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Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code is the fastest selling novel of all time. The book and its related products have rung up over $1 billion in sales.
The questions and theories put forth in The Da Vinci Code have electrified debate around the world. Could Mary Magdalene have been the wife of Jesus, and did they have a child together? Was Mary's reputation as a prostitute in fact a libel created by the early Church? What were the real circumstances of Jesus death? Were the Knights Templar founded to guard the secret of Jesus bloodline?
Secrets of the Cross , airing on National Geographic television, is an exciting new four-part series, uncovering the tantalising mysteries at the heart of the Christian tradition. Stories that have shaped Western culture are scrutinised in the light of compelling new evidence, as the series strips back the layers of history to reveal surprising and provocative truths.
Secrets of the Cross eschews the familiar reverential treatment of biblical history; it's a fast-paced modern day quest. The subject may be the ancient past, but the investigation is in the here and now, amidst the tourists and traffic, the hustle and bustle of modern day Jerusalem and Rome.
At the heart of each program is new archaeological and historical evidence that explode the myths embedded in the traditional tales. With the help of expert witnesses, we discover the conspiracies and cover-ups that have obscured the truth, and finally uncover the historical reality at each story's heart.
The series uses beautifully shot dramatic reconstruction to bring history to life; we glimpse clues, catch fleeting hints of new scenarios and expose false trails as the story unfolds. Familiar tales and characters are re-cast in a new light as new truths are uncovered and 2000 year old mysteries solved.
Controversial and compelling, this series pushes aside centuries of tradition to investigate the suppressed and fascinating secrets at the heart of the Christian story.
Contains The Mary Magdalene Conspiracy, Who Killed Jesus?, The Jesus Tomb, Trial of the Knights Templar. Read more
