Guardians of the Holy Grail: The Knights Templar, John the Baptist, and the Water of Life [Paperback]

Mark Amaru Pinkham (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2004

Proof that the Holy Grail existed thousands of years before Christ, and is as old as the Garden of Eden. For a thousand years the Knights Templar have been the guardians of the Holy Grail. During their hundred years in the Middle East, the Templars received the Holy Grail from a lineage of Holy Grail Guardians that had existed for many thousands of years previously. This ancient Grail lineage, which included John the Baptist, Jesus Christ, and John the Apostle, originated on Sri Lanka, the island paradise recognized within the Arab world as the true location of the fabled Garden of Eden. A unique history of the Knights Templar and the Grail, Guardians of the Holy Grail includes chapters on: * Rosslyn Chapel and the Sinclairs of Scotland * John the Baptist and the Mandeans from Sri Lanka * The Mystery of Baphomet, the Templar "demon" * The Gnostic & Sexual Tantric rites of the Knights Templar * Alchemy & the Mystery of the Black Madonna * The Secrets of the Freemasons and Johannites

Product Details

• Paperback: 341 pages
• Publisher: Adventures Unlimited Press; 1st edition (September 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1931882282
• ISBN-13: 978-1931882286
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #626,638 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Must take with a whole bag - not a grain - of salt, October 12, 2005

By 

Brandy (NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Guardians of the Holy Grail: The Knights Templar, John the Baptist, and the Water of Life (Paperback)

I'm a big fan of anything Knight related (though nowhere near an expert), and am willing to read even the most 'out-there' theories, but in this case, Mark takes a great leap into the history and myth, then falls off the planet - literally.

He rehashes a lot of already known history of the Knights, which is fine in case some readers are just starting out learning about the Knights, but then he goes pretty much X-files when he adds in extraterrestrials to the mix, then adds other cultural legends into the story of the Knights, which kind of confuses me. I'm all for looking at the Knights from the view of other monotheistic and polytheistic religions around from the time of the Knights, but some seem to be just grasping.

To add to his image as a head honcho Modern Knight, his WIFE is his 'co-knight' (I thought the Knights were supposed to be MONKS and CELIBATE), maintains the present Earl Sinclair is the Fisher King (which I thought was supposed to be attached to the Arthurian legends and not the Knights Templar, and the Fisher King was supposed to be suffering from an unhealable wound), and I think that halfway through the original editing of this book his proofreader/spellchecker either quit or died.

He DOES add some little-known data of the Knights, which is why I won't use the book for kindling, but I was sort of hoping he would have organized the book a little bit better. I learned a bit more about some John the Baptist lore, but ended up confused. I'll try to read through the book again in case I missed something, but I was hoping for a better read.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Controversial but interesting read, November 6, 2004

By 

Lady of the Lake (United Kingdom) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Guardians of the Holy Grail: The Knights Templar, John the Baptist, and the Water of Life (Paperback)

Guardians of the Holy Grail, while undoubtedly controversial to some, is nonetheless a creative look at two popular themes -- the Templars and the Holy Grail, with a unique focus on the Divine feminine...a welcome addition to the number of books out there! The Sri Lanka history is a 'new twist' on old themes; the author's overall courage should be commended

10 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The history of the Knights Templar & the Holy Grail, February 4, 2005

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Guardians of the Holy Grail: The Knights Templar, John the Baptist, and the Water of Life (Paperback)

In Guardians Of The Holy Grail: The Knights Templar, John The Baptist, And The Water Of Life, author and spiritual instructor Mark Amaru Pinkham lays out the history of the Knights Templar and the legendary Holy Grail. During their one hundred year presence in the Middle East, the Templars received the Holy Grail from a lineage of Holy Grail Guardians that had already been in existence for many thousands of years. Originating on Sri Lanka (the island paradise recognized within the Arab world as the true location of the fabled Garden of Eden), this ancient Grail lineage included John the Baptist, Jesus Christ, and John the Apostle. Readers will learn of the relationship of John the Baptist and the Mandean from Sri Lanka; the mystery of Baphomet (the Templar "Demon"); the gnostic and sexual tantric rites practiced by the Knights Templar; the alchemy and mystery of the Black Madonna; secrets of the Rosslyn Chapel and the Sinclairs of Scotland; the mysteries of the Freemasons and Johannites; and the Knight Templars of today. Also very highly recommended from Adventures Unlimited Press are two earlier books about the Knight Templars: Charles G. Addison's The History Of The Knights Templars (HKT, $16.95) and Francine Bernier's Templars' Legacy In Montreal (TLIM, $21.95).