Da VinciVinci Facts

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Josh McDowell

Video Clip: Fact or Fiction?

Da Vinci Quiz

1. The Priory of Sion has ever been a real organisation.

TRUETRUE

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2. The Priory of Sion dates back to Medieval times.

FALSEFALSE

Founded in 1956 by convicted French con artist Pierre Plantard. In 1993 its history was discovered to be an elaborate hoax.

Da Vinci Quiz

3. The Priory of Sion was related to the Knights Templar

FALSEFALSE

The priory had nothing to do with the Knights Templar. Also the Knights Templar had nothing to do with the Holy Grail except in works of fiction like Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

Da Vinci Quiz

4. The Priory of Sion had well known figures like Sir Isaac Newton as grand masters

FALSEFALSE

It had four registered members and operated out of Plantard's council flat.

Sir Isaac Newton

"I have a fundamental belief in the Bible as the Word of God, written by those who were inspired. I study the Bible daily."

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5. Leonardo Da Vinci hid messages in his paintings.

FALSEFALSE

Not according to any reputable art historian.

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6. The Mona Lisa is an androgynous painting whose name derives from the male god Amnon and the female goddess Isa

FALSEFALSE

Mona is an Italian contraction of the word Madonna, meaning Lady. So it means “Lady Lisa.” This is a 19th century title never used by Leonardo himself. He called it “a certain Florentine lady” The Italians refer to it as La Gioconda – the light hearted woman.

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7. There are two versions of the “Madonna of the rocks”

TRUETRUE

One hangs in the Louvre in Paris, the other in the National Gallery in London.

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8. The first version of “Madonna of the rocks” was rejected because it contained disturbing imagery

FALSEFALSE

The dispute was over money. He sold the first to a higher bidder, then made another for the original church.

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9. The emperor Constantine presided over the council of Nicea in 325AD

TRUETRUE

However he did not make any of the decisions. He ratified the rulings of the Bishops present.

Da Vinci Quiz

10. The church did not believe in the divinity of Christ before this point.

FALSEFALSE

Only a fringe heretical sect known as the Ebionites believed that Jesus was just a mortal man. The disagreement at Nicea was between the Arians who believed that Jesus was the first and greatest created being, and the rest who held that he was eternal, uncreated and equal in divinity with God the Father.

Da Vinci Quiz

11. The canon of Scripture was formed at this council

FALSEFALSE

The four gospels were already agreed upon before this council and the full canon was not agreed until afterwards. No discussion about the canon was made. The matters discussed were the Arian controversy and the date for Easter.

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12. Mary Magdalene was demonised by the church after Nicea

FALSEFALSE

She has always been highly esteemed in the Catholic church, as a faithful disciple of Jesus and the first to witness his resurrection. In fact she was made a saint.

Josh McDowell

Video Clip: Nicea

Da Vinci Quiz

13. The Gnostic gospels portray Jesus as only human

FALSEFALSE

The Gnostics believed that all matter was inherently evil. If anything they portrayed Jesus as less of the flesh and blood man as portrayed in the four biblical gospels.

Da Vinci Quiz

14. The Gnostic gospels have a higher place for the role of women

FALSEFALSE

The Gnostic gospels have a high regard for Mary Magdalene who is used as a vehicle for gnostic thought, but women in general are treated with contempt

Simon Peter said to them: "Let Mary go away from us, for women are not worthy of life."

Jesus said: "Look, I will draw her in so as to make her male,so that she too may become a living male spirit, similar to you."

(But I say to you): "Every woman who makes herself male will enter the kingdom of heaven."

~ The Gospel of Thomas

Da Vinci Quiz

15. The Gnostic gospels are an alternative historic account of the life of Jesus

FALSEFALSE

There is very little narrative in the gnostic gospels. They were written two centuries after Christ and were a vehicle for spreading gnostic teachings. Those narrative stories included are very odd.

“The Lord went into the dye works of Levi. He took seventy-two different colors and threw them into the vat. He took them out all white. And he said, "Even so has the Son of Man come as a dyer.”

~ The Gospel of Philip

Da Vinci Quiz

16. The Gnostic gospels suggest Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene

FALSEFALSE

They say she was favoured more than the disciples. This is because in the gnostic gospels Mary represents the ideas of gnosticism, and the disciples the ideas of the church, not because they wanted to suggest they were married.

Josh McDowell

Video Clip: Mary

Da Vinci Quiz

17. Leonardo's painting The Last Supper is an authoritative record of the historic event.

FALSEFALSE

It was painted in the late 15th century. How could it be!?

Da Vinci Quiz

18. He painted Mary Magdalene next to Jesus

FALSEFALSE

Not according to any credible art historian. It is held that the figure in question is a young apostle John. The disciple whom Jesus loved.

Da Vinci Quiz

19. The thirteen cups on the table contradict the biblical record

FALSEFALSE

Jesus introduced the covenant meal while they were all eating together. It is natural they would have had their own cups.

And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”

~ Matthew 26:27-28

Da Vinci Quiz

20. The Holy Grail is an important Christian doctrine

FALSEFALSE

It is a mythological story with no significance to the Christian faith other than it is supposedly the cup which held his blood.

The Truth

●The True Grail The wine at the Lord's table

●The True Bride The Church

●The True Mystery The Gospel