"Oh?" Teabing
said. "How about the one seated in the place of honor, at the right hand
of the Lord?"
Sophie examined the
figure to Jesus' immediate right, focusing in. As she studied the person's face
and body, a wave of astonishment rose within her. The individual had flowing
red hair, delicate folded hands, and the hint of a bosom. It was, without a doubt...
female.
"That's a
woman!" Sophie exclaimed.
Teabing was laughing.
"Surprise, surprise. Believe me, it's no mistake. Leonardo was skilled at
painting the difference between the sexes."
Before we
argue about the identity of the beloved disciple, let us take a look at another
painting of Da Vinci. Long curly hair. Absence of any facial hair. Smooth skin
and a feminine smile. Who is this mysterious figure? Is it a he or a she? Take
a guess. Hint: Take a ‘wild’ guess.
This is the
painting of St.John. But what is more surprising is the fact that this is not
St.John, the Apostle but St.John, the Baptist-cousin of Jesus. While his contemporaries
painted, John the Baptist as a middle aged bearded man, Da Vinci has portrayed
him as a youth. If we look at Michelangelo’s David, we will find that it was
common practice among Renaissance artists to portray young men in this fashion.
So the question is whether the beloved disciple was a woman or a young man?
Now we have
two candidates for the seat of honor. Mary Magdalene, put forward by Dan Brown
and St.John, put forward by Da Vinci himself.
In the
sketches of the Last Supper, Da Vinci had marked this particular disciple as St.John.
But let us not be biased. Let us judge the claims for their own merits. If Mary
Magdalene was the disciple, then where is St.John? The disciple was present
during the Supper as he was one of the select few who accompanied Christ to the
Olive Mount.
Now what if
the figure to the right of Christ was St.John? Mary Magdalene is not mentioned in
the Last Supper narrative by any of the Gospels. So her absence doesn’t affect our hypothesis. Also the
portrayal of St.John is justified as he is considered as the youngest of the
apostles. St.John is thought to have died around 100A.D which means he was
still a young man at the time of the Last Supper. This can also be inferred
from the fact that he is always mentioned along with his elder brother St.James
as ‘the sons of Zebedee’. None of the other disciples are mentioned so often
with reference to their father. In the Gospel of St.John, the author mentions
that he was the beloved disciple who reclined on the shoulders of Christ. So,
it is beyond doubt that the beloved disciple is St.John.
Now these
are only direct facts that prove the beloved disciple’s identity. But Da Vinci
has hidden even more clues and codes in The Last Supper which confirms the
identity of the beloved disciple. I would like to present these in my next
post. Till then, try to find the J and the T in the Last Supper.
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