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Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel!
You asked for our opinion of <Commandery of Antioch> as the name for a Crusader order similar to the Templars but unrelated to the historical order; and of a badge with a black hand charged on the palm with a gold Chi-Rho. Here is what we have found.
The word <commandery> is first noted in English in 1537 and first used with the appropriate meaning (a grant of land held by an order of knights and administered by an officer of the order) in 1540 [1]. The cognate French word, <commanderie> is recorded in 1347 [2]. That's still later than your group persona, but not so much so as to make it impossible that the word could have been used by a Crusader order. On the other hand, you may want to consider the historical mis-match and research further on how Crusader orders described their establishments.
There is a good chance that the College of Arms will not allow you to register the name <Commandery of Antioch>. The College's rules forbid any name which implies territorial jurisdiction; and the formal definition of <commandery>, which I quoted above, certainly carries that implication. You aren't obliged to register the name in order to use it, but you did indicate interest in registration.
The badge you described can be blazoned "On a hand sable, a chi-rho Or." This design is compatible with the College of Arms' rules for heraldic style, but we aren't sure that it is typical of the early medieval period you are trying to re-create. We have found no examples of the chi-rho used in period heraldry. That doesn't mean it wasn't used or can't be used, but it does incline us to recommend against it.
Unfortunately, your design is too similar to another badge which has already been submitted for registration with the College of Arms: "On a gauntlet sable an escarbuncle Or". That badge was submitted for the Order of the Gage by the kingdom of Aethelmearc. If you want to register your badge, you will need either to change your design to avoid this conflict or obtain permission to conflict from Aethelmearc. You could avoid the conflict by making your chi-rho "argent" rather than "Or".
I hope this letter has been useful. Please write us again if any part of it has been unclear or if you have other questions. I was assisted in researching and writing this letter by Alan Fairfax, Lothar von Katzenellenbogen, Margaret Makafee, Pedro de Alcazar, Jaelle of Armida, Talan Gwynek, and Elsbeth Anne Roth.
For the Academy,
Arval Benicoeur
References
[1] --, _The Compact Edition of the Oxford English Dictionary_ (New York:
Oxford University Press, 1973).
[2] Robert, Paul, _Le Petit Robert 1: Dictionnaire alphabétique et
analogique de la langue franc,ais_ (Paris: Le Robert, 1985).