Laurence Gardner (1943–2010)

I don't really know why I read this book. Perhaps I saw the tag line "The hidden lineage of Jesus revealed" and thought I'd better check whether it was me who was directly descended from Jesus.

Turns out Gardner hasn't come to the conclusion that I'm the messiah (or even a naughty boy for that matter) but I have to say that (SPOILER) when I read the foreword by "Prince Michael of Albany", I guessed (correctly as it turns out) who was Gardner's pick for Jesus' descendant.

In between the show more foreword and the conclusion, Gardner makes a lot of declarations but provides scant reputable evidence, although to be fair, I wasn't expecting much reputable evidence when I picked the book up. show less

Yes this genre is feeding off itself quite well at this stage.

It has regular citations of the Holy Blood and the Holy Grail and the Da Vinci Code and while I agree that pointing out some of the historic flaws in the latter is a cause for me to start "wooting" on a fairly large scale, using The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail (HBHG) as a serious source of information is bad. Indeed Gardner does point out some of the flaws in the HBHG but also uses some of their points to make his points. Now show more while there may be some truths hidden in the obfusction in HBHG it's fairly well obscured in the rather flawed historical research.

When Gardner looks at art his training shows and he does know his stuff but sometimes really his leaps of faith require way too much willing suspension of disbelief, which I really can't do. Nothing in the book is really different or original or strange but he does go through some of the points in the Da Vinci Code and point out their relationship with reality, which isn't a bad thing, particularly if some of the multitude of fans of that blasted book actually read the thing. As pseudo history it isn't a bad book but it's not a great book. show less

Çfarë misteteri i lashtë fshihet prapa origjinave të Masonërisë? Një secret aq i fuqishëm, saqë vet vllazëria është në kërkim të tij për më shumë se treqind vjetësh. Libri i jashtëzakonshëm i Lorenc Gardanit u zbulon më në fund të vërtetën të gjithë atyre që pyesin me vete se cilat janë origjinat e kësaj shoqërie të fshehtë misterioze. Autori, vetë ai mëson për më shumë se njëzet vjet hap portat e sancta sanstrumi-t të Tempullit Mason. Në këto faqe, show more që përfaqësojnë pikëmbërritjen e shumë viteve kërkimesh arkivore, zbulohen sekretet çelës të Masonërisë dhe kthehet në dritë ajo botë e zhdukur; në të cilën kanë qënduar të varrosura për shekuj. show less

The Magdalene Legacy
The Jesus and Mary Bloodline Conspiracy
by Laurence Gardner

This book was a blessing to review and 395 pages of pure dynamite definitely picking up where the Da Vinci Code left off. I was filled with so many unanswered questions and it was like the author was able to systematically answer each one. There is so much information faithfully and painstaking documented and laid out with such a congruent flow that my heart just sang with joy.

Learning about the life of Mary and show more Jesus as a couple and about their children was such a miraculous feeling that having many wonderful pictures to examine was just icing on the cake. I would recommend this great historical labor of love to anyone who has been curios or driven to know more about the man named Jesus and his wife, Mary. Thanks, hardly seems like enough Laurence for the peace of mind your masterpiece has brought me.

Love & Light,

Riki Frahmann show less