Parallels

[JOHN THURSTON]

In the Movie about the Holy Land depicting an era around 1305 (The Kingdom of Heaven):

1. those Christians who had been there a while (200-1 year) were divided into two major factions.

2. depicted as the Templars and their supporters.

One wanted coexistence and stemmed from the original Norman fighters (Tancred the Great, Humphrey de Bohemund, Godrfey de Boulion) who carved out the Latin Kingdom of Outremer in the mid 12th century.

They and there ancestors wanted one thing they could not get at home---Land!!!

Headed by the leper king Baldwin the IV ( the bravest man I ever even heard of) they wanted some degree of peace, coexistence and TO KEEP THEIR LANDS!!

The second faction, allegedly headed by Guy de Lusignan and Reymond De Chattillion, were fanactics and wanted a fight. This fight Baldwin knew they could not win.

When Baldwin passed away at 27 Guy de Lusignan became King.

His faction burned with fervor and lacked the "greed" of the Norman based Latin Kingdoms had whose practicality needed the peace to be kept.

Lusignan said to Chatillion "give me a war".

Now, The History of the Latin Kingdom and the 1st and 2nd Crusade is much more complicated.

However, the peace was broken and the Army of the Latin Kingdom was utterly crushed at the "Horns of Hattin" by the Army of Saladin.
Jerusalem was retaken after two hundred years in Latin hands. Much of the Latin Kingdom remained.

The point being simply that the strings of "the Holy land" are often being pulled by those whose life is not physically centered their.

In this instance the "Give Me a War" imprimatur was issued by Iran,

Hisbollah actually resembles the Fighting orders of Christian Priests such as the Knights Templars and Knights Hospitalers.

How much has really changed since Samson fought the Phillistines (aka Palestinians ) 4000 years past?

JT