In this presentation, our subject is the Order of St. John of Jerusalem, a/k/a Knights Hospitaller; Knights of Rhodes and Knights of Malta, and specifically their role in the Great Siege of Malta in 1565 and a brief look at the symbolism of the Maltese Cross.
This subject is of importance to history of Western civilization and of interest to Freemasons, specifically York Rite Masons, is due to the symbolism associated with the title “Knight of Malta” and the Maltese Cross the symbol of the Order of Malta. The intent of this paper to to explore other symbolism associated with this title and symbol. One can ask, why is the Maltese Cross in many quarters of the Islamic world, to this very day, a much hated and feared symbol? The answer in part is that it is a symbolic representation of the historical struggle between Islam & Christianity, wherein the Order of St. John of Jerusalem was in the forefront of that struggle. The Maltese Cross was the banner of the Christian forces at the battle of Malta. For that reason, we need to explore what this symbol means.