Legend and Belief
I recently watch a “mini -series” called “The Last Templar.” I initially started watching it because I mistakenly believed, having admittedly only caught a glimpse of the trailer, that it was a story set at the time when the “Templar Knights” were at their Zenith.
We all know the basic story of the “Templers” and the “treasure” they were charged with protecting, yet the legend of what that treasure is has changed from a simple golden chalice to a complicated blood line. The theories, legends and controversy are all very fascinating and the research material available in print and online is truly phenomenal. It is unfortunate that so much of it is utter rubbish but there are real jewels among the dirt if you take your time to look. We’ve all seen the movies or read the books about the “treasure hunters” searching for that elusive wooden chalice that holds the “gift” of eternal life. I am amazed that after so many thousands of years hidden away in the depth of some dark, unstable and wickedly booby trapped cave, this “wooden” chalice has not been covered in layer upon layer of dust and cobwebs and that the “water” inside it is untouched and still drinkable. All a little too unlikely and unbelievable for me I’m afraid. Perhaps somewhere, lost in the dust of Israel is a fragment of the chalice that Christ used when He celebrated His last Passover meal with the twelve. But, when or rather, if, it is ever found there will be so much controversy and opposing opinion surrounding it that it will be left up to the believer to decide whom they believe.
Then Dan Brown burst onto the scene bringing with him his much discussed story of “The Da Vinci Code,” and enraging the Catholic Church. Ultimately it is a superb suspense thriller with twists and turns and unexpected developments that keep the reader turning the pages. It is remarkably well researched and written and Dan Brown has a very active imagination, a winning recipe for an internationally bestselling novel. It is unfortunate that because of his meticulous research and his imaginative story telling that so much of Dan Brown's book has been mistaken for fact and thus sparking so much of the controversy. I believe that the Catholic Church over reacted to this book and contributed greatly to Dan Brown’s success, I’m sure there was many a Catholic and non Catholic alike who read the story just to see what all the fuss was about. I know for a fact, had I not been already fascinated by the “Templar” story or the legend of the “holy grail,” that I would have read it for that exact reason. As it was, I read “The Da Vinci Code” because I had read a fascinating true account of the research of three people into the legend, called “Holy Blood, Holy Grail” and I wanted to compare it to Dan Brown’s interpretation. Then I read “Holy Blood, Holy Grail” again and thought about things. Is it so bad to think that He who we call the Christ was really just an ordinary man, a poor carpenter from Nazareth? Is it possible that somewhere there is someone who can claim to be of the same bloodline as Jesus? I cannot discount the possibility even though it would spark much discussion and argument among my own family and certainly bring a frown to some of their faces. No I do not discount the possibility that Jesus may have been just an ordinary man of flesh and blood born of woman and died at the hands of men. But, doesn’t it make it all the more extraordinary that such a man could rally millions to believe in a greater power, to embrace the virtue of peace, of giving of one’s self to others? Is it not amazing that one ordinary man's teachings of faith and love should be passed on from generation to generation for two thousand years? Is it not awe inspiring that billions of Christians live by the words of “The Beatitudes” a sermon delivered by this “ordinary” man while standing on a hill? Is not every Christian affected by this man’s most famous words when at his death he cried “My God, why have you forsaken me?” It makes no difference to my faith if Jesus was just an ordinary man, a poor carpenter from Nazareth or God made flesh sent to suffer for our sins and bring us to everlasting life. It makes no difference to my faith because whether Jesus was of man or of God, He was no ordinary man, there is nothing ordinary about His life or His teaching, and they have survived for two thousand years and have inspired millions to lead a life of goodness and truth. His teachings have inspired many to give all of themselves to mankind. How poor the world would be today without St. Francis of Assisi or St. Vincent De Paul, how uninspired women would feel without Joan of Arc, oh how much poorer the world would be without the blessings of Mother Teresa. Without the help of St. Antony or St. Jude so many causes would be lost and our possessions remain unfound, without St. Christopher so many more journeys would end in tragedy. No I cannot discount the possibility that Christ may have been of the flesh and not of God, because any man or woman who is capable of inspiring billions of people for thousands of years to have faith and to strive for good and pureness of soul, is by no means, just an “ordinary” person. A “man” such as that deserves the praise given in the prayers spoken and the title of “The Son of God.”
The miniseries was a disappointingly predictable treasure hunter’s story with the usual hero, heroine and anti hero all in a race to be the first to find the elusive “Gospel of Jesus." There is the inevitable love scene, the triumphant find, the tension filled escape from the tumbling ruins and the out witting of the bad guys by the industrious hero and the butt kicking heroine. In the end the “gospel” is lost forever to the sea and the story is never told to the world thus bringing the bad guy to justice and Christians safe from controversy. All rather insipid and overdone, but there was one unexpected twist that was to be its saving grace. This story ends where it began, with the “Templar Knights” been given the task of returning to Jerusalem, a parchment on which was written the “Gospel of Jesus” they of course die before making it there but manage to hide the parchment before death comes to them sparking the treasure hunt hundreds of years later. The twist is found when it becomes apparent that this so called gospel guarded till death, this “gospel” that “proves” the ungodliness of Jesus is faked by the “Templers” themselves in the hopes of ending the wars that raged between the Christians and the Muslims in Jerusalem. By claiming that Jesus was no more than a Prophet of God as Islam teaches that Mohammed was no more than a prophet himself both Christians and Muslims would be united in one belief.
