diff --git a/lib/handlebars/compiler/ast.js b/lib/handlebars/compiler/ast.js
index 5a5f514d..b9e67d7f 100644
--- a/lib/handlebars/compiler/ast.js
+++ b/lib/handlebars/compiler/ast.js
@@ -131,6 +131,15 @@ var AST = {
     }
   },
 
+  RawBlockNode: function(mustache, content, locInfo) {
+    LocationInfo.call(this, locInfo);
+
+    this.type = 'block';
+    this.mustache = mustache;
+    mustache.sexpr.isHelper = mustache.isHelper = true;
+    mustache.params.splice(0, 0, new AST.StringNode(content, locInfo));
+  },
+
   ContentNode: function(string, locInfo) {
     LocationInfo.call(this, locInfo);
     this.type = "content";
diff --git a/spec/blocks.js b/spec/blocks.js
index b9672af8..8f7c242f 100644
--- a/spec/blocks.js
+++ b/spec/blocks.js
@@ -20,14 +20,6 @@ describe('blocks', function() {
 
     equal(result, "0. goodbye! 1. Goodbye! 2. GOODBYE! cruel world!", "The @index variable is used");
   });
-
-
-  it("raw block", function() {
-    var string   = "{{{{ {{test}} }}}}";
-    var hash = { test: "hello" };
-    shouldCompileTo(string, hash, " {{test}} ",
-                    "raw block ignores blocks");
-  });
   
   it("empty block", function() {
     var string   = "{{#goodbyes}}{{/goodbyes}}cruel {{world}}!";
diff --git a/spec/helpers.js b/spec/helpers.js
index 904f56a7..b1d97229 100644
--- a/spec/helpers.js
+++ b/spec/helpers.js
@@ -9,6 +9,26 @@ describe('helpers', function() {
     shouldCompileTo(string, [hash, helpers], "<a href='/root/goodbye'>Goodbye</a>");
   });
 
+  it("helper for raw block gets raw content", function() {
+    var string   = "{{{{raw}}}} {{test}} {{{{/raw}}}}";
+    var hash = { test: "hello" };
+    var helpers = { raw: function(content) { 
+        return content;
+    } };
+    shouldCompileTo(string, [hash, helpers], " {{test}} ",
+                    "raw block helper gets raw content");
+  });
+  
+  it("helper for raw block gets parameters", function() {
+    var string   = "{{{{raw 1 2 3}}}} {{test}} {{{{/raw}}}}";
+    var hash = { test: "hello" };
+    var helpers = { raw: function(content, a, b, c) { 
+        return content + a + b + c;
+    } };
+    shouldCompileTo(string, [hash, helpers], " {{test}} 123",
+                    "raw block helper gets raw content");
+  });
+  
   it("helper block with complex lookup expression", function() {
     var string = "{{#goodbyes}}{{../name}}{{/goodbyes}}";
     var hash = {name: "Alan"};
diff --git a/src/handlebars.l b/src/handlebars.l
index 51e921ae..9b126652 100644
--- a/src/handlebars.l
+++ b/src/handlebars.l
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 
-%x mu emu com
+%x mu emu com raw
 
 %{
 
@@ -49,11 +49,16 @@ ID    [^\s!"#%-,\.\/;->@\[-\^`\{-~]+/{LOOKAHEAD}
                                    return 'CONTENT';
                                  }
 
+<raw>"{{{{/"[^\s!"#%-,\.\/;->@\[-\^`\{-~]+/[=}\s\/.]"}}}}" { yytext = yytext.substr(5, yyleng-9); this.popState(); return 'END_RAW_BLOCK'; }
+<raw>[^\x00]*?/("{{{{/")         { return 'CONTENT'; }
+
 <com>[\s\S]*?"--}}"              strip(0,4); this.popState(); return 'COMMENT';
 
 <mu>"("                          return 'OPEN_SEXPR';
 <mu>")"                          return 'CLOSE_SEXPR';
 
+<mu>"{{{{"                       { return 'OPEN_RAW_BLOCK'; }
+<mu>"}}}}"                       { this.popState(); this.begin('raw'); return 'CLOSE_RAW_BLOCK'; }
 <mu>"{{{{"[^\x00]*"}}}}"         {
                                   yytext = yytext.substr(4, yyleng-8);
                                   this.popState();
diff --git a/src/handlebars.yy b/src/handlebars.yy
index 8b5b7745..464d1bab 100644
--- a/src/handlebars.yy
+++ b/src/handlebars.yy
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ statements
   ;
 
 statement
-  : RAW_BLOCK { $$ = new yy.ContentNode($1, @$); }
+  : openRawBlock CONTENT END_RAW_BLOCK -> new yy.RawBlockNode($1, $2, @$)
   | openInverse program closeBlock -> new yy.BlockNode($1, $2.inverse, $2, $3, @$)
   | openBlock program closeBlock -> new yy.BlockNode($1, $2, $2.inverse, $3, @$)
   | mustache -> $1
@@ -44,6 +44,10 @@ statement
   | COMMENT -> new yy.CommentNode($1, @$)
   ;
 
+openRawBlock
+  : OPEN_RAW_BLOCK sexpr CLOSE_RAW_BLOCK -> new yy.MustacheNode($2, null, '', '', @$)
+  ;
+
 openBlock
   : OPEN_BLOCK sexpr CLOSE -> new yy.MustacheNode($2, null, $1, stripFlags($1, $3), @$)
   ;