The Immortality Key: Uncovering the Secret History of the Religion with No Name
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- Author：Brian C. Muraresku
- ISBN：1250207142
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Summary
A groundbreaking， controversial dive into the role psychedelics have played in the human experience of the Divine throughout Western history， and the answer to a 2，000 year old mystery that could shake the Church to its foundations。
The Immortality Key connects the lost， psychedelic sacrament of Greek religion to early Christianity—exposing the true origins of Western Civilization。 In the tradition of unsolved historical mysteries like David Grann's Killers of the Flower Moon and Douglas Preston's The Lost City of the Monkey God， Brian Muraresku’s 10-year investigation takes the reader through Greece， Germany， Spain， France and Italy， offering unprecedented access to the hidden archives of the Louvre and the Vatican along the way。
In The Immortality Key， Muraresku explores a little-known connection between the best-kept secret in Ancient Greece and Christianity。 This is the real story of the most famous human being who ever lived （Jesus） and the biggest religion the world has ever known。 Today， 2。4 billion people are Christian。 That's one third of the planet。 But do any of them really know how it all started？
Before Jerusalem， before Rome， before Mecca—there was Eleusis: the spiritual capital of the ancient world。 It promised immortality to Plato and the rest of Athens's greatest minds with a very simple formula: drink this potion， see God。 Shrouded in secrecy for millennia， the Ancient Greek sacrament was buried when the newly Christianized Roman Empire obliterated Eleusis in the fourth century AD。
Renegade scholars in the 1970s claimed the Greek potion was psychedelic， just like the original Christian Eucharist that replaced it。 In recent years， vindication for the disgraced theory has been quietly mounting in the laboratory。 The rapidly growing field of archaeological chemistry has proven the ancient use of visionary drugs。 And with a single dose of psilocybin， the psycho-pharmacologists at Johns Hopkins and NYU are now turning self-proclaimed atheists into instant believers。 No one has ever found hard， scientific evidence of drugs connected to Eleusis， let alone early Christianity。 Until now。
Armed with key documents never before translated into English， convincing analysis， and a captivating spirit of quest， Muraresku mines science， classical literature， biblical scholarship and art to deliver the hidden key to eternal life， bringing us to what clinical psychologist William Richards calls "the edge of an awesomely vast frontier。"
Featuring a Foreword by Graham Hancock， the New York Times bestselling author of America Before: The Key to Earth's Lost Civilization。
The Immortality Key connects the lost， psychedelic sacrament of Greek religion to early Christianity—exposing the true origins of Western Civilization。 In the tradition of unsolved historical mysteries like David Grann's Killers of the Flower Moon and Douglas Preston's The Lost City of the Monkey God， Brian Muraresku’s 10-year investigation takes the reader through Greece， Germany， Spain， France and Italy， offering unprecedented access to the hidden archives of the Louvre and the Vatican along the way。
In The Immortality Key， Muraresku explores a little-known connection between the best-kept secret in Ancient Greece and Christianity。 This is the real story of the most famous human being who ever lived （Jesus） and the biggest religion the world has ever known。 Today， 2。4 billion people are Christian。 That's one third of the planet。 But do any of them really know how it all started？
Before Jerusalem， before Rome， before Mecca—there was Eleusis: the spiritual capital of the ancient world。 It promised immortality to Plato and the rest of Athens's greatest minds with a very simple formula: drink this potion， see God。 Shrouded in secrecy for millennia， the Ancient Greek sacrament was buried when the newly Christianized Roman Empire obliterated Eleusis in the fourth century AD。
Renegade scholars in the 1970s claimed the Greek potion was psychedelic， just like the original Christian Eucharist that replaced it。 In recent years， vindication for the disgraced theory has been quietly mounting in the laboratory。 The rapidly growing field of archaeological chemistry has proven the ancient use of visionary drugs。 And with a single dose of psilocybin， the psycho-pharmacologists at Johns Hopkins and NYU are now turning self-proclaimed atheists into instant believers。 No one has ever found hard， scientific evidence of drugs connected to Eleusis， let alone early Christianity。 Until now。
Armed with key documents never before translated into English， convincing analysis， and a captivating spirit of quest， Muraresku mines science， classical literature， biblical scholarship and art to deliver the hidden key to eternal life， bringing us to what clinical psychologist William Richards calls "the edge of an awesomely vast frontier。"
Featuring a Foreword by Graham Hancock， the New York Times bestselling author of America Before: The Key to Earth's Lost Civilization。
Reviews
Andy Mendrop
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Fascinating take on the possible origins of communion in Christianity and how they are potentially linked with a long term psychedelic ceremony passed down through the ages
Dayna Burnell
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I listened on Audible， in hindsight that was a mistake。 IMO Muraresku counts on redundancy and repetition （see what i did there？） to fluff up the page count。
Luke Anderson
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Was the original Eucharist of Christianity a psychedelic Eucharist？ Is this the real secret behind the Holy Grail？ You'll probably never look at those cardboard wafers and cheap wine again。 This book my be a trip you didn't know you needed。 Was the original Eucharist of Christianity a psychedelic Eucharist？ Is this the real secret behind the Holy Grail？ You'll probably never look at those cardboard wafers and cheap wine again。 This book my be a trip you didn't know you needed。 。。。more
SeRRo
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Most religious beliefs are founded on concepts that have been present in the society previously one way or another and represent continuations and progressions from those that came before。 This is the main theme throughout this book and the author suggests that there has been a faith in psychedelic substances that Christianity has based its own foundations upon and the most prominent sign of that is the Christian Eucharist。Whether true or not， archeo-chemistry or other such contemporary technolo Most religious beliefs are founded on concepts that have been present in the society previously one way or another and represent continuations and progressions from those that came before。 This is the main theme throughout this book and the author suggests that there has been a faith in psychedelic substances that Christianity has based its own foundations upon and the most prominent sign of that is the Christian Eucharist。Whether true or not， archeo-chemistry or other such contemporary technological advancements might shed some light on that in the near future。 Yet there should be no doubt that hallucinogenic or psychoactive drugs have played a role in our species past， and their role in nowadays societies is practically inexistent if not completely illegal。Maybe could have rated the book higher but felt that liking it would have been too much。 Could have been the style or just some general feel about it。 Yet there is no denying the authors work and passion about the subject。 。。。more
