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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The Sacred Mushroom and the Cross: A Study of the Nature and Origins of Christianity Within the Fertility Cults of the Ancient Near East is a 1970 book about the linguistics of early Christianity and fertility cults in the Ancient Near East. It was written by John Marco Allegro (1923–1988). [1] [2] Theories [ edit ] The book has been described as "notorious" and as "one of the strangest books ever published on the subject of religion and pharmacology". [4] There was a media frenzy when it was published in 1970. This caused the publisher to apologize for issuing it and forced Allegro's resignation from his university position. [1] [5] Judith Anne Brown suggested that the book was "difficult to read and difficult to summarize, because he follows clues that criss-cross different cultures and lead into many-layered webs of association". [5] Mark Hall writes that Allegro suggested the scrolls all but proved that a historical Jesus never existed. [6] [ clarification needed] Philip Jenkins writes that Allegro was an eccentric scholar who relied on texts that did not exist in quite the form he was citing them, and calls the Sacred Mushroom and the Cross "possibly the single most ludicrous book on Jesus scholarship by a qualified academic". [7] Reconsideration [ edit ]

a b c Philip R. Davies, "John Marco Allegro", in Lawrence H. Schiffman; James C. VanderKam, eds. (2000). Encyclopedia of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Vol.1. Oxford. p.18. ISBN 0195137965. J.M. Allegro (1958). "More Isaiah Commentaries from Qumran's Fourth Cave". Journal of Biblical Literature. 77 (3): 215–221. doi: 10.2307/3264101. JSTOR 3264101. I grew up with Christianity forcefully shoved down my throat despite frequent and vigorous protests. I no longer hold the stark views against Christianity that I did in my youth. Nonetheless, this book had me smiling and even laughing at the possibility of Allegro being correct. And, mostly because I want it to be true, I do believe he is onto something. J.M. Allegro (1985). Physician, Heal Thyself. Amherst, United States: Prometheus Books. ISBN 9780879753054.The Sacred Mushroom and the Cross: A Study of the Nature and Origins of Christianity within the Fertility Cults of the Ancient Near East So once this is understood we can then LOOK at these myths, and interpretations, and understand that we need to look even deeper. IE more ancient than the solar myths were the lunar myths of the Great Mother/Goddess. And we realize that the solar myth-makers suppressed the Goddess and imposed their own dualistic interpretations on the universe, and the fungi and myths surrounding them. Read more about Modern Javascript and the five year anniversary of my book, Functional Programming in JavaScript Throughout the centuries, God added more details to this promise. This Savior would be the son of Abraham, the heir of David who would rule from David’s throne forever. He would be pierced for our iniquities, die, and rise again on the third day. In working on the scrolls with religious colleagues, Allegro came into sharp disagreement and strong conflict with them over dissemination of study findings and results.

This book is not an "easy read" in any sense of the phrase, but it is a book that cannot be denied. s/t: A Study of the Nature and Origins of Christianity within the Fertility Cults of the Ancient Near EastJohn Marco Allegro (17 February 1923 – 17 February 1988) was an English archaeologist and Dead Sea Scrolls scholar. He was a populariser of the Dead Sea Scrolls through his books and radio broadcasts. He was the editor of some of the most famous and controversial scrolls published, the pesharim. A number of Allegro's later books, including The Sacred Mushroom and the Cross, brought him both popular fame and notoriety, and also complicated his career.

J.M. Allegro (1979). The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Christian Myth. Devon: Westbridge Books. ISBN 0879752416. J.M. Allegro (1962). "Further Light on the History of the Qumran Sect". Journal of Semitic Studies. 7: 304–308. doi: 10.1093/jss/7.2.304. Sacred Mushroom and the Cross : A Study of the Nature and Origins of Christianity Within the Fertility Cults of the Ancient Near East This Jesus Christ has freed us from the hopeless exercise of trying to bless our sins and hide our vices under the worship of false gods or the embrace of foolish conspiracy theories. This Jesus Christ has given us the right to know that these vices and sins no longer have any power over us. They are forgiven, dead, lifeless, washed away in the flood of Christ’s blood. In the mid-1950s John Marco Allegro was a renowned philologist and archaeologist. His primary and most successful work was around the Dead Sea Scrolls or Pesharim. These rare manuscripts were and are still considered one of the most important finds in the history of archaeology. They have enormous historical, religious, and linguistic significance as they included the oldest surviving versions of entire books later included in the biblical canons.Hall, Mark. "Foreword," in Allegro, John M. The Dead Sea Scrolls & the Christian Myth. Prometheus 1992, first published 1979, p. ix.