Letter to The Times, dated 23 May, published 26 May 1970 – Transcript

Sir,

A good deal of publicity has recently been given to a book (The Sacred Mushroom and the Cross) by Mr John Allegro, formerly a lecturer at Manchester University.

This is a work upon which scholars would not normally wish to comment. But the undersigned, specialists in a number of relevant disciplines and men of several faiths and none, feel it their duty to let it be known that the book is not based on any philological or other evidence which they can regard as scholarly. In their view this work is an essay in fantasy rather than philology.

Yours faithfully,

• G R Driver, Emeritus Professor of Semitic Philology, Oxford University
• P R Ackroyd, Professor of Old Testament Studies, London University
• G W Anderson, Professor of Old Testament, Edinburgh University
• J N D Anderson, Professor of Oriental Laws, London University
• James Barr, Professor of Semitic Languages, Manchester University
• C F Beckingham, Professor of Islamic Studies, London University
• Henry Chadwick, Dean of Christ Church, Oxford University
• John Emerton, Regius Professor of Hebrew, Cambridge University
• O R Gurney, Professor of Assyriology, Oxford University
• E G Parrinder, Reader in Comparative Study of Religions, London University
• J B Segal, Professor of Semitic Languages, London University
• D Winton Thomas, Emeritus Professor of Hebrew, Cambridge University
• Edward Ullendorf, Professor of Ethiopian Studies, London University
• G Vermes, Reader in Jewish Studies, Oxford University
• D J Wiseman, Professor of Assyriology, London University