its roots in prehistory through the eclipse of the pagan Mysteries under the Christian religious hegemony during the six centuries known as the Dark Ages.
Appendix I presents a modern analysis of the purported Nine Degrees of Wisdom of the Ismaili initiation as the system has been variously posited since at least the tenth century.
Appendix 2 offers a new translation of Saint Bernard’s critical letter, In Praise of the New Knighthood, in which he first proclaimed the ideal of the warrior-monk that so inflamed the European psyche in 1136 and forever inspired the mythos of the Knights Templar in Western Culture.
The writing is clear and accessible, drawing on scholarly sources while avoiding excessive academic dryness.
Final Verdict:
If you’re seeking a rigorous academic history focused solely on factual interactions between the Knights Templar and the Assassins, there are more focused scholarly works available. But if you enjoy big-picture thinking that connects medieval history with spiritual and cultural currents across eras, Wasserman’s book offers an intriguing — if controversial — journey.
The book’s references point curious readers toward deeper, more detailed works — a useful roadmap for further study.
"To the Templar, the sword was a tool of the spirit; to the Assassin, the dagger was a key to paradise. In the friction between them, the modern world's secret traditions were sparked."
I give this book 4/5 and recommend it if you are a fan of Crusades-era history, secret societies, or the roots of Western occultism.
The book is currently available only in Paperback and Kindle formats. It is yet to be made available in Hardcover and Audible formats. I have given the respective buy link in the show notes. Please check it out for the latest price.
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