Teabing's "study" was like no study Sophie had ever seen. Six or seven times larger than even themost luxurious1 of office spaces, the knight's cabinet de travail2 resembled an ungainly hybrid3 ofscience laboratory, archival library, and indoor flea4 market. Lit by three overhead chandeliers, theboundless tile floor was dotted with clustered islands of worktables buried beneath books, artwork,artifacts, and a surprising amount of electronic gear—computers, projectors5, microscopes, copymachines, and flatbed scanners.
"I converted the ballroom6," Teabing said, looking sheepish as he shuffled7 into the room. "I havelittle occasion to dance."Sophie felt as if the entire night had become some kind of twilight8 zone where nothing was as sheexpected. "This is all for your work?""Learning the truth has become my life's love," Teabing said. "And the Sangreal is my favoritemistress."The Holy Grail is a woman, Sophie thought, her mind a collage9 of interrelated ideas that seemed tomake no sense. "You said you have a picture of this woman who you claim is the Holy Grail.""Yes, but it is not I who claim she is the Grail. Christ Himself made that claim.""Which one is the painting?" Sophie asked, scanning the walls.
"Hmmm..." Teabing made a show of seeming to have forgotten. "The Holy Grail. The Sangreal.
The Chalice10." He wheeled suddenly and pointed11 to the far wall. On it hung an eight-foot-long printof The Last Supper, the same exact image Sophie had just been looking at. "There she is!"Sophie was certain she had missed something. "That's the same painting you just showed me."He winked12. "I know, but the enlargement is so much more exciting. Don't you think?"Sophie turned to Langdon for help. "I'm lost."Langdon smiled. "As it turns out, the Holy Grail does indeed make an appearance in The LastSupper. Leonardo included her prominently.""Hold on," Sophie said. "You told me the Holy Grail is a woman. The Last Supper is a painting ofthirteen men.""Is it?" Teabing arched his eyebrows13. "Take a closer look."Uncertain, Sophie made her way closer to the painting, scanning the thirteen figures—Jesus Christin the middle, six disciples14 on His left, and six on His right. "They're all men," she confirmed.
"Oh?" Teabing said. "How about the one seated in the place of honor, at the right hand of theLord?"Sophie examined the figure to Jesus' immediate15 right, focusing in. As she studied the person's faceand body, a wave of astonishment16 rose within her. The individual had flowing red hair, delicatefolded hands, and the hint of a bosom17. 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 atpainting the difference between the sexes."Sophie could not take her eyes from the woman beside Christ. The Last Supper is supposed to bethirteen men. Who is this woman? Although Sophie had seen this classic image many times, shehad not once noticed this glaring discrepancy18.
"Everyone misses it," Teabing said. "Our preconceived notions of this scene are so powerful thatour mind blocks out the incongruity19 and overrides20 our eyes.""It's known as skitoma," Langdon added. "The brain does it sometimes with powerful symbols.""Another reason you might have missed the woman," Teabing said, "is that many of thephotographs in art books were taken before 1954, when the details were still hidden beneath layersof grime and several restorative repaintings done by clumsy hands in the eighteenth century. Now,at last, the fresco21 has been cleaned down to Da Vinci's original layer of paint." He motioned to thephotograph. "Et voilà!"Sophie moved closer to the image. The woman to Jesus' right was young and pious-looking, with ademure face, beautiful red hair, and hands folded quietly. This is the woman who singlehandedlycould crumble22 the Church?
"Who is she?" Sophie asked.
"That, my dear," Teabing replied, "is Mary Magdalene."Sophie turned. "The prostitute?"Teabing drew a short breath, as if the word had injured him personally. "Magdalene was no suchthing. That unfortunate misconception is the legacy23 of a smear24 campaign launched by the earlyChurch. The Church needed to defame Mary Magdalene in order to cover up her dangeroussecret—her role as the Holy Grail.""Her role?""As I mentioned," Teabing clarified, "the early Church needed to convince the world that themortal prophet Jesus was a divine being. Therefore, any gospels that described earthly aspects ofJesus' life had to be omitted from the Bible. Unfortunately for the early editors, one particularlytroubling earthly theme kept recurring25 in the gospels. Mary Magdalene." He paused. "Morespecifically, her marriage to Jesus Christ.""I beg your pardon?" Sophie's eyes moved to Langdon and then back to Teabing.
"It's a matter of historical record," Teabing said, "and Da Vinci was certainly aware of that fact.
The Last Supper practically shouts at the viewer that Jesus and Magdalene were a pair."Sophie glanced back to the fresco.
"Notice that Jesus and Magdalene are clothed as mirror images of one another." Teabing pointed tothe two individuals in the center of the fresco.
