he Holy Blood and the Holy Grail
is the book that initially got me interested in Templars. It is not a book
on templars as such - it is a book on a much larger affair that includes
the Templars, a secret society called the Prieuré de Sion, loads of
heresies, the Catholic Church, and yes, Jesus Christ, all involved in a global
conspiracy. This book is not pure history: it is also an entertaining mix
of information and insinuation.
his book has its origins in a television
documentary the authors made for the BBC; this story included an obscure
rural parish priest in southern France who found two ancient parchments in
his church during its renovation. Subsequently, he suddenly started pouring
loads of money into the parish. The origin of the funds was never satisfactorily
explained, but while looking into this, the authors found the trail of evidence
they followed all the way to Jesus Christ.
he real centerpoint of this book is
not the Templars, but the Prieuré de Sion. This is apparently a society
purporting to have proof of the bloodline of Jesus continuing to the present
day. Until 1188 the Templars were the military wing of the Prieuré,
but in that year the two separated at a curious ceremony referred to as "the
cutting of the Elm", and the Templars became autonomous. The book then mainly
focuses on the wealth amassed by the templars, as this wealth is later linked
to the fortune found by Abbe Berengér Sauniere, the priest.
he problem with this book is that
it is not written as history, but rather as a well-documented detective story.
Most of the main sources are such as the Dossiers Secrets, a folder
of documents made available to the authors by modern-day members of the
Prieuré, but which are not researched by other historians, therefore
losing some credibility. On the other hand, if the material of the book and
its conclusions are real, then it is most valuable indeed that the book has
been published. As it is, it is a very entertaining and well-written piece
of pseudohistory, loaded with insinuations and allusions, a thought-provoking
piece of prose. It is to be recommended, even if it needs a pinch of salt.
