Customer Reviews

The Sacred Mushroom and the Cross: A Study of the Nature and Origins of Christianity within the Fertility Cults of the Ancient Near East

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It has been slow going as I've been reading The Sacred Mushroom & The Cross but I'm ready now to give my appraisal of the basic thesis. Which is to say, I don't have a clue. Let me recap.

John Allegro, the author, makes the argument that Christianity got its start as a subterfuge used by ancient Jews to hide their true religion from the Romans. He argues that they created an imaginary fertility cult based around the usage of the amanita muscaria, or "magic" mushroom. Then, by an ironic twist, the "fake" religion caught on and took on a life of its own. I think this quote does a good job of summing this up:

"The whole point of a mystery cult was that few people knew its secret doctrines. So far as possible, the initiates did not commit their special knowledge to writing. . . . When such special instruction was committed to writing, care would be taken that it should be read only by members of the sect. This could be done by using a special code or cypher, as in the case with certain of the Dead Sea Scrolls. However, discovery of such obviously coded material on a person would render him suspect to the authorities. Another way of passing information was to conceal the message, incantations, or special names within a document ostensibly concerned with a quite different subject.

"Plant mythology, known for thousands of years over the whole of the ancient world, provided the New Testament cryptographers their 'cover.' . . . Those most deceived appear to have been the sect who took over the name of "Christian" and who formed the basis of the Church, the history of which forms no part of the present study."

So I repeat: I don't have a clue. The information Allegro presents seems well researched but I have a couple problems with it.

First, he bases the whole book on the foundation that a new understanding of the Sumerian language or some other translation capability allows researchers to grasp meaning that was not previously possible. Unfortunately, the explanation he gives as to the nature of this new understanding is, at least in my opinion, insufficient. What he says is:

"The main factor that has made these new discoveries possible has been the realization that many of the most secret names of the mushroom go back to ancient Sumerian . . . For the first time it becomes possible to decipher the names of gods, mythological characters, classical dn biblical, and plant names."

Secondly, assuming this is all on the up and up, and there really is new information on which his thesis is based, there is no way that anyone who is not a serious scholar of ancient languages can judge his intrepretations. This stuff is so esoteric that there probably aren't 200 people in the world who have the knowledge to read what he says and challenge his hypothesis. The rest of us can only read what he says and say "That's an unusual and interesting argument but I don't have a clue about its validity."

Allegro makes the point that the book is written for the general public but perforce it was necessary to include a lot of technical data that would be outside the scope of the general reader. In my opinion, at least, he has failed to really reach the general reader. It may not be his fault. It may be that it is so esoteric that no one could cross that gap to really engage someone who doesn't have the background to evaluate what he's saying. But without the ability to evaluate the arugment, the only capability that remains is to plant the idea in the reader's mind and leave them thinking, again, "That's an unusual and interesting argument but I don't have a clue about its validity."

And that's where I leave it.

Although the major premise of this book is hard to swallow, that Christianity was founded on a secret Jewish mushroom cult that was misconstrued by the Gentiles, it is nonetheless a fascinating foray into the origin of written language. The author's vast knowledge of ancient languages is magnificently displayed as he charts the birth of the alphabet from Accadian cuneform to the Greek alphabet.

The focus of the particular words he traces centers on the mushroom cults of the amanita muscaria, or fly agaric mushroom, which indeed had numerous cults in the Mideast, India, and China. The mystic significance and almost freudian connotations of the words for the mushroom capture the richness of ancient thought.

His brief and often wry digressions exhibit a great and playful mind at work. For example, in a discussion of the origin of the word "assassin" he comments on the sloth of the 1960's hippie.

Ultimately, his argument for the secret Jewish mushroom society rests on a handful of odd word origins in the New Testament, and though it does lead one to postulate the use of drugs by the early Christians, it does not thoroughly debunk the possibility of an historical Jesus Christ. Apparently Prof. Allegro discounted the references purported by some to be contained in certain versions of Josephus' "History of the Jewish War," which I find compelling.

Even though the major premise is flawed, the process of investigating it is riveting. Standing on the shoulders of this intellectual giant, the panorama of the ancient world comes vividly into view and the journey from picture-glyphs toward symbolic characters reveals mental operations that may be inherent forces in human cognition.

When I first read this book back in 1972, I thought it would revolutionize Christianity coming from such a scholar as Allegro. And of course, that is why his book and his thesis have been shunted aside. Although true. Like so many truths, it is threatening to "Christians". A fact remains. Human rteligion was built upon psychoactive plants. I have read the book many times since 1972. Jon Thomas-Weger

I can honestly say that my reading of Allegro's book The Sacred Mushroom and the Cross very much changed my life. The book inspired my deep interest in researching further into comparative mythology, whereas before I had never really understood the 'point' of most of the complex tales, and the Bible I had always felt was utterly depressing! But when i saw how playful, humourous, and earthy the mythographers could be, I was HOOKED. As a visual artist now (probably also insome way inspired by that book) I love layers - of colour, meaning, and so on. So it makes sense that mythological writing also aspires to this aesthetic. Whatever the critics of Allegro's revolutionary work say, it IS extraordinarily plausible, and much more so for those who have partaken of sacred sacraments!!!!