Sophie was mesmerized26. Sure enough, their clothes were inverse27 colors. Jesus wore a red robe andblue cloak; Mary Magdalene wore a blue robe and red cloak. Yin and yang.
"Venturing into the more bizarre," Teabing said, "note that Jesus and His bride appear to be joinedat the hip28 and are leaning away from one another as if to create this clearly delineated negativespace between them."Even before Teabing traced the contour for her, Sophie saw it—the indisputable V shape at thefocal point of the painting. It was the same symbol Langdon had drawn29 earlier for the Grail, thechalice, and the female womb.
"Finally," Teabing said, "if you view Jesus and Magdalene as compositional elements rather thanas people, you will see another obvious shape leap out at you." He paused. "A letter of thealphabet."Sophie saw it at once. To say the letter leapt out at her was an understatement. The letter wassuddenly all Sophie could see. Glaring in the center of the painting was the unquestionable outlineof an enormous, flawlessly formed letter M.
"A bit too perfect for coincidence, wouldn't you say?" Teabing asked.
Sophie was amazed. "Why is it there?"Teabing shrugged30. "Conspiracy31 theorists will tell you it stands for Matrimonio or Mary Magdalene.
To be honest, nobody is certain. The only certainty is that the hidden M is no mistake. CountlessGrail-related works contain the hidden letter M—whether as watermarks, underpaintings, orcompositional allusions33. The most blatant34 M, of course, is emblazoned on the altar at Our Lady ofParis in London, which was designed by a former Grand Master of the Priory of Sion, JeanCocteau."Sophie weighed the information. "I'll admit, the hidden M's are intriguing35, although I assumenobody is claiming they are proof of Jesus' marriage to Magdalene.""No, no," Teabing said, going to a nearby table of books. "As I said earlier, the marriage of Jesusand Mary Magdalene is part of the historical record." He began pawing through his bookcollection. "Moreover, Jesus as a married man makes infinitely36 more sense than our standardbiblical view of Jesus as a bachelor.""Why?" Sophie asked.
"Because Jesus was a Jew," Langdon said, taking over while Teabing searched for his book, "andthe social decorum during that time virtually forbid a Jewish man to be unmarried. According toJewish custom, celibacy37 was condemned38, and the obligation for a Jewish father was to find asuitable wife for his son. If Jesus were not married, at least one of the Bible's gospels would havementioned it and offered some explanation for His unnatural39 state of bachelorhood."Teabing located a huge book and pulled it toward him across the table. The leather-bound editionwas poster-sized, like a huge atlas40. The cover read: The Gnostic Gospels. Teabing heaved it open,and Langdon and Sophie joined him. Sophie could see it contained photographs of what appearedto be magnified passages of ancient documents—tattered papyrus41 with handwritten text. She didnot recognize the ancient language, but the facing pages bore typed translations.
"These are photocopies42 of the Nag43 Hammadi and Dead Sea scrolls44, which I mentioned earlier,"Teabing said. "The earliest Christian45 records. Troublingly, they do not match up with the gospels inthe Bible." Flipping46 toward the middle of the book, Teabing pointed to a passage. "The Gospel ofPhilip is always a good place to start." Sophie read the passage:
And the companion of the Saviour47 is Mary Magdalene. Christ loved her more thanall the disciples and used to kiss her often on her mouth. The rest of the discipleswere offended by it and expressed disapproval48. They said to him, "Why do you loveher more than all of us?"The words surprised Sophie, and yet they hardly seemed conclusive49. "It says nothing of marriage.""Au contraire." Teabing smiled, pointing to the first line. "As any Aramaic scholar will tell you,the word companion, in those days, literally50 meant spouse51."Langdon concurred52 with a nod.
Sophie read the first line again. And the companion of the Saviour is Mary Magdalene.
Teabing flipped53 through the book and pointed out several other passages that, to Sophie's surprise,clearly suggested Magdalene and Jesus had a romantic relationship. As she read the passages,Sophie recalled an angry priest who had banged on her grandfather's door when she was aschoolgirl.
"Is this the home of Jacques Saunière?" the priest had demanded, glaring down at young Sophiewhen she pulled open the door. "I want to talk to him about this editorial he wrote." The priest heldup a newspaper.
Sophie summoned her grandfather, and the two men disappeared into his study and closed thedoor. My grandfather wrote something in the paper? Sophie immediately ran to the kitchen andflipped through that morning's paper. She found her grandfather's name on an article on the secondpage. She read it. Sophie didn't understand all of what was said, but it sounded like the Frenchgovernment, under pressure from priests, had agreed to ban an American movie called The LastTemptation of Christ, which was about Jesus having sex with a lady called Mary Magdalene. Hergrandfather's article said the Church was arrogant54 and wrong to ban it.
No wonder the priest is mad, Sophie thought.
