BellaOnline Forums Religion and Spirituality Bible Basics "The Da Vinci Code" Hand With Dagger

Rense.com recently published my letter (with links) in the article: "DaVinci, The Dagger & Bullcookies" at
http://www.rense.com/general52/dav.htm praising my "excellent autopsy of this latest controversy" that there is a disembodied, anonymous hand holding a dagger in Leonardo da Vinci's "THE LAST SUPPER."


The above controversy can be found in Dan Brown's best-seller book "THE DA VINCI CODE" (see below). It is also found in the book "TURIN SHROUD" (see below). Due to Rense's huge readership, my website has received close to 1,500 visitors since May 3, and counting.


Anyone interested in seeing a photographic refutal of this controversy and not wanting to go to rense.com is welcome to visit my website at: http://community.webtv.net/nyceddie/LeonardodaVincisThe


Excerpt from the book "THE DA VINCI CODE", page 248: "And here too," Langdon said, pointing now to the crowd of disciples near Peter. "A bit ominous, no?" Sophie squinted and saw a hand emerging from the crowd of disciples. "Is that hand wielding a dagger?" "Yes. Stranger still, if you count the arms, you'll see that this hand belongs to ... no one at all. It's disembodied. Anonymous."


Excerpt from the book "TURIN SHROUD", by Lynn Picknett and Clive Prince, page 104:
"...Look across to the other end of the table: there is a hand with a dagger in it, pointing straight at the stomach of the next disciple, yet not one art historian we have read has drawn our attention to it, and the artist who painted the only copy of this picture that has included this anomalous feature has had to alter the position of the next disciple - to make him more than a little of a contortionist - in order to make the gesture anatomically possible. As it stands, the hand belongs to nobody at the table."


Edward
NYC

Dear Eddie,

I'm sure that there are many people who like me can come up wioth amillion "reasons" for the dagger....I've never read the "DaVinci code" I doubt that I ever will...however I think it is possible for authors to take some kind of creative licsense with content when trying to sell books. Obviously the author ( but like I said I didn't read the book) wants to create an aura of mystique around the truth of Christ. I myself, don't buy into it. I think the Word of Christ is clear and have not been one to take creative licsense with His words. In my opinion He said what he meant and meant what He said. It is us humans who live sinful lives and look for reasons to justify who are making things appear where there is nothing....the Cayholic church started this mystique surrounding the Good News way nack when. It was their way of explaining that which they could not explain.

As for the painting, my opinion is that Da Vinci wanted to create a painting that would make someone stare at it. I love his work for just that reason. There is always a lot going on. Even in the simplest of his paintings. The depth draws us in and we are captivated. That is why Leonardo da Vinci was a great artist. He explored outside the box and made us examine things that were and weren't there. We could read between the lines and employ our emotions and our imagination at the same time. I have always thought that Mona Lisa's eyes follow me whenever I have looked at the painting. It makes me feel eerily unalone. Like she and she alone knows what I'm thinking and feeling in the depth of my soul. Like a creepy friend I can't help but want around. Lol. Anyway...I am grateful for your contribution to this site and hope you will stop by again and again.

Are you talking info from the bible? It is far from clear. I mean, the translations are so bad and so varied you believe which ever ends up fitting you best. What about revelations? Certainly not clear.

Of course, I am no expert but I am educated on the matter.

An analogy I feel fits is that you are driving with the wind shield wipers off while its raining. The road is clear to see! Except it really isn't. You know its there.. somewhere but you can't make out the details.

I don't doubt that christ existed, I just doubt he was the son of a god.

Ash
hugemoron.com

ps
I really shouldn't be posting here. I'll just cause trouble.

Dear Ash,

You can post here any time you want to. You are welcome always.

As for your comment...you say you are educated on the matter, which matter? The Bible or facts that support your opinion of Jesus not being the Son of God? Or could it be the validity of the Bible as God's Word?.... I'm kind of confused.

As for me, I find the teachings in the New Testament to be quite clear. It's really cut and dried to me. Simply because God so loved the world that he sacrificed his only begotten Son. And because God sacrificed His Son for us on the cross, we are able to come into God the Father's presence and have a relationship with Him. Without Jesus dieing and rising again from the dead we would ahve never been able to come to the Father or any where near heaven. God wants us to be near to him and comfortable with Him so He made a way for us to be so. There was no other way unless The Father in heaven sent the Son...(A triun Godhead...Father, Son Holy Spirit...like an egg, shell, white and yolk..all an egg) to live among men and show them the face of the Father. To demonstrate how the law of the Old Testament was to work to show us our sins.