Makes perfect sense when read in conjunction with Darwin's "Origins of Species", E. O. Wilson' "On Human Nature", Wasson's "Soma", Sagan's "Demon-haunted World", Campbell's "Masks of God", etc. This book is not for those who are content to keep their heads buried in the religious sand. If only Velikovsky had read this book before scribbling his "worlds in derision".The hardcover contains a bibliography which can be used to check interpretation of heiroglyphs but not much is known about the Sumerian language. This book should be compulsary reading for everyone. Thank God (Yahweh ) for Allegro.

John Marco Allegro's Sacred Mushroom and the Cross is not going to enhance your faith. Allegro was a Christian minister when he was asked to interpret the scrolls. It was here that he realized that linguistic formulas and his knowledge of multiple languages could bring into focus the mentality and meaning of words and names that had been mysteries for thousands of years. The names of the gods like Castor and Pollux, words like alleluia could be regressed to and from an ancient proto language. It was a difficult read for me but I suspect that every word he has tested could be tested again and compared to different sets of words. So it is a starting point on a path that few have had the courage to follow. I am proud to own my copy. A copy that is increasing in value. It is too bad that the importance of his scholarly work did not find people willing to debate his ideas during his life time. I hope you will buy this book and continue his work so I can buy your book.

Added Comment:

I have an early copy. If you buy the new version you get the additional benefit of Professor Carl Ruck and Allegro's daughter Judith Anne Brown. Having heard interviews by Jan Irvin of Ruck and Brown I am confident the modern edition is worth every penny. I am very curious to see what Judith Anne Brown wrote and I enjoyed Ruck's book Sacred Mushrooms of The Goddess - Secrets of Eleusis. So had I not already bought a copy I would have tried to get the newer addition first.

***NOTE! THIS IS THE 40TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION AND NOT THE 1970 EDITION. Amazon has confused the two versions and mixed the reviews of the old version with the new version.***


After being out of print for more than a quarter of a century, Gnostic Media is happy to announce the release of the 40th anniversary edition of John Marco Allegro's The Sacred Mushroom and the Cross.

Universally reviled on its first publication in May 1970, The Sacred Mushroom and the Cross ruined John Allegro's career. The book claimed that Christianity, like other Western religions, was rooted in an ancient fertility cult whose phallic god seeded the earth with life. The rites and symbols of this cult, passed on through generations of priests and kings, were still live and potent at the supposed time of Jesus - so potent that they were kept secret by cult members and suppressed by the rulers of church and state. Distorted, disguised, lost in translation, they were nevertheless still there, and surfaced from time to time in the traditions and iconography of the developing church.

The sacred mushroom, Amanita muscaria, was at once the symbol and embodiment of fertility, and the means to understand it. It is one of the entheogens (psychoactive substances derived from plants) that have been used over thousands of years and across continents to reach a higher state of consciousness, a sense of communion with the gods. Allegro maintained this was as true for Judaism and Christianity as it had been for the religions of ancient Greece, Rome, Scandinavia, India and Mexico.

The evidence is in language - Indo-European languages as they have developed and diversified since the first cuneiform inscriptions were written down some 6,000 years ago in ancient Sumer. Words and ideas that were sacred to the Sumerians recur in phrases and myths that became sacred to the Phoenicians, Greeks, Arabs, Hebrews and other nations. The Sacred Mushroom and the Cross sets out Allegro's quest through a family tree of languages to find the truth about where Christianity came from.

The book caused an outcry in 1970. Forty years on, new evidence demands a reexamination of the work and a fairer appraisal from more open-minded readers. That is why Gnostic Media is pleased to present in full this 40th anniversary edition of Allegro's original work, with an addendum, Fungus Redivivus, by Professor Carl A. P. Ruck of Boston University.

"The concerted and biased attempts to destroy Allegro's discoveries have failed. The confirmatory evidence is mounting in his favor. The critics can now raise their voices again. Let us hope that they do, since the matter is not settled, but they should be advised to do so with more careful consideration. This book that many have prized in secret is now available again. It demands the serious consideration of theologians, mythologists, and students of religion. No account of the history of the Church, both West and East, can afford to leave the poor despicable fungus unconsidered, nor the role that entheogens in general have played in the evolution of European civilization."
~ Professor Carl A. P. Ruck, Boston University

John Marco Allegro (1923-1988) was appointed the first British representative on the international editing team formed in the 1950s to start preparing the Dead Sea Scrolls for publication. His first book, The Dead Sea Scrolls, sold over 250,000 copies. As a writer and broadcaster and a lecturer on Old Testament and Intertestamental Studies at the University of Manchester, Allegro was at the centre of research and debate on the Scrolls.

The Sacred Mushroom and the Cross was a result of 20 years' study in the languages of the Middle East.