Lou
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A tour de force by a religious historian alleging and fairly well establishing via extensive and relentless research that the driving force behind the success and spread of religion， specifically Christianity， has to do with the appeal of drugs and mind altering substances。 Extensive research leads The author to believe that Although a smoking gun remains elusive。The author proposes that Heaven is not what happens when the body waste away。 There is no afterlife because there is no after。 There' A tour de force by a religious historian alleging and fairly well establishing via extensive and relentless research that the driving force behind the success and spread of religion， specifically Christianity， has to do with the appeal of drugs and mind altering substances。 Extensive research leads The author to believe that Although a smoking gun remains elusive。The author proposes that Heaven is not what happens when the body waste away。 There is no afterlife because there is no after。 There's Only right here right now。The author also makes the point that there was never one monolithic form of Christianity。 From the very beginning there were always competing versions of the faith。 Did early Christianity solve the age old problem of delivering a life changing mystical experience to as many people as possible by offering a chemical shortcut to enlightenment？ The question remains。 。。。more
Cam
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Wow， that was unexpected。 This book took a lot of surprising turns and I couldn’t help but feel like the topic would just be too niche to be a best seller。 To get the most out of this book， it helps to have at least a cursory knowledge of Christianity， Greek， history， philosophy， art， symbology， chemistry， and of course psychedelics。 He suffers a bit from the classic non-fiction complaint of being a bit too wordy; this would been been stronger with 50 fewer pages， but still a fun multidisciplina Wow， that was unexpected。 This book took a lot of surprising turns and I couldn’t help but feel like the topic would just be too niche to be a best seller。 To get the most out of this book， it helps to have at least a cursory knowledge of Christianity， Greek， history， philosophy， art， symbology， chemistry， and of course psychedelics。 He suffers a bit from the classic non-fiction complaint of being a bit too wordy; this would been been stronger with 50 fewer pages， but still a fun multidisciplinary romp through history told from an angle that I’d not heard of previously。 Between 3 and 4 stars， but rounding up for novelty of subject matter。 。。。more
Graham
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Superb book。 I didn't expect the ending。 Considering this work took 12 years I am very impressed with the authors zeal。 A fascinating exploration of the origin of the wine of Christianity 。 I have always believed in the psychedelic origins of religions。 I never believed the hydrocarbons in the cave nonsense。 This book makes sense and is proven。 Superb book。 I didn't expect the ending。 Considering this work took 12 years I am very impressed with the authors zeal。 A fascinating exploration of the origin of the wine of Christianity 。 I have always believed in the psychedelic origins of religions。 I never believed the hydrocarbons in the cave nonsense。 This book makes sense and is proven。 。。。more
Taylor Barkley
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I’m glad I read this book for the sake of being aware of these ideas。 The author has been on the podcast circuit and the book has 1600 mostly favorable reviews。 I’ve also done a bit of searching for reviews from New Testament text experts but haven’t found any。 Despite the attention and glowing Amazon reviews， it reads like a book with a conclusion in search of evidence。The book has a bunch of different aspects， all building toward the theory that Christianity’s success is based on drugs， mainly I’m glad I read this book for the sake of being aware of these ideas。 The author has been on the podcast circuit and the book has 1600 mostly favorable reviews。 I’ve also done a bit of searching for reviews from New Testament text experts but haven’t found any。 Despite the attention and glowing Amazon reviews， it reads like a book with a conclusion in search of evidence。The book has a bunch of different aspects， all building toward the theory that Christianity’s success is based on drugs， mainly psychedelics。 I’m open to that theory， but show me the evidence。 It’s also a plug for psychedelics， which sound beneficial as a treatment for many ailments。 The portions of the book include: ancient ritualistic drug use around the Mediterranean， Ancient Greek religion and philosophy， early Christian history， Gnostic Christian history， and Roman Catholic Church institutional history。 These are all blended together。 The unwritten assumption clearly seems to be that this world is material without a non-physical or truly spiritual aspect。 Therefore， the only way so many people in ancient times could so quickly catch on to this Christianity thing would be if there were something materially special to it。 Of course the Christian claims are not literally true， the book seems to assume。The book （intentionally？） reads like The Da Vinci Code。 The author travels around Europe， sifting through ancient tomes， having hushed conversations in cafes and museums， making sure we understand that he is multilingual， dislikes tourists， and if we can’t read things in the original language like him， we are missing out。 He also emphasizes the brown leather pouch he carries around， filled with his copious notes， to the point where it becomes a character in the book。 He tells us how open minded he is and is just following the evidence towards his theory。 At its crux， the theory is one of pagan syncretism with Christianity。 This theory is that Christianity is not unique but instead an adaptation of other pagan influences。 In this instance he makes the case that the Eucharist is based on some “religion with no name” from thousands of years ago。 In the area of Jesus’ ministry though， he presents the case that the Eucharist was a riff on Dionysian worship practices。 However， Jewish influence/linkage to Christianity is totally ignored。 Or at least I can’t recall any incident where he notes this important fact。 It’s so glaring an omission it makes me question the validity of the rest of his research。 There are indeed parallels between pagan practices and liturgies and Christian liturgies。 That does not necessarily mean one came from the other。 It basically gets down to Roman Catholic conspiracy to keep out the drugs and women from church services。 