Titles for priests

I'm writing a novel about English Templars in the Third Crusade and have as one of the major characters a Hospitaller priest. Does anyone know what honorific was used when addressing priests during this era? "Father" has only been used for the past 150 years or so.

I know that anyone of the office of Provost or higher would have been addressed as "Domine", which in the post-Reformation era, at least, often got shortened to "Domne" and then, of course, to "Dom" (this evolution of pronunciation was influenced by French); and that priests in the mendicant orders who completed the university studium (as well as the secular clergy who put up the brave fight against the mendicants for control of chairs at the universities in the 13th century) would have been addressed as "Magister".

ETA: Though I don't think he discussed this specific point, it may come up in passing in Jonathan Riley-Smith's Hospitallers: The History of the Orders of St. John or Templars and Hospitallers as Professed Religious in the Holy Land.

I may have found it (after LT reminded me that I have JR-S's latter book): the commander of the order would have been addressed as "Master", and the Hospitaller priests (who lived as "monk-knights" in that peculiar crusading invention of a conversio) would have been addressed as "Brother".

Thanks for this. Malcolm Barber suggested to me that it might be 'Dom' and if JR-S concurs that is good enough for me. The question now becomes: do I continue to use 'Father' (because it is familiar to modern readers -- this has been Cornwell's practice) or should I use 'Dom' (b/c it's correct, even if a bit unfamiliar). Any thoughts?

You won't be writing in 12th century language otherwise, I presume, so I'd incline towards translating honorifcs too into modern equivalents.

>4 aalatham:: Actually, I would go with "Brother" rather than "Dom" (JR-S supports the titles of "Brother" for the regular knights and "Master" for the commander of the order / commanders of the subpriories).

Good points both, but I'm still kinda torn about this. Not sure 'Brother' works for Templar chaplains (who were priests, as opposed to knights and serjeants who were monks). But either way, since the character in question is a priest, I still have to decide between Dom and Father. Anyone want to break the tie?

>7 aalatham:: Good point on the distinction between the chaplain and the knights. I guess it depends on what type of feel you want your historical fiction to have: "Dom" will give it an intentional patina of age, while "Fr." will keep your readers from tripping over it (i.e. do you want to emphasize its alterity or try to make it as easy as possible for the reader to relate?).

That's it exactly (and put better than I did). Currently trending toward Dom...