The Morning Call, Friday, May 13, 2005
Story by Tim Blangger on the significance of Friday the 13th and its link to bad luck includes comments by Brennan Pursell, assistant professor of history at DeSales. Blangger cites Dan Brown's blockbuster, "The Da Vinci Code," in which one of the theories links the date to a mass arrest of members of the Knights Templar in 1307. He notes that Brown attributes the mass arrest to Pope Clement, but it was actually French monarch, King Philip The Fair, who arranged the arrests because he wanted the land and money the Knights Templar had obtained while serving as bodyguards for pilgrims to the Holy Land. Pursell states that Philip was ruthless and wanted control over the church and the Knights Templar were one of his biggest targets. According to Pursell the Brown connection shows you a lot about our post-modern society and the things we want to believe. Pursell says, "Read the book. It is a good story. It is a wild goose chase. It has all the making of an absolute best seller and a smash movie. It was written to succeed. But, does it have any basis in truth? Extremely small."
Press Release: How did Friday the 13th get such a bad rap? | Posted on: 5/13/2005
For more info:
Tom McNamara, Executive Director of Communications
DeSales University | 2255 Station Avenue | Center Valley, PA 18034
610.282.1100 x1219 | Tom.McNamara@desales.edu |
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