So basically The Da Vinci Code。 Both theories have been eminently and thoroughly critiqued。 This is nothing new。 He relies on Gnostic gospels and the Gospel of John for his textual evidence， ignoring the three Synoptic gospels which were written much earlier。 If he’s really going for the source， why ignore the main writings closest to the source？ Instead he goes for John （90 AD） and the Gospel of Mary Magdalene （100-200 AD） and the Gospel of Thomas （115 AD） specifically。 His use of Thomas is interesting， to say the least， because the last verse or two of the Gospel of Thomas is anything but friendly toward women。 Yet he holds it up as this champion text for women！ Again， did he read it？The evidence overall is lacking for such a bold theory although I am open to it！ The evidence is mainly paintings from the 1500s， two archaeological sites that only imply that psychedelic drugs were around at the turn of the millennium， two vases from Ancient Greece， and a few murals in Italian catacombs。 All of which we can gather from the book itself that experts interpret differently。 Indeed， nine times out of ten when the author checks his theories with an expert in the field， that expert says “It’s a stretch” or just plain crazy。 Yet he marches on！ I admire the fortitude。 I think。After reading this book and listening to one interview of the author， I remain thoroughly unconvinced and amazed at the lack of rigour in his arguments。 It’s a plug for psychedelics and an attempt to square the extraordinary claims of Jesus and His followers with history。 He’s correct on that count: Jesus’s claims and deeds are extraordinary。 But what if the evidence points to their truth？ 。。。more
Jay Whyte
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Enjoyed every minute of this eye opening book into the past of Eleusis and Christianity and how psychedelics were a part of both historical accounts。
Melanie Faithful
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This is so much。 Feminist history。 Classic paganism。 History of Christianity。 What is mysticism。 I can't wait to go to Compania and find the sacred oak grove of Benevento。 This is everything。 This is so much。 Feminist history。 Classic paganism。 History of Christianity。 What is mysticism。 I can't wait to go to Compania and find the sacred oak grove of Benevento。 This is everything。 。。。more
John Hrabovsky
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Listened on Audible。 Very interesting tie into how psychedelics were involved with religion。
Markus Pietilä
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0/5， utter rubbish！ We have a man with and idea。 And he's so fascinated about this idea that he sees absolutely everything as proof of it。 0/5， utter rubbish！ We have a man with and idea。 And he's so fascinated about this idea that he sees absolutely everything as proof of it。 。。。more
Amber
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Amazing！ Mind-blowing！ （A little wordy and overly detailed。） If this theory is ever proven， what a game changer。
Cord Sheard
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Fascinating argument for a psychedelic Eucharist that has staggering implications for the church if it were to be proven true。If nothing else， this is worth the thought experiment of "what if？" although the author does at times offer not unconvincing evidence。 Fascinating argument for a psychedelic Eucharist that has staggering implications for the church if it were to be proven true。If nothing else， this is worth the thought experiment of "what if？" although the author does at times offer not unconvincing evidence。 。。。more
Cyberdisciple
，
The Immortality Key （TIK） by Brian Muraresku proposes to introduce the general American public to the topic of psychedelics in Greco-Roman and Christian religion and culture。What should a book with the above goal accomplish？ Such a book should review the scholarship published so far on the topic， evaluate the methods， conclusions， and evidence of that scholarship， and point out questions still to be answered and gaps in the research。 In short， the book should be a history and evaluation of the f The Immortality Key （TIK） by Brian Muraresku proposes to introduce the general American public to the topic of psychedelics in Greco-Roman and Christian religion and culture。What should a book with the above goal accomplish？ Such a book should review the scholarship published so far on the topic， evaluate the methods， conclusions， and evidence of that scholarship， and point out questions still to be answered and gaps in the research。 In short， the book should be a history and evaluation of the field， summarizing what has been achieved and what needs to be done。 Such a book would need to present enough Greco-Roman and Christian history and culture to contextualize the scholarship and discuss the implications of the scholarship for our understanding of Greco-Roman and Christian history and culture。 Ultimately such a book should contribute to the transformation of modernity’s understanding of religion， from ordinary-state based to altered-state based。Despite presenting itself initially as an introduction to the field， TIK soon gives way to a more limited scope: to prove Carl Ruck’s ‘secret tradition’ approach to psychedelics in religion with bio-chemical archaeological scholarship。 Curiously， the book undermines both parts of this argument。 Only a limited selection of Ruck’s scholarship is discussed， and the scholarship of Ruck’s that is discussed is treated as if not convincing on its own terms， needing additional evidence from the hard sciences to persuade。 Conversely， the hard science that we are promised will provide a ‘smoking gun’ is singularly underwhelming。 As the book admits again and again， the right sort of tests either have not been done， are impossible now to do for some sites and finds， or when they have been done are simply inadequate to prove the ‘secret tradition。’ The structure of the book creates a frustrating tension: always holding out the promise of finding proof to keep the reader turning the page， never delivering on that promise。What， we may ask， does the book accomplish？ There is another narrative running through the book， a narrative that constitutes the true goal of the book。 This narrative has two interwoven aspects。 Chapter by chapter the book constructs an image of its author， Brian Muraresku， as a scholar and researcher who travels the world to museums， archaeological sites， libraries， and meetings with scholars。 Likewise， by following Muraresku’s travels， thoughts， and conversations， chapter by chapter the book constructs Muraresku’s own version of the ‘secret tradition’ of psychedelic religion。 Muraresku has taken the ‘secret tradition’ idea over from Ruck and developed it in his own direction。Muraresku’s version of the ‘secret tradition’ is a tradition， continuous over the centuries， and handed down by tenuous connections， of psychedelic techniques for communing with the dead in ceremonies lead by women。 This tradition was oppressed by male politicians and priests who wanted to prevent people from having direct， mystical experiences。 Instead， they replaced those experiences with mere words and doctrine。 