A. Royden D'souza

In 1307, King Philip IV of France moved with a deadly purpose. On Friday, October 13, a date that would echo through history, his agents swept across France, arresting hundreds of Knights Templar.

The exoteric teachings were designed for the masses. They presented truth in simplified, personified forms—stories of gods and goddesses, myths of creation and destruction, moral tales accessible to the common understanding.