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Holy Blood, Holy Grail: The Secret History of Christ & The Shocking Legacy of the Grail Paperback – January 6, 2004

by Michael Baigent (Author), Richard Leigh (Author), Henry Lincoln (Author)

4.4 1,391 ratings

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Is the traditional, accepted view of the life of Christ in some way incomplete?

• Is it possible Christ did not die on the cross?
• Is it possible Jesus was married, a father, and that his bloodline still exists?
• Is it possible that parchments found in the South of France a century ago reveal one of the best-kept secrets of Christendom?
• Is it possible that these parchments contain the very heart of the mystery of the Holy Grail?

According to the authors of this extraordinarily provocative, meticulously researched book, not only are these things possible — they are probably true! so revolutionary, so original, so convincing, that the most faithful Christians will be moved; here is the book that has sparked worldwide controversey.

"Enough to seriously challenge many traditional Christian beliefs, if not alter them."
— Los Angeles Times Book Review

"Like Chariots of the Gods?...the plot has all the elements of an international thriller."
— Newsweek

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Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

Is the traditional, accepted view of the life of Christ in some way incomplete?

? Is it possible Christ did not die on the cross?
? Is it possible Jesus was married, a father, and that his bloodline still exists?
? Is it possible that parchments found in the South of France a century ago reveal one of the best-kept secrets of Christendom?
? Is it possible that these parchments contain the very heart of the mystery of the Holy Grail?

According to the authors of this extraordinarily provocative, meticulously researched book, not only are these things possible ? they are probably true! so revolutionary, so original, so convincing, that the most faithful Christians will be moved; here is the book that has sparked worldwide controversey.

"Enough to seriously challenge many traditional Christian beliefs, if not alter them."
? Los Angeles Times Book Review

"Like Chariots of the Gods?...the plot has all the elements of an international thriller."
? Newsweek

From the Paperback edition.

From the Back Cover

Is the traditional, accepted view of the life of Christ in some way incomplete?
- Is it possible Christ did not die on the cross?
- Is it possible Jesus was married, a father, and that his bloodline still exists?
- Is it possible that parchments found in the South of France a century ago reveal one of the best-kept secrets of Christendom?
- Is it possible that these parchments contain the very heart of the mystery of the Holy Grail?
According to the authors of this extraordinarily provocative, meticulously researched book, not only are these things possible -- they are probably true! so revolutionary, so original, so convincing, that the most faithful Christians will be moved; here is the book that has sparked worldwide controversey.
"Enough to seriously challenge many traditional Christian beliefs, if not alter them."
-- "Los Angeles Times Book Review
"Like "Chariots of the Gods?...the plot has all the elements of an international thriller."
-- "Newsweek

"From the Paperback edition.

About the Author

Michael Baigent was born in New Zealand in 1948 and obtained a degree in psychology from Canterbury University. At one point he gave up a successful career in photojournalism to devote his time to researching the Templars for a film project. Since 1976 he has lived in England.

Richard Leigh is a novelist and short-story writer with postgraduate degrees in comparative literature and a thorough knowledge of history, philosophy, psychology, and esoterica. He has been working for some years as a university lecturer in the United States, Canada, and Britain.

Henry Lincoln is an author and filmmaker and has written for television.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Introduction

In 1969, en route for a summer holiday in the Cévennes, I made the casual purchase of a paperback. Le Trésor Maudit by Gérard de Sède was a mystery story--a lightweight, entertaining blend of historical fact, genuine mystery, and conjecture. It might have remained consigned to the postholiday oblivion of all such reading had I not stumbled upon a curious and glaring omission in its pages.

The "accursed treasure" of the title had apparently been found in the 1890s by a village priest through the decipherment of certain cryptic documents unearthed in his church. Although the purported texts of two of these documents were reproduced, the "secret messages" said to be encoded within them were not. The implication was that the deciphered messages had again been lost. And yet, as I found, a cursory study of the documents reproduced in the book reveals at least one concealed message. Surely the author had found it. In working on his book he must have given the documents more than fleeting attention. He was bound, therefore, to have found what I have found. Moreover, the message was exactly the kind of titillating snippet of "proof" that helps to sell a "pop" paperback. Why had M. de Sède not published it?

