Cracks in the Code

15 Points Per Correct Answer - No time limit  

1. One of the biggest claims in ‘The Da Vinci Code’ was that Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene; Teabing says that it is a matter of historical record. Of course the Christian Church is going to refute that - but just exactly what evidence could the church produce to defend their claim that Jesus was a single man? No Epistle, written within a few years of the crucifixion, makes such a claim otherwise No Gospel, Gnostic or otherwise, makes such a claim otherwise All of these reasons No historical record, even the contemporary ones, makes such a claim otherwise

2. ‘The da Vinci Code’ is very strong on a principle which it says the Catholic Church suppressed in its early years by refusing to allow for Christ’s marital status and his leaving the Christian church in his wife’s care. What was this principle? the sacred feminine worship of the goddess the sacred masculine worship of the gods

3. After Jesus was crucified Mary Magdalene was helped by Joseph of Arimathea and escaped to have her daughter in safety. So claims Teabing in ‘The Da Vinci Code’. There is a legend which says that Mary landed in France with a young child, but Dan Brown got one, rather important, thing wrong in his claim that this child was Jesus’ daughter. What was this? The child was Chinese, not Middle Eastern The child was a boy, not a girl The child was a Negro, not olive-skinned The child was too young to have been born of Jesus

4. An albino monk was the Teacher’s strong arm - his role was to remove the top members of the Priory of Sion and retrieve the keystone in order to suppress the truth about the Holy Grail. He was a member of a special organisation, part of the Roman Catholic Church, called Opus Dei and his appearance in the story told readers that this organisation was strange and secretive. A two-part question - what was this monk’s name, and is Opus Dei really a part of the Roman Catholic Church? Jonah and no, it is not Silas and no, it is not Silas and yes, it is Jonah and yes, it is

5. ‘The da Vinci Code’ says that at least three prominent figures were important men in the Priory of Sion throughout history; this information was based on a proven hoax perpetrated by a Frenchman called Plantard in the twentieth century. Who are these famous men? Victor Hugo, Leonardo da Vinci and Galileo Galilei Sir Isacc Newton, Galileo Galilei and Leonardo da Vinci Leonardo da Vinci, Sir Isaac Newton and Victor Hugo Galileo Galilei, Victor Hugo and Sir Isaac Newton

6. In Dan Brown’s book, he has Langdon tell Sophie that he first began to question da Vinci’s ‘The Last Supper’ when someone asked him to count the number of cups on the table. The fact that there was a cup for each person at the table confused this man of education who was expecting to see just one - the chalice - the Holy Grail. What is wrong with this observation and conclusion? the 'Last Supper' was just that, a supper, so they would each have had a cup nothing was wrong - it was the first Eucharist, so only one special cup should be there there should not have been any cups at all there should have been a cup for each of them, and the special chalice as well

7. Three da Vinci paintings were discussed within the confines of the book - the ‘Mona Lisa’, the ‘Madonna of the Rocks’ and ‘The Last Supper’. Two of these were, according to Dan Brown, full of symbolic clues to the truths the Priory of Sion was keeping safe from the Christian church. Which of the following was NOT said about ‘Madonna of the Rocks’ in ‘The da Vinci Code’? that Mary was clawing the air above baby John’s head that the baby John held a stick cruciform to show his identity that the baby Jesus was praying to the baby John that the Angel Uriel’s hand was depicted in a chopping motion

8. Close to the end of ‘The da Vinci Code’ we are introduced to Rosslyn Chapel and the caretaker, who turns out to be Sophie’s grandmother. When Langdon talks to her about the final clue which mentions the sword and the chalice, she points out a possible solution within the chapel itself. What is this purely fictional thing? a carving of Jesus and Mary Magdalene a stone step by the altar with ancient writing on it a hollowed-out plinth with a stone chalice in it a path worn on the ground in the shape of a Star of David

9. Teabing told Langdon and Sophie that Jesus was not thought to be divine until 325AD when a meeting voted that he be considered the Son of God - and it was ‘a relatively close vote at that’. The vote taken was actually to refute the Arian controversy that stated that Jesus was the Son of God, in agreement with Church doctrine, but he was a lesser god than the Father. By what name is this council known, both in history and in Dan Brown’s book? the Council of Nicaea the Council of Constantine the Council of Rome the Council of Arius

10. ‘The Last Supper’ very clearly shows a woman sitting to Jesus’ right - or does it? Which of the following statements is true? da Vinci was playing a trick on everyone; it was the Virgin Mary it is clearly Mary Magdalene; she must be Mrs Jesus there is no way we can know for certain it is definitely John; how can you possibly think otherwise?