The Secret of the Grail (1)
_The Mysteries_
The Grail regarded as an object of awe. Danger of speaking of Grail or
revealing Its secrets. Passages in illustration. Why, if survival of
Nature cults, popular, and openly performed? A two-fold element in
these cults, _Exoteric, Esoteric_. The Mysteries. Their influence on
Christianity to be sought in the _Hellenized_ rather than the
_Hellenic_ cults. Cumont. Rohde. Radical difference between Greek and
Oriental conceptions. Lack of evidence as regards Mysteries on the
whole. Best attested form that connected with Nature cults.
Attis-Adonis. Popularity of the Phrygian cult in Rome. Evidence as to
Attis Mysteries. Utilized by Neo-Platonists as vehicle for teaching.
Close connection with Mithraism. The Taurobolium. Details of Attis
Mysteries. Parallels with the Grail romances.