Graham Phillips has always been noted for his meticulous historical research, depth of vision and ability to follow the threads of a mystery throughout history.

Whether he was decoding the plagues of Egypt or the story of Moses, you always were surprised by what he uncovered and impressed by the detective like search he took you on to get there.

In The Chalice of Magdalene Phillips has once again taken on a major historical question – that of the story of the Grail – and followed its trail throughout many twists and turns.

This is quite a surprising book. Phillips takes nothing on face value and explores in some depth the background of Arthurian legends, early British, Celtic and Christian history, Gnosticism (especially the Gospel of Thomas) and legends of the Grail.

The early sections of the book explore the historical basis for the Arthurian legends and offer some amazing insights into the real history of King Arthur.

This is incredibly detailed research and sets the stage for the second section of the book where Phillips explores the nature of the Grail legend and the Holy Grail itself, as well as related Grail artefacts such as the Book of the Holy Vessel (which he identifies with the Book of Thomas) and the carved head of Jesus.

While the reader may not necessarily agree with his conclusions regarding the identity of the Grail family and indeed the Grail itself, the journey will certainly provide light on the various continuum of history that makes up the Grail heritage.

This work is extremely comprehensive and offers some superb research into a wide range of fields ranging from Arthurian legend to Gnosticism, the Gospel of Thomas and Robin Hood!

A great read and packed with fascinating discoveries.

– Reviewed by Robert Burns in New Dawn No. 87