The Messianic Legacy » (Reprinted Edition)

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. He lives in England and is the author of numerous books on ancient Christianity and conspiracy.

Holy Blood, Holy Grail rocked the very foundations of Christianity. Now four more years of research have uncovered shocking material — and its earthshaking consequences.

• What extraordinary meaning lies behind Jesus' title — "King of the Jews"?
• Was there more than one Christ?
• Who really constituted Jesus' following — and what were the real identities of Simon Peter and Judas Iscariot?
• Who now has the ancient treasure of the Temple of Jerusalem?
• What is the true source of today's Christian "Fundamentalism"?
• What links the Vatican, the CIA, the KGB, the Mafia, Freemasonry, and the Knights Templar?
• What is the stunning goal of the European secret society that traces its lineage back to Christ and the House of David?

The Messianic Legacy. Here is the book that reveals the answers to these intriguing, potentially explosive questions. Utilizing the same meticulous research that catapulted their first book onto the best seller lists, the authors again bring an enlighteneing message of truth — and urgent importance — to Christians and non-Christians the world over.

Publishers Weekly

The trio of authors of The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail (1982), which traced a Merovingian bloodline for Jesus, continue their inquiry into the origins of Christianity in this sequel. With zeal they search many contexts for the Jesus of history, rather than the Christ of faith, and begin by discounting the Gospels as reliable historical documents. From material culled from many disciplines, they arrive at a speculative, controversial image of Jesus greatly at variance with received Christian tradition. As in the earlier book, the authors rely heavily on the mysterious Prieure de Sion, alleged custodian of the Holy Grail. The inquiry presented here is an interesting melange of the factual and the imagined, of centuries-connected clues and serendipitous happenings involving such disparate offices as the CIA, the Vatican and the Mafia, among many. Those who believe in global conspiracies will enjoy the intrigue; others may be rightfully bemused. Photos. (October)