May/June 2024 Alchemical Voice

Alchemical Voice - L2M - Issue 26
The two contested locations were in Jerusalem’s valley of
Jehosaphat, while others said her final resting place was in
the Roman ruins of Ephesus in Turkey.
In the 1950’s the Vatican instigated a secret project to
investigate the authenticity of the two tombs. The Vatican’s
archaeologist Giovanni Benedetti was unable to unearth any
historical evidence validating either of these two sites, but
claimed to have found persuasive evidence for a third and
completely forgotten tomb.
Benedetti was about to publish his findings when Pope Pius
XII declared the Assumption dogma, i.e. as Mother Mary had
ascended bodily into heaven there was no tomb of her
anywhere on Earth. Benedetti was summoned to the Vatican
and told to keep quiet. As a devout Catholic, under the
threat of excommunication, Benedetti reluctantly agreed
and remained silent for the rest of his life.
The Gospel of John says when Jesus was on the cross, he
asked an unnamed disciple to look after Mother Mary. As
Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus were the only male
followers there, it is likely that Joseph of Arimathea, as
Mother Mary’s brother, would have taken that charge on.
4th century documents in the Vatican record Joseph of
Arimathea fleeing Palestine and settling outside the Roman
Empire somewhere in the far north. 12th century Grail
romances all portray the land as Britain.
Ephesus in Turkey
As Mother Mary’s surviving male relative, he would have
brought her with him. Joseph of Arimathea was a wealthy
shipping merchant with a fleet of ships at his disposal.
In the 1st century Britain’s rich mineral deposits had been
attracting Mediterranean traders for at least 500 years. Tin,
copper and lead had been exported from Cornwall, Wales
and Somerset from the 5th century BC.
Joseph of Arimathea would have sailed to all these regions
and have contacts there. Furthermore, the Romans had not
yet invaded Britain and Joseph of Arimathea would have
considered it a safer place than Alexandria.
According to the British monk Gildas, writing in the 6th
century, some of Jesus’ original disciples came to Britain in
the last year of Tiberius’ reign – 37 AD.
Roman Emperor Tiberius
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