Chapter 11

The Secret of the Grail (2)

_The Naassene Document_

Relations between early Christianity, and pre-Christian cults. Early Heresies. Hippolytus, and _The Refutation of all Heresies_. Character of the work. _The Naassene Document_. Mr Mead’s analysis of text. A synthesis of Mysteries. Identification of Life Principle with the Logos. Connection between Drama and Mysteries of Attis. Importance of the Phrygian Mysteries. Naassene claim to be sole Christians. Significance of evidence. Vegetation cults as vehicle of high spiritual teaching. Exoteric and Esoteric parallels with the Grail tradition. Process of evolution sketched. Bleheris. _Perlesvaus_. Borron and the Mystery tradition. Christian Legendary, and Folk-tale, secondary, not primary, features.