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NASB | John 20:29 Jesus *said to him, "Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed." |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | John 20:29 Jesus said to him, "Because you have seen Me, do you now believe? Blessed [happy, spiritually secure, and favored by God] are they who did not see [Me] and yet believed [in Me]." |
Bible Question:
Has anyone read the book "Holy Blood, Holy Grail"? Any comments on it? What is the relevence of the holy grail to Christianity? I'm basically curious about this holy grail and what it means to us as believers....if it should mean anything at all. How much credibility should we give it and why? Would appreciate comments from anyone who knows about this and put it in the light of the bible. Thanks! |
Bible Answer: Greetings Aliehs! Yes, I have seen and read a part of that book, "Holy Blood, Holy Grail".. "Any comments on it?" Well, I would say that it is very interesting and entertaining, since Grail-lore and artifacts of the type, like the Ark of the Covenant, Noah's Ark and the Shroud of Turin, are nice little 'archaeological' hobbies to turn to from time to time, to read up on some of those things and their supposed "history." :-) But I have found some of the claims in that book a bit far-fetched, if you know what I mean.. For instance, the Holy Grail is seen as this Holy artifact that is identified as the chalice used by Christ in the Last Supper, guarded by the Knights Templar, which is a claim made by the Freemasons. A belief in the existence or preservation of an artifact, such as the Holy Grail, or the Shroud of Turin, or that the Ark of the Covenant still exists today does not "shake" nor should "solidify" our faith. True, to actually 'prove' such an archaeological find would be the greatest testimony to Biblical archaeology and provide the greatest support to the Bible. But does or should it affect our faith in the least bit? Nonsense. Only speculation breeds from such serious study, and our faith is based on so much more than speculation!! "Intriguing though such speculations may be, they betray by their use of language the lack of a plausible historical foundation: 'the answer would seem to lie..'; 'it seems very likely that...'; 'it is known that...'; 'could well have...'; 'it seems certain that...' 'After some research', writes Andrew Sinclair in his book "The Discovery of the Grail," 'these fantasists put forward a hypothesis. Was Christ or the Grail buried under a mountain in the south of France? Did Jesus marry Magdalene and provide the blood line of the Merovingians? Within a few pages, the assertion becomes the actual, the idea is changed into the proof..' Or, as Peter Partner succinctly puts it in relation to the Templars, 'Templarism ... was a belief manufactured by charlatans for their dupes.'" (1) You see, there is no end to the speculations that come from the supposed "discovery" of such an artifact. "Blessed are those who do not see, and yet believed." (John 20:29) Our faith does not exist on what we can see or grasp for ourselves, but upon what Jesus has done for us, knowing that He exists, and putting our faith and trust in Him, without having to see Him physically. Therefore, we do not need such artifacts to produce faith in us. We already have the Holy Spirit that leads us to Christ. In conclusion, I would not put forth much any credibility in a story that states that the Holy Grail, Ark of the Covenant, Noah's Ark, or that the Shroud of Turin is truly 'authentic', since it should not have any bearing whatsoever on our faith as those who bear the name of Christ. Blessings to you, Makarios (1) "THE TEMPLARS" by Piers Paul Read, 1999, St. Martin's Press, pg. 306 |