During the ensuing months the oddity of the story and the possibility of further discoveries drew me back to it from time to time. The appeal was that of a rather more than usually intriguing crossword puzzle--with the added curiosity of de Sède's silence. As I caught tantalizing new glimpses of layers of meaning buried within the text of the documents, I began to wish I could devote more to the mystery of Rennes-le-Château than mere moments snatched from my working life as a writer for television. And so in the late autumn of 1970, I presented the story as a possible documentary subject to the late Paul Johnstone, executive producer of the BBC's historical and archaeological series Chronicle.

Paul saw the possibilities and I was sent to France to talk to de Sède and explore the prospects for a short film. During Christmas week of 1970 I met de Sède in Paris. At that first meeting I asked the question that had nagged at me for more than a year: "Why didn't you publish the message hidden in the parchments?" His reply astounded me. "What message?"

It seemed inconceivable to me that he was unaware of this elementary message. Why was he fencing with me? Suddenly I found myself reluctant to reveal exactly what I had found. We continued a verbal fencing match for a few minutes and it became apparent that we were both aware of the message. I repeated my question, "Why didn't you publish it?" This time de Sède's answer was calculated. "Because we thought it might interest someone like you to find it for yourself."

That reply, as cryptic as the priest's mysterious documents, was the first clear hint that the mystery of Rennes-le-Château was to prove much more than a simple tale of lost treasure.

With my director, Andrew Maxwell-Hyslop, I began to prepare a Chronicle film in the spring of 1971. It was planned as a simple twenty-minute item for a magazine program. But as we worked, de Sède began to feed us further fragments of information. First came the full text of a major encoded message, which spoke of the painters Poussin and Teniers. This was fascinating. The cipher was unbelievably complex. We were told it had been broken by experts of the French Army Cipher Department, using computers. As I studied the convolutions of the code, I became convinced that this explanation was, to say the least, suspect. I checked with cipher experts of British Intelligence. They agreed with me. "The cipher does not present a valid problem for a computer." The code was unbreakable. Someone, somewhere, must have the key.

And then de Sède dropped his second bombshell. A tomb resembling that in Poussin's famous painting "Les Bergers d'Arcadie" had been found. He would send details as soon as he had them. Some days later the photographs arrived and it was clear that our short film on a small local mystery had begun to assume unexpected dimensions. Paul decided to abandon it and committed us to a full-length Chronicle film. Now there would be more time to research and more screen time to explore the story. Transmission was postponed to the spring of the following year.

The Lost Treasure of Jerusalem? was screened in February 1972 and provoked a very strong reaction. I knew that I had found a subject of consuming interest not merely to myself but to a very large viewing public. Further research would not be self-indulgence. At some time there would have to be a follow-up film. By 1974 I had a mass of new material and Paul assigned Roy Davies to produce my second Chronicle film, The Priest, the Painter and the Devil. Again the reaction of the public proved how much the story had caught the popular imagination. But by now it had grown so complex, so far-reaching in its ramifications, that I knew the detailed research was rapidly exceeding the capabilities of any one person. There were too many different leads to follow. The more I pursued one line of investigation, the more conscious I became of how much material was being neglected. It was at this juncture that chance, which had first tossed the story so casually into my lap, now made sure that the work would not become bogged down.

In 1975 at a summer school where we were both lecturing on aspects of literature, I had the great good fortune to meet Richard Leigh. Richard is a novelist and short-story writer with postgraduate degrees in comparative literature and thorough knowledge of history, philosophy, psychology, and esoterica. He had been working for some years as a university lecturer in the United States, Canada, and Britain.

Between our summer-school talks we spent many hours discussing subjects of mutual interest. I mentioned the Knights Templar, who had assumed an important role in the background to the mystery of Rennes-le-Château. To my delight I found that this shadowy order of medieval warrior-monks had already awakened Richard's profound interest, and he had done considerable research into their history. At one stroke months of work I had seen stretching ahead of me became unnecessary. Richard could answer most of my questions, and was as intrigued as I was by some of the apparent anomalies I had unearthed. More important, he, too, saw the fascination and sensed the significance of the whole research project on which I had embarked. He offered to help me with the aspect involving the Templars. And he brought in Michael Baigent, a psychology graduate who had recently abandoned a successful career in photojournalism to devote his time to researching the Templars for a film project he had in mind.

Had I set out to search for them, I could not have found two better qualified and more congenial partners with whom to form a team. After years of solitary labor the impetus brought to the project by two fresh brains was exhilarating. The first tangible result of our collaboration was the third Chronicle film on Rennes-le-Château, The Shadow of the Templars, which was produced by Roy Davies in 1979.