The constant mention of the author’s travels， research， and conversations are meant to give him an air of authority and lend credence to his version of the ‘secret tradition。’ Reading closely， however， the book’s argumentation， evidence， and endnotes， shows this version of the ‘secret tradition’ to be little more than flimsy conjecture。 If we were to cut the author’s tales of travel and conversations， this weakness would be even more apparent。If the book were merely an attempt to publicize its author and his implausible conjecture， we could put the book into the stack of ‘entheogen scholarship’ books that make some contribution to the progress of the field， sharpen our critical tools by evaluating the book’s strengths and flaws， and move on to the next book while continuing our own research。 However， there is another aspect of the book that deserves special attention， an aspect that amounts to a hidden intention。 The book’s conjectural ‘secret tradition’ is intended to prop up contemporary psychedelic therapy and its political and social goals。The book presents psychedelic therapy as providing direct experience， in contrast to contemporary religion’s mere words。 Furthermore， the book associates experience with women and associates words and doctrine with men。 The book projects this reductive contrast on to the past， leading to a picture of a ‘secret tradition’ of psychedelic experiences oppressed by organized religion’s words， of ‘witches’ oppressed by priests。Shockingly， in the book’s Afterword， psychedelic therapy is praised as a superior version of the ‘secret tradition’ conjectured by the book， and the book gives space for a contemporary therapist to advocate for therapists to have control of administering psychedelics to people。 These will be the new ‘mystery religions，’ providing direct experience。 The book’s hidden intention is to subordinate the history of psychedelics in Western religion to psychedelic therapy and its social and legal goals。The book is ultimately a regressive work， despite posing as culturally progressive。 The book advocates for a special class of administrators to have the legal power to administer psychedelics in tightly controlled settings。 A far cry from the book’s apparent sympathy with the groups the book depicts as oppressed by a hierarchy seeking to control access to the psychedelic eucharist。 The book has a predatory approach to the topic of Western religion: pick out the parts useful for its social agenda， demonize and discard the rest。 In doing so， the book shuts itself off from understanding Western religion and undermines progress in the field。The book is not a well-intentioned scholarly work， dedicated to making a contribution to the field and moving the field forward。 The book is instead a P。R。 campaign for its author and contemporary psychedelic therapy。 Whether knowingly or not， the author and his book have become a tool of contemporary psychedelic therapy。Read more， including elaborations on the above， and links to my other writings about the book:https://cyberdisciple。wordpress。com/2。。。 。。。more
Pete Karolewski
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One of the best books， I read this year。
Angeli Srirangan
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Was really looking forward to this， but as an audiobook it was just really hard to follow with loads of memoir-like dialogue that I didn’t care about。 I found a nice summary of the findings in this Vice article which would’ve saved me 13 hours lol https://www。vice。com/en/article/jgqej。。。 Was really looking forward to this， but as an audiobook it was just really hard to follow with loads of memoir-like dialogue that I didn’t care about。 I found a nice summary of the findings in this Vice article which would’ve saved me 13 hours lol https://www。vice。com/en/article/jgqej。。。 。。。more
Steve Greenleaf
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Before reading this book I’d listened to a podcast interview between the author， Brian Muraresku， and Jaime Wheal （whose most recent book is on my playlist）。 In remarking on Muraresku’s book， I recall Wheal describing it as “Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code grown-up” （or words to that effect）。 And I must say that the comparison is apt。 In this book， Muraresku provides an engaging narrative about a bit of an obsession that in 2007 from a chancing upon a magazine article that triggered his recollecti Before reading this book I’d listened to a podcast interview between the author， Brian Muraresku， and Jaime Wheal （whose most recent book is on my playlist）。 In remarking on Muraresku’s book， I recall Wheal describing it as “Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code grown-up” （or words to that effect）。 And I must say that the comparison is apt。 In this book， Muraresku provides an engaging narrative about a bit of an obsession that in 2007 from a chancing upon a magazine article that triggered his recollection of an obscure academic work he’d read during his prior life as a budding young classicist。 In short， Muraresku combines an （intellectual） adventure tale—including hints of intrigue— with a travelogue around the Mediterranean and through time。 The secret— or rather secrets— that Muraresku pursues are those of ancient beverages。 He and colleagues and their predecessors in this search believe that some of those beverages— beers and wines— may have been spiked with psychedelic or other psychoactive substances。 And were not talking just alcohol， either。 As Muraresku notes， we’re not sure which was the first human “biotechnology，” but the prize either goes to beer or bread。 Both came from grains first gathered and then cultivated around 10-13 thousand years ago by humans at the dawn of civilization （agriculture and cities）。 But regardless of which came first， beer （or fermented grains of some sort） has been around a long time。 And beer was used at one of the most famous sites of antiquity， the temple at Eleusis that hosted the Elysian mysteries， which Muraresku described as the “first spiritual capital of the West。” And what are the Elysian mysteries？ What went on during this ancient Greek rite remains one of the best-kept secrets of antiquity。 We really don’t know what was said or done during these rites except that these rites revolved around the Greek goddesses Demeter and her daughter Persephone。 Suffice it to say that until the rites were shut down in 392 A。D。 by nervous Roman authorities then ruling Greece， this place and the secret rites that occurred there had been a major phenomenon in the Greek-speaking world for about 1900 years。 Among those who experienced the rite of the mysteries were Plato， Cicero， and Marcus Aurelius， to name but three， who， between them， opined about a great many topics， but they never shared what they experienced there。 And in a theme that will continue throughout the book and its investigation into other rites that may have included the use of psychoactive substances， the rites were controlled by and conducted by women。 After exploring the evidence surrounding the Elysian mysteries， off-shoots of which can be seen as far as Spain， Muraresku turns his attention to the cult of Dionysus， the god of wine （and “drugs”） whose cult came into prominence with the development of viticulture in the Greek-speaking world。 