It is known that in addition to the mantic (ie, "Divinatory") purpose, tarot cards also have some other functions. Those who seriously embarked on the study of this subject came to similar conclusions.
So, in the French tarot school, the doctrine of the connection of the senior arcana with the letters of the Hebrew alphabet, and, consequently, with Kabbalah, numerology and other occult sciences, included in the corpus of the alchemical medieval tradition, was developed. Actually, all the activities of representatives of this trend can be reduced to work in two directions:
On the one hand, this is an attempt to revive the tradition of alchemy, which died out in the era of renaissance.
And, on the other hand, the propaganda and popularization of esoteric knowledge among the intelligentsia.
This approach was further developed in England, in the bowels of the "Golden Dawn" society. Here, on the basis of the tarot structure, its own system of initiations into the occult tradition developed by this order was developed. Moreover, it was believed that this system is a reconstruction of the ancient Egyptian mysteries. We note that, despite extensive efforts to educate the general public in the field of "Ancient Knowledge", the order was basically a closed organization, whose members belonged to the elite of English society.
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It is also necessary to recognize the great contribution made by representatives of Russian occultism, namely, Vladimir Shmakov and other members of the Academy. In their writings, they pointed to the connection between tarot cards and astrology (the work "Encyclopedia of Occultism") and made a very serious attempt to reveal the philosophical concept underlying the system expressed in tarot cards (V. Shmakov's book "the great arcana tarot". However, it follows It should be noted that all these supposed readings of the maps bear the imprint of that era and the countries in which their researchers lived themselves. In other words, the above approaches are somewhat sinful of a kind of historical “Subjectivism.” Especially doubtful are the statements of those authors who directly deduce the origin of maps from Egypt.
So, it is obvious to give the credibility of this theory, in a number of sources a legend is cited that says that in a distant era, hordes of invaders - barbarians - came to Egypt. The priests of Egypt faced an almost insoluble problem: how to preserve the accumulated knowledge, how to convey it to the people of the future without distortion?
The solution proposed by one of the priests was ingeniously simple. On the basis of the main plots, the safety of which the Egyptian sages were so worried about, pictures were made that conceal a hidden meaning, which anyone initiated into the foundations of secret knowledge will be able to restore. Further, on the basis of these pictures, a game of chance was developed, which was subsequently taught to the conquerors. And now, without knowing it, the barbarians became the keepers and distributors of ancient secrets. So vice became at the service of wisdom and good.
It should be noted that if such an attempt were really made in an era so remote from us, it would hardly be worth hoping that the maps would have preserved their original outlines in any way, especially if we recall how many alterations they have undergone over the past two hundred years. Moreover, the people who made their changes did it with the best intentions, wanting only to restore the original outlines of the tarot cards. And what can we say about the ignorant barbarians, if we consider the difficulties of making each new deck in an era when printing was only a fantastic dream.
In addition, the last Egyptian priests faced a much more difficult task - how to preserve something from their heritage in the era of the advent of Christianity.
And they apparently solved this problem. It is no coincidence that the Coptic Orthodox Church (Coptic is an Arabic transcription from the Greek word "Aiguptios", which means "Egyptian"), which appeared on the territory of Egypt, along with the Ethiopian church is one of the oldest, and the teachings of the Egyptian fathers are the most mystical part of the Christian doctrine. Note that our Orthodoxy owes much to the missionary activity of the representatives of the Egyptian Church.
So, the very concept of hermitism has never taken root.
Seriously in Catholicism, it was borrowed from Egypt. Such a sacred place for every Orthodox, as Optina Hermitage, in its name bears the imprint of the Egyptian deserts, where hermit monks settled and prayed.
To touch the legacy left to us by this mighty constellation of true sages and true mystics, the Russian-speaking reader needs only to get acquainted with such a work as Philosophy, which describes their experience, as well as read the “sayings of the Egyptian fathers”.
Without a doubt, such a refined tradition of ascetic perfection and spiritual self-development could not have emerged from scratch, especially if we consider that from the moment of the first sermon of Christ to the appearance of the first Christian communities in Egypt, a little more than twenty years passed.
We also note that the Coptic Church experienced long-term persecution by the Muslims who conquered Egypt in 641. Especially these persecutions intensified during the Crusades and the Kingdom of Jerusalem of the Crusaders. Nevertheless, Christianity in Egypt survived and has survived to this day, retaining all those specific features that make it a distinctive and independent church.
Returning to the theory of the Egyptian origin of tarot cards, we note that the Alexandrian library, which kept the treasures of the wisdom of the ancients in its huge funds, existed until the end of the 3rd century AD and died, apparently, during a natural disaster that destroyed the city of Alexandria itself. And although the fire that broke out during the storming of the city at the end of the 1st century BC by the troops of Gaius Julius Caesar destroyed part of its funds, at that time in its history all the lost scrolls were restored in full.
Therefore, there is every reason to believe that it is not the raids of invaders in Egypt that we owe the appearance of the tarot cards. And the legend we have cited has no real historical ground.