The work we did on that film at last brought us face to face with the underlying foundations upon which the entire mystery of Rennes-le-Château had been built. But the film could only hint at what we were beginning to discern. Beneath the surface was something more startling, more significant, and more immediately relevant than we could have believed possible when we began our work on the "intriguing little mystery" of what a French priest might have found in a mountain village.

In 1972 I closed my first film with the words, "Something extraordinary is waiting to be found . . . and in the not too distant future, it will be."

This book explains what that "something" is--and how extraordinary the discovering has been.

Henry Lincoln

January 17, 1981

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Dell (January 6, 2004)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 496 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0385338457
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0385338455
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 14.2 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.15 x 1.1 x 8.25 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #52,538 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #32 in French History (Books)
- #167 in History of Christianity (Books)
- #218 in Christian Church History (Books)

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Russell A. Rohde MD

"Biblical Inquisition...a risque thing to do?"

Reviewed in the United States on June 2, 2005

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"Holy Blood, Holy Grail" by Michael Baigent, et al., New York, Delacorte Press 2004, ISBN 0-385-33859-7 - HC, 489 pp, 8.5" x 5.5"

This 2nd book by 3 experienced authors first published Jan. 18, 1982 in England (Feb. 26, 1982 in USA) firstly aired Jan. 17, 1982 on BBC's OMNIBUS where authors' commentary (as panel members) was heavily edited, leading to the the book's stigmatization as "irresponsible"... & "poorly researched" & at this time Bishop Hugh Montefiore labelled it shameless exploitation of sex & sensationalism upon reading only 2 chapters.

The book, taken as a whole, makes for difficult reading. Fortunately, it has been divided into 3 major parts: Part I The Mystery, Part II The Secret Society & Part III The Bloodline. Additionally, there are other component sections (contents, appendix, biblio., notes/references, index) which makes it even more scaleable.

The book begins with an untitled 13 page 'preface' of sorts discussing the book's reception upon being published & the flap over the BBC airing -- it is written as an apology or ?subjective interpretation of events evoked by the book's publication and from the viewpoints of the Church, the various people factions including scholars. The viewpoints & interests varied between countries. This apology is, by itself, a masterpiece of debate written in riotous & hilarous prose -- it is delicious to read, an antipasta to set the mood (not to change beliefs).

Part I covers Rennes-le-Chateu (Fr. villa) & Priest Berenger Saugniere, The Cathars, Knights Templars (Warrior-Monks) & The Dossiers (secret documents). There is a lot of conjecture & "What ifs...?" Part II covers founding of Knights Templar, Grand Masters, Conspiracies, Secret Society, Monarchs (Long-Haired) including Merovingians, Dagobert II, etc. There is a lot of conjecture & "What ifs...?" Part III covers Holy Grail, Priest-King (Palestine, Gospels, Jesus' marital status, His wife Mary of Bethany, aka Magdalene), "Beloved Disciple" Lazarus, brother-in-law of Jesus, Crucifixion scenario (hoax with Pilate?). There is a lot of conjecture & "What ifs...?"

The authors tell us the British were mostly interested in Part II, the Knights Templar, Crusades & the likes, whereas Americans focused more on Part II, origination of Christianity, the Early Church & details concerning Jesus & His life.

Anytime we claim or encounter conjectures, controvery is sure to follow -- & the media is stirring the pot & fanning the flames in frenzy. There is no presently known method od determining truthfullness (part or entirety) in this book except to walk in the shoes of the authors or talk to your Priest. The exposition, herein, appears to be some sort of literary reverse engineering attempt. It is interesting to read & then go on to something else.

It has been claimed, & rightly so I think, that THIS book, "HB,HHG" was the start of a series of spin-offs that included "The Da Vinci Code", the latter projected to garner more than 1 billion dollars for its author Dan Brown.