Again， he pursues trails linguistic and scientific to determine whether the cult of Dionysus didn’t influence the early Christian cult of Jesus。 Muraresku focuses on the Gospel of John and makes a compelling argument that John’s narrative was aimed at the Greek-speaking populations in the western Mediterranean， where the cult of Dionysus flourished。 Could the wine that Jesus shared at the Last Supper have been spiked？ And did subsequent celebrations of that Last Supper， which became Communion in the later tradition， also feature spiked wine？ In investigating these possibilities， Muraresku travels to archeological sites in southern Italy， which included long-established colonies of Greeks and Phoenicians。 He looks at a well-preserved farm near Mt。 Vesuvius that that included residues of the beverages that were preserved courtesy of the eruption of Mt。 Vesuvius that buried （and preserved） Pompeii in 79 C。E。 Scientists found intriguing residues that suggested that the wine wasn’t just wine。And in Da Vinci Code style， Muraresku， with his confederate， a Franciscan priest， gained access to the Vatican archives and the catacombs in a sort of behind-enemy-lines motif。 Muraresku describes himself as a “good Catholic boy” who attended a Jesuit high school and a Jesuit law school （Georgetown）。 But he realizes that his hypothesis— that the wine of Jesus and “paleo-Christians” may have been spiked— would not sit well with the Vatican。 As Muraresku notes， there are two things that the Catholic hierarchy has never been fond of: drugs and women in positions of power。 Nevertheless， he gained access to some fascinating documents and viewed some fascinating frescoes in the catacombs under St。 Peter’s Basilica that add intriguing pieces of evidence to his attempt to prove his hypothesis。 The final portion of the book touches on several related topics， including the late medieval to early modern infatuation by the Church with “witchcraft” and what eventually became the European witch craze of the 1500s on into the 1600s （and that spread to the Americas）; the suppression of drug use by the indigenous peoples of the Americas （for instance， psilocybin）; and that most intriguing of early modern personages， Giordano Bruno。 Bruno was a proto-scientist， magician， and precursor of Galileo。 （Galileo learned about how the Vatican reacted to unwanted theories by knowing of Bruno’s demise at the stake in 1600。） We learn that Bruno haled from Campania， the area around Naples that included the ancient Greek-speaking colonies dating from the time of Parmenides and that later gained notoriety for its “witches，” and their brews that were so feared and persecuted by the Church。 Muraresku opens his narrative and gives a brief apologia for his quest by relating the experience of a cancer patient， “Dinah，” who participates in a study undertaken by NYU researchers about the efficacy of psilocybin for providing relief for someone dealing with a life-threatening disease。 For Dinah， a self-described atheist， her experience with the hallucinogen was life-altering。 She has beaten the odds for survival after her cancer diagnosis， but she still lives， in a sense， under a death sentence （as do we all）。 But she reports that her outlook on life and death has changed because of her experience with the drug。 And her experience is not unique。 Continuing research at NYU， Johns Hopkins， and other institutions， as well as research （mostly surreptitious） outside the sanction of the academy， have produced similar results。 Muraresku posits that these experiences allow individuals to “die before that die，” the counsel of the ancient Greeks who practiced rituals to gain this advantage， an advantage sought by Christians as well。 Based on these researches and influential individual experimenters that were prominent before the War on Drugs was declared， such as Aldous Huxley， Alan Watts， and Gordon Wasson （the ethnobotanist who reported on his use of psilocybin in a 1957 Life magazine article）， Muraresku suggests that the use of psychedelics could prove a boon to those with psychological injuries and to further spiritual explorations。 And here’s where I need to raise some concerns and questions。 Testimonials from users are useful and important， no question。 But current subjects of medically guided experiments are tightly monitored， and （I assume） steps are taken to avoid a bad trip。 Perhaps it's a trick of an aging memory or the result of anti-drug propaganda， but I recall that some folks suffered bad trips， some even fatal。 How can we— or can we at all— avoid bad trips by users who escape any guidance？ Or to put it more bluntly— and to risk the ire of one of the gods of contemporary culture— should these drugs be available to the uninitiated， or should these drugs be limited to those who have undertaken the requisite physical， learning， and ethical preparation that would make these drug trips safe for the user and the user’s society; i。e。， an elite？ We don’t want to foster a new class of lotus-eaters or a new herd of Circe’s pigs。 I don’t know the answer to these questions， but I think it crucial to ask them。 Muraresku， who choose to avoid any use of substances during the twelve years he spent in pursuit of his quest， suggests steps can and should be taken to make “the God pill” available and valuable to a potential user。 He writes: There are real-world benefits to all this supernatural mumbo jumbo。 That “science of awe” with its increase in “pro-social behaviors such as kindness， self-sacrifice， co-operation and resource-sharing。” [Quoting Alan Watts。] After all， it’s not about altered states， but altered traits， as Huston Smith once summarized the value of psychedelics。 If we took the God Pill， would we really all become better people？ Would we love more and hate less？ Would it make any difference？ Only to the extent that the initial experience was sacred。 And stayed sacred。 Stayed meaningful。 The Mysteries had a way of ritually ensuring the odds of that transformation from the mortal to the immortal: various stages of initiation， intense psychological preparation， a community of mentors， integration back into everyday life。Muraresku， Brian C。 The Immortality Key （p。 390）。 St。 Martin's Publishing Group。 Kindle Edition。 Muraresku’s plan for making the “God pill” a social benefit strikes the right note， but it doesn’t seem plausible in practice。 How many persons are willing to undertake any spiritual or practical discipline？ Few indeed。 This potential shortcut to spiritual enlightenment is certainly more attractive than years of meditation and other more traditional （and arduous） forms of spiritual initiation But if these drugs can be abused， and what drugs can’t be— and aren’t— abused— then we have a tough choice to make。 No one will want to leave such as a decision to any government bureaucracy， ecclesiastical hierarchy， or any other authority not recognized in advance by the individual as rightfully holding such awesome power。 A tough sell。 