The Secret History of Christ & The Shocking Legacy of the Grail

This brilliant book was highly controversial when it came out, and for good reason. It calls into question much of what is generally accepted in mainstream, traditional Christianity--including the notion that Jesus died on the cross and was resurrected, and that he never married.

Beautifully written and incredibly well-researched, this is a must-read for any biblical scholar who is not afraid of alternate theories RE Jesus' life. A fascinating read, and it's obvious that Dan Brown's work owes a great deal to these authors.

A very interesting and educational book - however, a bit difficult to read and follow. Consequently, I had to read this at a very slow pace in order to comprehend. This book did not change my belief that Jesus did not father children. Keep in mind that a large part of this book is based on educated guess or assumption. I think it is an excellent source for historical info.

The authors of this work spent over 10 years research the grail mysteries, the authenticity of Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection, and the possibility that Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene, fathered children with her that led to a line of royalty that the Knights Templar and the Priory of Sion would try to keep secret and protect.

Very interesting stuff, huh? Well, the one star I am giving this book is for the authors' ability to take that fascinating material and turn it into the longest, most painful, and boring experience I have had of late with a book. I have read (and reviewed) several books that deal with these same issues, but they all had an element of excitement to them. I was so bored by the endless on and on of things that were completely irrelevant that I wanted to be crucified just to have it done with!

I know that many people really admire this work and it does contain some valuable insights. I just think there are better works that get us there faster (see "The Woman with the Alabaster Jar").

I can't honestly say I would recommend this book.

I had always thought somthing like this since I was a kid. I also always wondered if there was more of a history book, instead of the fairy tails told in the new testament. If you would like to read more of a historical point on these times, this is the book for you. Especially on the chapter of if jesus was married, the parts about the historical facts should have rocked christian beliefs. For a best seller I am surprised it didn't. Yes there is a lot of supposition, but the parts that talk about historical facts, are astounding.

The book, Holy Blood, Holy Grail presents some interesting ideas relating to Christian beliefs. It appears to have been well researched by the authors, although some of the ideas may be supposition. It becomes very involved in family lineage of the Grail family and is sometimes difficult to follow because the family lineage is rather involved. The relationship between the grail story and Freemasonry, is an interesting development.

An extremely well researched and presented version. A captivating read as well as a valuable asset as a reference book for anyone contemplating researching into European medieval chivalry. It certainly illuminates a sinister dark side of the Roman Catholic Church with their unscrupulous endeavours in controlling an unsuspecting populace as well as the fountain of wealth that it embodies. However, this should not deter anyone within the faith in not reading it, it is an experience to understand what has been 'deliberately' hidden for reasons best only known to the Church, through the ages...
It should be pointed out however, that it is a hard read especially for someone, like me, who is totally ignorant of the French, German and Italian languages and their pronunciations. The other drawback I found was the weight of the book - it is not exactly the sort of book to read on your lap.

To make an otherwise rambling entry quite short, the theories and postulations outlined in this volume combine to make a far more believable story than any traditional account of the life (and after) of Jesus. An fascinating read.

If you're interested in Templar lore and history, this book is a must have. Its an engrossing tale of these three writers and thier search for the truth about one of the most mysterious organizations that ever existed. Its well worth it for its historical value. I must recommend to all.

I found HBHG to be a fascinating read. The historical footnotes to this book are quite simply amazing. If you have any interest at all in European/French early history the book is money well spent. As for whether Jesus's crucifixion was a farce created by overzealous religious fanaticals, well, anything is possible. There are too many missing pieces from the bible regarding Christ's life to swallow everything that is written. Belief in Jesus Christ is 100% blind - You don't know for sure and I don't either and the bible may well the best piece of supernatural fiction ever written. HBHG fills in the blanks for you and allows you to make an intelligent decision about Christ.

I read and enjoyed this book. They start out pursuing a mystery surrounding a local parish priest in France who suddenly and inexplicably has wealth and influence. Their research leads them tantalizingly but inconclusively to the Priory of Sion, the Knights Templar, a royal dynasty and the speculation that descendants of Jesus migrated to France and constitute the Merovingian royalty that ruled in part of France for over a century before the Reconnaissance. The case they present is fairly convincing although speculative since they never come up with hard evidence for any of it.

Reading the book I couldn't help but wonder whether it ever crossed their minds to use DNA to check the veracity of the claims to descent from Jesus. Lacking Jesus actual DNA of course it would not be proof positive but as a genealogist I have traced my own ancestry back to that period and it includes some of the group of Frankish rulers they think were descended from Jesus. I have had my DNA tested and verified that some of my ancestors came from that area of France however there was no evidence that any of my ancestors came from the mid-east, which to say I have NO Jewish ancestors. Perhaps my Frankish ancestors were not intermarried with the Grail Family as the authors claim at least some were but, for me, it makes their conclusions highly suspect. Why did they not get a sample of the DNA from the alleged Heir Apparent to the Merovingian throne when they met with him and test it to see if he had Jewish ancestors? It would have been easy enough to do even if they had to do so surreptitiously (from a grass he drank from for example). If, like mine, there was no Jewish ancestry the whole hypothesis would collapse. Of course that would also mean they had no book.

I ordered this book after having seen a television program about it. I did order a used copy and it arrived early only took a few days, so pleased I got the used copy it was alot cheaper and the book was in great condition. I am really happy with it. As promised the book is a great read.

In my opinion this book is clap-trap, & pretentious clap-trap at that! Worse, it is dreadfully dreary & dull to read. Masses of dates, places, details that are brought together from numerous dubious sources & then presented as having some (usually preposterous) bearing on their peculier "Jesus" theory. It's totally unconvincing & an awesomely boring read. In fact, if this review saves one person from repeating the experience, then that will be my only reward for the excrutiating time I spent reading the book.

I found certain parts very interesting, while other parts threatened to put me to sleep. I think it was the nitpicky attention to tiny details that made it difficult to stay interested. It did not sway my opinion on the subject matter one way or the other.

The history of this book really speaks for itself through the spawning of many more presentations that have become best-sellers unto themselves; including Dan Brown's "The DaVinci Code". This book provides excellent information and a is a very good read for those with open-minds.

Very, very interesting. I was so interested that I began to research and found that in the end it is based in a faked document. So, as fiction it should deserve five stars. As non-fiction, just two stars.

For anyone who has questions about the real history of the Bible and secret spiritual societies, this is an unabashedly frank and objective look into the religious world. For lovers of truth, this is a necessity.

I actually found this book boring in the middle. The first part and third part were quite interesting but the middle part just went on and went forever with too much information to make the book enjoyable. I personally wouldn't recommend it for anyone wanting light reading.

'Holy Blood, Holy Grail' brings a new point of view about religion, what can be considered myth and what could be fact, with some solid historical facts that corroborate the authors' theories. Really woth the reading.

Seems to be very well reserched, I love the content, leaves me with a lot of questions about our recorded history, i constantly went to the web to conferm and get a better understanding of the content and I cant put it down