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ph230's review against another edition
3.0
I've studied history, I did not enjoy Dan Brow's books (any of them, I'd read of them), but I enjoyed the reading of this one, although it's quite redundant.
Too bad the ground for their researches is a fake.
Anyway, it is worth to read.
Too bad the ground for their researches is a fake.
Anyway, it is worth to read.
prosewhore's review against another edition
3.0
I've been meaning to buy this one for AGES only to realise I had it in French in my library (goes to say I have way too many books but that's a topic for another day)!
It's no secret that I'm a conspiracy theory fanatic, I have to hold myself back from spending all my days in a basement reading pages upon pages on the supposed illuminati secrets. It's not that I necessarily believe in it all I just find the idea of those secret societies ruling the world very interesting.
I found Holy Blood, Holy Grail pretty riveting, despite a few chapters on genealogy that could have used some serious editing. I'm not really convinced about the priory of sion holding the secrets to Jesus' bloodline, some of the theories of relations between people are honestly so far fetched, however in between all this are some really interesting historical facts about the south of France (in which I happen to live hehe), the cathars, the templars etc.. If anything, this book made me want to research more about the history of my country, which in my opinion is always a good thing. As to Jesus, I'm not catholic but I wouldn't see an issue with his image being more human than godly and I would adore to know which documents now accepted as part of the bible have been changed, cut and why by the decision makers back in the day. I wouldn't be surprised or shocked if he had had a wife, or children, now the resurection is a whole other topic but to be fair, my knowledge about the bible and christianity stay very limited so I wouldn't say whether I think their theories could prove to be true or not, I have no idea..
As to know if " Holy Blood, Holy Grail" is a good book, it's entertaining yes, but a decent history book would certainly be a more valuable read. And I'm definitely turning to that soon, I very much want to know more about the history of catholicism, if anyone has recommendations, I'll take them gladly !
It's no secret that I'm a conspiracy theory fanatic, I have to hold myself back from spending all my days in a basement reading pages upon pages on the supposed illuminati secrets. It's not that I necessarily believe in it all I just find the idea of those secret societies ruling the world very interesting.
I found Holy Blood, Holy Grail pretty riveting, despite a few chapters on genealogy that could have used some serious editing. I'm not really convinced about the priory of sion holding the secrets to Jesus' bloodline, some of the theories of relations between people are honestly so far fetched, however in between all this are some really interesting historical facts about the south of France (in which I happen to live hehe), the cathars, the templars etc.. If anything, this book made me want to research more about the history of my country, which in my opinion is always a good thing. As to Jesus, I'm not catholic but I wouldn't see an issue with his image being more human than godly and I would adore to know which documents now accepted as part of the bible have been changed, cut and why by the decision makers back in the day. I wouldn't be surprised or shocked if he had had a wife, or children, now the resurection is a whole other topic but to be fair, my knowledge about the bible and christianity stay very limited so I wouldn't say whether I think their theories could prove to be true or not, I have no idea..
As to know if " Holy Blood, Holy Grail" is a good book, it's entertaining yes, but a decent history book would certainly be a more valuable read. And I'm definitely turning to that soon, I very much want to know more about the history of catholicism, if anyone has recommendations, I'll take them gladly !
tbr_the_unconquered's review against another edition
On reflection, I think more about the boring classes that I had to go through in school and college than the good ones. At idle moments, they suddenly seem to pop up as random images in my mind. The endless sessions of doodle, half baked attempts at writing and so on but above all that is that dull and dreary tone that some lecturers assume. The kind of tone that numbs your brain but never lets you sleep is what I mean ! If this book had a voice, it would be the voice of such a lecturer.
There was that promise of long lost secrets, ancient legends and a conspiracy theory but then it is buried under huge volumes of pedantic information about the Kinghts Templar and The Priory Of Sion. Beyond 200 pages, the last vestige of interest was lost. Maybe some other time.
I created a bookshelf specifically for abandoned books. The number nowadays is slightly increasing.
There was that promise of long lost secrets, ancient legends and a conspiracy theory but then it is buried under huge volumes of pedantic information about the Kinghts Templar and The Priory Of Sion. Beyond 200 pages, the last vestige of interest was lost. Maybe some other time.
I created a bookshelf specifically for abandoned books. The number nowadays is slightly increasing.
the_games_a_foot's review against another edition
4.0
While this book will forever hold a special place in my heart, spirit, and library. It is not academically sound.
I read this book at a very young age, barely into my teens, when I felt so isolated and strange. My heart could not imagine the image that orthodoxy had given Jesus in that last 1,750 years or so. He felt cold distant a stranger that was totally inconsistent with how the Church said I should feel.
Reading this book felt like I was getting validation that there were and are more ways of interpreting the life, character, and your relationship with Jesus than I ever had thought possible to that point. In some ways it was like coming home. What I didn't realize in the late 1990s was that I had started on a path that has consumed the rest of my life.