Thus， we are damned if we do and damned if we don’t regulate access to something as potent as “the God pill。” And consider that any spiritual technology that has the potential to bring us closer to the angels will almost certainly have the power to bring us closer to the devil。 Another issue that Muraresku doesn’t address: what is the ontological status of drug-induced revelations？ The same could be asked of any other technique that induces visions （or hallucinations， if you prefer— the choice of terms anticipates the answer）。 How do we， if at all， separate the wheat from the chaff？ Does the relief and insight that Muraresku reports that the NYU test subject “Dinah” experienced only the reality of a pleasant dream， or is it a genuine insight into ultimate reality？ And how would we know？ Of course， if better dreams， better fantasies， only bring about better behavior， it’s still worthwhile pursuing such a remedy， just as taking an aspirin for a headache can make us a better companion。 （Older readers: remember those television ads for aspirin back in the day？）One final point of criticism （venial sins of omission and not commission）， Muraresku suggests that the use of spiked wine in the paleo-Christian community aided its spread， which was， in fact， no small miracle。 But there are many theories， many plausible explanations， about how and why Christianity spread so effectively even before it gained the imprimatur of the state and the power of the sword。 Muraresku is certainly aware of these theories， but he doesn’t address them。 Jesus is portrayed in John’s Gospel in significantly different ways than he is by the Synoptic Gospels， Paul， and others in the New Testament canon。 （The Gnostics， as Muraresku notes， tend to follow the Johannine path and on the whole support Muraresku’s theory。 And to be fair， Muraresku would not claim these theories as his own， he serves more as the investigator and advocate than the originator of these claims。） The political-social implications of Jesus’ message and the community bonds that formed around could have been enough to bring about the miracle of the spread and triumph of Christianity。 Although I’m sure that he’s a credit to our profession （law）， it’s too bad that Muraresku concluded that a career path as a classicist wouldn’t suit him。 And although he reports that his field of practice is “international law” （I’d guess international transactions in particular）， he certainly learned how to present a strong case。 He has the trappings of a fine advocate in the courtroom if he wants a career change。 And because of all this， I’ll pass judgment on his argument according to legal standards。 Has he proven his case？ Certainly not beyond a reasonable doubt， and not by clear and convincing evidence。 But the defense hasn’t put on its case， so one can’t pass any final judgment in any event。 Plus， his toughest case will involve the Catholic Church。 Good luck getting the Vatican into the courtroom of public opinion。 They possess much of the evidence！ However， in my role as an imaginary magistrate， I will rule that Muraresku’s case meets that standard of probable cause and that his case should come to a full trial （by academic fire）。 It’s an intriguing argument well-presented， and despite the qualms I expressed above， it could prove a ground-breaking case that would benefit humankind， which needs as much spiritual insight as it can get in the challenging times we face。 I encourage him to pursue it。 。。。more
Bekka
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3 1/2 stars。Super interesting premise！ It got kind of long and a little bogged down in places， but I enjoyed the writing style。 I completely agree with his conclusions。 Very interesting to think about。
Laura Isabel
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Fascinating subject matter， less fascinating writing。
Cody
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I dont know enough to be critical of this book， but it feels like its reaching， but I could be wrong。 In the Gospel of John， it talks about wine a lot more than in the other Gospels。 The author thinks there is something to this that Greek speakers at the time would have understood that we don't。 He thinks there is a clear connection between the portrayal of Jesus and the cult of Dionysus， and he shows many parallels between the gospel of John and older Greek writings。 But it wasn't just regular I dont know enough to be critical of this book， but it feels like its reaching， but I could be wrong。 In the Gospel of John， it talks about wine a lot more than in the other Gospels。 The author thinks there is something to this that Greek speakers at the time would have understood that we don't。 He thinks there is a clear connection between the portrayal of Jesus and the cult of Dionysus， and he shows many parallels between the gospel of John and older Greek writings。 But it wasn't just regular wine， he argues。 He compares contemporary research on psychedelics with descriptions of ancient religous rituals among the Greeks， Egyptians and peoples of the near East and argues that beer and wine of the time were often laced with psychedelics that created mystical experiences。 This lineage was passed down through the Greeks to certain early Christian groups， but eventually stamped out of the church and those who supported it were seen as heretics or witches。 This book is very well researched and makes some really revolutionary claims。 I will be interested to see the extent to which future research puts his work to the test。 。。。more
Michael Polazzo
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Very good but also very long。
Alan Newton
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An explosive book for anyone intimately tied to the teachings of Christianity。 Brian tears apart the “secret history of the religion with no name” through tireless research of the archives and archeological information。 The book centres around the Eleusinian Mysteries and thus spends some of the early chapters investigating Greek mythology and the traditions and ceremonies that would have been prevalent in Greek times， venturing into Dionysian and Pagan rituals that — he indicates — were adopted An explosive book for anyone intimately tied to the teachings of Christianity。 Brian tears apart the “secret history of the religion with no name” through tireless research of the archives and archeological information。 The book centres around the Eleusinian Mysteries and thus spends some of the early chapters investigating Greek mythology and the traditions and ceremonies that would have been prevalent in Greek times， venturing into Dionysian and Pagan rituals that — he indicates — were adopted by and crossed over with the earliest Christian practice as conducted by Jesus in the Eucharist traditions。 A substantial part of the scene setting focusses around the Mysteries of Eleusis， drawing on the works of Wasson， Hofmann and Ruck。 Elusis was an Ancient Greek cult — existing circa 1500 BC to 391 AD — which was forced to close by Christians。 Followers in the Elusian traditions took part in mysterious rituals in which they drank a potion that elicited a descent to the underworld to be reborn as children of Demeter。 As Cicero would outline， the rituals would help them feel they could ‘die with a better hope’。 