He served as the 23rd and official last Grand Master of the Knights Templar. Elected circa 1292, he promised to reform the order but was unable to lead the Templars through the Catholic inquisitions, and was burned at the stake by order of King Philip the Fair for refusing to damn the Order. In the dying words of deMolay himself, as scribed by the foremost 19th century Templar scholar Charles Addison:
To say that which is untrue is a crime both in the sight of God and man. Not one of us has betrayed his God or his country. I do confess my guilt, which consists in having, to my shame and dishonor, suffered myself, through the pain of torture and the fear of death, to give utterance to falsehoods imputing scandalous sins and iniquities to an illustrious Order, which hath nobly served the cause of Christianity. I disdain to seek a wretched and disgraceful existence by engrafting another lie upon the original falsehood.
The Jacques deMolay Folding Knife commemorates this ultimate sacrifice in a limited edition of 700 examples, commemorating the 700th anniversary deMolay’s arrest on Friday, October 13, 1307. The Templar Cross and skull & crossbones was first flown in memory of deMolay to let other ships know they were Templar-friendly. The alternating sections of enamel recall the tessellate floor of the Masonic Temple. The opposite scale contains an engraved replica of the famed Apprentice’s Pillar coated in translucent enamel and the All-Seeing Eye is subtly engraved on the inside.
The Blade on the Jacques deMolay Folding Knife is forged using Swedish Stainless (Damasteel DS93X) Damascus and a diamond is set in each side of the silver thumb stud.
By producing this breath-taking commemorative Folding Knife, David Oscarson has done a tremendous service for all those who honor de Molay. May it always serve to remind us not only of the martyrdom of de Molay but also of our Founding Fathers’ prudence to include freedom of religion in our U.S. Constitution. – C.C. Reilly, MPS
