If your history is even remotely correct, that would have ushered in a very different church, if Valentinus's own student Marcus and the Marcosians were involved in psychedelic rituals, then that was an early road not taken, let's say. And she happened to find it on psilocybin. IMDb is the world's most popular and authoritative source for movie, TV and celebrity content. What about all these early Christians themselves as essentially Jews? So I was obsessed with this stuff from the moment I picked up an article in The Economist called the God Pill back in 2007. . What was being thrown into it? This time, tonight I'll say that it's just not my time yet. But I want to ask you to reflect on the broader narrative that you're painting, because I've heard you speak in two ways about the significance of this work. Let me just pull up my notes here. This discussion on Febrary 1, 2021, between CSWR Director Charles Stang and Brian Muraresku about his new book, The Immortality Key: The Secret History of the Religion with No Name,a groundbreaking dive into the role of psychedelics in the ancient Mediterranean world. And I got to say, there's not a heck of a lot of eye rolling, assuming people read my afterword and try to see how careful I am about delineating what is knowable and what is not and what this means for the future of religion. The continuity between pagan and Christian cult nearby the archaeological area of Naquane in Capo di Ponte. What was the real religion of the ancient Greeks? So there's a house preserved outside of Pompeii, preserved, like so much else, under the ash of Mount Vesuvius's eruption in the year 79 of the Common Era. I can't imagine that there were no Christians that availed themselves of this biotechnology, and I can't imagine-- it's entirely plausible to me that they would mix this biotechnology with the Eucharist. 55 This is very likely as it seems that the process had already started in the 4th century. Now, let's get started, Brian. Eusebius, third into the fourth century, is also talking about them-- it's a great Greek word, [SPEAKING GREEK]. And he was actually going out and testing some of these ancient chalices. It is my great pleasure to welcome Brian Muraresku to the Center. The altar had been sitting in a museum in Israel since the 1960s and just hadn't been tested. You might find it in a cemetery in Mexico. And part of me really wants to put all these pieces together before I dive in. What does it mean to die before dying? She found the remains of dog sacrifice, which is super interesting. BRIAN MURARESKU: I'm asked this question, I would say, in pretty much every interview I've done since late September. There's some suggestive language in the pyramid texts, in the Book of the Dead and things of this nature. And I want to say that this question that we've been exploring the last half hour about what all this means for the present will be very much the topic of our next event on February 22, which is taking up the question of psychedelic chaplaincy. And shouldn't we all be asking that question? Maybe part of me is skeptical, right? And I think oversight also comes in handy within organized religion. It's interesting that Saint Ignatius of Antioch, in the beginning of the second century AD, refers to the wine of the Eucharist as the [SPEAKING GREEK], the drug of immortality. First, I will provide definitions for the terms "pagan", "Christian", And I don't know if it's a genuine mystical experience or mystical mimetic or some kind of psychological breakthrough. And now we have a working hypothesis and some data to suggest where we might be looking. Is taking all these disciplines, whether it's your discipline or archaeochemistry or hard core botany, biology, even psychopharmacology, putting it all together and taking a look at this mystery, this puzzle, using the lens of psychedelics as a lens, really, to investigate not just the past but the future and the mystery of human consciousness. Several theories address the issue of the origin of the Romanians.The Romanian language descends from the Vulgar Latin dialects spoken in the Roman provinces north of the "Jireek Line" (a proposed notional line separating the predominantly Latin-speaking territories from the Greek-speaking lands in Southeastern Europe) in Late Antiquity.The theory of Daco-Roman continuity argues that the . Now, it's just an early indication and there's more testing to be done. We have some inscriptions. Books about pagan continuity hypothesis? : r/AskHistorians - reddit BRIAN MURARESKU:: It's a simple formula, Charlie. So it's hard for me to write this and talk about this without acknowledging the Jesuits who put me here. To sum up the most exciting parts of the book: the bloody wine of Dionysius became the bloody wine of Jesus - the pagan continuity hypothesis - the link between the Ancient Greeks of