Gives one pause for thought does it not?
We all know the basic story of the “Templers” and the “treasure” they were charged with protecting, yet the legend of what that treasure is has changed from a simple golden chalice to a complicated blood line. The theories, legends and controversy are all very fascinating and the research material available in print and online is truly phenomenal. It is unfortunate that so much of it is utter rubbish but there are real jewels among the dirt if you take your time to look. We’ve all seen the movies or read the books about the “treasure hunters” searching for that elusive wooden chalice that holds the “gift” of eternal life. I am amazed that after so many thousands of years hidden away in the depth of some dark, unstable and wickedly booby trapped cave, this “wooden” chalice has not been covered in layer upon layer of dust and cobwebs and that the “water” inside it is untouched and still drinkable. All a little too unlikely and unbelievable for me I’m afraid. Perhaps somewhere, lost in the dust of Israel is a fragment of the chalice that Christ used when He celebrated His last Passover meal with the twelve. But, when or rather, if, it is ever found there will be so much controversy and opposing opinion surrounding it that it will be left up to the believer to decide whom they believe.
Then Dan Brown burst onto the scene bringing with him his much discussed story of “The Da Vinci Code,” and enraging the Catholic Church. Ultimately it is a superb suspense thriller with twists and turns and unexpected developments that keep the reader turning the pages. It is remarkably well researched and written and Dan Brown has a very active imagination, a winning recipe for an internationally bestselling novel. It is unfortunate that because of his meticulous research and his imaginative story telling that so much of Dan Brown's book has been mistaken for fact and thus sparking so much of the controversy. I believe that the Catholic Church over reacted to this book and contributed greatly to Dan Brown’s success, I’m sure there was many a Catholic and non Catholic alike who read the story just to see what all the fuss was about. I know for a fact, had I not been already fascinated by the “Templar” story or the legend of the “holy grail,” that I would have read it for that exact reason. As it was, I read “The Da Vinci Code” because I had read a fascinating true account of the research of three people into the legend, called “Holy Blood, Holy Grail” and I wanted to compare it to Dan Brown’s interpretation. Then I read “Holy Blood, Holy Grail” again and thought about things. Is it so bad to think that He who we call the Christ was really just an ordinary man, a poor carpenter from Nazareth? Is it possible that somewhere there is someone who can claim to be of the same bloodline as Jesus? I cannot discount the possibility even though it would spark much discussion and argument among my own family and certainly bring a frown to some of their faces. No I do not discount the possibility that Jesus may have been just an ordinary man of flesh and blood born of woman and died at the hands of men. But, doesn’t it make it all the more extraordinary that such a man could rally millions to believe in a greater power, to embrace the virtue of peace, of giving of one’s self to others? Is it not amazing that one ordinary man's teachings of faith and love should be passed on from generation to generation for two thousand years? Is it not awe inspiring that billions of Christians live by the words of “The Beatitudes” a sermon delivered by this “ordinary” man while standing on a hill? Is not every Christian affected by this man’s most famous words when at his death he cried “My God, why have you forsaken me?” It makes no difference to my faith if Jesus was just an ordinary man, a poor carpenter from Nazareth or God made flesh sent to suffer for our sins and bring us to everlasting life. It makes no difference to my faith because whether Jesus was of man or of God, He was no ordinary man, there is nothing ordinary about His life or His teaching, and they have survived for two thousand years and have inspired millions to lead a life of goodness and truth. His teachings have inspired many to give all of themselves to mankind. How poor the world would be today without St. Francis of Assisi or St. Vincent De Paul, how uninspired women would feel without Joan of Arc, oh how much poorer the world would be without the blessings of Mother Teresa. Without the help of St. Antony or St. Jude so many causes would be lost and our possessions remain unfound, without St. Christopher so many more journeys would end in tragedy. No I cannot discount the possibility that Christ may have been of the flesh and not of God, because any man or woman who is capable of inspiring billions of people for thousands of years to have faith and to strive for good and pureness of soul, is by no means, just an “ordinary” person. A “man” such as that deserves the praise given in the prayers spoken and the title of “The Son of God.”
The miniseries was a disappointingly predictable treasure hunter’s story with the usual hero, heroine and anti hero all in a race to be the first to find the elusive “Gospel of Jesus." There is the inevitable love scene, the triumphant find, the tension filled escape from the tumbling ruins and the out witting of the bad guys by the industrious hero and the butt kicking heroine. In the end the “gospel” is lost forever to the sea and the story is never told to the world thus bringing the bad guy to justice and Christians safe from controversy. All rather insipid and overdone, but there was one unexpected twist that was to be its saving grace. This story ends where it began, with the “Templar Knights” been given the task of returning to Jerusalem, a parchment on which was written the “Gospel of Jesus” they of course die before making it there but manage to hide the parchment before death comes to them sparking the treasure hunt hundreds of years later. The twist is found when it becomes apparent that this so called gospel guarded till death, this “gospel” that “proves” the ungodliness of Jesus is faked by the “Templers” themselves in the hopes of ending the wars that raged between the Christians and the Muslims in Jerusalem. By claiming that Jesus was no more than a Prophet of God as Islam teaches that Mohammed was no more than a prophet himself both Christians and Muslims would be united in one belief.
Gives one pause for thought does it not?
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