The Holy Grail: Imagination and Belief

Description

The Holy Grail, as created and conceived by Chrétien de Troyes in the late 12th century, had no obvious religious or Christian connotations but appeared in a story of chivalric adventure involving the knight Perceval. By the medieval period the Grail was to be found at the centre of the Christian church, within its liturgy and art. This superb book tells the history of the Grail from its origins in romance literature to its role as a central object of the Christian faith, its decline during the Reformation and its resurgance in recent years, devoid of its religious connotations. The intricacies and complexities of its meaning throughout history are explored in detail, especially its links with Joseph of Arimathea, with Christ's blood and the Last Supper, its power as a restorer and sustainer of life, and its mysticism in general. Whether a dish, bowl, vessel or chalice, the Grail became an exciting topic for later writers and theologians to explore and utilise, and Richard Barber suggests why this was the case. Well written, detailed and thoroughly absorbing, this is an excellent book. List of Illustrations ix Acknowledgements xiii A Note on Names xv Introduction 1 PART ONE: CREATING THE GRAIL: AUTHORS AND TEXTS 1. Imagining the Grail: Chrétien de Troyes 9 2. Completing the Grail: Chrétien continued 27 3. Sanctifying the Grail Hero: Robert de Boron 39 4. The Old Law and the New Law: "The High Book of the Grail" 46 5. Creating the Grail Hero: The "Lancelot-Grail" 53 6. Visions of Angels, Versions of Men: Wolfram von Eschenbach's "Parzival" 73 Epilogue to Part One 86 PART TWO: THE NATURE OF THE GRAIL: APOCRYPHA, THEOLOGY, ROMANCE 7. The Grail 91 8. The Setting of the Grail 104 9. Obscure Histories, Dubious Relics 116 10. The Eucharist and the Grail 135 11. The Holy Grail 148 12. The Secrets of the Grail 161 13. The Grail Outside the Romances 167 14. "There is a thing that's called the Grâl" 173 15. The Adventures of the Grail: The Later German Romances 187 16. The Adventures of the Grail: The Last Flowering 198 Epilogue to Part Two 222 PART THREE: NEW GRAILS FOR OLD: SECULAR IMAGES OF THE GRAIL Interlude 227 17. The Scholars and the Grail 231 18. The Revival of the Grail 256 19. The Grail as Mirror 290 20. The Grail Today 321 21. The Question Answered? 356 Epilogue 367 Appendices 1. The Major Grail Romances 1180-1250 373 2. Visual Images Relating to the Medieval Grail Stories 374 3. Theological Terms Used in Text 378 4. Use of the Term "Holy Grail" in Major Newspapers, 1978-2002 380 Bibliography 381 Abbreviations 412 Notes 414 Index 441