"Teutonic Military Orders (vs Osprey Teutonic Knight WAR 124)" Topic

While reading the Osprey WAR 124 'Teutonic Knight 1190 – 1561" I noted a lot of the text was very biased and clearly erroneous.

For instance, the authors actually try to claim the Teutonic Order required members to receive Holy Communion "seven times a day" which they then went on to claim "could be difficult in the short daylight hours of a northern winter" (p. 26).

Clearly the authors had taken absolutely no effort to either verify their information or bother to conduct the most basic of research. The Church has always allowed Holy Communion only once per day. Period.

A simple search found a copy of the Teutonic Military Orders:

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Of course this clarifies the matter by revealing that brethren must receive the Holy Sacrament a minimum of seven times a year.

All the authors had to do was simply take the time and read the Military Orders. Since they either did not (or have severe problems with comprehension …) you now can!

Then again, perhaps this false information was inserted deliberately.

Sadly, the Osprey book is full of bias and prejudice against, not just the Order, but also the Catholic Faith and, it seems, Christianity in general.

In addition, here is a Doctoral dissertation on the Teutonic Order:

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Interesting observation re: the Osprey book, and great links. Thanks for posting!

Having written several books for Osprey my experience is that the editors spend very little time on the accuracy or substance of the text but are far more concerned that the proper number of illustrations are provided, even if the illustrations add very little to the overall book or are just repeated from book to book since there are a limited number of graphics available.

Just a point of clarification, Catholics can receive Holy Communion twice a day.

One of the significant changes for the faithful in the Code of Canon Law which was promulgated in 1983 was the permission to receive Holy Communion more than once per day. In the past the law set certain conditions, such as participation in a funeral, marriage or ordination Mass.

This is canon 917.

The exception to this is the one given in the law itself, canon 921, 2.

"2. Even if they have received Communion in the same day, those who are in danger of death are strongly urged to receive again."

Thus, Communion given as Viaticum may be received at any time.

Prior to 1983 it was only once per day. Even that was not a practice common in the Church.

It was only in 1905 that Pope Pius X issued 'Sacra Tridentina'.

"The question concerning the dispositions required to receive the Eucharist daily; so that this practice, so salutary and so pleasing to God, not only might suffer no decrease among the faithful, but rather that it increase and everywhere be promoted, especially in these days when religion and the Catholic faith are attacked on all sides, and the true love of God and piety are so frequently lacking."

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As can be read in the Catholic Encyclopedia (1909):

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From the Catholic Encyclopedia:

"Good Christians still communicated once a week, down to the time of Charlemagne, but after the break-up of his empire this custom came to an end. St. Bede bears witness to the Roman practice of communicating on Sundays and on the feasts of the Apostles and Martyrs, and laments the rarity of reception in England (Ep. ad Egb. in P.L., XCIV, 665).

Strange to say, it was in the Middle Ages, "the Ages of Faith", that Communion was less frequent than at any other period of the Church's history. The Fourth Lateran Council compelled the faithful, under pain of excommunication, to receive at least once a year (c. Omnis utriusque sexus). The Poor Clares, by rule, communicated six times a year; the Dominicanesses, fifteen times; the Third Order of St. Dominic, four times. Even saints received rarely: St. Louis six times a year, St. Elizabeth only three times."