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Message: <blockquote data-quote="candidus_cogitens" data-source="post: 235853" data-attributes="member: 770">The Hospitalers, Templars, and Teutonic Knights are specifically medieval Christian orders associated with the Crusades.  I am unconvinced that this is the heart of the cleric class, for three main reasons:First of all, that's what the paladin is.  The paladin represents the medieval knight after the church began to sanction the knight as a divine vocation, rather than just another vassal warrior that a king could conscript into military service.  Historically, the crusaders that you refer to are just a more specific evolution of this  type of knight.Secondly, look up the word "cleric."  You will not find any reference to warfare.  That's because a cleric is basically a priestly figure.  They practice religious "magic," i.e., by calling upon the power of the divine through prayer and ritual.  In some cultures, priestly figures such as Christian priests, Native American medicine men, etc. have been thought to have the power to cast out evil spirits.  Hence, the ability to turn undead. Thirdly, the medieval crusader types have been incorporated into D&D as prestige classes.  That's because they are in fact a more narrow type of archetype that is related to but different from the broader and more universal archetype of the cleric.Finally, you should be aware that the term "church militant" or ecclesia militans, in Christian theology, has nothing to do with military.  It refers to the understanding that in the present age the faithful are regarded as being engaged in a metaphorical battle with evil.  I realize that nobody really cares about this stuff.  And I don't really think we necessarily should be.  I just think we should be aware that the archetype is not in fact accurately reflected in the cleric class.</blockquote>

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