Two Spanish historians — Margarita Torres and Jose Ortegel del Rio — believe they have found the ‘Holy Grail.’
The ‘Holy Grail’ refers to the cup Jesus and the disciples drank from at the Last supper 2,000 years ago (Matthew 26:26-30). It has been the subject of legends for centuries. Some like Nazi leader Adolf Hitler believed anyone who possessed the grail would receive supernatural powers. It is reported that Heinrich Himmler, the Nazi S.S. leader, actually visited the Montserrat Abbey in Spain in search of the grail.
The two Spanish researchers believe the ‘Holy Grail’ is in an obscure church museum located in the San Isidore Basilica in Leon, Spain. The chalice first showed up at the church in the 11th century.
The researchers stumbled upon historical references to this particular chalice in two Egyptian papyri found while researching Islāmic remains at the church.
The Medieval documents stated Muslims had stolen the chalice from a Christian community in Jerusalem who believed it was the cup of Christ. From there the Muslims gave it to the Emir of Spain after he helped an Egyptian community during a famine.
The researchers added:
“From there the Chalice was offered to King Fernando I, who ruled between 1037 and 1065, as a peace-offering by the head of a Muslim kingdom within Spain.”
The original onyx cup which the two researchers believe is the ‘Holy Grail’ can be seen inside the elaborate decoration of the Chalice of Doria Urruca displayed at the museum.
Using carbon dating, the researchers said the onyx cup dated between 200 BC and 100 AD, falling in the time of Christ.
The historians said:
“This is a very important discovery because it helps solve a big puzzle … the only chalice that could be considered the chalice of Christ is that which made the journey to Cairo and then from Cairo to Leon.”
Though the researchers were unable to trace the chalice back further than the 4th century, they said those at that time believed it was Christ’s wine-cup.
The mystique surrounding the ‘Holy Grail’ is based on the Catholic belief that during the Eucharist, or Lord’s supper, the bread and wine actually transform into the body and blood of Jesus. Protestants believe the bread and wine are symbolic and no transformation takes place.
Thus during the first Eucharist, when Jesus said “Drink from it, all of you for this is My blood of the covenant,” (Matthew 26:28-28 NASV), Catholics believe this first chalice contained the actual blood of Christ, provided by Christ Himself.
The strange Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade connection
But there is an odd twist in this story we see it hinted at in the movie Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
The Nazi’s search for the ‘Holy Grail’ during World War II was the premise of Steven Spielberg’s popular movie Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
After chasing the Nazi’s across Europe in search of the ‘Holy Grail,’ Indiana Jones, played by Harrison Ford, finally tracks down the grail at a temple. However, the Nazis led by turn coat Walter Donovan (Denholm Elliot) had arrived first.
After capturing Indiana Jones and his entourage, Donovan shoots Indiana’s father (Sean Connery) to force Indiana Jones to got through a series of booby traps to the Grail chamber guarded by a Templar Knight, who was kept alive for 700 years by the grail. On the table in the chamber are dozens of fake cups.
When Donovan arrives at the chamber, he takes control and decides to drink water from the ‘Holy Grail’ believing it would give him eternal life.
He chooses the gaudiest, jewel-encrusted chalice believing it was the cup of a King. He drinks from the water and dies because it is a fake. Indiana Jones needs to take water back to save his father and must choose the right chalice. Realizing Jesus was a simple carpenter, Indiana chooses the plainest cup on the table which proves to be the right one.
This is why its interesting because the chalice on display at the Leon museum is covered in gold and jewels. The researcher said the inner cup was made of onyx and is more in keeping with a cup Jesus and His disciples would have used. However, over the centuries people added the elaborate and expensive covering to give the cup more significance.
No one knows if the cup Jesus and His disciples used survived, but there are reportedly dozens of cups across Europe people claim to be the ‘Holy Grail.’ The Spanish historians said this cup must be considered the most serious contender.
Read more:
- Historians claim to have recovered Holy Grail: NYpost.com
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