For those people with an interest in the history of eighteenth-century ideas, I recommend a new book which was published by Brill yesterday (available by mail order from Brill.com) on those people in the eighteenth century, including many now rather obscure clergymen and freemasons, who were interested in the Eleusinian Mysteries as a possible origin for Christianity.

It helps one to understand some of those undercurrents of eighteenth-century thought which have now been forgotten, including the work of William Stukeley who travelled the country looking at ancient monuments, was one of the founding members of the Society of Antiquaries, and became a freemason in 1721 – ‘his Curiosity led him to be initiated into the Mysteries of Masonry; imagining them to be the Remains of the famous Mysteries of the Antients.’