Rating: 
Summary: HBHG
Review: It has been over six years since I have read this book. When I first borrowed the original hard covered edition, I noted that the book was tattered. Often in a library book there is a small paper pasted inside the back cover to remind the patron of its due date. There were a least three such slips, completely filled, on both sides; obviously a heavily borrowed book.A warning to all those with questions; the contents of this book could change everything you have believed about Jesus and Christianity. For example, in Chapter 10, called "The Exiled Tribe", the authors have connected the tribe of Benjamin (from the book of Judges) with the Priory of Sion in the Middle Ages. This connection leads to the medieval Knights Templar who are the fore-runners of the modern Freemasons. This tribe is also connected to the Merovingian kings of Europe who are said to be descended from Mary Magdalene.Even the name of the book is mystical, as I have shown in my title.
Rating: 
Summary: History or Speculation? You Decide
Review: Before the reader jumps to the conclusion that this book presents historical fact, a few words from one of the three authors' "Introduction to the Paperback Version," might be instructive."And so, our approach [in writing the book] was dictated by our material: by a need to synthesize and a need to confront and accommodate historical 'anomalies' habitually ignored by conventional scholars. It was therefore not surprising that conventional scholars questioned our approach. But it was also significant, and not just coincidental, that the most sympathetic responses to our book seemed to come from literary figures-from important novelists like Anthony Burgess, Anthony Powell, and Peter Vansittart. For, unlike the professional historian, the novelist is accustomed to an approach such as ours. He is accustomed to synthesizing diverse material, to making connections more elusive than those explicitly preserved in documents. He recognizes that truth may not be confined only to recorded facts but often lies in more intangible domains-in cultural achievements, in myths, legends, and traditions; in the psychic life of both individuals and entire peoples. For the novelist, knowledge is not subdivided into rigid compartments, and there are no taboos, no 'disreputable' subjects. History is not for him something frozen, something petrified into periods, each of which can be isolated and subjected to a controlled laboratory experiment. On the contrary, it is for him a fluid organic and dynamic process wherein psychology, sociology, politics, art, and tradition are interwoven in a single seamless fabric. It was with this vision akin to that of the novelist that we created our book." An example of the means by which this "seamless fabric" is created is the author's justification for discounting the likelihood of the key events in Jesus Christ's life earlier in this introductory text. He writes, "It is quite simply more likely that a man would have married, fathered children, and attempted to gain a throne than that he would have been born of a virgin, walked on water, and risen from the dead." Uneducated readers should beware (for presumably, educated readers will immediately recognize the "evidence" presented in this book as academically suspect). The supporting evidence for the "seamless fabric" presented in this book should be treated as, at best, speculative until further investigation of credible sources confirms it.
Rating: 
Summary: Total absurd!
Review: The book's reasoning is based mostly on 2 presumptions: a poor priest has found something in Rennes-le-Chateau, and this something is a proof that Priory of Sion has some secret knowledge. Both of them are just eleborate hoaxes - everywhere in Internet you can find who, when and why concocted them (just look, for example for "Rennes-le-Chateau hoax". Priory of Sion was just a club of friends, some of them wrote the "ancient" parchments, and Mr. Plantard has never been a "St.Clair", and priest Sauniere received his wealth from illegal selling of masses, and died in poverty, after Church investigation. I recommend reading "The Unknown Treasure: the Priory of Sion Fraud and the Spiritual Treasure of Rennes-le-Château"
Rating:
Summary: Well, actually no stars...
Review: I first read this garbage over 30 years ago and it is very depressing to see it make a comeback. Knowing someone in the supposed Priory of Sion makes me even less convinced - this really is gobbledygook of prime order
Rating:
Summary: Absorbing and difficult to dismiss
Review: I read first read this book many years ago. I subsequently read it a second time. It is an absorbing thoroughly researched work that cannot be dismissed. The central thesis that Christ did not die on the cross is not new. Islam and many early sects of Christianity believe the same. In time, the Catholic church ruthlessly extinguished those that did not accept the officially sanctioned Catholic dogma. Approach this book with an open mind and your views of Christianity may never be the same.
