America Unearthed Season 3 Episodes 12 Thru 13 Recaps: Revisiting The Templar Conspiracy (Season Finale)

"The Templar's Deadliest Secret" is the 2 part season 3 finale of "America Unearthed". Scott investigates the connection between the Knights Templar and the holy bloodline of Jesus (if there is one). Hmmm doesnt this all sound familiar? Yes it's the same premise as "The DaVinci Code" (the Dan Brown's novel that later became a movie). Not sure why we're revisiting this topic again... but whatever.

Scott and Steve St Clair (who may be the descendant of a Templar) and Alan Butler (who is a Templar expert) travel to various sites in the US and around the word to investigate. The Knights Template were extremely rich and powerful during the Middle Ages. But all that came to a crashing halt when the French government and Catholic Church collaborated to wipe them out on Friday October the 13th, 1307. Is this the reason many regard Friday the 13th as unlucky? The last Templar leader Grand Master Jacques de Molay was killed in 1314. As the story goes, he was tortured for seven years but still refused to give up the secret he was guarding.

What secret could that be? Scott believes the Templars held Mary Magdalene in high regard and even worshiped her as a goddess because she was the wife of Jesus of mother of his children (or at least one child). This of course would have sealed their fate because its in direct opposition to what the Catholic Church believes. Jesus was childless and never married. All priests/nuns must remain celibate (thus making sure no money/property leaves the church). Women hold no place in higher levels of leadership in the church.

Is There A Connection Btwn The Hooked X And The Templars?

Scott believes some Templars escaped the Inquisitions and traveled to the US before Columbus (and that Columbus may have been a Templar himself). What proof does he have? Scott has written several books about the hooked X symbol and its prevalence in the US. Check them out here He believes this symbol was used by the Templars to communicate amongst one another. He cites several locations where the hooked X can be found-- the Kinsington Rune Stone in Minnesota, the Silent Pond Rune Stone in Maine and the Narragansett Rune Stone in Rhode Island . He discovered one hoax in Pennsylvania along the way.

The Hooked X

While in France the group visits the original headquarters of the Templars and several churches. They mention that Leonardo de Vinci also stayed with the Templars for some time. There's always speculation about what's hidden in his paintings. Scott shows the others the "M' symbol that some of the hands are making (both in a number paintings and sculptures). He says it's a very unnatural pose. It seems pretty natural to me.

The "M" could stand for Mary Magdalene. It's also the 13th letter of the alphabet. There are many correlations to 13 throughout history. The Templars were wiped out on the 13th. There were 13 original US colonies, 13 stripes on the US flag and lots 13s on the US one dollar bill. Even the Statue of Liberty holds similar secrets. The tablet she is holding is a Knights keystone and the fingers on the hand holding the tablet form an "M".

Side Note: In Jason Colavito's review of the show, he asserts that "M" would not have been the 13th letter of the alphabet when these works of art were created. The letter "J" was only added in 1524. See additional info from his site here Colavito is definitely not a fan of Wolter.

Interesting Masonic Chart

Scott asserts that there is a connection between the Templars and the Masons. The Templars passed on their secrets to the Masons (who were very prominent in the creation and building of the United States). Many of the founding fathers were Masons (as were some of my ancestors).

Lots Of Symbolism At The Masonic Lodge

Grade: 3 Monsters (out of 5). Sorry Scott, I like to keep an open mind but I'm not buying this one. I'm not opposed to Jesus having a holy bloodline but I still dont see any concrete evidence of it. Here's what I think happened:

King Phillip IV of France owed the Knights Templar a large sum of money. Remember besides leading the Crusades, the Knights were the primary bankers of the day and filthy rich. Phillip had a history of not paying his debts. He also expelling and/or killing anyone who suggested otherwise. He did the same to the Lombards and Jews. He was even involved in offing two popes. So the Knights suffered the same fate and Phillip's debt was erased.
Scott says during the show that Jacques de Molay did not make any confessions after being tortured. However other reports indicate de Molay and other Templars did make confessions regarding treason and sodomy. Many (including Jacques) later recanted saying they were false confessions due to the torture. There is no historical documentation that de Molay was questioned about Jesus' bloodline.
There is no real connection between the Knights Templar (who were around in the 1100-1300s) and the Masons (who were formed in the 1700s). Sure they might have borrowed some Templar imagery but they also did the same with the Egyptians (building of the pyramids being the same theme) and Romans (architecture, etc).
There was a craze in US in the 18th and 19 centuries for all things Egyptian. Lots of famous US landmarks have Egyptian symbolism. Is it conspiracy? I dont think so. Egyptian stuff is just cool and everyone likes it. See Luxor in Las Vegas as an example. I doubt that was built by the Masons.
Many historical painting have their hands positions in that "M" pattern. I dont think it's unusual or a secret symbol. And if Jason Colavito is correct, "M" wasnt the 13th letter in the alphabet back then anyway.
I dont believe rune stones and hooked X are connected to the Templars. Is there any evidence that Templars used runes? I dont think so.

I hope that if the show is renewed for another season, Scott gets back to investigating artifacts and stays away from such topics as Bigfoot and the Knights Templar. We've been there and done that on many other shows. There's nothing new to add at this point.