Who were the German Templers living in Haifa during the 19th century, and
what inspired them to leave their German homeland to build a community in
Palestine?
Who were the Bahá’ís living in Palestine during the 19th century, and why
had they been banished to the prison city of Acca?
And what connection could there possibly be between two such diverse groups
from such different cultures, one from the East and the other from the
West?
In October 1868 two families arrived by steamer at the port of Haifa, in
Palestine. They had abandoned all they had ever known in their German
homeland in order to settle in the Holy Land, and as time went by they were
joined by other families, establishing roots at the foot of Mount Carmel.
Calling themselves the Temple Society, they had one aim - to gather the
Children of God in Jerusalem in preparation for the Second Coming of
Christ.
The German Templers emerged in Germany during the mid-19th century, their
history a legacy of preceding centuries during which various Christian
groups bravely undertook to establish the perfect Christian religion in
preparation for Christ’s promised return. To find out what influenced and
inspired them, the reader is taken on a brief journey through the often
extraordinary and colourful lives of some of the prominent figures who
undoubtedly influenced Templer philosophy.
Two months before the Templers finally achieved their dream and landed in
Haifa, a group of exiles had arrived at the prison city of Acca, just a few
miles north across the bay. Prisoners of the Ottoman Empire, their arrival
in Palestine marked their final destination following fifteen years of
successive banishments from Persia. Their leader was Bahá’u’lláh, the
founder of the Bahá’í Faith. The spiritual significance of the encounters
between the Templers and the Bahá’ís becomes clear as the history in Seeking a State of Heaven unfolds.