Cracks in the Code Trivia Quiz

Answer: All of these reasons

This piece from Philip's gospel is given as evidence that Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene: 'And the companion of the ___ Mary Magdalene ___ loved her more than all the disciples and used to kiss her [often] on her ___. The rest of the disciples ___.

They said to him, "Why do you love her more than all of us?"' Not only is this open to different interpretations, but this gospel was likely to have been written as late as the second half of the third century, 250+ years after the fact. Not exactly an eye-witness account.

Answer: the sacred feminine

The Gnostic Gospels, now published freely and available throughout the Christian world (check out your local library), are known for their opinion of women. Indeed, in the Gospel of Thomas we find saying 114: "Simon Peter said to them, 'Let Mary leave us, for women are not worthy of life.' Jesus said, 'I myself shall lead her in order to make her male, so that she too may become a living spirit resembling you males. For every woman who will make herself male will enter the kingdom of heaven'." If, as Dan Brown suggests, the Gnostic Gospels honour the sacred feminine, I am glad that principle has not been applied in my life; that kind of honour I can do without.

Answer: The child was a Negro, not olive-skinned

Gypsies visit the coastal town of Les Saintes Maries de la Mer annually to honour their saint, Sarah, the Negro servant who arrived with Mary Magdalene, Mary Jacobe, Mary Salome, Martha and Lazarus. They are adamant that this girl was not Mary's daughter - she was the servant, no more, no less. Statues and pictures of this girl are clearly of a Negro, not a Middle Eastern beloved daughter.

Answer: Silas and yes, it is

Silas was so named because his new life began when an earthquake destroyed the prison where he was serving a sentence; the biblical Silas was released from prison with Paul after an earthquake (Acts 16:25-36).

Opus Dei is part of the Roman Catholic Church; it is comprised of adults of all ages and backgrounds who have committed themselves to a lifetime of daily worship, study and prayer even as they continue their usual lives. A very small percentage of members do practice self-flagellation, but it is far from the norm and is strictly controlled.

Answer: Leonardo da Vinci, Sir Isaac Newton and Victor Hugo

Pierre Plantard crated a whole series of documents in the 1960s and 1970s, including lists of the Grand Masters 'through the centuries'. In 1993 he admitted under oath in a French court that the whole thing was a hoax to establish a bloodline from Jesus to himself. No historian has ever found any evidence, other than Plantard's fabrication, of the Priory of Sion, Grand Masters of that society or any bloodline from Jesus.

Answer: the 'Last Supper' was just that, a supper, so they would each have had a cup

This claim from Dan Brown really confused me. I could not see why each man would not have had his own cup and plate, because they were sitting down to the Passover Meal. Each place setting would have been complete! Like as not Jesus passed around his own cup, and it would have been ordinary - otherwise it would have been mentioned in the Gospels as being special. Sometimes logic bypasses the senses.

Answer: that the baby John held a stick cruciform to show his identity

Not one of the three statements made in the book are true. Mary was holding the baby John to her, not baby Jesus (as shown clearly in the re-painted version entitled 'Virgin of the Rocks' - see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virgin_of_the_Rocks for both pictures), her left hand is held out in blessing over baby Jesus, and Uriel was pointing to baby John (this was not included in the second version, which had baby John holding a stick cruciform), not slicing at an invisible head.

Answer: a path worn on the ground in the shape of a Star of David

The official Rosslyn website (www.rosslynchapel.org.uk) says: 'We're even getting used to dealing with the "where is the Star of David that is mentioned in the book" sort of question.' - because there is no worn path in the shape of the Star of David in the chapel.

In addition to this geographical gaffe, Dan Brown also states that the Rose Line (what he calls the 'true meridian') passed through Saint Sulpice. This is not strictly correct - the line does not pass through the church even though there is a line which suggests that it does. Priests at the church are happy to speak to any visitors, and will tell anyone that very few of the facts mentioned in the book about their church are actually true.

Answer: the Council of Nicaea

Of the 220+ bishops in attendance, only two voted in favour of Arius' new teaching - hardly a 'relatively close vote'. Ancient documents prove that the New Testament as we read it today is accurate to that as was written and circulated in the first century, and the Epistles are very clear as to the divinity of Jesus and his equal status with God the Father. No other ancient writing is as well authenticated as the New Testament - there is no room for error with such overwhelming proof that what we read in the Bible is what was written then.

Answer: there is no way we can know for certain

Art historians are adamant that the picture is of John the Apostle - this could be true. But one has to admit that the figure is very feminine - well, da Vinci did paint feminine men. But consider this - there are twelve figures but for Jesus. Who is to say that the painting was of the time before or after Judas left the party? If before, then that figure has to be male, to account for all twelve men, but if after, then it could just as likely be female - in fact, it is more likely to be so, for what other man could the twelfth figure be? It could be any of the women who followed Jesus - including his mother. There is no evidence anywhere to say that this figure was anyone in particular. We do not know what da Vinci was thinking when he painted it. Personally I don't think it really matters; da Vinci was one person and he was no authority on the subject either. He was not there at the Last Supper, and this is not a photograph.

I have researched the facts in this quiz extensively, from books and the net. By using key words on a search engine, you, too, can do the research and see that although Dan Brown states that all the facts given in his book are true ('All descriptions of artwork, architecture, documents and secret rituals in this novel are accurate'), that is not the case.