THE LOST GRAIL OF DA VINCI

Da Vinci was adding finishing touches to his masterpiece The Last Supper. He requested one of his friends to review his work. After looking at the painting, the friend replied, “Marvelous! This painting is simply magnificent. Surely, it will immortalize you. Do you know the best part of this painting? It is the chalice in Christ’s hand. I have seen many depictions of the Holy Grail but none so striking or beautiful than this. The Grail just takes my breath away. It is so glorious! So perfect! It takes your painting to a new level.”

On hearing his friend’s remark, the smile faded from Da Vinci’s lips. His face hardened. He took his paint brush and with great care replaced the magnificent Grail with an ordinary cup. His friend was stunned.

“What have you done, Leonardo? Why did you erase the centerpiece of this painting?”

Da Vinci smiled. He replied, “I did not erase the centerpiece of my painting. I just erased what was blocking your view. This is the painting of The Last Supper. There is only one centerpiece in it. Jesus Christ. This is the moment of his glory. The Holy Grail was beautiful. But it is not greater than its master. If it misleads your eyes, then it is better that I remove it from my painting.”

The friend looked at the painting once again. His eyes were now open. He could see the Lord in his glory. A smile blossomed in his lips.  

<<PREV                                                                                                                                NEXT>>

THE HIDDEN CODES OF DA VINCI

It is widely believed that Da Vinci based The Last Supper on the moment that Christ reveals that one of his disciples would betray him.I would like to disagree. Da Vinci was a genius and his brilliance can be seen from the fact that he was able to implant many chapters of the Bible into a single image.

GOSPEL OF MATTHEW 20: 20-23

The Request of James and John

¶ Then came to him the mother of Zebedee’s children with her

sons, worshipping him, and desiring a certain thing of him.

And he said unto her, What wilt thou ? She saith unto him, Grant

that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the

other on the left, in thy kingdom.

But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able

to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the

baptism that I am baptized with ? They say unto him, We are able.

And he saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be

baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with : but to sit on my

right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but it shall be given to

them for whom it is prepared of my Father.

Every artist has an inner urge. A feeling deep within which wants him to play God. This passion can motivate him, for every artist is a Creator. Da Vinci has given voice to this very feeling through his portrayal of The Last Supper. Here he got an opportunity to play God.

Look to the left and right of Christ. As Christ sits in his glory, the two sons of Zebedee, John and James, sit to his left and right. This was a wish only the ‘Father’ could grant. By placing John to the right and James to the left, he showed that Christ had indeed fulfilled the mother’s request. This is just one reason why the beloved disciple must be John. The next reason is for those who love codes.

J & T

Let us come to the question that I had asked in my previous post, the question of the J and the T. Where is it? For those who spotted the thin V shape and the letter M in the painting, this is surely a piece of cake. While M and V are merely outlines formed by Jesus and the beloved disciple, the J and T are writings on the wall. As though, Da Vinci wanted us to see it clearly. You cannot ignore the writing on the wall (or so they say). Note that Da Vinci ruined the symmetry of the painting to form these letters.

So what does these letters stand for? Think of the letter J and the first word that comes to your mind is Jesus. But then there is no need to ear mark Jesus. After all, he is the central figure of the painting and everyone would recognize him. So it has to be one of the disciples. There are five disciples whose names start with J- Judas Iscariot, Jude Thaddeus, James(son of Alphaeus) and the sons of Zebedee (John and James). And since there is no question (or controversy) regarding the identity of the other disciples, it leaves us with only one choice- John.

Some may ask on what basis I concluded that the J stands for the name of the disciple below the letter. It could stand for a word. That’s where the T comes into play. Look under the letter T. Who do you see? Though James occupies the place next to Jesus, a disciple has extended his head so that he is right under the letter T. Who is this disciple? The raised finger is a clear indication.

GOSPEL OF JOHN 20: 24-25

The Unbelief of Thomas

 But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with

them when Jesus came.

The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord.

But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of

the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust

my hand into his side, I will not believe.

Yes, the disciple is none other than St. Thomas, spelt with a capital T. A coincidence perhaps?

<<PREV                                                                                                                                    NEXT>>

1    2    3    4    5   6

THE BELOVED DISCIPLE

"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. 

 <<PREV                                                                                                     NEXT>>

1    2    3    4    5   6

THE MISSING GRAIL

"Great. And one final question. How many wineglasses are on the table?"

Sophie paused, realizing it was the trick question. And after dinner, Jesus took the cup of wine, sharing it with His disciples. "One cup," she said. "The chalice." The Cup of Christ. The Holy Grail. "Jesus passed a single chalice of wine, just as modern Christians do at communion."

Teabing sighed. "Open your eyes."

She did. Teabing was grinning smugly. Sophie looked down at the painting, seeing to her astonishment that everyone at the table had a glass of wine, including Christ. Thirteen cups. Moreover, the cups were tiny, stemless, and made of glass. There was no chalice in the painting. No Holy Grail.

Teabing's eyes twinkled. "A bit strange, don't you think, considering that both the Bible and our standard Grail legend celebrate this moment as the definitive arrival of the Holy Grail. Oddly, Da Vinci appears to have forgotten to paint the Cup of Christ."