the final centuries BC and the paleo-Christians of the early centuries AD - in short, the default psychedelic of universal world history - the cult of . Brought to you by GiveWell.org charity research and effective giving and 5-Bullet Friday, my very own email newsletter.Welcome to The Tim Ferriss Show, where it is usually my job to deconstruct world-class performers to tease out their routines, habits, et cetera that you can apply to your own life. What the Greeks were actually saying there is that it was barley infected with ergot, which is this natural fungus that infects cereal crops. I mean, I asked lots of big questions in the book, and I fully acknowledge that. So Pompeii and its environs at the time were called [SPEAKING GREEK], which means great Greece. I'm trying to get him to speak in the series about that. One attendee has asked, "How have religious leaders reacted so far to your book? It still leaves an even bigger if, Dr. Stang, is which one is psychedelic? But it was not far from a well-known colony in [INAUDIBLE] that was founded by Phocians. That is about the future rather than the ancient history. And what about the alleged democratization with which you credit the mysteries of Dionysus, or the role of women in that movement? Then I see the mysteries of Dionysus as kind of the Burning Man or the Woodstock of the ancient world. Samuel Zuschlag - Durham University - Charlotte, North - LinkedIn Books about pagan continuity hypothesis? Read more about The Immortality Key by Brian Muraresku Making Sense by Sam Harris We have plays like the Bacchi from Euripides, where we can piece together some of this. There's all kinds of reasons I haven't done it. And if it's one thing Catholicism does very, very well, it's contemplative mysticism. Israel's Exodus In Transdisciplinary Perspective: Text - Vdoc.pub As much as we know about the mysteries of Eleusis. I'm not. But we do know that something was happening. David Wakefield - President - Wakefield Enterprises, LLC | LinkedIn Which is a very weird thing today. And apparently, the book is on order, so I can't speak to this directly, but the ancient Greek text that preserves this liturgy also preserves the formula, the ingredients of the eye ointment. So this is interesting. So now it's true that these heresy hunters show an interest in this love potion. [texts-excerpt] penalty for cutting mangroves in floridaFREE EstimateFREE Estimate 44:48 Psychedelics and ancient cave art . I opened the speculation, Dr. Stang, that the Holy Grail itself could have been some kind of spiked concoction. This limestone altar tested positive for cannabis and frankincense that was being burned, they think, in a very ritualistic way. And in his book [? I mean, I wish it were easier. #646: Brian C. Muraresku with Dr. Mark Plotkin The Eleusinian CHARLES STANG: So that actually helps answer a question that's in the Q&A that was posed to me, which is why did I say I fully expect that we will find evidence for this? Like the wedding at Cana, which my synopsis of that event is a drunkard getting a bunch of drunk people even more drunk. "The Tim Ferriss Show" 646: Brian C. Muraresku with Dr. Mark Plotkin Brian C. Muraresku - Priory Of Sion It's a big question for me. And I think we get hung up on the jargon. We call it ego dissolution, things of that nature. Maybe for those facing the end of life. I'm going to stop asking my questions, although I have a million more, as you well know, and instead try to ventriloquist the questions that are coming through at quite a clip through the Q&A. Now you're a good sport, Brian. And it was their claim that when the hymn to Demeter, one of these ancient records that records, in some form, the proto-recipe for this kykeon potion, which I call like a primitive beer, in the hymn to Demeter, they talk about ingredients like barley, water, and mint. Brought to you by Wealthfront high-yield savings account, Peloton Row premium rower for an efficient workout, and You Need A Budget cult-favorite money management app.. Rick Rubin is a nine-time GRAMMY-winning producer, one of Time magazine's 100 most influential people in the world, and the most successful producer in any genre, according to Rolling Stone. I really tried. So, you know, I specifically wanted to avoid heavily relying on the 52 books of the [INAUDIBLE] corpus or heavily relying too much on the Gospel of Mary Magdalene and the evidence that's come from Egypt. And so the big hunt for me was trying to find some of those psychedelic bits. I know that's another loaded phrase. It draws attention to this material. Newsweek calls him 'the world's best human guinea pig,' and The New York Times calls him 'a cross between Jack Welch and a Buddhist monk.' In this show, he deconstructs world-class performers from eclectic areas (investing, chess, pro sports, etc . And inside that beer was all kinds of vegetable matter, like wheat, oats, and sedge and lily and flax and various legumes. When Irenaeus is talking about [SPEAKING GREEK], love potions, again, we have no idea what the hell he's talking about. I mean, I think the book makes it clear. Phil's Picks | Phoenix Books Plants of the Gods: Hallucinogens, Healing, Culture and - TopPodcast Why don't we turn the tables and ask you what questions you think need to be posed? That's just everlasting. Now is there any evidence for psychedelic use in ancient Egypt, and if not, do you have any theory as to why that's silent? 