The Quest

Mercado responded, “The fact that the gospels differ actually give them credibility. These are men recording from memory what they saw and experienced, and the differences show they were not colluding to make up a story.”

“That’s what I tell my editors.”

Mercado continued, “Notice that the cup-the Grail-has no special significance in the telling of this story of the Last Supper. But later, in myth and legend, the cup grows large.”

“It gets magical.”

“Indeed it does. As does the lance of the Roman soldier Longinus, and the robe of Christ, and the thirty pieces of silver that Judas took to betray Christ, and everything else that has to do with the death of Jesus Christ.”

Purcell observed, “You’re making a good case for why Christ’s cup at the Last Supper is just a cup.”

“Perhaps… but of all the artifacts associated with the New Testament, the cup-the Grail-has persisted for two thousand years as a thing of special significance.” He continued, “And I think one of the reasons is that the chalice is used in the sacrament of Holy Communion. The priest literally-or figuratively-turns the wine into the blood of Christ, and that miracle-or mystery-has taken hold in every Christian who ever went to church on Sunday.”

“I guess… I never thought much about it.”

“Then you should be taking notes, Mr. Purcell. You have a story to write.”

“More importantly, we have a Grail that needs to be found.”

“We are finding it-first in our heads, then in our hearts.” He reminded Purcell, “This is a spiritual journey before it becomes a physical journey.”

Purcell picked up his pen and said, “I will make a note of that.”

Mercado continued, “The chalices used by priests and ministers are often very elaborate. Gold and precious stones. But the cup used by Christ was a simple kiddush cup-probably a bronze goblet used at the Passover. So the kiddush cup, like the story itself, has been embellished over the years, and now looks very different at the altar. It gleams. But that is not what we are looking for. We are looking for a two-thousand-year-old bronze cup-something that would have disappointed many of those who have searched for it, if they’d found it.”

Purcell nodded, trying to recall what, if anything, Father Armano had said about the cup that he claimed he saw.

Mercado went on, “But there is an essential truth to this story-Jesus saying, in effect, ‘I have turned this wine into my blood for the remission of your sins.’ ”

“But that has more to do with Jesus than it has to do with the wine or the cup.”

“You make a good point.”

“Also,” Purcell pointed out, “there is a lot of allegory and symbolism in the Old and New Testaments.”

“That is where some Christians, Jews, atheists, and agnostics disagree.”

“Right.”

“You either believe or you don’t believe. Evidence is in short supply. Miracles happen, but not often, and not without other explanations.”

“We should have mentioned that to Father Armano.”

“I completely understand your skepticism, Frank. I have some of my own.”

That wasn’t what he’d said on previous occasions, but Purcell left it alone.

Mercado had his Bible open again, and he said, “We move on from the Last Supper, and through the crucifixion, and we come to Joseph of Arimathea, who plays a central role in subsequent Grail legends.” He looked at the open Bible. “From Mark 15:42–47.” Mercado read, “And now when the even was come, because it was the preparation, that is, the day before the Sabbath, Joseph of Arimathea, an honorable counselor, who also waited for the kingdom of God, came, and went in boldly unto Pilate, and craved the body of Jesus. And Pilate marveled if he were already dead: and calling unto him the centurion, he asked him whether he had been any while dead. And when he knew it of the centurion, he gave the body to Joseph. And he bought fine linen, and took him down, and wrapped him in the linen, and laid him in a sepulcher which was hewn out of a rock, and rolled a stone unto the door of the sepulcher.”

Mercado looked up from the Bible and said, “This is the last we hear of Joseph of Arimathea in the New Testament, but not the last we hear of him from other sources.”

“Are these sources credible, Henry?”

Mercado pulled a notebook toward him and said, “I’ve read several accounts of the journey of the Holy Grail. You can call them legends or myths, or quasi-historical accounts. I’ve had access here to some primary source material, written on parchment and papyrus”-he motioned toward the green felt folders-“and the earliest date I was able to determine is from a papyrus, written in classical Greek, about forty or fifty years after the death of Christ.” He informed Purcell, “I’ve written a summation of all these stories, based on the parts that seem to agree.”