Christopher Columbus, the Last Templar

Description

Was Columbus a Templar? According to the historic documents and maps revealed by Ruggero Marino, Columbus shared their dream of Christians, Muslims and Jews living in peace in a New Jerusalem and his voyage across the Atlantic was both to find new passage to Asia and to find the place where the New Jerusalem could be built. Marino draws parallels between Marco Polo's journey east over the Silk Route and Columbus' sea voyages and reveals that Columbus studied ancient texts and maps from the Vatican Library, access to which was granted by Pope Innocent VIII - who Marino shows to be Columbus's true father. Innocent VIII (whose own father was Jewish and grandmother was Muslim) was the perfect individual to further the Templars' plan to create a universal religion combining the spiritual wisdom of the three faiths. Marino shows that Innocent's 'disappearance' and the story that Columbus merely stumbled onto the New World were part of a calculated political and theological cover-up. While King Ferdinand (the model for Machiavelli's The Prince) and Queen Isabella of Spain are heralded with funding Columbus' 'discovery' of America, it was Innocent VIII who was the main sponsor and mastermind of the expedition. To obscure the purpose of the voyages and give Spain the credit for the New World discovery, Ferdinand and his agent Pope Alexander VI (Rodrigo Borgia), Pope Innocent VIII's successor, initiated the disinformation campaign that has lasted for over 500 years.

Ruggero Marino is a journalist who has worked for Il Tempo in Rome since 1963 and has served as a special correspondent in over 50 countries. He has been researching the history of Columbus's life and times for more than 16 years, and his first book about Columbus won the Scanno Prize in Italy. He lives in Rome.

"Marino illuminates the spiritual and cultural significance and esoteric roots of the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus. With a scholar's intellectual discipline, a poet's eye for creativity, and a detective's passion for meaning, his extensive historical research and lyrical writing style bring the Renaissance to life." * James Wasserman, author of An Illustrated History of the Knights Templar and The Templars and the As * ". . . recently unearthed documents reveal [Christopher Columbus] left a far more dramatic legacy as a visionary who accurately foresaw events six centuries in the future!" * Sun, Jan 2008 * " . . . those who have a desire to uncover more about the mysteries of the discovery of America will be well rewarded." * M. Wayne Cunningham, Mysteries Magazine, Issue 20, Spring 2008 * "This book is worth reading for its great detail on the world of Columbus's time, and the connections among the people involved in the humanist plot to create America." * Charles Hughes, 21st Century Science & Technology, Fall 2008 * "Marino expertly analyzes the history and myth of Columbus and his discovery of the New World by drawing parallels between Marco Polo's journey over the Silk Road and Columbus's sea voyages. He reveals that Pope Innocent VII allowed Columbus access to ancient world maps owned by the Vatican to plan his journey, even though rumors were ripe at the time that Columbus was actually a Templar. This is a well-written tome on the legends and rumors that surround the history-making voyage of 1492." * Michael Lohr, Renaissance Magazine, Feb 2009 *