I study history and specifically religion for a living now, and while I have always loved history; this book spurred me to continue to find the "truth" of who and what Jesus was. As I have grown older both personally, academically, and professionally I have realized that the truth in history, especially this far back, very subjective and open to a myriad of interpretations. And as an academic, I would rarely if ever use this book as a source of proof for my assertions; the authors admit at several points that they have had access to material that is not readily available to the majority of the academic community. While I am happy they got that rarefied access, because they use that information to justify points of their thesis for me, academically, it throws the entire book into doubt regarding provability. So I cannot in good conscious use this an authoritative text in research.
But as I mentioned it has special meaning for me nonetheless, and I do recommend it as a read if you have not.
I read this book at a very young age, barely into my teens, when I felt so isolated and strange. My heart could not imagine the image that orthodoxy had given Jesus in that last 1,750 years or so. He felt cold distant a stranger that was totally inconsistent with how the Church said I should feel.
Reading this book felt like I was getting validation that there were and are more ways of interpreting the life, character, and your relationship with Jesus than I ever had thought possible to that point. In some ways it was like coming home. What I didn't realize in the late 1990s was that I had started on a path that has consumed the rest of my life.
I study history and specifically religion for a living now, and while I have always loved history; this book spurred me to continue to find the "truth" of who and what Jesus was. As I have grown older both personally, academically, and professionally I have realized that the truth in history, especially this far back, very subjective and open to a myriad of interpretations. And as an academic, I would rarely if ever use this book as a source of proof for my assertions; the authors admit at several points that they have had access to material that is not readily available to the majority of the academic community. While I am happy they got that rarefied access, because they use that information to justify points of their thesis for me, academically, it throws the entire book into doubt regarding provability. So I cannot in good conscious use this an authoritative text in research.
But as I mentioned it has special meaning for me nonetheless, and I do recommend it as a read if you have not.
nathan_hetrick's review against another edition
4.0
Perhaps because I've read several theological books as part of my college studies, I didn't find this as daunting or boring as some other reviewers. I for one find it illogical to assume that Jesus wasn't married, but I came to that conclusion long before reading this book. Much of this book is educated guesses. Not that such guesses in and of themselves are problematic, but that readers need to be aware that books based on the Holy Grail are dealing with scant evidence. The Roman Catholic Church has had a tendency in the past to burn books which are threatening to its own theology, thus the scant evidence.
prof_pelon's review against another edition
2.0
Okay read. I would not recommend it to anyone who is at all offended by the idea of a purely historical (not divine) Christ. It was really interesting but there were huge gaps in their conclusions. Granted I do not know much about the period but their method seemed a little flawed. If you love conspiracy theory's then this is a good book for you. If you are looking for a historical truth... you probably wont find it here. Their historical stuff seemed accurate, they just relied to heavily on documents that were leaked from a secret society and had no historical backing. Their conclusions about Christ and Mary Magdalena/Lazarus were fascinating though.
raoulduke1312's review against another edition
4.0
There is a chance somewhere between 0% and 100% of this being true but no matter what, it's infinitely more plausible than the standard story. That said, it's almost certainly bullshit and I'm having mental images of Umberto Eco laughing to himself as he writes the authors into Foucault's Pendulum. Either way, it was entertaining as hell and it's amusing to imagine how butthurt Christians were when it was first published.
Four stars and I'll refrain from putting it on my books-for-idiots shelf because of how much I enjoyed it.
Four stars and I'll refrain from putting it on my books-for-idiots shelf because of how much I enjoyed it.
ms_smith's review against another edition
4.0
Interesting hypothesis about our world. At first it looks like there are no connections between things, but the deeper meaning of things is more important that we first thought.
pretty_little_bibliophile's review against another edition
4.0
Originally published on 1 December 1982, The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail is a really interesting book. I first learnt of it when I read Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code and then subsequently watched the book. I loved them both so much that I so wanted to get my hands of this book. Really grateful to Sankalpa for lending me this book!
If you are a lover of conspiracy theories then this is for you definitely! Having read The Da Vinci Code which was explosive on its own, I was surprised that I never knew about it and about this book too. However, it is not to be taken as the ultimate truth. The authors do claim that this is a hypothesis they have put forward. However, reading such 'scandalous' matter may make the reader forget about the disclaimer put at the beginning. Nonetheless, it is an interesting read, so to say.
If you are a lover of conspiracy theories then this is for you definitely! Having read The Da Vinci Code which was explosive on its own, I was surprised that I never knew about it and about this book too. However, it is not to be taken as the ultimate truth. The authors do claim that this is a hypothesis they have put forward. However, reading such 'scandalous' matter may make the reader forget about the disclaimer put at the beginning. Nonetheless, it is an interesting read, so to say.
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