18.3C: Continuity Theory. . And does it line up with the promise from John's gospel that anyone who drinks this becomes instantly immortal? The book was published by Saint Martin's Press in September 2020 and has generated a whirlwind of attention. So there's a whole slew of sites I want to test there. He comes to this research with a full suite of scholarly skills, including a deep knowledge of Greek and Latin as well as facility in a number of European languages, which became crucial for uncovering some rather obscure research in Catalan, and also for sweet-talking the gatekeepers of archives and archaeological sites. And another: in defending the pagan continuity hypothesis, Muraresku presumes a somewhat non-Jewish, pagan-like Jesus, while ignoring the growing body of psychedelic literature, including works by . So I point to that evidence as illustrative of the possibility that the Christians could, in fact, have gotten their hands on an actual wine. Mark and Brian cover the Eleusinian Mysteries, the pagan continuity hypothesis, early Christianity, lessons from famed religious scholar Karen Armstrong, overlooked aspects of influential philosopher William James's career, ancient wine and ancient beer, experiencing the divine within us, the importance of "tikkun olam"repairing and improving He was wronged by individuals, allegedly. The Tim Ferriss Show - #535: General Stanley McChrystal Mast You also find a Greek hearth inside this sanctuary. These-- that-- Christians are spread out throughout the eastern Mediterranean, and there are many, many pockets of people practicing what we might call, let's just call it Christian mysticism of some kind. "Pagan" and "Christian" Marriage: The State of the Question I fully expect we will find it. The Immortality Key - David Bookstaber I try to be careful to always land on a lawyer's feet and be very honest with you and everybody else about where this goes from here. I also sense another narrative in your book, and one you've flagged for us, maybe about 10 minutes ago, when you said that the book is a proof of concept. I'll invite him to think about the future of religion in light of all this. So the big question is, what kind of drug was this, if it was a drug? That to live on forever and ever, to live an everlasting life is not immortality. CHARLES STANG: I do, too. Here's another one. If you die before you die, you won't die when you die. On Monday, February 22, we will be hosting a panel discussion taking up the question what is psychedelic chaplaincy. And we know from the record that [SPEAKING GREEK] is described as being so crowded with gods that they were easier to find than men. I see something that's happening to people. Was there any similarity from that potion to what was drunk at Eleusis? In the same place in and around Pompeii, this is where Christianity is really finding its roots. A rebirth into what? Not just in Italy, but as kind of the headquarters for the Mediterranean. There's a moment in the book where you are excited about some hard evidence. I will ask Brian to describe how he came to write this remarkable book, and the years of sleuthing and studying that went into it. Others would argue that they are perfectly legal sacraments, at least in the Native American church with the use of peyote, or in the UDV or Santo Daime, I mean, ayahuasca does work in some syncretic Christian form, right? So I want to propose that we stage this play in two acts. I think psychedelics are just one piece of the puzzle. 36:57 Drug-spiked wine . These mysteries had at their center a sacrament called kykeon, which offered a vision of the mysteries of life and death. Mark and Brian cover the Eleusinian Mysteries, the pagan continuity hypothesis, early Christianity, lessons from famed religious scholar Karen Armstrong, overlooked aspects of influential philosopher William James's career, ancient wine and ancient beer, experiencing the divine within us, the importance of "tikkun olam"repairing and . In the afterword, you champion the fact that we stand on the cusp of a new era of psychedelics precisely because they can be synthesized and administered safely in pill form, back to The Economist article "The God Pill". Maybe I'm afraid I'll take the psychedelic and I won't have what is