Now let us start at the beginning. Close your eyes. Consider yourself as Leonardo Da Vinci. You are about to paint your masterpiece- The Last Supper, an iconic painting which is going to make you one of the greatest painters in history. So how would you paint it? What will be the most important factor? Will you give preference for beauty? Or will it be accuracy?

In such a sensitive topic, accuracy is of prime importance. An inaccurate painting could bring the ire of the Church. Then what would be your reference? The four Gospels, of course. After all it is the most widely accepted source.

So, now we have a starting point. Let us now see what the Bible tells about the Last Supper. It tells us that our Lord, Jesus Christ, instituted the Eucharist during that eventful supper. It was at this supper that the Lord took the Holy Grail and shared it with his disciples.

Let us start painting. We have Christ at the center. He is surrounded by the twelve disciples. Before them is a table prepared for the Passover. The Holy Grail is at the center of the table radiating its glory.

Now, open your eyes and look at The Last Supper. Where is the Holy Grail? There are thirteen ordinary cups but no Holy Grail.

Before you come to any fast conclusions, take a deep breath. Open the Bible. Take the passage in the Gospel of Mathew.

“Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks, he gave it to them, saying,’ Drink from it, all of you; for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”’

The passage does mention ‘a cup’, but where is the Holy Grail?

 Let us go on to the next Gospel, that of Mark.

“Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he gave it to them, and all of them drank from it.”

No Grail again. What about Luke?

“Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he said, ’Take this and divide it among yourselves;’”

The first three Gospels do not say anything about ‘the Cup of Christ – The Holy Grail’. Surely, the last Gospel must be the one which led to the Grail legend. Let us examine the Gospel of John.

Here also you will find no reference to the Holy Grail.

Also to be noted is the lack of significance given to the ‘cup’, spelt with a small letter ‘c’.So where did the Holy Grail legend orginate?The Holy Grail legend, unlike the Holy Chalice, has its origins in Arthurian legends. The knight Galahad was the first to begin the Quest. It would be strange if an Italian painter would base his paintings on an old English myths ( which he may never have heard).If the Bible does not mention the Holy Grail, would it then be appropriate for Da Vinci to include the majestic Grail to please the public?

Was the grail really a precious object? Even Indiana Jones knew better. Jesus was brought up by Joseph, a poor carpenter. How could he afford a magnificent Grail. Or did the precious gem studded golden Grail fall from heaven? Gold and gems are of the world. And it is the world which looks for things of the world.

St. John Chrysosthum’s words regarding the grail are enlightening.

“The table was not of silver, the chalice was not of gold in which Christ gave His blood to His disciples to drink, and yet everything there was precious and truly fit to inspire awe.”

The Holy Chalice is not holy because of what it is made of. It is holy because of what it holds. Our ignorance makes us look only for the worldly wealth. We become blind and fail to see God’s Love.

“Blinding ignorance does mislead us.

O! Wretched mortals, open your eyes!”

<<PREV                                                                                                                                    NEXT>>

1    2    3    4    5   6

HOLY MASS

“By fusing pagan symbols, dates, and rituals into the growing Christian tradition, he created a kind of hybrid religion that was acceptable to both parties.”

“And virtually all the elements of the Catholic ritual-the miter, the altar, the doxology, and communion, the act of ‘God eating’ were taken directly from earlier pagan mystery religions.” 

The Holy Mass is a symbol. Just because the rituals are identical, it doesn’t mean that they symbolize the same thing or have the same meaning.

Symbols are tricky customers. They mean different things to different people. Each person gets a different meaning from the same symbol. Take the following symbol for example. What does it represent?

A E I O U

Among the English alphabets, it is the letter ‘O’.

0 1 2 3 4

Among numbers, it becomes the number zero.

 

Among geometrical figures, it becomes a circle.

 

In a picture of the night sky, it becomes the moon.

Does this mean that letter O and number 0 were copies? No. When the symbol has a different meaning then it is not a copy. The same applies for the Holy Mass.

The Holy Mass is the remembrance of the Last Supper. I wonder how Langdon, who has extensively studied the Last Supper, forgot this fact.

' Then he took a loaf of bread and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them saying ,”This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me." '(Luke 22:19).

The Holy Mass was not started by Constantine. It had been prevalent among the very first Christians. It must also be remembered that the Last Supper was in itself the remembrance of the Passover. So the actual origins of the Holy Mass can be traced as far back as ancient Egypt. This is given in detail in the Bible.

But is the Holy Mass a mere ritual? Or did Christ have a greater purpose in establishing the Holy Mass. As you are well aware, the Holy Communion, the 'act of God Eating' , is the core of the Holy Mass. Catholic doctrine teaches us that through Communion we are receiving Christ. It is important that we purify ourselves before we receive him. One must prepare oneself before receiving God. It is considered a grave sin to take communion without preparation. As preparation, we do self-introspection and confess our sins. This, I believe, is the higher purpose that Christ had in mind.

Even atheists, would admit the need of self-introspection in a person’s life. It helps him/her grow into a better human being. But in our busy lives, how many of us can find the time to reflect upon our life? If you are asked to do self-introspection one hour every week, would you do it? The Holy Communion is the answer to this. It makes us look back into our lives even without our realizing it. It helps us correct our mistakes and become a new human being.

<<PREV                                                                                                                                    NEXT>>

1    2    3    4    5   6