The authors do an outstanding job. It is one of the best of this genre.
Rating:
Summary: Evidence? Here is some
Review: I can understand many practicing Christians to be offended by this book. After all, everything they learnt from their parents, their church and their schools is swept away by this book. I can sympathize with that. It is difficult however to comprehend many of the previous criticism of the book on the mere basis of too much speculation.
If anything else than an interesting read, this book presents a number of facts that no Catholic book has ever presented. True there is some speculation, but still logical and not based on faith. Is faith "above" logical assumptions and speculation? I doubt it. So, if your faith or your feelings are hurt by the contents of this book, say so, but do not pretend to hide your "emotions" behind some "logical" criticism.
This book offers much more than "faith", it offers at least a valid theory, and at best the truth.
Rating:
Summary: Holy Blood Phony Baloney
Review: There's one born every minute. A New Age claptrap of utter nonsense. The "investigative" literary devices employed here are the same modus operandi utilized to educate the trailer park intelligentsia of the validity of UFO abductions, Bigfoots, Loch Ness monsters, JFK conspiracy theories, Faces on Mars, Illuminati, black helicopters, faked moon landings, and the scientific process of having meaningful conversations with your plants. The formula is simple; insert some small truth, then speculate to your heart's content. Some documented facts are offered, though most are essentially nothing more than highly selective vague and oblique references modified by phrases such as: could have; might have been; it's possible; although no record of; cannot be proved -- but cannot be dismissed; if; if so; (and the ever popular)...if true. Do yourself a favor; if you're interested in this hoodoo-voodoo mishmash, try Dan Brown's pop culture hit THE DA VINCI CODE. It appears to be based on this book. (One may even argue HOLY BLOOD HOLY GRAIL is the only book Brown read for his "well-researched" narrative). But his is much more entertaining while succinctly embodying the speculations of this book. You won't miss a beat. And Brown's book is correctly catalogued -- under FICTION. In the end though, both books are veritable jokes.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting
Review: The book is interesting, but there are just too many what-if's. I just hope that nobody just blindly assumes that everything said in this book is fact. Not that everything is wrong, but there are too many "theories", or they'll just make up a scenario all together just to make the puzzle pieces fit. Don't get me wrong, it is a good read, but you can't take it very seriously.
Rating:
Summary: Pseudo History at its best!
Review: I suppose the gullible reader will believe these things. The problem with these historical revisionists is that their theories are based on vaguearities, giant leaps of faith, hearsay and other ad hoc theorizing. Even in this "bible" of this Jesus-Revised movement, "Holy Blood, Holy Grail", they admit : "Our hypothetical scenario...was also preposterous...much too sketchy...rested on far too flimsy a foundation...could not be supported...too many holes...too many inconsistencies and anomalies, too many loose ends." They continue and say, "We could not - and still cannot - prove the accuracy of our conclusion." If you want some balance, read about the real Jesus in Habermas' "The Historical Jesus" or Strobel's "The Case for Christ."
Rating:
Summary: Christianity Exposed
Review: This book may not be suitable for die-hard Christians who are afraid to question their own religious beliefs. Before I begin, let me state that the authors do not want to destroy Christianity. Instead, this is an historic look at Christ, Christianity, and the Knights Templar. Therefore, for those of us who wish to venture into historical speculation about the divinity of Christ and the reason why the Pope and the King of France eventually crusaded against the Knights Templar, then this is the book for you. Basically, this book discusses how the Knights Templar may have discovered "a truth" about historic Jesus. The authors give splendid examples from the scriptures, other writings, and works of art to support their fundamental theory -- Jesus Christ survived the crucification and established a royal bloodline. In essence, this is the Holy Grail; the royal bloodline started by Christ. If you enjoyed the Da Vinci Code, then you will like this book as well. The themes are quite similar. For those a bit more adventurous in their search for revelations about Christianity, I suggest reading works by Umberto Eco. By the time you complete reading these books, you may get a different opinion on the origins of Christianity, the Knights Templar, and the Free Masons.
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