reported in the literature from Hopkins and NYU. What is its connection to Eleusis? I go out of my way, in both parts of the book, which, it's divided into the history of beer and the history of wine, essentially. And for those of you who have found my line of questioning or just my general presence tedious, first of all, I fully appreciate that reaction. The Psychedelic Gospels: The Secret History of Hallucinogens in Now that the pagan continuity hypothesis is defended, the next task is to show that the pagan and proto-Christian ritual sacraments were, in fact, psychedelicbrews. We have other textual evidence. And what, if any, was the relationship between those ancient Greeks and the real religion of the earliest Christians, who might call the paleo-Christians. They minimized or completely removed the Jewish debates found in the New Testament, and they took on a style that was more palatable to the wider pagan world. CHARLES STANG: OK. And so in my afterword, I present this as a blip on the archaeochemical radar. But I mentioned that we've become friends because it is the prerogative of friends to ask hard questions. That's all just fancy wordplay. In the Classics world, there's a pagan continuity hypothesis with the very origin of Christianity, and many overt references to Greek plays in the Gospel of John. Continuity Questions - 36 Questions About Continuity - QuestionDB First I'll give the floor to Brian to walk us into this remarkable book of his and the years of hard work that went into it, what drove him to do this. An Exploration of Religion: An Interview with Brian Muraresku And I feel like I accomplished that in the afterword to my book. Here's the proof of concept. It's some kind of wine-based concoction, some kind of something that is throwing these people into ecstasy. So that, actually, is the key to the immortality key. He was greatly influenced by Sigmund Freud (1940) who viewed an infant's first relationship - usually with the mother - as "the prototype of all later love-relations". And what it has to do with Eleusis or the Greek presence in general, I mean, again, just to say it briefly, is that this was a farmhouse of sorts that was inland, this sanctuary site. You're not confident that the pope is suddenly going to issue an encyclical. So I really follow the scholarship of Enriqueta Pons, who is the archaeologist on site there, at this Greek sanctuary that we're talking about in Catalonia, Mas Castellar des Pontos. There are others claiming that there's drugs everywhere. And let's start with our earliest evidence from the Stone Age and the Bronze Age. So in my mind, it was the first real hard scientific data to support this hypothesis, which, as you alluded to at the beginning, only raises more questions. he goes out on a limb and says that black nightshade actually causes [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH], which is not unpleasant visions, i.e. So it wasn't just a random place to find one of these spiked wines. And so with a revised ancient history, in place Brian tacks back to the title of our series, Psychedelics and the Future of Religion. Examine the pros and cons of the continuity theory of aging, specifically in terms of how it neglects to consider social institutions or chronically ill adults. And when I started to get closer into the historical period-- this is all prehistory. All rights reserved. Mark and Brian cover the Eleusinian Mysteries, the pagan continuity hypothesis, early Christianity, lessons from famed religious scholar Karen Armstrong, overlooked aspects of influential philosopher William James's career, ancient wine and ancient beer, experiencing the divine within us, the importance of " tikkun olam "repairing and improving It's arguably not the case in the third century. Rather, Christian beliefs were gradually incorporated into the pagan customs that already existed there. So how to put this? I include that line for a reason. CHARLES STANG: All right. I wish the church fathers were better botanists and would rail against the specific pharmacopeia. Oh, I hope I haven't offended you, Brian. CHARLES STANG: OK, that is the big question. So why do you think psychedelics are so significant that they might usher in a new Reformation? Correcting Key Points in Muraresku, The Immortality Key Nage ?] So it is already happening. I'm paraphrasing this one. And keep in mind that we'll drop down into any one of these points more deeply. So I think it's really interesting details here worth following up on. And the quote you just read from Burkert, it's published by Harvard University Press in 1985 as Greek Religion. Pagan polemicists reversed the Biblical story of the Israelites' liberation from Egyptian bondage, portraying a negative image of Israelite origins and picturing them as misanthropes and atheists. So, although, I mean, and that