"It's pornography! Sacrilege!" the priest yelled, emerging from the study and storming to the frontdoor. "How can you possibly endorse55 that! This American Martin Scorsese is a blasphemer, andthe Church will permit him no pulpit in France!" The priest slammed the door on his way out.
When her grandfather came into the kitchen, he saw Sophie with the paper and frowned. "You'requick."Sophie said, "You think Jesus Christ had a girlfriend?""No, dear, I said the Church should not be allowed to tell us what notions we can and can'tentertain.""Did Jesus have a girlfriend?"Her grandfather was silent for several moments. "Would it be so bad if He did?"Sophie considered it and then shrugged. "I wouldn't mind."Sir Leigh Teabing was still talking. "I shan't bore you with the countless32 references to Jesus andMagdalene's union. That has been explored ad nauseum by modern historians. I would, however,like to point out the following." He motioned to another passage. "This is from the Gospel of MaryMagdalene."Sophie had not known a gospel existed in Magdalene's words. She read the text:
And Peter said, "Did the Saviour really speak with a woman without our knowledge?
Are we to turn about and all listen to her? Did he prefer her to us?"And Levi answered, "Peter, you have always been hot-tempered. Now I see youcontending against the woman like an adversary56. If the Saviour made her worthy,who are you indeed to reject her? Surely the Saviour knows her very well. That iswhy he loved her more than us.""The woman they are speaking of," Teabing explained, "is Mary Magdalene. Peter is jealous ofher.""Because Jesus preferred Mary?""Not only that. The stakes were far greater than mere57 affection. At this point in the gospels, Jesussuspects He will soon be captured and crucified. So He gives Mary Magdalene instructions on howto carry on His Church after He is gone. As a result, Peter expresses his discontent over playingsecond fiddle58 to a woman. I daresay Peter was something of a sexist."Sophie was trying to keep up. "This is Saint Peter. The rock on which Jesus built His Church.""The same, except for one catch. According to these unaltered gospels, it was not Peter to whomChrist gave directions with which to establish the Christian Church. It was Mary Magdalene."Sophie looked at him. "You're saying the Christian Church was to be carried on by a woman?""That was the plan. Jesus was the original feminist59. He intended for the future of His Church to bein the hands of Mary Magdalene.""And Peter had a problem with that," Langdon said, pointing to The Last Supper. "That's Peterthere. You can see that Da Vinci was well aware of how Peter felt about Mary Magdalene."Again, Sophie was speechless. In the painting, Peter was leaning menacingly toward MaryMagdalene and slicing his blade-like hand across her neck. The same threatening gesture as inMadonna of the Rocks!
"And here too," Langdon said, pointing now to the crowd of disciples near Peter. "A bit ominous,no?"Sophie squinted60 and saw a hand emerging from the crowd of disciples. "Is that hand wielding61 adagger?""Yes. Stranger still, if you count the arms, you'll see that this hand belongs to... no one at all. It'sdisembodied. Anonymous62."Sophie was starting to feel overwhelmed. "I'm sorry, I still don't understand how all of this makesMary Magdalene the Holy Grail.""Aha!" Teabing exclaimed again. "Therein lies the rub!" He turned once more to the table andpulled out a large chart, spreading it out for her. It was an elaborate genealogy63. "Few people realizethat Mary Magdalene, in addition to being Christ's right hand, was a powerful woman already."Sophie could now see the title of the family tree.
THE TRIBE OF BENJAMIN"Mary Magdalene is here," Teabing said, pointing near the top of the genealogy.
Sophie was surprised. "She was of the House of Benjamin?""Indeed," Teabing said. "Mary Magdalene was of royal descent.""But I was under the impression Magdalene was poor."Teabing shook his head. "Magdalene was recast as a whore in order to erase64 evidence of herpowerful family ties."Sophie found herself again glancing at Langdon, who again nodded. She turned back to Teabing.
"But why would the early Church care if Magdalene had royal blood?"The Briton smiled. "My dear child, it was not Mary Magdalene's royal blood that concerned theChurch so much as it was her consorting65 with Christ, who also had royal blood. As you know, theBook of Matthew tells us that Jesus was of the House of David. A descendant of KingSolomon—King of the Jews. By marrying into the powerful House of Benjamin, Jesus fused tworoyal bloodlines, creating a potent66 political union with the potential of making a legitimate67 claim tothe throne and restoring the line of kings as it was under Solomon."Sophie sensed he was at last coming to his point.
Teabing looked excited now. "The legend of the Holy Grail is a legend about royal blood. WhenGrail legend speaks of 'the chalice that held the blood of Christ'... it speaks, in fact, of MaryMagdalene—the female womb that carried Jesus' royal bloodline."The words seemed to echo across the ballroom and back before they fully68 registered in Sophie'smind. Mary Magdalene carried the royal bloodline of Jesus Christ? "But how could Christ have abloodline unless...?" She paused and looked at Langdon.