The Old Testament was law to follow and when God saw that men screwed it up so bad He had to send His Son to explain it. So then we have the New Testament which demonstrates and explains God's unending love for us humans. He created us to live with Him and have a relationship with us. So He had to make a way. Jesus is that way.

Lastly, what if the Revelation Book is literal? What then? What will you choose?

If the book of revelation is literal it will be too late for me. I'll be one of those caught with their pants down.

I'm surprised I said I was educated. I've studied varied forms of christianity and been to various churches. I've read through the bible, (NIV) twice once front to back and once with a bible study group from a non-denominational church in california. I've read up on various other religions and ideas on spirituality and various beliefs and the history of religion.

While I never got my degree I did spend a lot of time studying various religions. That is what I probably meant on "educated."

I hate to back pedal but so much of religion is interpreted. I don't think I'll ever know enough to REALLY be considered educated.

Sure some feel its cut and dry the way they read it with but for every one person that believes it their way there are 5 others who believe it differently.

Does that mean everyone is wrong? Not necessarily.

Too bad we don't have a spiffy time machine to go back and find out what really happened at various events in history. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Ash
hugemoron.com

I find it interesting when people tell me that the the Word of God is not clear. Admittedly, it takes study but from the first, it has been clear to me.

I find a thread of God's plan that runs from Genesis to Revelation. If one part is hard to understand, it is explained in another.

I generally like to read from 3 or 4 translations, and to me they do not conflict.

I think that the Bible shows that God is the same today as He was at the beginning. (ours not His) It is very comforting to know that there is One who remains the same.

I understand the dilemma of "interpretation" but in my experience there is always one thing that is clear: God speaks to our hearts.

I think it is the soft kind of whisper that only our hearts can hear and understand. It's in the pause as we see something awesome or something beautiful.... a waterfall in Hawaii for example or the grandcanyon at sunset with a storm hovering between the canyon walls and the sunlight slanting between the rain drops.... or the laugh of children intermingled with the songs of birds..... to me that is when God is present.

It's the bigger things. Not "religious doctrine" but the heart songs that resonate inside and we are caught up...almost suspended... in the moment when God whispers "look at that, I made that just for you right now."

One thing I've found from wirting for Bella these last few years is that all people believe.... not all have grasped. I mean that all people believe that there is something more, some mystery they are not aware of. They all are searching for the interpretation of that mystery. Yet, with the stigma of interpretation standing in the way, most reject that "concept" of One God and One Way to that God Father being Jesus Christ. They (all people) want something to believe in, but the fear of being stigmatized or labeled or losing their freedom of expression keeps them from recieving. So they created a god out of their own understanding, something that they deem acceptable to the world instead of possessing the truth.

This is the problem with the modern world today. We are fearful people and we have put the fear of misinterpretation by others ahead of our eternal existance. So many people today have no fear of eternity, they are living for the here and now, that they are missing out on the choice for God by making Him less than He is.

Back when my husband was getting used to the idea of One God and His Son Jesus, he called the 700 Club and asked them "if Hitler had recieved Christ before his death would he have gone to heaven?" The answer would have been "yes" There is room for ALL with God. Just the way we are today... all we must do is choose.

We make choices everyday...what to wear when to get up and when to go to sleep. We choose what to eat and what to drink. How to brush our hair. Whether to smile and say hi or to ignore, to let someone pass us on the road or to speed up so they can't. Choices.... God wants us to choose him. To recognize Him in our lives everyday.

Psalms 27:13 says: " I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living."

David was telling us to look into our own lives for God because that is where He does His mightiest work.
So when people get all hung up on the "doctrine" or the "interpretation" of God's Word, I say what does you heart say....the answer is usually that they believe in "Something, they just don't know what" God is a personal God. He knows us personally, intimatly, He knows our hearts and He holds back just a little because we must choose... it's never too late.... there's a party in heaven just waiting for the guest of honor... you!

quick question on interpretation.

Is it...

Thou shalt not kill

or

Thou shalt not murder

What is the difference between the two in your eyes?

My Bible is NIV and says in Exodus 20:13 "You shall not Murder."

To me, the difference between "murder" and "kill" is only slight. Anytime someone murders someone it is with premeditation and intent, even if only for a split second before hand.

My grandmother was murdered in her home by a man who broke in. He could have chosen to not kill my grandmother, but he didn't. It wasn't an accident. Murder is born out of anger and rage.

If I am involved in a car accident and someone dies as the result of it, I didn't try to kill them or mean to at all, and that would not be murder.

I think the commandment refers to the emotion that invokes a person to take the life of another. We are not to hate anyone that much or be so filled with anger that we choose to take their life. We always have a choice.
That's my opinion.