Holiness Of The Holy Grail
Visiting the most controversial theory in Christianity.
The Holy Grail has been a topic of controversy all over the world, but as the name suggests it really is holy for every believer. But linked to every big thing is a controversial theory that tries to either put it down or make itself more popular. The bestseller novel by Henry Lincoln and Michael Baigent, ‘The Holy Blood And The Holy Grail’ is one of the first supporting this theory and changing the whole identity of the Grail from a cup to something really unexpected. The Holy Blood And The Holy Grail, being one of the first books of its kind, was attacked by the Church in many ways and was obviously tried to be put down. Unfortunate for the church, this move made the book more popular among the common and the curious.
The 2003 bestselling thriller by Dan Brown, The Da Vinci Code is banned in Lebanon because the Church finds it a threat to Christianity. The author is known for his great works of mixing religion with art and science in his Robert Langdon series. We will not be discussing the author’s beautiful ability to represent and write things here but the controversial plot itself. This time, the book escalated from the murder of a well-known curator and grandmaster of a secret society in Paris to find the location of the Holy Grail. The journey included and very well supported the controversy on the Holy Grail proving it the way the Catholics fear. The book itself faced much criticism including a copyright strike accusing Dan Brown of plagiarism. The author still claims that 99% of what he wrote in the book are facts.
As we know that the origin of all the three religions Christianity, Judaism and Islam trace back to the covenant between God and Abraham. Out of many prophets that these three religions shared came the Messiah of Christianity who himself was a Jew, Jesus Christ. Though the Jews didn’t accept Christ as their messiah, Christians had found their first. Christ was a religious teacher who was called the King of Jews and which he was also mocked for by the Roman Empire. The Last Supper which was well painted by Da Vinci was mentioned in almost all texts as the last dinner before Jesus was arrested and crucified. During the Last Supper, Jesus predicted that one of the twelve disciples that he invited to the dinner would betray him. He made many more predictions which eventually got true.
Jesus was betrayed and arrested and was taken for trial. He was abused before the trials and was mocked for him being “the son of God” and the “King of Jews”. He was crucified on the cross by the Roman soldiers and his blood was collected in a cup. Now, the most widely accepted and propagated Holy Grail is the Chalice in which Jesus drank wine in the last supper or the chalice in which his blood was collected after the crucifixion or both. But the controversial theory says otherwise. It is said that the grail was present at both places during the last supper and Jesus’ crucifixion.
Another important character here was Mary Magdalene. Mary according to the records was a prostitute according to the church and a disciple of Jesus. Other theories say that Mary was from another royal bloodline as was Jesus. The two of them were married for a stronger bond between the two royal families and the kingdom. The descendant of Jesus Christ was supposed to be the next king. But before that, Jesus was killed. The twelve disciples who were invited to the last supper included Mary Magdalene who sat right next to Jesus. Even during the crucifixion, Mary was present there when Jesus was being nailed to the cross.
Now the question is what was the Holy Grail? Was it the chalice itself as accepted by Christians worldwide or something else? The Grail was Christ’s wife Mary herself. She was present at the Last Supper and when he was crucified carrying Christ’s child in her womb. She ran away to protect the royal blood from the church. The few who knew the identity of the bloodline swore to keep it secret from the world until the right time came and so the Priory Of Sion had kept their promise for all these years. The Holy Grail at the end turns out to be the relics of Mary Magdalene and the testaments of her marriage with Jesus and his bloodline through her. The theory proposes that the word chalice or cup was used as a metaphor for the womb which carried the sacred royal bloodline of Christ himself.
The location of the grail is still a mystery; however, the most recent claims locate it in Spain. If this hypothetical theory is proved right, the church will face a heavy loss in money but a greater loss will be of belief and faith. But the holiness of the Grail will never fade away, it may attract more believers after all it isn’t just a chalice anymore.
