The Grail and the Holy Ghost
MAD- www.nwowatcher.com
8/1/07
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, which might not be such a bad idea if trying to keep cool during these dog days of summer, you’re undoubtedly aware of the best selling book, ‘The Da Vinci Code’ by author Dan Brown. The work of fiction claims that the famous painting of ‘The Last Supper’ by Leonardo Da Vinci, in fact reveals evidence that Jesus Christ survived the crucifixion. It purports that He, along with his lover Mary Magdalene, carried the bloodline into a lineage of French royalty which might still exist to this day. Brown is currently writing a sequel to the book, rumored to deal with the organizations of Freemasonry and the Yale Skull and Bones society, but only time will tell if it will be as successful as his last work which gave a bit of a black eye to the Catholic Church, and has been surrounded in controversy and exploitative “knock off” publications since before the release of the Tom Hank's film (which itself has a multi-million dollar sequel underway).
The point of this piece is not to debate whether Jesus Christ actually existed, or what religion is the most valid and true, but to establish what I believe to be a cover-up regarding the actual “secret” of Da Vinci’s portrayal of the Last Supper of Christ. I’m aware that there are already a thousand theories dedicated to the “real meaning” of this world famous painting, and most people are probably fed up with hearing about the “conspiracy theories” surrounding this particular work; but I must confess that there appears to be a greater mystery to all of this than meets the eye. It’s a theory which has surprisingly not yet gotten adequate attention or publicity.
Last week, a few different websites, including www.leonardo2007.com , claimed to have made a “startling new discovery” regarding the portrait of the Last Supper. They stated that upon revealing this new evidence, their websites were inundated with visitors (upwards of fifteen million in a single day!), which crashed their server and only added to the ominous discoveries they propose to be revealing. Slavisa Pesci, an information technologist and amateur scholar, claims that if you inverse the portrait and superimpose it over the original, a woman holding an infant is revealed as well members of the Knights Templar. Below is the original portrait, and the superimposed piece which purports to show new “figures” in Da Vinci’s classic work.
The 'woman' leans across the group in Christ's direction...
... while on the other side two guests appear as knights.
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Personally, and I’ll be honest, I don’t see much of anything here and don’t understand the huge amount of hype this has story received in recent weeks. It seems common sense that if you inverse and superimpose something, virtually any image, you’re going to see things that aren’t necessarily there, especially if you’re looking for something “magical” beneath the surface. In this case, it's only fitting that Slavisa Pesci would see a woman carrying an infant and a Knights Templar, the group which is historically known to hold the secret of the “Holy Grail”. While there have been many theories as to what the Holy Grail actually represents: from the human skull, ancient Celtic cauldrons, to the chalice which caught the blood of Jesus at the crucifixion, one thing is certain if you’ll look carefully at the portrait of the Last Supper once again. Tell me, do you notice anything above the head of the figure to the far left, the apostle known as Bartholomew?
That’s correct, it appears, undoubtedly, to be a Grail or a Chalice resting just above his form. The image was only recently revealed after a new cleaning of the painting, and has to this point received virtually no media attention, be it mainstream or alternative. While websites who invert and superimpose the images claim to get fifteen million hits in a single day, why then is this clear discovery of a Grail above the head of Bartholomew being completely ignored? Let’s take a closer look at the image, and keep in mind that this has not been disregarded as a hoax at this point, and in fact appears to be a legitimate discovery at the time of this publication.

So, just who is Bartholomew and why would he be associated with the Grail? There are a few possibilities very interesting to note, the first being that according to Syrian traditions, the original name of this figure was not Bartholomew, but Jesus. He changed his name after becoming a disciple of Christ, though some customs still hold his title to be that of Jesus. Another interesting fact is that the name Bartholomew literally means Son of Tolmay, or Ptolemy, which comes from the word Ptolemaios, meaning “warlike”. Being a man of many names, another title of Bartholomew is that of Nathanael, which in turn could be closely related to Emmanuel, yet another title for Jesus Christ. Could this really be a representation of Bartholomew meaning: “Jesus, Son of War”? Might Bartholomew really be Jesus, and might Nathanael be Emmanuel? Are there other possibilities?