On the other hand, we have a fairly accurate reference point in time - the middle of the XIV century. This is the date of the first mention of tarot cards in written European sources. For a person who knows even a little the history of the Middle Ages, this period is associated with another significant historical event that shook the whole of Europe - the defeat in 1305-1312 of the Order of the Templars, the most powerful association of knights and monks in Europe.
To understand the scale of what happened, we note that the Templars were one of the most influential forces in Europe in the military, political, financial, economic and religious fields. They covered themselves with unfading glory during the battles on the holy land and during the crusades. Largely thanks to their subtle political game, the Kingdom of Jerusalem existed for more than 150 years, surrounded by two great Muslim powers, each of which, individually, at times could easily deal with the Gentiles.
We owe to the Templars the formation of the European financial system, as well as the development of trade with the East. They made a great contribution to the development of crafts and agriculture, since artisans and peasants who served the order were exempted not only from the usual numerous secular taxes, but also from church taxes, including from tithes, paying only the fee established by the order. which was much less than the fees listed above.
For many, the only way of salvation from church persecution and secular intrigue was to join the order, where the new brothers were greeted with all cordiality, and the Templar's cloak itself was a reliable protection from any accusations against them.
Much was done by the Templars to prevent wars in Europe. They often mediated in political and dynastic conflicts. Vitally interested in the unification of all Christian states, they were the loyal support of the Roman throne. Submitting directly only to the Pope himself, the Templars often opposed abuses committed by bishops in their dioceses, especially if these abuses were directed against them. In fact, they were the only force seriously limiting the power of the bishops in their (bishops') domain.
The Templars did not tarnish themselves by participating in the crusade against the Albigensians, motivating their refusal by the fact that one of the vows taken by members of the order was a ban on engaging in battle with Christians. For the same reason, the Templars did not participate in the assault, shameful for the honor of European chivalry, and the capture of Byzantium, the last stronghold of the once mighty Roman Empire, when, instead of attacking their Muslim enemies, the most ancient Christian city was destroyed and plundered.
Thanks to their contacts with the advanced civilization of the Middle East at that time, the Templars did a lot for the development of European culture. In general, it is difficult to find a sphere of social life of that era, in which the Templars would not show themselves at their best.
Of course, they were not alien to the shortcomings inherent in the people of that era, they made serious political and military mistakes, but they were all more than used? Purchased by the Templars in blood shed on the battlefield.
For further narration, it will be useful to briefly describe the stage of the origin of the order and its internal structure.
After the troops of the crusaders under the leadership of Gottfried of Boulogne and his brother Baudouin (baldouin) in July 1099 took Jerusalem, sacred for the representatives of the three great confessions - Judaism, Christianity and Islam - the star of the new state - the kingdom Jerusalem. It was headed by Gottfried of Boulogne, who at first did not accept the royal title and called himself only "Protector of the Holy Sepulcher". But already in 1100, his brother, who inherited the eastern kingdom (another name for the Jerusalem or Latin kingdom of the Crusaders), took the crown and ruled like a true king - with all his inherent courage and wisdom. A subtle politician, Baldwin I did a lot to attract new subjects from all over Europe to his state.
But the young state was still too weak. Among other things, there was a great shortage of soldiers who could ensure the normal and uninterrupted functioning of the state machine. Thus, the stream of pilgrims and displaced persons flowing from everywhere brought with it a new problem - the need to ensure safety on the roads of the country.
In 1118, a certain champagne knight, Hugo de Payenne, with a small group of companions dedicated themselves to serving the pilgrims and protecting them on their way to the holy places.
But let us provide an excerpt from the chronicle compiled by Cardinal Jacques de Vitry, which speaks for itself:
“Certain knights, beloved by God and in his service, abandoned the world and dedicated themselves to Christ. With solemn vows made before the Patriarch of Jerusalem, they pledged to protect the pilgrims from robbers and thieves, guard the roads and serve the knighthood of the Lord. They observed poverty, chastity, and obedience, following the rule of the regular canons. At their head were two venerable men - Hugh de Payenne and Geoffroy de Saint - Omer. At first, there were only nine of those who made such a holy decision, and for nine years they served in worldly clothes and dressed in what the believers gave them as alms. King Baldwin II, his knights and the lord the patriarch were filled with compassion for these noble people, who left everything for Christ's sake, and granted them some property and benefits,in order to help in their needs and to save the souls of the givers. And since they did not have a church or dwelling that would belong to them, the king settled them in his chambers, near the temple of the Lord. The abbot and the canons of the temple provided them with land for the needs of their ministry not far from the chambers: therefore they were later called "Templars" - "temples -.
In the summer of 1128, having lived together and, according to their vocation, in poverty for nine years, through the care of Pope Honorius and Stephen, the patriarch of Jerusalem, they acquired a charter, and white clothes were laid on them. “Later, during the time of Pope Eugene, they sewed a red cross on their clothes, using white as an emblem of innocence, and red as martyrdom.
