The book on which Dan Brown based
some of the information he used to write The Da Vinci Code
Holy Blood and the Holy Grail:
Michael Baigent's Book Reviewed
by Brian Alan Burhoe
As Justice Peter Smith
concluded in the court battle between Michael Baigent, one of the
authors of The
Holy Blood and the Holy Grail and Dan Brown, author of
The Da Vinci Code:
"As usual with books that
attract a lot of publicity, they have attracted the wrath of the
literary experts of the world. Fortunately, it is not part of my
judgment to assess the literary worth of the books, or even the
truth behind them."
The popularity of The Da
Vinci Code has brought The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail
by Michael Baigent, Richard Leigh & Henry Lincoln back to the best
seller lists.
Holy Blood was the
first of a whole line of books that have explored areas of the
esoteric. Baigent's
The Jesus Papers is his most recent.
When Holy Blood first
appeared in 1982, its publisher stated: "The subject of this book
could constitute the single most shattering secret of the last two
thousand years."
As Newsweek said: "The plot
has all the elements of an international thriller!"
Novelist Anthony Burgess
observed: "It is typical of my unregenerable soul that I can only
see this as a marvelous theme for a novel."
Certainly, a vast number of
people have become enthralled with the story of the 19th Century
French priest who, in his mountain village at the foot of the
Pyrenees Mountains, discovered "something" which enabled him to
amass and spend a fortune of millions of dollars.
The tale seems to begin with
buried treasure and then turns into an unprecedented historical
detective story -- a modern Holy Grail quest leading back through
cryptically coded parchments, the marital status of Jesus, the
Crucifixion, secret societies, the Knights Templar, the Cathar
Heretics of the 12th Century, and a dynasty of obscure French kings
deposed more than 1300 years ago.
After more than ten years of
research, Baigent and his co-writers published the results of their
enquiry into this taunting enigma.
What really lies at the core
of the discovery of Rennes-le-Chateau isn't material riches, but a
Secret -- a secret of explosive and controversial proportions, which
radiates out from the little Pyrenees village to encompass the whole
of Western civilization.
The Secret involves nothing
less than the Holy Grail -- not as the mystical chalice of Medieval
legend, but as something more tangible...
To see more on this history,
go to
Medieval Christian Mysticism & Modern Dream Interpretation.
Interestingly, Baigent was
himself first inspired to explore this whole subject when he read
the mystery novel Le Tresor Maudit by Gerard de Sede: "A
mystery story -- a lightweight, entertaining blend of historic fact,
genuine mystery and conjecture."
Holy Blood was
followed, in 1986, by
The Messianic Legacy. Their most historical and factual
The Temple And The Lodge followed -- the illuminating
investigation of the Knights Templar and Freemasonry. This
particular theme has been picked up by such authors as Knight &
Lomas with
The Hiram Key and Keith Laidler with The Head Of God.
What all these and other
books have done is to give us a new Genre: Speculative Non-Fiction.
Whether we believe them or not (and the Templar mysteries have a lot
of solid research behind them) -- the fact is that as a form it
works. And it works better in the non-fiction format than as
fiction. The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail is more fun than The Da
Vinci Code.
For more on these subjects,
see "The Knights Templar: The Warrior Monks of Christ" and "The Ark
Of The Covenant -- Where is it Now?" -- just go to
The GoArticles of Brian Alan Burhoe.
Or -- see more Articles by
Brian Alan Burhoe at Puppy Dogs Info:
http://www.puppy-dogs.info
About the author: Brian Alan
Burhoe is the author of many articles and short stories. His Home
Page is
ORN ITHANTHROPUS Science Fantasy by B Alan Burhoe. Many of his
animal-related articles can be found at
Puppy Dogs Info.
Or just do an Author Search at GoArticles!
See
Holy Blood and the Holy Grail by Michael Baigent, Richard
Leigh & Henry Lincoln at Amazon.com.
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