Among well known initiates were some of the ‘greats’ of classical civilisation that included Cicero， Socrates， Plato， Sophocles， Pindar， Plutarch， and Marcus Aurelius。 Such an ‘elixir of the Gods’ become part of the Holy Grail and — seemingly — according to the works of researchers such as Graham Hancock （who provides the foreword to this book） could go somewhat towards explaining why some of this ancient wisdom become the preserve of a small group of elites and not for general consumption。 Indeed， as Catherine Nixey writes in her book ‘The Darkening Age’， most of the classical books and wisdom from Ancient Greece was destroyed by the Catholic Church as Christianity — an underground and demonIsed religion under Nero and successive Roman emperors — was legalised under Constantine I。 The notion of ego death and becoming familiar with death before death is especially prevalent in Tibetan tradition — ‘journeying to the space between’ — and will be familiar to psychonauts experimenting with hallucinogenic potions， including mushrooms， ayahuasca， DMT （naturally found in the brain and said to be linked to the 3rd eye and higher states of consciousness achieved by experienced meditators and yogis）。 Studies of Ancient Egyptian civilisations， especially the work by John Anthony West， illustrates the connection between hallucinogenic experiences， the divine， and wisdom beyond their years and capabilities。 Brian points to Ergot in much of the early part of the book in terms of the hallucinogen that many cultures would have been exposed to， and as the suspected secret psychedelic ingredient in the secret potion drunk at the time。 Ergot is a fungus that grows on wheat and barley， and which contains a chemical close to LSD。From analysis in Mesopotamia， it seems clear that the “special brew” of the day had some religious significance。 Psychotropic beers appear to have been routinely consumed during “funeral feasts”。 LSD beer was created as a a welcome addition to night shade beers in the region。 The Greeks in Iberia and southern Italy paved the way for the worlds greatest religion， Christianity。 The search for the secret ingredients of the ‘secret potion of Dionysus’ （the god of the grape-harvest， winemaking and wine， of fertility， orchards and fruit， vegetation， insanity， ritual madness， religious ecstasy， festivity and theatre in ancient Greek religion and myth） seem to suggest Mushrooms were involved。 The parallels between Dionysian gospel and Christianity are - as with some Pagan Gods - uncanny。“Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me， and I in them。” Dennis R。 MacDonald offers a provocative explanation of those scandalous words of Christ from the Fourth Gospel―an explanation that he argues would hardly have surprised some of the Gospel’s early readers。 John sounds themes that would have instantly been recognized as proper to the Greek god Dionysos （the Roman Bacchus）， not least as he was depicted in Euripides’s play The Bacchae。 A divine figure， the offspring of a divine father and human mother， takes on flesh to live among mortals， but is rejected by his own。 He miraculously provides wine and offers it as a sacred gift to his devotees， women prominent among them， dies a violent death―and returns to life。 Yet John takes his drama in a dramatically different direction: while Euripides’s Dionysos exacts vengeance on the Theban throne， the Johannine Christ offers life to his followers。 MacDonald employs mimesis criticism to argue that the earliest Evangelist not only imitated Euripides but expected his readers to recognize Jesus as greater than Dionysos。”The Eucharist sacrament with wine is the point where Dionysius enters Christianity and where the spiritual connection strengthens given the psychedelic and spiritual nature of the wine at that time。 The spiritual elixir if you will， which any psychonaut today can attest。 “The drug of immortality。。。。 it places the Greek mysteries at the very heart of Christianity。”Art from the region， 20 miles from Nazareth， places Dionysus here and depicts similarities with the Mona Lisa。 The Pagan and Judeo-Christian worlds are not supposed to intersect but， they do。 “Dionysus and Jesus very much coexist”。 Discoveries in Jordan， close to Petra — not to mention Petra itself — demonstrated how close the Nabuteans were influenced by Helenic architecture and symbolism with motifs blended with their own traditions， including the tradition of ritual dining。 Dionysus is repeatedly placed in this general region from all legends of the time。 Indeed， repeatedly artefacts have been uncovered from across the region and into Europe （Spain） depicting Dionysian ceramics。 Perhaps it is no wonder that the “God of ecstasy” should be suppressed and replaced as time passed by。 Very interesting that this period after Christ was essentially the beginning of mind control and narrowing of thought， closing minds down to many theories and styles of thinking。 Greek and Roman Gods and literature were shunned and mocked。 They were described as evil。 Sex and anything remotely sexual was considered the tool of the devil。 “Before， during and after the life of Jesus of Nazareth， the God of ecstasy （Dionysus） enjoyed a loyal following in the neighbourhood。” The archeological finds from the key cities around and including Petra “are clear about that。“It was a liquid pharmacon with a rich heritage behind it。 The use of ‘drug wine’ didn’t just accidentally creep its way into Galalee in the 1st century AD。 A couple of thousand years before the Greeks and long before Jesus and the Gospel of John （the only Evangelist / Disciple to have mentioned it）。”The Gospel of John is， of course， connected with classical Greece as its central theme is the ‘divine logos’， the word that was with God and that was God。 This Logos became flesh and dwelt among men in the person that was Jesus of Nazareth。 The Logos is “a principle originating in Classical Greek thought， which refers to a universal divine reason， immanent in nature， yet transcending all oppositions and imperfections in the cosmos and humanity。 An eternal and unchanging truth present from time to time of creation， available to every individual who seeks it。” - Jesus， the light， the way， the truth。 The holy trinity。 In Tibetan tradition， they refer to a 3 body Yoga。After this scene setting， the remainder of the book focussed upon a deeper dive into the roots of Christianity。 Brian defends the ‘pagan continuity hypothesis’ — the idea that Christianity inherited and adopted various ideas， symbols and practices from pagan cultures， which is so well documented it’s hard to argue against。 However， he is more controversial in the formation his hypothesis， suggesting that early Christians adopted the psychedelic-infused wine of the cult of Dionysus。 He says Jesus basically was Dionysus。 But once the church became bureaucratized they took all the fun out of the wine， literally。Hallucinogenic and ecstatic experiences can and do inspire religiosity and some of these experiences may be triggered by drugs。 It became Taboo during those “darkening ages” as described by Nixey but today it is becoming less taboo for academia to talk about the role of altered states and psychedelics， with much research pioneered by John Hopkins University and others， into what role they play and what place they may hold as part of a balanced life。 We’re seeing the rapid legalisation of Cannabis， which in high doses can spark hallucinogenic and potentially spiritual experiences， as well as — in some areas such as Oregon （USA） — the legalisation of psilocybin （the active ingredient in magic mushrooms）。 。。。more
