''Omne datum optimum'' (latin for "Every perfect gift", a quotation from the
Epistle of James
The Epistle of James). is a general epistle and one of the 21 epistles ( didactic letters) in the New Testament.
James 1:1 identifies the author as "James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ" who is writing to "the twelve tribes ...
1:17) was a
papal bull issued by
Pope Innocent II on 29 March 1139 that endorsed the Order of the Poor Knights of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon (
Knights Templar), in which the Templar Rule was officially approved, and
papal protection given.
Background
By the end of the 1130s the Templars had prospered as a complete military order with a stratified structure, due to the efforts of Grand Master
Robert de Craon. Already facing ecclesiastical criticism of receiving tithes and alms, Robert de Craon realized the Order could only flourish with papal support. It was during one of Robert's visits to France and Italy, that Innocent II issued the bull ''Omne datum optimum'' on 29 March 1139.
Contents
The contents of ''Omne datum optimum'':
*promised all spoils from
Muslim conquest to the Order
*allowed the Order to build churches, cemeteries, and houses
*permitted a chaplain in every house
*leaders of the Order could expel unworthy members
*allowed chapels for members and burials
*forbid the election of an outsider as Master of the Order
*no homage or tithes were to be extracted from the Order
Included in the contents of the bull was the creation of a group of chaplain brothers for the Order. They were capable of hearing confessions and giving absolution, to all members of the Orders. The ''Omne datum optimum'' gave the Order the papal sanction it needed to operate independently of ecclesiastical and secular authorities.
Aftermath
''Omne datum optimum'' was followed by
Pope Celestine II
Pope Celestine II ( la, Caelestinus II; died 8 March 1144), born Guido di Castello,Thomas, pg. 91 was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 26 September 1143 to his death in 1144.
Early life
Guido di Castello, possibly ...
's ''
Milites Templi
''Milites Templi'' (Latin for "Soldiers of the Temple") was a papal bull issued by Pope Celestine II in 1144.
It ordered the clergy to protect the Knights Templar and encouraged the faithful to contribute to their cause. It allowed the Templa ...
'' in 1144 and
Pope Eugene III
Pope Eugene III ( la, Eugenius III; c. 1080 – 8 July 1153), born Bernardo Pignatelli, or possibly Paganelli, called Bernardo da Pisa, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 15 February 1145 to his death in 1153. He ...
's ''
Militia Dei'' in 1145, which together gave the Templars an extraordinary range of rights and privileges.
See also
*''
Pie postulatio voluntatis'', a similar bull that gave papal protection to the
Knights Hospitaller
The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem ( la, Ordo Fratrum Hospitalis Sancti Ioannis Hierosolymitani), commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), was a medieval and early modern Catholic military order. It was headq ...
Notes
References
Sources
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*{{cite book , chapter=Introduction , title=The Rule of the Templars: The French Text of the Rule of the Order of the Knights Templar , editor-first=Judith Mary , editor-last1=Upton-Ward , publisher=The Boydell Press , year=1997
Knights Templar
1139 works
12th-century papal bulls
Documents of Pope Innocent II