The Grail Code: Quest for the Real Presence

The real mystery is the Real Presence

"The Grail Code satisfies the hunger that people have for knowledge of this mystery. The true Grail bears witness to a divine gift that exceeds even the deepest human longing.”
—Scott Hahn, author of The Lamb’s Supper and Hail, Holy Queen

The Holy Grail stories possess a mysterious power that has seized the human imagination for centuries. They tell of a great secret finally revealed, of a surprising answer to the most profound questions, of a hidden mystery that satisfies our deepest longings. Writers, poets, artists, composers, and filmmakers have pursued the Grail for 1,700 years. The great quest drives the legends of King Arthur, propels Indiana Jones’s greatest adventure, and keeps many people turning the pages of The Da Vinci Code .
These tales of quests and miracles and of honor and betrayal have capti­vated humankind for so long, say the authors of The Grail Code , because the stories really do touch the deepest parts of our hearts. They reveal our innate yearning to know Christ, to be in communion with the Divine. What we’ve lost in the pop-culture transformations of the Grail is what made it holy in the first place: the intimate link with the Eucharist.
The Grail Code is a literary and theological detective story, centuries in the making, that ends where the Grail legends began—in the room where Jesus gathered his closest friends for the last time, spoke blessed words, broke bread, and shared a sacred cup.

Mike Aquilina is author of a dozen books on Christian history, doctrine, and devotion. He is vice-president of the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology and has been co-host of five popular television series. He is past editor of New Covenant: A Magazine of Catholic Spirituality and other publications. Visit his Web site at www.grailcode.com.

Christopher Bailey has worked as a writer, editor, translator, and researcher for more than 15 years. His articles have appeared in Touchstone , Columbia , New Covenant , The New Catholic Encyclopedia (Second Edition), and elsewhere. Schooled in the great-books tradition, he has spent many years in close study and translation of the Arthurian texts.