Jesus, King Arthur and the Journey of the Holy Grail by Maurice Cotterell

Reviewed by Mike Gleason

Jesus, King Arthur and the Journey of the Holy Grail by Maurice Cotterell © 2006
Bear and Company ISBN 1-59143053-4
241 pages includes Appendices
Paperback $16.00 (U.S.)

This is an American printing of a book originally published in Ireland, by Celtic Press, as The Celtic Chronicles: The true Story of the Holy Grail.

Reading the very first paragraph of the text of this book reminded me of a quote I heard on a PBS special featuring The Chieftains: "We just recently returned from a tour of a country that could have been Celtic - China." From the very beginning of this book the casual reader, although not the true Celtophile, is due for some shake-ups in his thinking.

This volume is profusely illustrated, both with line drawings and photographs (most of the latter in full color). It is not, however, an "easy read." You must be willing to devote a considerable amount of time and energy to understanding the inter-relationship of varying cultures (especially some which are not normally associated with the Grail in the average person's mind); the hidden symbology in artifacts from around the world; and how everything ties together.

Whether you agree with Mr. Cotterell's conclusions, you will find yourself being challenged almost from the very first. Within the first twenty pages he addresses the possibility of proto-Celtic origins in China; what constitutes a Celt; the legendary arrival of the Celts in Ireland; and the Gateway of the Sun in Tiahuanaco, Bolivia. How's that for a wide range of topics and possibilities?

Mr. Cotterell's interpretation of the meaning of figures on the Gundestrup Cauldron varies significantly from most other writers I have read. He sees references to the coming birth of Jesus. He relates a number of symbolisms to Christian iconography, which is significant since the Cauldron predates the advent of Christianity by at least a century.

He sees connections between words drawn from divergent cultures from opposite sides of the world (e.g. "Maya" meaning "illusion" in Sanskrit and as the name of the Maya people in Central America, which he concludes has the same meaning in both cultures). I am not sure if the comparison is valid, as I'm no philologist.

Mr. Cotterell is the author of several other books including The Tutankhamun Prophecies and The Mayan Prophecies. By the time I was about half-way through this book I was convinced that he had synthesized these two concepts (neither one of which I have read) to generate this book. There had been, by that point, very few mentions of the Grail or Jesus, and none of King Arthur. Although the background on ancient Egypt, the ancient Mayans, and the foundation of European Christianity was interesting, I was wondering when the topic would shift to what had, seemingly, been promised in the title.

Part of the author's argument is that no evidence exists to prove that his speculations are false. The problem is that no proof exists that they are correct. Just because something could have happened is not proof that it did happen. Amelia Earhart could have been abducted by aliens from space, but that doesn't prove that she was. The failure to prove a negative does not prove a positive.

The appendices convey a huge amount of information, some factual, some speculative. I found them to be informative and well worth wading through.

I'm not sure I agree with the conclusions that Mr. Cotterell reached, but I found my ideas challenged and my mind expanded.