CLAIM 1
In The Last Supper, the figure seated to Christ's right is Mary Magdalene.
The figure looks like a woman, but it is probably Saint John, one of Christ's disciples. Artists have traditionally depicted John as an effeminate
young man.
As a longtime student of art and artist myself...that's no man baby...
Also, what about the extra hand? Or the knife? Tres bizzaare....
CLAIM 2
At the center of The Last Supper it's possible to make out the shape of an 'M', symbolic of Christ's marriage, and a 'V', symbolic of a womb and
children.
You can see alphabet soup in a painting if you look hard enough. It is also possible to descipher an 'L' in the painting. LVM were the initials of
Leonardo da Vinci's patron.
True. Interestingly enough though, LVM would also be 955 wouldn't it (Roman numerals)? Still, I think this is a false claim on the letters, but
would be curious if the number meant something...
Claim 3
A secret society called the Priory of Sion is said to know the identity of Christ's descendants.
In the 19th-century, a French priest discovered documents revealing the Priory's existence. A French fraudster later claimed the story was a hoax,
although Brown denies this.
I'm curious as to why someone would hoax this, in the 19th century....
There are lots of splinters of the Teutonic Knights, so I wouldn't rule
this out so fast.
CLAIM 4
A window in St. Sulpice church in Paris has the initials P and S, proving the Priory of Sion exists.
Alternatively, the P and S could stand for Saints Peter and Sulpice.
Agreed, likewise, it could be the initials of the artist, architect, bishop, etc. etc.
CLAIM 5
The Catholic Church covered up Christ's marriage and then re-cast his wife, Mary Magdalene, as a prostitute.
It's true that a 12-century Pope first claimed Mary was a prostitute. However, there is no Biblical evidence that they married.
Well, if the Bible is revisionist history as Brown claimed, then no, there wouldn't be would there? First though, there is the tradition holding
that Jesus was a Rabbi, and to have been one at the time, he would have been married. There is also the paper trail leading to Riennes France
regarding Mary Magdelene and children. The marriage cover-up is the logical conclusion.
Already knowing most of the above though, prior to reading the book, what I found fascinating was the sybolism behind such little traditions as rabbit
ears as one would do on a photo, advertising the victim's high sperm count (as represented by the sign of the horned male fertility god Amon), etc.
Such little tidbits were very entertaining...and no doubt, Dan did an awful lot of research in writing the book.