Yes there are, and let’s discuss them, shall we? First off we must consider whether there is actually a cover-up regarding the Grail being placed above the head of Bartholomew, with the new findings of Pesci working as a smokescreen to conceal the real secrets of ‘The Last Supper’. If this is indeed an attempt to hide the Grail findings, than why? Below are pieces from the “Gospel of Bartholomew” which up until the late 19th Century, had been included in most conventional Biblical texts. The chapters were removed however around the turn of the century, as well as gospels dealing with such touchy subjects as reincarnation and the afterlife. The Gospel of Bartholomew deals with Christ’s decent into Hell after the crucifixion, the freeing of Old Testament saints, the defeat of Satan and closing of the gates of Hell. Having unarguably ancient origins, the initial texts can be traced through several fragments, in several languages, to around 200AD, and has had continued appeal for scholars of “Gnostic” tradition.
The Gospel takes place as Jesus speaks to some of his disciples after his resurrection, including Bartholomew and Mary, which begins:
“Before the passion of our Lord Christ, he assembled with all the Apostles. They asked him as one, "Lord, show us the secrets of Heaven." Jesus answered, "I can show you nothing about the afterlife until I have put off this body of flesh." After his suffering and rising, the Apostles didn't dare ask him that question, because his appearance changed; he revealed himself to them in the glory and fullness of the Godhead.
“Courageously, Bartholomew approached him and said, "Lord, I wish to speak to you." Jesus spoke next, "Bartholomew, my beloved, I already know what you wish to say. Ask then, and I will tell you what you need to know. I will make known to you what you do not say."
“Bartholomew said, "Lord, when you went to be hanged on the cross, I followed from a distance and saw that angels from above descended to worship you. When it became dark, I looked up and found you gone; except that I seemed to hear your voice speaking from among the sounds of wailing and gnashing of teeth rising from the nether world. Tell me, Lord, where you left the cross." The Lord replied, "When I seemed to disappear from the cross, I descended to the nether world with my angels in order to raise Adam and the fathers (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob) as Michael, the archangel, had petitioned me to do. As we intended to shatter the doors and rend the iron bars of that place, all hell cried out to the devil, 'I perceive that God has come down to earth!' Then the angels cried to the principalities and powers there, 'Open your gates, you princes, for the King of Glory has come down!' Hell asked, 'Who is this King of Glory?'”
One thing we might realize at this point are the similarities of the arrival of Jesus Christ into the netherworld, compared to that of such historical texts as the Sumerian 'Descent of Inanna’ or Babylonian ‘Descent of Ishtar’, in which the warrior-goddesses went to do battle with the “Great Dragon” of Hades, to free their loved ones (Dumuzi/Tammuz respectively), and set order upon the natural cycles of the world.
Likewise, we could wonder if Dan Brown’s controversy of Mary Magdalene and Jesus Christ in the Da Vinci Code might be made even more sensational if we were to understand that Mary Magdalene and the Virgin Mary represent the same person. Mary/Jesus really conotates to the grand Egyptian mythos of Isis and Horus. But I digress, while this is in need of further consideration, the point of this piece is to highlight the details of the Holy Grail and Bartholomew, so let’s continue.
"When I had descended down the length of five-hundred steps, all Hell began to tremble violently and cried, 'I believe Yah has come! His mighty breath comes before him! I cannot stand it!' But the Devil said to Hell, 'Don't submit! Make yourself strong! Yahweh has not come down!'
"When I descended another five-hundred steps, the strong angels commanded, 'Open up, you doors of your prince! Throw the gates wide open! Look, the King of Glory has come.' Again Hell cried out to the devil in fear, 'How doleful I am! I feel the Divine breath! Yet you say He has not come!'
"The Lord of the Flies replied, 'Why do you fear? You think it is Yahweh, but it is only a prophet who has made himself like the Most High. We will take him and put him with the rest of those who have the ridiculous hope that they will ascend to Heaven!'
"Hell then said, 'So which of the prophets comes? Enoch, the scribe of holiness? Yahweh has not allowed him to descend until six thousand years are completed. Elijah, the avenger? You told me that he does not come down here before the end. What will I do if I am to be destroyed by Yahweh? I feel that already the end is near, for I know the number of years that I have!'
"But when the Devil finally perceived that the Logos of the Father had come down, he said, 'Hell, don't be afraid! We will lock the gates and fortify the bars. This is not Yah that comes down.' And Hell cried out, 'Where, oh where will we hide ourselves from the face of Yahweh, the greatest king? Do not keep me from hiding; I was created before you!'
“"At this cry, the angels tore the brass gates of Hell to pieces, while I shattered the iron bars. I went in and pummeled Hell with one hundred blows, and bound him up with unbreakable chains. I brought out all those awaiting, then I returned to the cross."
