Well written, well researched, entertaining and informative - ok, more than informative, it's mind-blowing. It's a dream come true for me - ever since I read Martin Page's "First Global Village: How Portugal Changed the World," I have been deeply curious about the history of the Templars in Portugal. With great story-telling style, Freddy Silva peels back the layers of this fantastic tale, exploring one mystery after another and making connections that only seem obvious in retrospect. I'm recommending this book to everyone I know. Read it and then visit this magical yet forgotten nation on the western edge of Europe. — American In Portugal
History holds many events that perhaps may be well known in some parts of the World, but not all areas of the World. The reason I loved this book was simply due to the fact that I never put this idea together. Mr. Silva has done his homework and that is evident in this fine book. If you are a lover of History, then purchase this book and become a better informed reader. — G.S. Crumley
Piecing together references and documents studied over the course of fifteen years, Freddy Silva delivers a fresh understanding of the Knights Templar, what they were about, and the back-story of how and why they created a country. After reading the book, I can fully appreciate his fascination with this remarkable order of warrior knights and their spiritual brothers, the Cistercian monks. For lofty vision and pure hard work, the achievements of these two groups would put our 60's Flower Children to shame. Indeed, I wonder if there are any echoes of their humanistic and spiritual vision around today that would come up to their ankles, let alone their shoulders. On the more esoteric level, Silva’s assumptions of what the Templars discovered during their excavations on Temple Mount in Jerusalem contribute to the intriguing idea that the bloodline of the Magdalene and Jesus continues to this day in the descendants of the Merovingian monarchs. My takeaway from the book, however, focused more on the legacy of the Templars in the enlightened nation-state they created, and down the centuries as it traced its way through the mystery schools and the Masons to the present day. Their example of community, service, equality, care for the earth and dedication to a higher spiritual truth, offer a stark contrast to the inner and outer conflicts generated today by materialism and religion.
This book is built in layers and circles round to help you keep track of the players and historical context. It is not an easy read, but compelling and rewarding. — Miriam Knight
If you have any interest in the authenticity and truth behind the Knights Templar and their history, this book is a MUST read! Freddy Silva by far is one of the most diligent researchers and authors of our time. His passion for writing historically and factually, matched by his equal passion for the Knights Templar and their legacy is profound, and is evident in this book First Templar Nation. I have been an avid reader and follower of Silva's work and books for many years. From the sacred sites around the world, crop circles, the Knights Templar, reincarnation and much more, Silva brings his valued research and amazing insight regarding all these subjects to the forefront for the world to learn about and connect with. I would LOVE to see the History Channel and Discovery Channel sign him up for his own show about these subjects. His knowledge of the Knights Templar and sacred sites is unprecedented. BRAVO! And thank you for bringing this information to all of us! — True Believer
Freddie Silva has done an excellent job of fitting the puzzle pieces together to understand the whole of where, when and why in the history of the Knights Templars and their goals. This part of history was never presented to me until I started the study on my own. — Mary Pritchard
I learned so much from this book about the Templars and how they have impacted the areas of religion, government, and secret societies through out history based on facts. If you are a history buff and enjoy excellent research you will not be disappointed. — Scribe Reads A Lot
Who were the Tempars and what is their history. Read this book and find out. It might not be what you thought. Freddy Silvia is an excellent researcher and he will enlighten you. — Graig Yarbrough
Who better to write an historical account of the development of Portugal by the Knights Templar as Europeís first nation-state than an accomplished researcher and author who is a native of that country himself? Freddy Silva, noted for his work on crop circles and sacred places around the globe, says heís put a decade of effort into producing this book. I suspect heís spent a lot more than just 10 years in collecting all of this superb information.
A true story of epic proportions, Silva has devised a method of making what would ordinarily be dry history into a very readable chronology. His method? Translate the story into novel form! And so he keeps us anticipating each of the succeeding chapters to give us more of the picture by juxtaposing the adventures of the players, in this most important drama by alternating back and forth in time and place.
While we may remember the names of only some of the characters responsible for this here-to-for untold story, the bottom line is that their accomplishments turn out to be pivotal in the grand scheme of European history. In fact, although I had considered myself to be quite familiar with the Templars, I came away from this book learning so much more. For me, this is the finest and most easily readable history of the K.T. that Iíve had the pleasure of encountering.
How do we correlate the ìkeystone that the builders rejectedî, the KaíBa of Mecca, the origin of ìsionî, the Kabbalah, Masonry's Chamber of Mysteries, the Essene Brotherhood, the Merovingian bloodline, King Arthur and the Round table, Osiris and Isis, ancient pagan temples, Gnosticism, King Solomonís ìstablesî, the Gothic Cathedrals, Bernard of Clairvaux and his Cistercian Monks, John the Baptist, Mary Magdalene, Sufism, the Saint Clair family, the Ark of the Covenant and Holy Grail, the beehive and the honeycomb, the pentagram, Sophia, the number 33, the human brain and DNA, the palm tree, resurrection/raising the dead, The Way, the fish symbol, baphomet, cryptography, the Green Man, alchemy and Hermes, and so much more? Silva makes it clear!
Along the way and in keeping with his obviously good sense of humor, our author briefly introduces us to real people with amusing names like Geraldo the Fearless, Peter the Hermit, Walter the Penniless, and Raoul the Fat. He also injects politely worded phrases that keep us smiling, such as, "sent a defiant message and a provocative middle finger." But levity aside, Silva manages to show us how, under seemingly blind faith to the Church of Rome, ìan extraordinarily intricate but well developed web of connections, friendships and family ties spanning three decades and three separate geographic regionsî cleverly uses a front to hide the treasure they discovered in Jerusalem that was "not so much a treasure of gold as a treasure of words." In keeping with all true Gnostics, "They recognized the human condition for what it is, a spiritual death."
As Silva demonstrates, "The implications are clear: the Templars discovered a treasure of [Essene] scrolls under the Temple Mount and a monetary treasure, and they did it thanks to cryptographers who unraveled both the language and the cipher. With their newfound and carefully guarded knowledge they embarked on a journey of empowering people through enlightenment, using the finances at their disposal to build the finest medieval temples, the Gothic cathedrals, while resurrecting from the dead some of the most insensate parts of Europe. And they were loved for it."
So while this book contains solid Portuguese, European, and Middle East history, it also gives us genuine esoteric morsels---food for the wisdom of the mind and of the soul. I recommend it most highly! — New Dawn magazine