THE IMPROBABLE HISTORY OF A HOLY GRAIL

John Matthews, Ian Pegler and Fred Stedman Jones. The Nanteos Grail, the Evolution of a Holy Relic. Amberley, 2022. 

How did a rather chewed – in fact very chewed – wooden bowl come to be regarded by many people as the cup from which Christ and the Disciples drank at the Last Supper. Or else had been carved from the wood of the Cross on which He died? And how did it end up, after many moves and adventures in a library in Aberystwyth? 

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TRACKING THE GRAIL

Andrew Sinclair. The Grail: Relic of an Ancient Religion. Moon Books, 2015.

Even though the word is around a thousand years old, there is still magic in it. It is still used to evoke the pinnacle of humankind’s achievements; the sine qua non in any and every field of endeavour. Thought by many to be the vessel from which Jesus Christ drank at the Last Supper and that His blood was collected in at His crucifixion.

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GRAIL LITE

Juliette Wood, The Holy Grail: History and Legend, University of Wales Press, 2012.

It was a refreshing coincidence being asked to review this book immediately after those by Justin E. Griffin and Judith Faith on the Holy Grail and Glastonbury. Both of those authors, who believe that the Grail was a real object (or in Griffin’s case objects), exhibit a cavalier disregard for academic scholarship on the subject.
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GLASTONBURY LEGENDS

Justin E. Griffin, Glastonbury and the Grail: Did Joseph of Arimathea Bring the Sacred Relic to Britain?, McFarland & Co, 2013.

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Judith Faith, Glastonbury, the Templars and the Sovran Cloth: A New Perspective on the Grail Legends, The History Press, 2012

A steady stream of books testifies to the enduring allure of the traditions and mysteries of Glastonbury, in particular its association with the tales of the Holy Grail. Two of the latest offerings present their authors’ attempts to find the historical reality behind the myths and legends.
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