Langdon smiled softly. "Unless they had a child."Sophie stood transfixed.
"Behold," Teabing proclaimed, "the greatest cover-up in human history. Not only was Jesus Christmarried, but He was a father. My dear, Mary Magdalene was the Holy Vessel69. She was the chalicethat bore the royal bloodline of Jesus Christ. She was the womb that bore the lineage, and the vinefrom which the sacred fruit sprang forth70!"Sophie felt the hairs stand up on her arms. "But how could a secret that big be kept quiet all ofthese years?""Heavens!" Teabing said. "It has been anything but quiet! The royal bloodline of Jesus Christ is thesource of the most enduring legend of all time—the Holy Grail. Magdalene's story has beenshouted from the rooftops for centuries in all kinds of metaphors71 and languages. Her story iseverywhere once you open your eyes.""And the Sangreal documents?" Sophie said. "They allegedly contain proof that Jesus had a royalbloodline?""They do.""So the entire Holy Grail legend is all about royal blood?""Quite literally," Teabing said. "The word Sangreal derives72 from San Greal—or Holy Grail. But inits most ancient form, the word Sangreal was divided in a different spot." Teabing wrote on a pieceof scrap73 paper and handed it to her.
She read what he had written.
Sang RealInstantly, Sophie recognized the translation. Sang Real literally meant Royal Blood.
提彬的"书房"跟索菲曾见过的其他书房不一样。这位爵士的书房比最豪华的办公室还要大六七倍，是个由试验室、档案馆和跳蚤市场组合而成的混合物。天花板上垂下的三个树枝形吊灯照耀着房间，瓷砖地板上摆放着巨大的工作台。工作台的上面堆着许多书籍、艺术品、仿制品和多得让人吃惊的电子设备：电脑、投影仪、显微镜、复印机和附带着平面印刷机的扫描仪，真是样样俱备。
提彬快步走了进去，有些羞怯地说："这是由舞厅改造的，因为我很少跳舞。"
索菲觉得整个夜晚都在神奇世界中漫游，一切都是那么新鲜。"这些都是您用来工作的吗？"
提彬说道："探索真理是我的最爱，而圣杯则是我最爱的情人。"
"圣杯是名女性。"索菲的脑海里闪过那些相互交织的概念。"您说您有一幅圣杯的画？"
"确实有一幅。但不是我把她称为圣杯的，是耶稣自己这么称呼她的。"
索菲扫视着墙壁，问道："是哪一幅啊？"
"嗯……"提彬作出一副好像忘记了的样子。"圣杯，耶稣在最后的晚餐上用的杯子，圣餐杯。"他突然转过身，指向远处的一面墙。那是一张八英尺长的《最后的晚餐》的放大照片，跟索菲刚才看过的那幅一模一样。"她在那儿！"
索菲肯定刚才她错过了什么。"这就是您刚才给我看的那一幅啊。"
提彬调皮地眨眨眼："我知道，不过，这幅放大的照片看起来更加让人激动。难道不是吗？"
索菲转过身，向兰登求助道："我糊涂了。"
兰登微笑着说："没错，圣杯确实出现在《最后的晚餐》上。达。芬奇把她放在了显著的位置上。"
索菲说："等一下。您说圣杯是个女的，可《最后的晚餐》画的是十二个男人呀。"
提彬面带疑惑地问道："是吗？你再仔细地看一下。"
索菲有些吃不准了，她走到那幅画跟前，逐个端详那十三个人物：耶稣基督在中间，六个门徒在左边，其余六个在右边。"都是男的。"索菲肯定地说。
"哦？"提彬说道。"站在显要位置的那个人呢？就是耶稣右手边上的那个。"
索菲仔细地观察着耶稣右手边上的那个人。她审视着那个人的脸型和身材，不由得惊诧万分。那人长着一头飘逸的红发，两只手纤细白皙，乳房的轮廓隐约可见。没错，那是个女人。
索菲叫道："那是个女人！"
提彬放声大笑起来："太吃惊了，太吃惊了。相信我，没错的。达。芬奇非常善于刻画男女的差异。"索菲简直无法再把视线从那个女人身上移开。《最后的晚餐》理应画的是十三个男人！
这个女人是谁？虽然索菲曾多次看过这幅画，可她从未注意到这么明显的异常之处。
提彬说道："没有人能注意到。我们多年来形成的对这幅画的认识已经根深蒂固，它蒙蔽了我们的双眼，使得我们忽视了这些异常之处。"兰登补充道："我们对很多事情都司空见惯，大脑有时是凭印象来工作的。"
提彬说道："你忽视了这个女人的另外一个原因是，许多艺术书籍上的照片都是1954年之前拍的。那时这些细微之处被层层的污垢掩盖着，而且大量的修复工作都是由18 世纪的一些笨拙的工匠完成的。现在。这幅壁画终于被清理得跟原作一模一样了。"他指着那张照片说道："就是她。"
索菲走近那张大照片。耶稣边上的那个女人看上去很年轻，满脸度诚。她体态端庄，满头漂亮的红发，正安详地握着双手。这就是那个能乔手空拳粉碎罗马教廷的女人？
索菲问道："她是谁？"
提彬答道："亲爱的，那就是抹大拉的玛利亚。"
索菲转身问道："那个妓女？"
提彬倒吸了一口气，好像被这句话刺痛了。"她不是妓女。这个不幸的误解是早年罗马教廷发动的那场战争留下的。罗马教廷不得不诋毁玛利亚，以此掩盖她所携带的危险秘密，掩盖她作为圣杯的角色。""她的角色？"
提彬说道："正如我刚才所说的，早年的罗马教廷告诉世人生活在尘世间的耶稣是个神。因此，任何描述耶稣凡人生活的福音都必须从《圣经》中删除。然而不幸的是，那些早期的编写者发现福音中有个反复出现的主题，这一主题描绘了耶稣的尘世生活，令他们感到非常棘手。那就是有关抹大拉的玛利亚的福音。"他停顿了一下，接着说："更确切地说，是关于她和耶稣的婚姻的主题。""您说什么？"索菲转过脸去看了看兰登，又看了看提彬。
提彬说："这是有历史纪录的。达。芬奇肯定知道这一事实。《最后的晚餐》实际上就在向人们宣告"耶稣和抹大拉的玛利亚是一对"。"索菲回头看着那幅壁画。
提彬指着壁画中间的两个人，对索菲说："看，耶稣和她穿的衣服正好对应。"
索菲一看，惊得目瞪口呆。确实，他们衣服的颜色是对应的。耶稣穿着一件红罩衣，披着一件蓝斗篷；玛利亚。抹大拉则穿着一件蓝罩衣，披着一件红斗篷。一阴一阳。
提彬说："还有更奇妙的。看这里，耶稣的臀部和她的臀部靠在一起，而且正准备分开来为他们之间这个明显的实体留出空间。"还没等提彬指明，索菲已经注意到那幅画的焦点上有一个明显的V 形--和那个代表圣杯和女性子宫的图示一模一样。
"最后。"提彬说道。"如果你不把耶稣和抹大拉看作是人物，而只看作是构图的要素的话，你就会注意到一个明显的轮廓。"他停顿了一下，接着说："一个字母的轮廓。"索菲马上就辨认了出来。而且，与其说她看出了那个字母，倒不如说突然之间，她的眼中只有那个字母的轮廓了。毫无疑问，在这幅画的正中间有个巨大而完美的"M"的轮廓。
提彬问道："这太完美了，绝对不是巧合。你说呢？"
索菲惊呆了。"为什么会这样？"
提彬耸耸肩说道："理论家们会说那代表着"婚姻"（Matrimonio）或"玛利亚。抹大拉"（MaryMagdalene）。但说实话，没人能肯定。唯一能确定的就是画上确实隐藏着一个"M"。
许多跟圣杯有关的事物都包含着隐形的M，不管是水印，还是底层色或构图暗示。当然了，最耀眼的"M"要算伦敦"我们的巴黎女士"圣坛上的那个了。那是由隐修会的前任掌门纪恩。考克图设计的。"索菲想了想，说道："我得承认，隐形M 的故事确实很引人人胜。但我认为，没人有足够的证据来证明耶稣跟抹大拉的婚姻。""不。"提彬边说边走到一张堆满了书的桌子旁。"正如我刚才说过的，耶稣和抹大拉的婚姻是有历史记载的。"他开始在藏书里费力地寻找着。"而且，说耶稣是个已婚男人，比《圣经》里说他是个单身汉的观点更站得住脚。"索菲问道："为什么呢？"
提彬忙着找书，兰登接过话茬。"耶稣是个犹太人，而按照当时的传统，犹太男人是必须结婚的。根据犹太人的习俗，独身是要受到谴责的，一位犹太父亲有义务为他儿子找一个合适的妻子。如果耶稣没结婚，至少《圣经》中会有福音提到这件事，并为耶稣的独身作些解释。"提彬找到一本大书，把它拽到跟前。那本皮革封面的书有海报那么大，像一本大地图。书的封面上写着：《诺斯替教徒福音书》。提彬打开书，兰登和索菲走了过去。索菲发现书中是一些古代文件的放大照片，那些文件是写在破烂的草质纸张上的。索菲看不懂那些古代文字，但每页的边缘都印有译文。
提彬说："这些是我刚刚提到的《科普特教徒古卷》和《死海古卷》的照片，都是基督教最早的文件。让人头疼的是，它们跟《圣经》上的福音不一致。"提彬把书翻到中间，指着一篇文章说道："最好从《菲利普福音》开始。"
索菲读着那段文字：救世主的同伴是玛利亚。抹大拉。耶稣经常亲吻她，爱她胜过其他门徒。其他的门徒很气恼，表达了他们的不满。他们问耶稣："你为什么爱她胜过爱我们所有人呢？"
这段话让索菲很吃惊，但它也没说明什么。"这上面没提到婚姻呀。"
提彬指着第一行，微笑着说道："恰恰相反，任何一位亚拉姆语的学者都会告诉你，在那个时候"同伴"实际上是指"配偶"。"兰登点头表示同意。
索菲又把第一行读了一遍。救世主的配偶是玛利亚。抹大拉。
提彬翻着书页，把另外几篇文章指给索菲看。文章都明白无误地记载了抹大拉和耶稣的浪漫关系。对此，索菲惊讶万分。读着这些文章，她突然回忆起了儿时发生的一件事。
那天，一个怒气冲冲的教士拼命地砸她家的大门。小索菲打开门后，那个教士低头愤怒地盯着她，大声问道："这是雅克。索尼埃家吗？我要跟他讨论一下他写的这篇文章。"教士举起手里的一份报纸。
索菲叫来祖父，祖父带着那个人走进书房，关上了门。"祖父在报纸上写了些什么呀？"
索菲立刻跑进厨房，迅速地翻阅着早上来的报纸。她在第二页上找到了祖父写的那篇文章，读了起来。索菲并不完全明白文章的内容，只是大约地知道好像当时法国政府迫于教士们的压力，查封了一部叫做《耶稣最后的诱惑》的美国电影，那部电影讲述的是耶稣和一位名为玛利亚。抹大拉的女士发生性关系的故事。而祖父评论说罗马教廷太自大了，不应该查封这部电影。
索菲想道，怪不得那个教士当时那么激动。
"这是色情！是渎神！"教士从书房里出来，冲向前门。"你怎么能认可这种事！这个叫马丁。司高斯的美国人是个渎神者，教会绝对不会允许他在法国宣传这种东西的！"教士冲了出去。"嘭"的一声关上了门。
祖父走进厨房时，发现索菲在看报纸，皱着眉头说道："你的动作还挺快。"
索菲问道："是因为您认为耶稣有女朋友吗？"
"不，亲爱的。我是说教会不应该对我们指手画脚，告诉我们什么应该信，什么不应该信。""那么，耶稣有女朋友吗？"
祖父沉默了片刻，说道："如果有，会很糟吗？"
索菲想了一会儿，耸耸肩说道："我不在乎。"
雷。提彬爵士继续说道："我不想再多谈耶稣和抹大拉的婚姻，那已经被当代历史学家研究烂了。相反，我要告诉你这个。"他指着另一篇文章说道。"这是从《玛利亚。抹大拉福音》上摘抄下来的。"索菲还从未听说过有关于抹大拉的福音。她读着那段文字：彼得说道："救世主真的背着我们跟一个女人讲话了吗？我们需要掉转方向，都听她的吗？比起我们来，他是不是更喜欢她啊？"
莱维回答："彼得，你的脾气总是这么暴躁。现在，我发现你正在跟那个女人斗争，简直把她视作敌人。如果主认为她值得爱，你又有什么资格来反对她呢？主当然了解她了。
那也是他爱她胜过爱我们的原因。"提彬解释道："他们说的那个女人就是玛利亚，抹大拉。"
"就因为耶稣更喜欢玛利亚吗？"
"不仅如此。除了喜爱还有其他的利害关系。福音指出，耶稣怀疑他将会被捕并被钉上十字架。因此，他就告诉玛利亚。抹大拉应该怎样在他死后继续掌管他的教堂。结果，彼得对听从一个女人的命令非常不满。我敢说他是一个男性至上主义者。"索菲辩解说："那可是圣彼得！耶稣依靠他才建立起了教堂呀。"
"没错。但根据这些未经篡改的福音，耶稣没有命令彼得去建立基督教堂，而是让玛利亚。抹大拉去做。"索菲惊异地看着他，说道："您是说基督教堂是由一个女人建立的吗？"
"原计划是这样的。耶稣实际上是一个女权主义者。他想让玛利亚。抹大拉来掌管他的教堂。"兰登指着《最后的晚餐》说道："彼得对此很不满。他在这里。你可以看出达。芬奇完全意识到了彼得对玛利亚。抹大拉的憎恨。"索菲又一次无言以对。画上的彼得恶狠狠地斜靠着玛利亚，他的手像刀刃一样横在她的脖子上。跟《岩间圣母》上的那个威胁的姿势一模一样。
兰登指着彼得旁边的几个门徒，说道："看这里，有些不吉利，是吧？"
索菲眯起眼，看到有一只手从那群门徒中间伸了出来。"这就是那只握着匕首的手吗？"
"是的。还有更奇怪的。如果你数一下他们的胳膊，就会发现这只于属于……它不属于任何人。一只无名之手。"
索菲不知所措。"对不起。我还是不明白，所有这些是怎样使玛利亚。抹大拉成为圣杯的。"提彬又一次叫道："啊！原来如此！"他转向桌子，拽过一张大图纸，铺在索菲面前。
那是一张精心制作的家谱。"很少有人知道，玛利亚不仅是耶稣的左右手，而且早就是一个很有权势的女人了。"索菲看到了那本族谱的名称。
《本杰明家族》提彬指着家谱的顶端，说道："玛利亚。抹大拉在这里。"
索菲大吃一惊。"她竟然是本杰明家族的人？"
"没错。"提彬说道。"玛利亚。抹大拉是王室的后代。"
"可是我总以为抹大拉很穷。"
提彬摇摇头："把玛利亚。抹大拉说成妓女，就是要掩盖她跟她那权倾朝野的家族的关系。"索菲转头看着兰登，兰登点点头。她看着提彬，问道："为什么早年的罗马教廷会在乎抹大拉是否有皇家血统呢？"
提彬微笑着说道："亲爱的孩子，与其说罗马教廷关心玛利亚是否有皇家血统，还不如说他们更关心她跟同样有着皇家血统的耶稣的夫妻关系。正如你所知道的，根据《马太福音》，耶稣属于大卫王家族，是犹太王所罗门的后代。跟权势极大的本杰明家族联姻后，耶稣就把两个家族联合了起来，从而结成了有效的政治联盟。这样，他就有可能合法地要求继承王位，恢复所罗门王的皇族。"索菲感到他终于要切人正题了。
提彬看上去很兴奋。"关于圣杯的传说实际上是关于王室血统的传说。圣杯传说中提到的"盛着耶稣鲜血的杯子"……实际上说的是玛利亚。抹大拉--传承耶稣王室血统的女性。"这话好像穿越了整个书房，又传了回来，最后才完全进入索菲耳中。玛利亚。抹大拉传承耶稣的王室血统？"但是，耶稣怎么可能有后代呢？除非……"她突然停了下来，看着兰登。
兰登温柔地笑着："除非他们有孩子。"
索菲愣住了。
"等一等。"提彬宣布道。"下面要揭开的就是人类历史上最大的秘密。耶酥基督不仅结了婚，他还当了父亲。亲爱的，玛利亚。抹大拉就是圣杯。她是生下了耶稣基督王室后代的圣杯。她是传承耶稣王室血统的女性，是孕育神圣果实的那条蔓藤。"索菲觉得浑身的汗毛都竖了起来。"可是，那么重大的秘密怎么可能被默默地保守这么多年呢？"
提彬叫道："天啊！这个秘密从未被"默默地"保守过！经久不衰的圣杯传说一直围绕着耶稣基督的王室后代。抹大拉的故事也被用形形色色的比喻和各种各样的语言公开宣传了几百年。只要你注意看，有关她的传说到处都有。"索菲说道："那么，那些有关圣杯的文件呢？据说那里面藏着耶稣有后代的证据，是吗？"
"是的。"
"那么，圣杯传说都是关于王室血统的了？"
提彬说道："确实如此。圣杯这个词来自于"SanGreal"。最早的时候，"Sangreal"是在不同的地方断词的。"提彬在一张小纸条上写了两个字，然后递给她。
索菲看着纸条。
SangReal她立刻明白了它的含义。
"SangReal"的字面意义是"RoyalBlood"（王室血统）。
收听单词发音 |
1
luxurious
|
|
| adj.精美而昂贵的；豪华的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
travail
|
|
| n.阵痛；努力 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
hybrid
|
|
| n.(动，植）杂种，混合物 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
flea
|
|
| n.跳蚤 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
projectors
|
|
| 电影放映机，幻灯机( projector的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
ballroom
|
|
| n.舞厅 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
shuffled
|
|
| v.洗（纸牌）( shuffle的过去式和过去分词 )；拖着脚步走；粗心地做；摆脱尘世的烦恼 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
twilight
|
|
| n.暮光，黄昏；暮年，晚期，衰落时期 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
collage
|
|
| n.拼贴画；v.拼贴；把……创作成拼贴画 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
chalice
|
|
| n.圣餐杯；金杯毒酒 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
pointed
|
|
| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
winked
|
|
| v.使眼色( wink的过去式和过去分词 )；递眼色（表示友好或高兴等）；（指光）闪烁；闪亮 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
eyebrows
|
|
| 眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
disciples
|
|
| n.信徒( disciple的名词复数 )；门徒；耶稣的信徒；（尤指）耶稣十二门徒之一 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
immediate
|
|
| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
astonishment
|
|
| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
bosom
|
|
| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
discrepancy
|
|
| n.不同；不符；差异；矛盾 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
incongruity
|
|
| n.不协调，不一致 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
overrides
|
|
| 越控( override的第三人称单数 )； （以权力）否决； 优先于； 比…更重要 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
fresco
|
|
| n.壁画；vt.作壁画于 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
22
crumble
|
|
| vi.碎裂，崩溃；vt.弄碎，摧毁 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
23
legacy
|
|
| n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
24
smear
|
|
| v.涂抹；诽谤，玷污；n.污点；诽谤，污蔑 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
25
recurring
|
|
| adj.往复的，再次发生的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
26
mesmerized
|
|
| v.使入迷( mesmerize的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
27
inverse
|
|
| adj.相反的，倒转的，反转的；n.相反之物；v.倒转 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
28
hip
|
|
| n.臀部，髋；屋脊 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
29
drawn
|
|
| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
30
shrugged
|
|
| vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
31
conspiracy
|
|
| n.阴谋，密谋，共谋 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
32
countless
|
|
| adj.无数的，多得不计其数的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
33
allusions
|
|
| 暗指，间接提到( allusion的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
34
blatant
|
|
| adj.厚颜无耻的；显眼的；炫耀的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
35
intriguing
|
|
| adj.有趣的；迷人的v.搞阴谋诡计(intrigue的现在分词)；激起…的好奇心 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
36
infinitely
|
|
| adv.无限地，无穷地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
37
celibacy
|
|
| n.独身(主义) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
38
condemned
|
|
| adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
39
unnatural
|
|
| adj.不自然的；反常的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
40
atlas
|
|
| n.地图册，图表集 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
41
papyrus
|
|
| n.古以纸草制成之纸 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
42
photocopies
|
|
| n.影印本( photocopy的名词复数 )；复印件 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
43
nag
|
|
| v.(对…)不停地唠叨；n.爱唠叨的人 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
44