Gnostic Media has teamed up with the Allegro estate and Judith Anne Brown, and Professor Carl A. P. Ruck of Boston University for this special 40th anniversary edition of John Allegro's The Sacred Mushroom and the Cross.

Contributors:

Preface by Jan Irvin, author of The Holy Mushroom: Evidence of Mushrooms in Judeo-Christianity: A critical re-evaluation of the schism between John M. Allegro and R. Gordon Wasson over the theory on the entheogenic origins of Christianity presented in The Sacred Mushroom and the Cross, and co-author of Astrotheology & Shamanism: Christianity's Pagan Roots. A Revolutionary Reinterpretation of the Evidence (Color Edition).

Foreword by Judith Anne Brown, author of John Marco Allegro: The Maverick of the Dead Sea Scrolls (Studies in the Dead Sea Scrolls & Related Literature).

Addendum - Fungus Redivivus by Professor Carl A. P. Ruck, co-author of:
Persephone's Quest: Entheogens and the Origins of Religion, The Hidden World: Survival of Pagan Shamanic Themes in European Fairytales, The Road to Eleusis: Unveiling the Secret of the Mysteries, Sacred Mushrooms: Secrets of Eleusis, The Apples of Apollo: Pagan and Christian Mysteries of the Eucharist, and the upcoming Mushrooms, Myth and Mithras: The Drug Cult that Civilized Europe.


The Sacred Mushroom and the Cross 40th anniversary edition is available in:
Hardcover - $35.00 (Limited availability)
Softcover - $24.00

what convinced me of the validity of allegro's theory are the passages in the bible,,, exodus 16, and the discription of manna( its small ,round, appears in the mist, and rots in the sunlight),,,, appearing in the mist is a key,,,,, as ancient man couldn't understand how mushrooms grew. as mushroom spors are micromscopic, and they do appear in the morning mist its quite understandable that they thought it was a miracle. and what really put the cherry on the cake is the passage in revelations 2/17,,, hidden manna...... this idea of hidden manna could very well mean exactly that .. a secret cult of priest that used manna to aquire visions, a peak into spirt world.... at any rate ,its an interesting book........ enjoy.

I find it interesting how many people try to discredit John Allegro with the profound evidence he conveys in this work. The thing most of these "fundamentalists" don't realize is that Allegro was commissioned by these same folks to reinterpret the New Testament but found incredible information that seems to discredit this new religion called "Christianity". The truth is this work isn't even necessary to discredit Christianity; history does a good enough job of that. The only problem is the Catholic Church, probably the most influential force on "people" on the planet, has a vested interest in not having certain information "mainstream". (The Catholic Church influences 3 times the people in every Country in the world politically and otherwise, than the US and the USSR goverments combined!) All one has to do is start asking the right questions and stop asking questions based on the ignorance they already find themselves steeped in. (But that would mean having an open mind and unfortunately most Christians believe that if they do that a demon might jump on them!!) A vicious circle for the faithful I am afraid...

This book is worth having, although it is not the most persuasive and is corrupted by tabloid sensationalism and a scientific humanist attitude of condescending dismissal of all religious experiencing. Allegro acts as though portraying Christianity as mushroom- and fertility- based, he has demolished the credibility of Christianity altogether.

He disrespects his subject matter, like Aldous Huxley's smugly self-assured, ignorant, disgusted attitude toward entheogens before he experienced them. Not only was this book 30 years ahead of its time, the book was 30 years ahead of its author's ability to understand entheogens. Given that this sensationalist pulp book was written to shock a mass audience and discredit Christianity within that audience, it is unclear how ignorant or enlightened Allegro is about the efficacy of entheogens to cause intense religious experience and possibly valid mystic-state insight into the relation of self, control, time, and world.

Jesus is portrayed as none other than the Amanita, but that completely discredits Christianity for Allegro the scorched-earth, anti-religion humanist. The book is just as startling and confusing for entheogen-positive readers as those who are unfamiliar or dismissive of entheogens. Allegro made the mistake of alienating both orthodox Literalist Christians and esoteric mystics. The book is a real mixed bag, and the befuddling swarms of etymologies limit the readability as well.

Entheogenists may welcome his assertion that the inner circle of the early Christians used entheogens, specifically Amanita, but will be put off because he then turns around and holds a dismissive, pop-sensationalist attitude against entheogens. Entheogenists may also get more than they bargained for in this book when Allegro proposes that there was no man Jesus; Jesus was none other than the Amanita.

His theory is groundbreaking: he was the first to propose in some detail that Christianity was entheogen-oriented and that the entheogen was Amanita, and to additionally propose (in conjunction) that there was no historical Jesus.

The book, though flawed by sensationalism, is important, and required vision and daring. There was almost complete ignorance about entheogens when this book was published. I would recommend this book more for entheogen book collectors and scholars of the origins of Christianity than for general readers.

For related books, see my Amazon book lists: Ego death as deterministic self-control cancellation; Original, experiential, mystical Christianity; Christianity as political rebellion against "divine" Caesar; Mythic-only Christ theory; Entheogen theory of the origin of religions.