PREFACE

The idea for this book came about during a recent trip to Nova Scotia, on my own personal quest for the Grail, which was somewhat unfruitful, although I do still believe it to be in that Canadian Province. I had begun to wonder exactly what I and many others were actually searching for. Ever since the book Holy Blood, Holy Grail by Baigent, Leigh, and Lincoln, I had assumed that it would be the earthly remains of Mary Magdalene, and some type of documented proof of a marriage between her and Jesus.

As a boy of around 12 years old, I was probably as much into the Holy Grail stories as westerns. Sir Galahad and King Arthur had equal billing with Gene Autry and Roy Rogers in my own mind. Of course at that time it was generally understood that the Grail would be a chalice or cup that had been used by Jesus himself at the last supper. Since then, there has been much more information surfacing on this Grail. Information that actually alluded to the Holy Grail being Mary Magdalene herself who carried the unborn child of Jesus at the time of the crucifixion. So as I drove along, back toward home, pondering these thoughts it slowly occurred to me that the actual proof of all of this exists now. With the recent discoveries of the Papyrus Berolinensis 8502, The Dead Sea Scrolls, The Nag Hammadi Library, and with the clear contradictions that these discoveries created between themselves and the accepted Bible Canon of the New Testament, also called the Christian Greek Scriptures. All of this along with the many legends throughout the world, but mostly in Southern France, the many discoveries hidden in art work of the middle ages, hidden by such men as Leonardo Da Vinci and by many others. Things which had to be subliminal because of the watchful eye of the organized church, things which, if known to the church, would have been considered heretical. It is not so much one or another of these that offer in itself the proof I mention but the collaboration of all of these things together. Similar to proving a criminal case with circumstantial evidence eventually the preponderance of the evidence will prove the case.

My intention with this book is to do just that, to show as much as possible all of the available information and to present it in such a way so as to prove to the unbiased observer the following. That the person described as "the disciple that Jesus loved" was Mary Magdalene. That she had been the one who had anointed Jesus as the Christ, that she had authored the fourth gospel, known as the gospel of John. And that she and Jesus were married.

I will also show some things that do not have this preponderance of evidence but there is still some evidence to support them. Such as Mary had a child with Jesus that she named Sarah and that from this child a bloodline exists even today.

I do not intend for this to be a religious work although I am sure it will appear to be but remember, these ideas do not pretend to offer salvation in any form, nor do they show a person how they should lead their life. I am merely showing the historical record as it pertains to the aforementioned facts.

It does seem though, that with all of this information surfacing now, nearly 2000 years after the events actually unfolded that we are spiraling toward some eventual climax, perhaps even a full enlightenment. Whatever that would mean.

As for this book itself, I am writing it with seven chapters, the first of these called "EVOLUTION" is a brief history of the evolution of the writing of the early Christian movement into an established doctrine of the Orthodox church. In the second chapter "MARY AND MARY", I will show the true identity of Mary Magdalene and her oneness with Mary of Bethany. In the third chapter I call "ANOINTING", I will show that Mary Magdalene, as I have said, was the one person who anointed Jesus as the Christ. And then in the fourth chapter "THE BELOVED DISCIPLE", I will make the premise that Mary Magdalene was indeed the "disciple that Jesus loved", and also the author of the fourth gospel. In the fifth chapter, entitled "NAG HAMMADI LIBRARY", I will discuss the relatively recent discovery of the Nag Hammadi Library. Also in the chapter, I will discuss the Papyrus Berolinensis 8502, which contained among other things, the Gospel of Mary. The former discovered in 1945, the latter in 1896. I will use the collaboration of these writings and others, along with existing works, to, as I have said, prove to the unbiased observer, the premises of the first four chapters. in the sixth chapter, called simply "AFTER", I will show the events that unfolded shortly after the crucifixion concerning, as I have said, things that are not proven, but that there is much evidence for, such as Mary's child with Jesus, Sarah, their escape to Provence (S.E. France) and continuing up to the virtual end of the Gnostic Cathars on March 16, 1244. In the final seventh chapter called "OTHER EVIDENCE", it is just that. Other evidence outside of Scripture, that shows these premises have been accepted by the learned men throughout these last 17 or more centuries, right up to today.

As I use scriptural passages from the Christian Greek scriptures, I will write from the King James Version of the Bible, probably, if not the most, accepted version, it is indeed one of them.

As for my own search for the Holy Grail, I will write about some of the information I have that points to the location of this Grail being in Nova Scotia (but not at Oak Island, I might add).

My hope is that in the final analysis, this book has its intended results.

B. Woodward

Preface | Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7

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