Here’s one for etymology/language enthusiast Nancy: paraskevidekatriaphobia. I won’t go into word roots, origins and so forth (that’s her department), but I will tell you that paraskevidekatriaphobia means fear of Friday the 13th.
Thirteen is considered unlucky all by itself, like buildings not having a thirteenth floor and never having thirteen at dinner. The idea of "unlucky thirteen" has all sorts of pagan, ancient Greek and Egyptian roots although it is generally believed that the threat of “thirteen at dinner” derives from thirteen people being present at The Last Supper (and we all know how well that one turned out).
What about Fridays, though? Why is Friday the 13th especially unlucky? (I’ll wait while you get all the Jason jokes out of your system). I read a piece in today's AJC about this, did some internet research and concluded that the definitive answer is: nobody really knows. Various cultures and people all seem to fear it for different reasons. In my opinion, the most interesting story by far about Friday the 13th being ill-omened concerns the Knights Templar.
The Knights Templar were a legendary order of warrior monks founded by Hughes de Payens in 1128. Formed originally to fight the Islamic infidels during the Holy Crusades, they grew very rich, very powerful and very strong politically, so much so that over time, they were perceived as a political threat by popes and kings. Eventually Pope Clement V entered into a secret agreement with King Philip IV of France to suppress the order. You’ll excuse my cynicism in believing this had far more to do with a desire to procure for themselves the vast wealth that the order had amassed than with fulfilling any religious obligation or safeguarding the people of France.
In 1307, Clement V summoned Jacques de Molay, the head of the Templars, to Paris, ostensibly to make peace between the Templars and the Knights of St. John (who quarreled and bickered a lot) and discuss plans for a new crusade. De Molay and some 60 Templars answered the summons but they were in for the nastiest of nasty surprises. On Friday, October 13, 1307, officers acting under order of King Philip IV executed a dawn raid resulting in the mass arrest of every Templar in France - several thousand of them. They were charged with everything the pope and the king could think of, including heresy, blasphemy and homosexuality. Although none of the charges were proven, many Templars confessed, not because they were guilty but because of the excruciating torture to which they were subjected (some of them for years). During the seven years of de Molay’s imprisonment and torture, over a hundred Templars died under torture or were burned at the stake.
That’s pretty much the end of why Friday the 13th was unlucky - treachery, mass arrest and total decimation of a noble religious order done out of greed, spite and fear. But I hate to leave a tale hanging and you might wonder how all this turned out for poor old Jacques. De Molay eventually broke under the unspeakable tortures and confessed that some of the charges against the order were true. His ‘reward’ for fessing up was to be life imprisonment (as opposed to a fiery death) so on March 18, 1314, he was brought, along with three other Templars, before a commission of cardinals for the sentence to be pronounced. At that point, de Molay publicly recanted his confession, asserted that it was a lie produced under torture and avowed his faith in God. You can read his last words here. Immediately, the king ordered him burnt at the stake as a heretic; de Molay proclaimed his innocence and faith until the end. Although it may be apocryphal, I find this the most intriguing thing about his demise: de Molay supposedly charged Pope Clement V and King Philip IV to appear with him before the throne of God to answer for their actions within a year. And both were indeed dead within a year.
You can probably tell I’m totally siding with the Templars on this one. Have a happy Friday the 13th - take comfort in the knowledge that, no matter what happens, there is no way that Friday the 13th will be as unlucky for you as it was for Jacques de Molay and the Knights Templar.
Thirteen is considered unlucky all by itself, like buildings not having a thirteenth floor and never having thirteen at dinner. The idea of "unlucky thirteen" has all sorts of pagan, ancient Greek and Egyptian roots although it is generally believed that the threat of “thirteen at dinner” derives from thirteen people being present at The Last Supper (and we all know how well that one turned out).
What about Fridays, though? Why is Friday the 13th especially unlucky? (I’ll wait while you get all the Jason jokes out of your system). I read a piece in today's AJC about this, did some internet research and concluded that the definitive answer is: nobody really knows. Various cultures and people all seem to fear it for different reasons. In my opinion, the most interesting story by far about Friday the 13th being ill-omened concerns the Knights Templar.
The Knights Templar were a legendary order of warrior monks founded by Hughes de Payens in 1128. Formed originally to fight the Islamic infidels during the Holy Crusades, they grew very rich, very powerful and very strong politically, so much so that over time, they were perceived as a political threat by popes and kings. Eventually Pope Clement V entered into a secret agreement with King Philip IV of France to suppress the order. You’ll excuse my cynicism in believing this had far more to do with a desire to procure for themselves the vast wealth that the order had amassed than with fulfilling any religious obligation or safeguarding the people of France.
In 1307, Clement V summoned Jacques de Molay, the head of the Templars, to Paris, ostensibly to make peace between the Templars and the Knights of St. John (who quarreled and bickered a lot) and discuss plans for a new crusade. De Molay and some 60 Templars answered the summons but they were in for the nastiest of nasty surprises. On Friday, October 13, 1307, officers acting under order of King Philip IV executed a dawn raid resulting in the mass arrest of every Templar in France - several thousand of them. They were charged with everything the pope and the king could think of, including heresy, blasphemy and homosexuality. Although none of the charges were proven, many Templars confessed, not because they were guilty but because of the excruciating torture to which they were subjected (some of them for years). During the seven years of de Molay’s imprisonment and torture, over a hundred Templars died under torture or were burned at the stake.
That’s pretty much the end of why Friday the 13th was unlucky - treachery, mass arrest and total decimation of a noble religious order done out of greed, spite and fear. But I hate to leave a tale hanging and you might wonder how all this turned out for poor old Jacques. De Molay eventually broke under the unspeakable tortures and confessed that some of the charges against the order were true. His ‘reward’ for fessing up was to be life imprisonment (as opposed to a fiery death) so on March 18, 1314, he was brought, along with three other Templars, before a commission of cardinals for the sentence to be pronounced. At that point, de Molay publicly recanted his confession, asserted that it was a lie produced under torture and avowed his faith in God. You can read his last words here. Immediately, the king ordered him burnt at the stake as a heretic; de Molay proclaimed his innocence and faith until the end. Although it may be apocryphal, I find this the most intriguing thing about his demise: de Molay supposedly charged Pope Clement V and King Philip IV to appear with him before the throne of God to answer for their actions within a year. And both were indeed dead within a year.
You can probably tell I’m totally siding with the Templars on this one. Have a happy Friday the 13th - take comfort in the knowledge that, no matter what happens, there is no way that Friday the 13th will be as unlucky for you as it was for Jacques de Molay and the Knights Templar.
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