Holy Blood and the Holy Grail

I have begun reading the novel Holy Blood and the Holy Grail, and also bought it's sequel, The Messianic Legacy.

Both novels are written by Michael Baigent, Richard Leigh & Henry Lincoln.

The books present an interesting theory about Christ. To sum up, they state that Jesus did not die on the cross, and that he married Mary Magdalene, and fathered children. Up until around the 11th - 12th centuries, it is claimed the nearly all of the European Monarchs were descended from the royal line of Jesus. Yes, royal line, as Jesus was the literal king of the Jews, as he was a descendant of the Davidic line.

I find the theory very interesting, and is a very easy to read and enjoyable book so far.

The novel goes into detail about the history of the Knights Templar. The book describes a secret society called Prieure de Sion, whose aim is to unite the Jewish, Christian and Islamic relgions, and to have an eventual Theocratic United States of Europe, restoring the monarchy that was descended from Jesus.

Hmmm... perhaps the second coming of Christ could be different to what we think? Perhaps if there is a revelation of a direct descendant of Christ, this person could be claimed to be a kind of 'second coming'.

Has anyone else read these novels, and have they changed your opinion on Christ or religion?

 

I haven't read those books, but I've seen documentaries on them on the Discovery and/or History Channels.

Of course, these are theories which deny the resurrection of Jesus. The resurrection after His crucifixion is the cornerstone of the Christian faith - with belief in him as the Son of God and Messiah.

Such were the same theories by the Jews of the first century when the resurrection took place - that he didn't die, or the Apostles stole the body or other theories such as this one.

 

I have read the book as well as several similar ones although it has been two or three years.

In some ways they have changed my view on Christ: they've helped me discover who he could have been. I don't believe everything the books said, but it was incredibly interesting to read about the unknown life of Jesus and how his "blood" (blood-line) survived and was possibly in Europe. It's made me read a lot about the Knights Templar and other "secret" societies.

All in all it's still a theory. There is no strong empirical evidence. If there had been perhaps we'd have known of it earlier.

I've never read their sequal, but perhaps I'll have to pick it up sometime. I'll look into it when I get back from vacation

 

It sounds a bit like someone is trying to justify the 'devine rights' of kings and queens.

 

sounds a bit like someone is trying to justify the 'devine rights' of kings and queens.

Hardly.

It's a novel, ie fiction. There's no need for such defensiveness on your part.

 

It's a novel, ie fiction. There's no need for such defensiveness on your part.


That's the point. THese books are novels, and don't really have much basis in fact.

I'll go with the Bible, a document that has been written from the words of the Lord, than what these three men made up for money.

 

Is this just idle speculation / conspiracy theory, or are the books a springboard to examining faith and Christian views?

 

This theory has been floating around for years and yet no hard evidence to prove it has surfaced. Until something does show up which can be proven not to be a fraud or have it's authenticity in question, few will believe this theory.

 

I believe that this thread can be used as a springboard to examine the life of christ, and faith in general (if you are a Christian).

I became a Christian during 1996-97, and my faith has waxed and waned over the years. I found the books to be very interesting and thought provoking.

I wouldn't exactly label them as fiction / novels, but I wouldn't also categorize them in the traditional mainstream scientific research... perhaps somewhere in between.