Jesus, Mushrooms, and the Origin of Christianity analyzes the prevalence of a specific motif – the mushroom – in Christian art, proposing that this image is evidence of the true foundation of Christianity and the Catholic Church. Examining Christian art from 200 CE to the present, author John Rush argues that Jesus was not an actual, historical person, but a personification of the Holy Mushroom, Amanita muscaria and the mystical experience brought about by the ingestion of mind-altering plants and fungi by early, experimentally minded Christian sects.

Drawing on primarily historical sources, Rush traces the history – and pictured face – of Jesus, which was constructed and codified only after 325 CE. In the process, he shows how the mushroom was very much apparent, though often disguised, in the early years of Christian art, thus revealing the nature of the original Christian cults, rites, and rituals – including mushroom use. Jesus, Mushrooms, and Origin of Christianity emphasizes Jesus’ message of know thyself, seek wisdom, and be a decent person, which leads to peace, love, and spiritual growth, asserting his symbolic murder was a conspiracy by powerful reactionary forces who replaced his message with the oppressive religious-political system that endures today. Rush’s brilliant exposition of Amanita muscaria use by early Christians challenges mainstream views of Western religious history and is both provocative and persuasive.

This is the second edition of, The Mushroom in Christian Art, and contains new text and images.