Introduction

Uncovering the use of entheogens in Early Christianity has been a subject of my research for quite some time now. The more I dig, the more obvious it becomes that an entire portion of Early Christianity has been systematically deleted, especially when it comes to the use of psychoactive substances as sacraments early on in the history of this and other religious systems that arose. Thankfully, the 1990’s saw a new breed of researcher emerging, approaching ancient texts from a completely different perspective than virtually every other Biblical scholar in history. They discovered that the spirituality that eventually became Christianity likely arose from the psychedelic experience, deeply rooted in astrology and mysticism.

John Allegro and Jan Irvin

One of the most unexpected advocates for this hypothesis can be found in a person the Catholic Church hired to translate a recently-discovered set of lost Gospels called the Nag Hammadi Library, also known as the Dead Sea Scrolls. He is a scholar known for his skill in translating sacred texts; John Allegro. Unfortunately for the Church, when translating the Dead Sea Scrolls, he found that there was more than ample evidence of the use of hallucinogenic mushrooms in early Christianity. He went on to write 2 books on his very articulate research, books that should have turned religion upside down. Instead, the Church chose to disgrace him and block his translations from the public, re-interpreting the Gospels in a way that was vastly more in alignment with the religion they need Christianity to be. Johns books are included below for those interested in his research.

Another scholar who has published a series of books on the topic of hallucinogens, astrology, and the borrowing of mythological ritual buried within the esoteric teachings of Christianity is Jan Irvin.

Who Is Benny Shannon?

Benny Shannon is one of the few scholars brave enough to offer a detailed hypothesis on

John of Patmos

Let me now weave a curious little tale, constructed from factual evidence in relation to John of Patmos and his incredible chapter in the New Testament known as Revelation. Most scholars agree that this portion of the Bible was written by John of Patmos sometime between 68 and 95 AD. The meaning of Revelation is fiercely disputed, though. Some posit that it spells out the Apocalypse. Some think that is it simply a deeply symbolic representation of the struggle between good and evil. Apocalyptic literature was a fairly common form in the first century, and many academics believe that John was writing specifically to reassure the Christians of Asia who were being persecuted, and perhaps to pass them clandestine messages.

Others believe that parts of it, such as the below quote, is a retelling of the Greek mythological story of a champion fighting a monster, which was John’s way of allowing as many as possible (especially new converts to Christianity) to identify with his vision. In the parallel mythological story, the pregnant goddess Leto is pursed by the dragon Python. She escapes to an island where she gives birth to Apollo, who later kills the dragon. That idea seems as viable as any of the other theories of its meaning and interpretations. With that being said, lets instead read it from the perspective that was the result of a vision induced by a trance state, so we can later examine if there’s any evidence to substantiate this seemingly wild speculation:

12 Then I turned to see whose voice it was that spoke to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 and in the midst of the lampstands I saw one like the Son of Man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash across his chest. 14 His head and his hair were white as white wool, white as snow; his eyes were like a flame of fire, 15 his feet were like burnished bronze, refined as in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of many waters. 16 In his right hand he held seven stars, and from his mouth came a sharp, two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining with full force. 17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he placed his right hand on me, saying, ‘Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, 18 and the living one. I was dead, and see, I am alive for ever and ever; and I have the keys of Death and of Hades. 19 Now write what you have seen, what is, and what is to take place after this.

Again, it may seem like wild speculation, perhaps even blasphemous to many, but unlike the demand of the Church to accept the fact that the Earth is only 6,000 years old and that we can’t really be sure dinosaurs existed, despite mountains of evidence to the contrary, the possibility that John’s vision was a result of an altered state of consciousness actually has some verifiable facts to support this line of thinking and the conclusions that might be drawn from it.

The Island of Patmos

Patmos is a small Greek island in the Aegean Sea. A cave on that island is the exact location in which John is said to have had the visions that allowed him to write Revelations. That location is so universally agreed upon, it’s now an historic center known as the “Cave of the Apocalypse.” Caves also happen to be at the center of a new debate in the archaeological community because several of world-reknown archaeologists who’ve put forth a controversial theory that caves are where some of humans’ earliest thoughts in relation to gods and spirituality were born.

As I’ve explained in other articles, a sudden leap in our mutual evolution occurred sometime around 32,000 years ago, coinciding with the appearance of strange paintings deep inside caves of France and Spain. A number of these paintings depicted half animal-half human creatures, unusual scenes that did not correlate to daily events, as well as spirals and other geometric patterns that have since been classified as classic stages of a an altered state of consciousness known as a trance state.

By their very nature, caves are conducive to altered states of consciousness. The darkness and isolation is the perfect recipe for sensory deprivation. With sensory deprivation often comes vivid imagery, and this imagery can be made even more vivid through a number of techniques that can include include everything from simple repetition of a mantra or prayer, to hyperventilation, to the ingestion of psychoactive substances, to dancing to the point of exhaustion, to sleep and/or food deprivation.

Also, an entheogen known as “Gramofonche”, or Morning Glory, is a part of the flora of Patmos. The question of whether Morning Glory was ever used ritualistically in this area is often widely debated. But all it takes is speaking to a local Shaman, or simply looking to artwork from early cultures such as the Mayans and the Aztecs to see that Morning Glory was indeed a key part of Shamanic ritual as clearly seen in this image below of Ololiuqui and an Aztec Shaman: