A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Amon

Egyptian god of fertility, usually depicted with a human body and a ram?s head. Robert Langdon says *?Mona Lisa? is an anagram of Amon and his consort, Isis (L?isa).

Antiquities

A history of the Jews written by Flavius Josephus.

Manuel Aringarosa

A corrupt Catholic cardinal in DVC. He helps to direct Silas?s activities and collaborates with the Teacher to (he thinks) destroy the Grail documents.

Arius

Fourth-century elder of Alexandria (c. 256?336), who taught that Jesus was a subdivinity not equal or coeternal with God the Father. His teachings prompted the Council of Nicea. His heresy is known as Arianism, or the Arian heresy.

Athanasius

A bishop of Alexandria (293?373?) who was Arius?s chief adversary at the Council of Nicea. He was the first to apply the word canon to biblical literature, and he named the New Testament books we have today. Athanasius was later exiled by Constantine.

 

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Bezu Fache

Police inspector in DVC. Serves with Paris police.

blade

Pagan symbol for masculinity popularized in Riane Eisler?s The Chalice and the Blade. In DVC, it?s represented by a figure similar to the uppercase A in the movie?s title logo.

Botticelli, Sandro

Italian painter (c. 1444?1510) whose most famous work includes Birth of Venus. In DVC, he is reported to have been a Priory of Sion grandmaster.

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canon

(Greek, ?standard?) The group of 66 biblical books accepted by most of the church. The Catholic Bible includes a number of deuterocanonical (?second canon?) books, though they are never given equal status with the original 66. While the OT was set with the Hebrew Scriptures and the Septuagint, the New Testament canon was first solidified by the church fathers. The earliest record of a canon is the *Muratorian canon. Read more.

chalice

Pagan symbol for femininity. Langdon connects it to the concept of the *Holy Grail.

Church fathers

Name for group of pastors, writers, and teachers of the second and third centuries, including Eusebius, Origen, and Tertullian.

Jean Cocteau

French writer, artist, and filmmaker (1889-1963). Former grandmaster of the Priory of Sion.

Constantine the Great

Flavius Valerius Constantinus, Roman emperor (288?-337) who in 312, according to church father Eusebius, saw a flaming cross in the sky with the words ?In this sign thou shalt conquer.? Constantine made the cross his sigil and won the battle. One year later he issued the *Edict of Milan, making Christianity a legal religion. Though DVC suggests that Constantine favored the ?accepted version? of Jesus as God-man, history suggests that he favored compromise with *Arius since he exiled *Athanasius.

Coptic

The form of ancient Egyptian spoken in early Christian times. Several *Gnostic gospels, including *The Gospel of Thomas, were written in Coptic. Copts remain the native Christians in Egypt (Columbia Encyclopedia).

Council of Nicea

Church council convened by Constantine in 325 primarily to deal with Arianism (see *Arius). The first of four ecumenical councils, Nicea was attended by the Eastern bishops (at least 225). The chief figures were Arius and Athanasius. Contrary to DVC, only two bishops voted with Arius (and for a mortal prophet Jesus). The bishops created the *Nicene Creed as a form of catechism, spelling out Christian belief about God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and the Church.

cryptex

Device invented by Dan Brown to serve as ?the keystone? and conceal one of the *Priory of Sion?s clues.

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Dead Sea Scrolls, the

A set of leather and papyrus scrolls discovered in 1947 near the Dead Sea. The scrolls are sometimes connected to the *Essenes, an ascetic community that lived near Qumran.

Demiurge, the

(Greek, ?maker, builder?) According to *Gnostics, the demigod who created the material world. They identified the Demiurge with the God of the Old Testament.

Docetism

The early heretical idea that Jesus only seemed to be human, only seemed to suffer. Some scholars believe John?s Gospel and epistles counter an early form of this idea.

Dualism

In theological terms, the heretical idea that the world is governed by two equally powerful, coeternal forces.

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Edict of Milan

Edict issued by Constantine that legalized the practice of Christianity.

Escriva, Josemaria

Spanish priest (1902-1975). Founder of the Catholic prelature *Opus Dei, canonized 2002.

Essenes

Religious ascetic order that existed in the first centuries A.D. Some scholars believe some of the *Dead Sea Scrolls were written by the Essenes.

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Fibonacci sequence (0-1-1-2-3-5-8-13-21)

Sequence of numbers developed by Italian mathematician Leonardo Fibonacci. Each number is the sum of the two previous numbers.

Fleur-de-lis

A symbol or emblem associated with the French monarchy. It may be based on the iris. In DVC, it is part of the emblem of the *Priory of Sion.

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Gnomon

Any object whose shadow is used to tell time, including the common sundial. A famous gnomon was constructed in the Church of Saint-Sulpice in Paris.

Gnostic gospels

Alternate narratives of Jesus? life written by *Gnostic adherents. They include The Gospel of Philip, The Gospel of Mary, and the most famous, The Gospel of Thomas. Recent discovery of The Gospel of Judas has added to the Gnostic canon.

Gnosticism

A system of belief that arose in the early second century A.D. See the article.(?)

Gnostics

Adherents of the Gnostic system of belief.

The Goddess in the Gospels

One of Dan Brown?s purported sources, Margaret Starbird?s The Goddess in the Gospels suggests, among other things, that the future of humankind depends on a ?partnership paradigm? between the sexes. Her view of Jesus informs much of what DVC asserts about Jesus.

The Gospel of Judas*

A Gnostic gospel released in 2006 after a five-year restoration project. The book suggests that Judas was not a traitor but carried out the Christ?s plan to be freed of the mortal Jesus.

The Gospel of Mary Magdalene

Gnostic gospel discovered in 1896 and published in 1955.

The Gospel of Philip

Gnostic text discovered at Nag Hammadi. DVC uses Philip to ?prove? that Jesus had a sexual relationship with Mary, because the text describes her as Jesus? ?companion,? and the recipient of ?kisses.?

The Gospel of Thomas

Gnostic text discovered complete at Nag Hammadi. A sayings gospel (containing sayings of Jesus rather than narrative about his life), Thomas contains 114 sayings of Jesus, some with a distinct Gnostic flavor.

The Grand Gallery (of the Louvre)

Gallery that is home to many of the *Louvre?s greatest works, including the *Mona Lisa. In DVC, Jacques Sauniere is murdered here.

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Hieros Gamos

(Greek, ?sacred marriage? or ?holy wedding?) A sexual ritual that, according to Langdon, is the only way for men and women to experience divinity. It is an important element in modern goddess worship.

Holy Blood, Holy Grail

One of Dan Brown?s sources for DVC. Bestseller from early 1980s that presented many of DVC?s ideas in nonfiction form.

Holy Grail

The cup Jesus used at the Last Supper. Grails are a Celtic idea, a cup or cauldron that had miraculous powers to heal and enrich its owner. Christians appropriated it, identifying it with the legendary cup used at the Last Supper (and according to some legends, caught His blood at the Cross). Many King Arthur legends revolve around the quest for the Grail.

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Isis

Egyptian goddess who was consort of Osiris and mother of Horus. DVC suggests that her name is encoded in the title Mona Lisa.

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Jesus of Nazareth

The central person of Christianity. A carpenter by trade, Jesus is the Son of God, the long-awaited Messiah of Judaism.

The Jewish War

Account of the Jewish war with Rome, written by *Flavius Josephus

Joseph of Arimathea (255)

According to the New Testament, Joseph was a wealthy man who arranged for Jesus? burial.

Josephus

Flavius Josephus (A.D. 37?100), Jewish historian and soldier, collaborator with the Romans.

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The keystone

In DVC, the cryptex that contains a crucial clue for Grail questers.

Knights Templars

Military monastic order. Read more.

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La Pyramide Inversée

Skylight in the *Louvre museum in Paris. SPOILER: Brown suggests that the remains of Mary Magdalene are beneath the pyramid.

Robert Langdon

The hero of DVC, Langdon is a Harvard symbologist who specializes in the sacred feminine.

Leonardo da Vinci

Italian painter, sculptor, architect, scientist, and inventor (1452?1519). DVC says he was a grandmaster of the Priory of Sion. Read more.

Les Dossiers Secrets

Collection of secret documents purported to contain the secrets of the *Priory of Sion.

Louvre, the

Art museum located in Paris, France, in which several of Leonardo da Vinci?s works, including the Mona Lisa, are displayed.

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Madonna of the Rocks

Painting of the child Jesus that exists in two versions. DVC makes much of the different versions, suggesting that this one (the other Brown calls Virgin of the Rocks) contains subversive sacred feminine elements.

The Magdalene Diaries

In DVC, document purported to be hidden with the Grail documents. It tells of Magdalene?s role in the early church, her flight to France after Jesus? death, and the later years of her life.

Marcion*

Considered a leader in the Gnostic ?movement,? Marcion taught that there were two gods: one of the Old Testament and another, more merciful one, of the New. He created his own New Testament canon (he completely rejected the Old Testament), which led church fathers to help develop the canon we have today.

Mary Magdalene/Mary of Magdala

Woman who followed Jesus. Little is known about her, though the gospels contain several references. She appears to have been one of Jesus? patrons (Luke 8:3) and was with the disciples when Jesus entered Jerusalem for the last time. Most importantly, Mary was the first witness to the Resurrection and was charged with telling the Eleven the good news. As a result, the is sometimes called ?Apostle to the Apostles.?

Merovingian

A dynasty of Frankish kings. DVC suggests that the line of Christ was preserved in a union with the Merovingians.

Mona Lisa (119)

*Leonardo da Vinci?s most famous painting, which is housed at the *Louvre.

Montanus*

Proponent of a heresy that included Montanus?s claim to be the Paraclete, and that as such, his words were above criticism. He advocated a progressive growth of Christian teaching that would support, not supplant, Scripture. He and several prophets and prophetesses spoke in ecstasy to groups of followers. The church father Tertullian became a Montanist.

Muratorian Canon

The earliest known listing of New Testament books, discovered in a document scrap called the Muratorian Fragment. It was discovered by Italian historian and Catholic priest Ludovico Antonio Muratori (1672?1750).

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Nag Hammadi

Town in Egypt where a collection of Gnostic texts?including the most famous, The Gospel of Thomas? was discovered in 1945. All were in the *Coptic language.

Isaac Newton

English mathematician (1642-1727) whose chief works were the Principia and Opticks. In DVC, he is listed as a former grandmaster of the Priory of Sion.

Sophie Neveu

In DVC, Sophie is Jacques Sauniere?s granddaughter, and a cryptographer with the Paris police.

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Opus Dei

A religious order for laypeople and a personal prelature of the Roman Catholic Church. Founded in 1928 by by Spanish priest *Josemaria Escriva, the order?s name is Latin for ?work of God.?

Oxyrhyncus*

Site in Egypt where archaeologists discovered an important collection of papyri, some of which were Christian texts. Included among the documents were private letters, Greek plays and poems, fragments of canonical and non-canonical books. Some fragments of the *Gospel of Thomas were discovered here.

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pentacle/pentagram

According to DVC, a pentacle is a pentagram, a five-pointed star. (In paganism and witchcraft, a pentacle is a kind of amulet used to evoke a spirit.)

phi

Also called the divine proportion or the golden mean, phi (represented by the Greek letter #) is equal to approximately 1.618. Artists use the ratio to create aesthetically pleasing symmetry.

pleroma

From the Greek word for ?fullness.? In *Gnosticism, pleroma refers to the divine essence, as opposed to the earthly, material (and therefore evil) essence.

Priory of Sion/La Prieuré de Sion

According to DVC, a secret society thousands of years old that is dedicated to protecting the truth about the sacred feminine and the bloodline of Christ. In reality, the Priory was founded in 1956 by French nationalist Pierre Plantard.

Purist Documents

Documents that DVC asserts contain the true history of the mortal prophet Jesus and his followers.

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Q document

(From German quelle, ?source?) In biblical criticism, a proposed textual partial source for Matthew and Luke.

Qumran

Site in Egypt near which the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in 1945.

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Rose, the

The Priory symbol for the Grail, as well as a pseudonym for Mary Magdalene

Rosslyn Chapel (Roslin)

A chapel, originally called the Collegiate Chapel of Saint Matthew, begun by William Sinclair in 1440 and completed in 1480. Because of its founder?s purported connection to the Knights Templar, the chapel is a favorite site for conspiracy theorists.

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Sangreal

Or san greal; literally, ?holy grail.? DVC suggests the word should be divided differently?as sang real, which might be translated ?royal blood.?

Jacques Sauniére

In DVC, curator of the *Louvre and *Sophie Neveu?s grandfather. Also the grandmaster of the *Priory of Sion.

scotoma

?An area of diminished vision within the visual field.? (AHDEL) Langdon says it prevents us from seeing that Mary Magdalene is seated next to Jesus in da Vinci?s Last Supper.

sect

?A group of people forming a distinct unit within a larger group by virtue of certain refinements or distinctions of belief or practice.? (AHDEL) In the first centuries, Christianity was thought by some to be a sect within Judaism. Modern denominations are sects within Christianity.

Shekinah

Hebrew. Literally, ?glory? or ?presence [of God]?. DVC suggests that ?Shekinah? is a female deity, the partner of Yahweh.

Silas

A member of Opus Dei, Silas is a pawn of ?the Teacher? in discovering the location of the Grail. He believes he is helping to destroy the Grail documents.

Symbology

The study of symbols and their significance.

Synoptic Gospels

A biblical studies term referring to Matthew, Mark, and Luke. The name derives from the Greek for ?the same point of view.? (AHDEL)

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Teabing, Sir Leigh

In DVC, Teabing serves as an antihero. He wants to make the Grail documents public, thereby undermining or even destroying the Roman Catholic Church.

"the Teacher"

SPOILER: Alter ego of *Sir Leigh Teabing, through which he interacts with *Silas and with *Cardinal Aringarossa.

The Templar Revelation

One of Dan Brown?s sources for DVC. It contains the claim that the Templars protect the truth about Jesus? lineage.

Temple Church

London church built in the twelfth century as part of the headquarters for the Knights Templar.

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Vatican, the

The residence of the pope at Rome and the center of the Roman Catholic Church.

The Vitruvian Man

Sketch (made by *Leonardo da Vinci) that was a study in human anatomy and proportions.

Victor Hugo

French author (1802?1885) of poems, plays, and novels, the two most well-known of which are Les Misérables and Notre Dame de Paris. DVC suggests he was a grandmaster of the Priory of Sion.

Virgin of the Rocks

A second version of Madonna of the Rocks. DVC suggests that this ?whitewashed? version of the painting was ordered to tone down the earlier painting?s heretical imagery.

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The Woman with the Alabaster Jar

Another of Brown?s sources for DVC, this book by Margaret Starbird explores the person of Mary Magdalene, attempting to prove a romantic relationship or marriage between Mary and Jesus.

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Yahweh (YHWH)

According to the Baker Dictionary of Biblical Theology, ?strictly speaking, the only proper name for God? (see God, Names of). It?s related to God?s name for Himself: ?I AM? (Exodus 3:12-14). The four letters are called the Tetragrammaton.

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