actually, I'd like to come back to that, the notion of the, that not just the pagan continuity hypothesis, but the mystery continuity hypothesis through the Vatican. And so that's what motivated my search here. I mean, this really goes to my deep skepticism. We have an hour and a half together and I hope there will be time for Q&A and discussion. Administration and supervision endeavors and with strong knowledge in: Online teaching and learning methods, Methods for Teaching Mathematics and Technology Integration for K-12 and College . And so I do see an avenue, like I kind of obliquely mentioned, but I do think there's an avenue within organized religion and for people who dedicate their lives as religious professionals to ministry to perhaps take a look at this in places where it might work. And I did not dare. . So back in 2012, archaeologists and chemists were scraping some of these giant limestone troughs, and out pops calcium oxalate, which is one of these biomarkers for the fermentation of brewing. I understand the appeal of that. Not in every single case, obviously. The mysteries of Dionysus, a bit weirder, a bit more off the grid. Little attempt has been made, however, to bridge the gap between \"pagan\" and \"Christian\" or to examine late antique, Christian attitudes toward sexuality and marriage from the viewpoint of the \"average\" Christian. He has talked about the potential evidence for psychedelics in a Mithras liturgy. That would require an entirely different kind of evidence. CHARLES STANG: Right. BRIAN MURARESKU: I look forward to it, Charlie. For those who didn't have the time or the money or the temerity to travel all the way to Eleusis from Spain, here's your off-site campus, right? There's also this hard evidence that comes out of an archaeological site outside of Pompeii, if I have it correct. And I'm happy to see we have over 800 people present for this conversation. BRIAN MURARESKU: But you're spot on. And I think that's an important distinction to make. Brian's thesis, that of the Pagan Continuity Hypothesis, was explored by Alexander Hislop in his "The Two Babylons", 1853, as a Protestant treatise in the spirit of Martin Luther as Alexander too interjects the Elusinian Mysteries. There he is. So I have my concerns about what's about to happen in Oregon and the regulation of psilocybin for therapeutic purposes. I think the wine certainly does. Richard Evans Schultes and the Search for Ayahuasca 17 days ago Plants of the Gods: S3E10. It seems entirely believable to me that we have a potion maker active near Pompeii. We know that at the time of Jesus, before, during, and after, there were recipes floating around. I do the same thing in the afterword at the very end of the book, where it's lots of, here's what we know. Research inside the Church of Saint Faustina and Liberata Fig 1. This time around, we have a very special edition featuring Dr. Mark Plotkin and Brian C . Did the ancient Greeks use drugs to find God? Was Moses high? Studies linking religion and drugs gain traction Amazon.com: Customer reviews: The Immortality Key: The Secret History There have been breakthroughs, too, which no doubt kept Brian going despite some skepticism from the academy, to say the least. According to Muraresku, this work, which "presents the pagan continuity hypothesis with a psychedelic twist," addresses two fundamental questions: "Before the rise of Christianity, did the Ancient Greeks consume a secret psychedelic sacrament during their most famous and well-attended religious rituals? But I don't understand how that provides any significant link to paleo-Christian practice. Thank you. I mean, shouldn't everybody, shouldn't every Christian be wondering what kind of wine was on that table, or the tables of the earliest Christians? If you look at Dioscorides, for example, his Materia Medica, that's written in the first century AD around the same time that the Gospels themselves are being written. What's different about the Dionysian mysteries, and what evidence, direct or indirect, do we have about the wine of Dionysus being psychedelic? Brian C. Muraresku (@BrianMuraresku) / Twitter In May of last year, researchers published what they believe is the first archaeochemical data for the use of psychoactive drugs in some form of early Judaism. The pagan continuity hypothesis at the heart of this book made sense to me. And they found this site, along with others around the Mediterranean. Now, I've had experiences outside the Eucharist that resonate with me. In fact, something I'm following up on now is the prospect of similar sites in the Crimea around the Black Sea, because there was also a Greek presence there. And I think sites like this have tended to be neglected in scholarship, or published in languages like Catalan, maybe Ukrainian, where it just doesn't filter through the academic community.