We see here that unlike Inanna and Ishtar, Jesus is not taken or deceived by the “Great Dragon”, but instead comes down in a blaze of power and righteousness, making the very walls of Hell shudder and shake with his arrival. The demons say “It is not time”, while Hell itself, speaking in a unified voice, decrees: “I know how many years I have, now is not the time of His coming!” Hell declares that it is even older than the Devil, and wishes to hide from the coming Prince of Yahweh. The story is told in a flashback as Jesus reveals to his disciples what happened to him when he “died” on the cross, taking command of Hell and delivering “100 blows” on the Devil before binding him with unbreakable chains. This is similar to the binding of Prometheus on the Caucasus Mountains, a punishment by Zeus for seeking to reveal the Fire of Knowledge to humankind.
“Then Bartholomew said to him, "Lord, I saw you again on the cross, and what appeared to be the dead arising and worshipping you. Tell me, Lord, who was that giant whom the angels brought up in their arms, and what did you say to him that caused him to groan so deeply?"
“The Lord told Bartholomew, "It was Adam, the first living soul that was created. I said to him, 'I suffered on the cross for your sake and for your generation.' He groaned and told me, 'You were pleased to complete this mission, O Lord.'"
“Bartholomew then said, "Lord, I saw angels coming up before Adam and singing songs of praise. The largest of these angels, who had a fiery sword in his hands, would not come up. Although he was bid to arise, he refused. When you commanded him to come, I saw a mighty flame issue from the sword in his hands, that reached as far as Jerusalem!" Jesus replied, "My beloved Bartholomew, you are blessed to have seen such mysteries! This angel you witnessed was one of the avengers who stands before my Father's throne, and he was sent to me. He would not go up because he wanted to destroy all the power of this world. When I commanded him to rise, he ripped the temple veil in two by that fiery sword as a testimony to the children of Israel of my sufferings. They are the ones who bear the guilt of my crucifixion."
The text continues with Jesus answering more questions, while Bartholomew asks Him if he can peer into the great abyss. It is a site that makes them all fall to their knees in despair and misery.
The Great Abyss...
“Jesus told them, "Ask me whatever you want, and give me the opportunity to teach and show you things, for I will no longer appear to you in this form after I ascend to my Father. I will be here only seven more days."
“Hesitating, they said to him, "Lord, show us the abyss, as you promised." He said, "The abyss is not a good thing for you to see, but if you so desire, my promise I will keep. Follow me and see." He led them to Cherubim, the place of truth. He then summoned the angels of the west. The earth seemed to be rolled as a scroll, and beneath it was the awesome sight of the abyss.
“When the Apostles beheld the spectacle, they fell into a swoon on their faces. Jesus said to them, "Didn't I say that it wasn't a good thing for you to see the abyss?" Again he summoned the angels, who covered the abyss.
"Next, Bartholomew asks if he can see the face of the Adversary of Men, so that he might know the evils of Earth and how to defeat them. This is an equally frightening experience for him.
“After the Apostles had recovered from the sight of the abyss, Jesus again appeared to them. Bartholomew said, "Lord, show us the adversary of men so that we can see what he looks like, or what evil he works, where he comes from, and the power he has in that he did not even spare you, but caused you to be hanged on the cross."
“"Bartholomew, do you truly wish to see the Adversary of Men? I tell you the truth, that the Apostles, Mary, and yourself will all fall on your faces like the dead when you see him." Nevertheless, they all said, "Lord, this is our desire."
“So he led them down from the mount of Olives. He bound the demons that protected hell, and commanded Michael to sound the trumpet of authority in the heavens. When the notes of the trumpet reverberated over the earth, it began to shake as though there were an earthquake, and Beliar (Belial) himself came up from beneath the earth, held by 666 angels and bound with chains that appeared as fire.
“Beliar seemed to be nearly a mile long by about forty yards wide. His face was ablaze as though it was lightning, and his eyes were threatening sparks. His nostrils exuded a stinking and foul smoke. His mouth was like the crag of a mountain, and each wing spanned about eighty yards. As soon as the Apostles saw the spectacle, they fell to the ground in a deathlike swoon. Jesus came near to each and lifted them up, imparting to them the strengthening Spirit of Power.
“When Bartholomew recovered, he found this Beliar approaching. Before he could fear any more, Jesus said, "Approach Beliar, and draw near to him, Bartholomew." He did. Then Jesus told him, "Put your foot on Beliar's neck, and take authority over him; command him to tell you what his mission is, and how he deceives men." Then Jesus left Bartholomew there with Beliar, and retreated back a space with his Apostles
“Then Bartholomew said, "Lord, I fear that Beliar will swallow me whole, since he did not spare your angels!" Jesus answered, "Weren't all things created through the Word and according to my Father's plan? Even Solomon had authority over spirits. Go on, then - you have been commanded to do so in my name! Ask him what you wish!"
