The fear of number 13 and Friday the 13th

A Masonic explanation by Tore Akesson

The following, historical events, 700 years back in time, are related to peoples fear for the number 13 and Friday the 13th. It arrived to America and was spread all over the world by French emigrants, who heard of the tragedy in France and especially in Paris, below shortly described:

The tragedy concerns the banishment, arresting and outlawing of all Knights Templar, Friday the 13th of October, the year 1307 against their declaration of innocence.

The last known Grand Master of the spiritual Order of the Knights Templar, Jacques de Molay, was burned to death on a slow fire on the stake outside the Notre Dame Church in Paris together with his successor, on Friday the 13th of March , the year 1314 after long time in prison and of unsuccessful trials to get an admittance of guilt, where even hard torture was involved.

When the flames from the stake, where he was tied up, reached him and it started burning in his dress, he proclaimed in front of the assembled Parisians:

"Here you see innocent people die!"

Then he turned toward his three present executioners with the following cry of
prophecy, (compare the First Epistle of the Corinthian, 14:1):

"I am calling you, King Philip IV of France!"

"I am calling you, Pope Clemence V"

"I am calling you, Prime Minister Guillaume de Nogaret, to appear within
one year from today at the Court of God in order to receive your legitimated
penalty! - curse, curse, be all of you cursed until your 13th generation"

Then he fell dead down in the ashes and the red hot coal of the stake with his forefinger upright to the Heaven of God. The arm and the hand with the upright forefinger stayed in this position.

The Parisians thought that this prediction was also valid for them and therefore the fear for number 13 and Friday the 13th started to expand out over the world. But the prediction did not concern the innocent Parisians or other human beings then the three judges and their families.

The King fell off his horse and died before end of the year. The Pope got an intestinal obstruction and died before the end of the year and the Prime Minister hung himself before end of the year. Their three families are reported to have lived in misery ever since. Our generation can be regarded as the 13th.

The sign of the Grand Master with the upright forefinger figures often in paintings of Leonardo da Vinci e.g. in the large painting of the last supper in the St. Maria delle Grazie Church in Milan, Italy. One of the Disciples of Jesus is doing this upright forefinger sign, like originally the Grand Master, in order to show the divine consequence of treachery like when Jesus said: "One of you shall betray me!"

The prediction of the Grand Master of the Knights Templar for the King of France, The Pope and the Prime Minister to appear in the Court of God within one year, was a prophesy as per the First Epistle of the Corinthian, 14:1 and a result of accepting the death penalty rather then to fail in chivalry against his Brothers or break the monk vow , the vow of loyalty to the Roman Church and the vow of friendship and love for his neighbours.

The family of the undersigned holds in our position an oil painting, showing this last known Grand Master of the Knights Templar in front of representatives of his judges in the presence of the Captain for the 100-man guard force and the Castle Marshal in the Temple Tower in the Le Temple in Paris. The subject in this painting is built as those of Leonardo da Vinci when illustrating historical events. Consequently this painting can be a work of him or a work of one of his scholars who wanted to illustrate this tragedy. It is unsigned due to the death penalty at the time for critical publishing of governmental, official judgmental events, a result of a ban etc.

The Castle Marshal on this painting hold his forefinger upright to the Heaven of God, based on the same type historical prediction of Jesus, but now spoken by Jacques de Molay: "We are innocent!". The Castle Marshal, also prison-warder during the Knights Templar control of the Castle, shows with his upright forefinger the incorruptible law of God that will take force, harming innocent people.

No other painting has been able to make such a strong impression on me, the undersigned, when it comes to human rights, the importance of chivalry and the importance of love and mercy to my neighbours, as this painting. The painting shows namely the moment when the Grand Master just decided to stick to the chivalry and to his taken vows, resulting in the death penalty. He has namely just thrown the officials, obviously false writing of confession in peaces which should have saved his life. But he has just thrown the peaces on the floor in front of him, as unacceptable.

As the Knights Templar esteemed great confidence among the public and the terrible tragedy of the Knights Templar was generally revealed among the public, the fear for number 13 and Friday the 13th started to spread. This fear is still going on even if the original background might be forgotten.

The following religious comment to the importance of number 13 is made by Emanuel Swedenborg who spend 30 years of his life in explaining the Christian bible:

Number 13 consist of number 10 and number 3. Number 3 is a holy number and as it is part of number 13, the holiness of number 13 remains.

Was the Grand Master Jacques de Molay aware of this holiness of number 13? Did he know that 3 persons with 3 families should suffer in 13 generations? This is a question for each one of us to consider and answer. For me it is obvious, because the truth fell out right as the prediction. Therefore number 13 shall not be related to fear and curse but to happiness and blessings. For me number 13 is my lucky number. Remembering how the fear and curse once was established and spread all over the world, I will be filled up with love and mercy for the man, who dared to stay on his chivalry, monk vow, the vow of loyalty to the Roman Church and the vow of friendship, love and mercy to his neighbours, and face the dead penalty without fear. Thus the number 13 became the number of chivalry and uprightness.

More about this can be read and studied on the following home page:
www.scaninvent.com/knights.templar

Copies of the painting can also be ordered on the above homepage.

Best regards
TORE AKESSON
Hoganasvagen 79
S-260 40 Viken - Sweden

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