Megan
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I learned so much while reading this。 I love， love， love it。 I can't recommend it enough。 It's a beautiful journey that bridges expertise from archaeology， history， classics， botany， chemistry， theology， and more in between to piece together the puzzle that ancient mysteries and religions possess。 It's a scientific confirmation - of psychedelics/entheogens playing a crucial part in the development of our civilization。 My intelligence and curiosity were thoroughly peaked while perusing its conten I learned so much while reading this。 I love， love， love it。 I can't recommend it enough。 It's a beautiful journey that bridges expertise from archaeology， history， classics， botany， chemistry， theology， and more in between to piece together the puzzle that ancient mysteries and religions possess。 It's a scientific confirmation - of psychedelics/entheogens playing a crucial part in the development of our civilization。 My intelligence and curiosity were thoroughly peaked while perusing its contents the past couple of weeks - especially after watching the JRE episode that the author， Brian Muraresku appears on with Graham Hancock。 Give that a watch if you want to get a gist of the book https://open。spotify。com/episode/0FwC。。。 Great job， Brian！！ Can't wait to see what else you take on。 。。。more
K。 Counihan
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A Very Good StoryThere are a few slow moving parts in the book， but it is an enthusiastic read as the writer is on a personal mission to get to the bottom of what was going on in the Greek and early Christian worlds with hallucinogenic drugs。
Nicole
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This book was dense with info。 It mostly felt like a research paper， with lots of facts thrown in， theories thrown around。 And the book also repeated itself a lot。 I felt it could have been half as long。 But I did learn a lot， and it definitely piqued my interest in further studying the origins of the original Eucharist。 I want the readers digest version of this book with Cliffs Notes。
Jed
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This book definitely made me smarter。 It lays out a very long， vague look into the psychedelic origins of the world religions。 The problem is that he could have done it in half as many pages。 Also， I would have loved to have sensed some kind of reverence， or at least respect for the religions he is investigating。
Mark
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I was very excited about reading this book after watching a part of the author's appearance on the Joe Rogan podcast。 I have a very keen interest in the psychedelics subject and was especially keen on hearing more about possible psychedelic rituals in Europe。 So I decided I wouldn't watch the whole podcast and would get a copy to read myself first。The author presents his hypothesis that there is a single "religion with no name" that began possibly millennia before Christ at Gobekli Tepi， was per I was very excited about reading this book after watching a part of the author's appearance on the Joe Rogan podcast。 I have a very keen interest in the psychedelics subject and was especially keen on hearing more about possible psychedelic rituals in Europe。 So I decided I wouldn't watch the whole podcast and would get a copy to read myself first。The author presents his hypothesis that there is a single "religion with no name" that began possibly millennia before Christ at Gobekli Tepi， was persisted and perfected in ancient Greece， and morphed into Christianity and then went underground。 A fascinating， possibly plausible but highly speculative idea。 On the plus side， there is plenty of interesting information revealed in the book， and you have to credit the author for the many years of research he put in while still holding down a full-time job。 Also I think the author has a knack for descriptive writing and there is a hint of a storyteller in him。All in all though， the book was ultimately a disappointment for me。 I have nothing against speculation， which can be very interesting and thought-provoking not to mention entertaining。 However， the author's speculation became more and more repetitive as it wore on， as every time he "revealed" a new piece of information he then tried to fit that piece into all the preceding pieces - most of the time， in my eyes， trying to fit square pegs into round holes。 Apparently， if you repeat something enough then it becomes fact。 The author's writing style is comparable to a Dan Brown thriller。 He constantly tried to build up to his most interesting revelations， which really got tiring as the book went on。 I found myself skimming through the waffle just to get to the point where he presented the actual finding， often by which time it was anti-climactic。The first half of the book is at least more coherent， where he explores the possibility of a beer spiked with the ergot fungus， which contained alkaloids similar to LSD， being used at Eleusis in ancient Greece。 In the second half， he becomes wildly erratic， clutching at any straw that might show that wine was spiked with psychoactive substances。 Psychoactive is not one and the same as psychedelic though， and just because someone spiked their slightly alcoholic wine with sage or cinnamon does not necessarily lead to a person spiking it with mind-altering plants。 That's like postulating that because someone likes tea with elderflower that they probably also soak a handful of psilocybin mushrooms in their tea as well。The author was trying so hard to "prove" his hypothesis that there is a single "religion with no name"， that I think he has missed the point of psychedelics。 What is interesting here isn't that there is one underlying religion， but that humans have always had an interest in altered states of consciousness， across time， culture and geographic areas。 Humans have always experimented with plants。 There are similarities in experience of different mind altering substances， and those experiences have been explored by many diverse cultures all around the world。 There is something fundamental to be found in the experience。 That doesn't mean there is one fundamental religion that has disappeared underground since the Romans adopted Christianity。 People have always and will always seek out other forms of consciousness be it with mushrooms， plants or even lab-produced chemicals。 Regardless of state or religious oppression。 That is for me the takeaway point of this book。 I wish I liked it more！ 。。。more
Drew Reilly
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This was an interesting read。 I love reading about the pagan origins of Christianity， and raise dives deep into the pagan origins of the Eucharist。 Definitely recommend。
Daniel Thiel
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