12 people found this helpful

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Darth Achilles

Keep an Open Mind....It's a Fantastic Read

Reviewed in the United States on November 24, 2020

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I approached this book with an open mind as the writers did with their investigation into the book's material. I caught a documentary on Amazon about Leonardo Di Vinci and the authors of this book were in it. It peaked an interest in me I didn't know I had so I purchased the book both on Audible and a hard cover copy. I could not put the book down and/or stop listening once started. I have been raised a Christian my entire life. This book does raise some serious questions into the historical belief system we as a society have come to live in. Call it a heretical unorthodox point of view, I don't really care, but regardless of what you believe, I still believe this book doesn't diminish any of the divinity in Jesus. So what if it humanizes him. Historically, we know he was indeed a person that walked this earth. We know through historical documents and scientific research that he was indeed crucified and died. So with keeping an open mind and a scientific approach it is safe to say in my opinion, he still lived in the traditions of being a man in the time he did walk this earth. Traditions of life, love, family, marriage, and procreation. Who are we to say otherwise when no one alive today obviously wasn't alive then. The gospels are of small piece of how Jesus lived his life and are indeed a magnificent and beautiful way to live one's life yet there is still so much we don't know of him. It is true that there are known contradictions within the scriptures and gospels we hold to be true. Yet we still follow them as to be self evident. Let's not also forget the gospels we have grown to love, read, quote, and follow were debated and fought over by a group of Bishops centuries after the period Jesus was even alive. Men with their own agendas who decided and on their own accord defined the divinity of the Messiah. Men that are just as corruptable as the next. Anything "they" believed contradicted their beliefs or took away from their view of what it means to believe in the Messiah, or even who he was as a man or god, was disregarded and destroyed. That is just my opinion as misguided as most if not all devout Christians would think. That is also just one part of a long a line of questions this book raises for me. I still believe in God. I still believe in Jesus Christ. I also choose to lean more on the human side of his existence and the existence of a bloodline after his time on this earth. I also choose to believe that the Holy Grail and/or Royal Blood was indeed his heir the Magdalene carried with her and then entrusted to the Templars to protect. We may have been interpreting the second coming of Jesus Christ wrong for centuries and may just in fact be his true heir announcing his or her existence to the world. I also believe this way of thinking as I see it doesn't detract from the prophecy of Jesus's return but supports it. We will never know until it happens. Who knows, maybe with how crazy 2020 has been now is as great a time as ever to unite the world. Regardless of that, I have been raised that if you have a question about something find an answer. I have a scientific mind with a Christian heart. The message of the bible and the gospels are a beautiful thing to live by. This book indeed comes across as outlandish but doesn't take away my love for God and/or Jesus. It raises serious questions and further deepens my investigative mind. God made us in his own image. He gave us free will and the ability to seek and find the truths of the world. And with having a scientific open minded view of Christianity only self assures me in my mind that he gave me that way of thinking as well. No one has the right to say otherwise. I will continue my search for the truth, be it through my own Faith and belief system or through any and all scientific means. Final thoughts...I really loved this book.

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A customer

Good read but repetitive

Reviewed in the United States on July 11, 2023

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I enjoyed reading this book, and found the research fascinating. I found the last part of the book to be too apologetic and repetitive. The Knights Templar were fascinating and mysterious. The theory that the Merovingians were descended from Jesus was unconvincing. The history of the period before, during and after Jesus lived was well presented. I found that I am an Arian Christian, since I do not believe that Jesus was the son of God, born to a virgin and raised from the dead in a literal way. This is ancient sun god religious thought that was appended to the man. So much has been suppressed by the Roman Catholic church that we will never know. This book did a good job of demonstrating how religions relate to politics, power, and cultural control.

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enrique p sandoval lobato

Magnifico

Reviewed in Mexico on August 28, 2022

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Libro escrito para mentes y corazones abiertos, para incansables curiosos. Todo un tratado de investigación histórica que no lleva desde el siglo uno de nuestra era en común, hasta nuestra actualidad.
Proponen hipótesis muy interesantes que pueden no ser del gusto general. Crea dudas y mueve sentimientos profundos.
Recomiendo esta obra ampliamente.

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Prabhat Mathur

Enlightening with history and religion.

Reviewed in Canada on April 7, 2022

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Personal interest and knowledge.

Fanis

Excellent !!!

Reviewed in Germany on December 31, 2023

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Excellent !!!

John Walker

Are you a believer?

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 9, 2023

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I liked it took abit of serious thinking My Catholic upbringing kept telling me No .But read on it gets better I read this book yonks ago th unabridged version ..It’s a book for serious thought.to sum up I enjoyed it

2 people found this helpful

Ahalya kumar

Glory to God

Reviewed in India on October 2, 2019

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Good readibg

One person found this helpful

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