“Finally Bartholomew put his foot on the neck of Beliar. To his surprise, he was able to press his face in to the ground as far as his ears! Bartholomew asked him, "Tell me your name and who you are." Beliar said, "Let up a little, and I will tell you how great my power is...."
“Then Bartholomew commanded Beliar to return to where he came from. Then he came back to Jesus and prostrated himself before him and began to cry. And he prayed, "Abba, Father, who can't be discovered by mortal men, Word of the Father...whose thought ordained all as it should be...because of your advent you have made all souls rejoice at the prospect of the gospel of eternal life. My God, great Father and King; save the sinner, Lord!"
“When Bartholomew finished praying, Jesus said to him, "Bartholomew, the Father appointed me as Messiah, that I might come and anoint everyone who comes to me with the oil of life. He called me Jesus, that I might heal every evil of the ignorant and dispense God's truth."
“Again Bartholomew spoke, "Lord, allow me to tell everyone the mysteries that have been revealed to me." Jesus answered him, "My beloved, tell the faithful who can keep these mysteries to themselves. Some are worthy of mysteries, but others can't be trusted with such revelation, especially the boasters, drunkards, prideful, merciless, idol worshipers, sexual seducers, gossips, false teachers, and those who follow the devil. Do not let these mysteries fill their ears, for they are not worthy! So it would be better if you kept these things a secret, for ones such as these will not believe you - they will mock you!
“"On the other hand, all who can bear these things will have a part in them. Therefore, my beloved, I have shown you because you are especially blessed, as are all those to whom you entrust this message. Those who gain grace from your words will receive all they want in all times of my judgment."
Gospel of Bartholomew, Full Text:
Wiki Article on Bartholomew’s Gospel:
While this is the end of Bartholomew's words, it gives us further insight into what happened when Christ was said to have been crucified, speaks of how Jesus bound the gates of Hell (presumably ending the spiritual torments of the nether-world), and how Bartholomew was the central figure in these divine revelations, ultimately gaining power over the demon-lord Belial. One might ask, could these facts very well be the true mystery that Da Vinci was trying to relay in The Last Supper, and might there be a greater relationship between Christ and Bartholomew than is commonly recognized in Biblical passages? As the final words of the Gospel are: “Those who gain grace from your words will receive all they want in all times of my judgment”, it is only fitting that another masterful artist, Michelangelo, painted the following portrait of Bartholomew entitled “The Last Judgment”. It was commissioned by Pope Clement VII (1523-1534) shortly before his death, and his successor, Paul III Farnese, forced Michelangelo to a rapid execution of this work, the largest single fresco of the century. It displays Bartholomew as an old man, after his martyrdom, afterwhich he was skinned alive. The flailed skin in his hands is believed to be a self-portrait of Michelangelo himself.
Michelangelo’s ‘Last Judgement’, with his own face hanging as the sacrifice. Tradition holds that in Armenia, Bartholomew was flayed alive and then crucified with his head upside down.
Surely, for Michelangelo to put his own image in with that of the Apostle Bartholomew, there must very well be a special significance to this character in relation to Christian, or even mystical traditions. Today, while honored by the Church, Bartholomew or Nathanael is a highly unrecognized figure when considering his long and detailed heritage. The festival of St. Bartholomew is still celebrated on August 24, named after the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre, which was a wave of Catholic mob violence against the Huguenots (French Calvinist Protestants). Starting on August 24, 1572 the murders spread through the French countryside and lasted for several months, believed to have claimed tens of thousands of people. Ironically, on August 24th, 1456, the first printing of the Gutenberg Bible was completed, while on August 24th, 1459 Vlad Tepes (of Dracula lore) killed and impaled nearly 30,000 people in the Transylvanian city of Brasov.
When all is said and done, we might wonder if Bartholomew should really represent “Jesus: Son of War”, or are we apt to believe that the Grail above the skull in Da Vinci’s masterpiece could be a sign that “Hell has went out of business”? Does Bartholomew have a secret history that the Catholic Church would rather remain invisible? Or maybe it could just be a cryptographic promotion of “The Simpson’s Movie”, now in theatres! I’ll let you be the judge, as we can only wonder what runneth forth from this cup?
MAD is an Administrator at http://www.nwowatcher.com, recent articles and interviews can be found HERE and HERE.
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