scrolls
|
|
| n.（常用于录写正式文件的）纸卷( scroll的名词复数 )；卷轴；涡卷形（装饰）；卷形花纹v.（电脑屏幕上）从上到下移动（资料等），卷页( scroll的第三人称单数 )；（似卷轴般）卷起；（像展开卷轴般地）将文字显示于屏幕 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
45
Christian
|
|
| adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
46
flipping
|
|
| 讨厌之极的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
47
saviour
|
|
| n.拯救者，救星 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
48
disapproval
|
|
| n.反对，不赞成 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
49
conclusive
|
|
| adj.最后的，结论的；确凿的，消除怀疑的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
50
literally
|
|
| adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
51
spouse
|
|
| n.配偶(指夫或妻) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
52
concurred
|
|
| 同意（concur的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
53
flipped
|
|
| 轻弹( flip的过去式和过去分词 )； 按（开关）； 快速翻转； 急挥 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
54
arrogant
|
|
| adj.傲慢的，自大的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
55
endorse
|
|
| vt.(支票、汇票等)背书，背署；批注；同意 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
56
adversary
|
|
| adj.敌手，对手 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
57
mere
|
|
| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
58
fiddle
|
|
| n.小提琴；vi.拉提琴；不停拨弄，乱动 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
59
feminist
|
|
| adj.主张男女平等的，女权主义的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
60
squinted
|
|
| 斜视( squint的过去式和过去分词 )； 眯着眼睛； 瞟； 从小孔或缝隙里看 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
61
wielding
|
|
| 手持着使用（武器、工具等）( wield的现在分词 )； 具有； 运用（权力）； 施加（影响） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
62
anonymous
|
|
| adj.无名的；匿名的；无特色的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
63
genealogy
|
|
| n.家系，宗谱 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
64
erase
|
|
| v.擦掉；消除某事物的痕迹 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
65
consorting
|
|
| v.结伴( consort的现在分词 )；交往；相称；调和 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
66
potent
|
|
| adj.强有力的，有权势的；有效力的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
67
legitimate
|
|
| adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
68
fully
|
|
| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
69
vessel
|
|
| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
70
forth
|
|
| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
71
metaphors
|
|
| 隐喻( metaphor的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
72
derives
|
|
| v.得到( derive的第三人称单数 )；（从…中）得到获得；源于；（从…中）提取 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
73
scrap
|
|
| n.碎片；废料；v.废弃，报废 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |