Secrets of the Holy Family

Chapter 3: The Abraham Cycle

Nobody knows exactly who the author of Luke’s gospel was, or where it was written, but historical research dates its composition to sometime during the last three decades of the first century CE. Written in a sophisticated literary style of the Greek language, it emulates the language used in the Septuagint translation of the Hebrew Pentateuch; which proves the author was highly educated. The Septuagint, regarded with awe during ancient times, was generally accepted as being divinely inspired. By copying its phraseology, Luke implies that his narrative is in sync with the divine modus operandi.

Chapter 6: Heretical Art

By all accounts, Europeans who visited the Holy Land during the crusades of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries came into contact with unorthodox religious sects. These were factions that had resisted assimilation by Rome or Constantinople, and had adjusted to suit the demands of Islam. Some of their secret teachings were brought back to the West, where they took root in non-conformist circles. This period in history coincides with the emergence of hermeticism, or alchemy, which became a sanctuary for intellectuals in the repressive culture of medieval Europe. It also witnessed the rise of more worldly groups, such as the Knights Templar, a powerful and secretive order that successfully infiltrated society’s upper echelons.