Cracking the Symbol Code: Revealing the Secret Heretical Messages Within Church and Renaissance Art

by Tim Wallace-Murphy

Book Overview

A heretic in medieval times was anyone who dissented from the Church. Courageous and steadfast dissenters included the Knights Templar, the Freemasons, the Cathars, and scientists of the day. These... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1842931369
• ISBN13: 9781842931363
• Release Date: January 1999
• Publisher: Watkins Publishing
• Length: 309 Pages
• Weight: 1.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.3" x 9.4"

Customer Reviews

An underground stream of Symbolism

Subtitled: The Hidden Message within Church and Renaissance Art, the book deals with the history and significance of symbolism in Christian art, explaining how and why heretical ideas were hidden from the church hierarchy right under its nose. Wallace-Murphy points out the indicators of hidden symbolism and explores the manifold layers of meaning thus conveyed. Section I covers the birth and development of sacred symbolism and the legacy of ancient Egyptian gnosis. This section includes discussions of cave paintings, the power of sacred sites as well as Sumerian & Egyptian religious symbolism. The author then explores the origins of Egyptian civilization, astronomy and religion, demonstrating how Egyptian symbols have survived to the present day. In the next section he discusses the Bible, the supposed Egyptian origins of Judaism, and two conflicting views of the life and ministry of Jesus. The Old Testament text's four levels of meaning receive a thorough explanation as do the dating & compilation of the various books. In this regard, I recommend Richard Elliott Friedman's Hidden Book in the Bible. The connection between Atenism and Judaism has been made before and is not convincing as Wallace-Murphy is clearly unaware that the word "Adonai' functions as a substitute for the Tetragrammaton or Holy Name in the Shema Yisrael confession. He furthermore fails to recognize the fundamental differences between Egyptian and Hebrew religion; greater clarity may be obtained from Thomas Troward in Bible Mystery and Bible Meaning. He is on much firmer ground when discussing the two conflicting accounts of the life and message of Jesus, the variants of Judaism at that time and the nature of the New Testament. Drawing on the pioneering work of the great Robert Eisenman, the author provides a brief but fascinating look at early Christianity, the person and religion of Saul or Paul of Tarsus, his struggle with James the Just, the destruction of Jerusalem and the subsequent development of Christianity. Here he further deals with the foundations of Christian symbolism, the consolidation of Christian Europe and Gothic symbolism. The last section discusses the hidden streams coming to the surface through what he claims to be the descendants of Jesus and of Jerusalem's priestly families. It includes arresting passages on Sacred Geometry and its use in architecture with reference to Gothic buildings like Amiens, Chartres, Notre Dame de Paris and Santiago de Compostela's cathedrals plus Rosslyn Chapel. Great significance is attached to Bernard of Clairvaux, the Knights Templar and their symbols. Other topics include the Tarot, the craft of Freemasonry and the implication of the richly symbolic Grail Legends. Leonardo da Vinci and the Medicis feature in the informative chapter on Renaissance paintings. Less clear is the relationship of the Black Madonna to these themes; one could hardly imagine a greater anathema to the teachings of Jesus, James & John

Very highly recommended for general readers, but particularly those following the Da Vinci mystery's

Cracking The Symbol Cone: Revealing The Secret Heretical Messages Within The Church An Renaissance Art by British author, lecturer, and historian Tim Wallace-Murphy is among the most informative explanations to the mysteries left behind of the Knights Templar, Leonardo Da Vinci, King Solomon, and the metaphorical art of the medieval Christian era. Explore a culture and time of mystery, until recent time not at all understood, and now publicly understood. Never before has a book revealed all that Cracking The Symbol Code depicts to its readers. Informed and informative, Tim Wallace-Murphy's Cracking The Symbol Code is very highly recommended for general readers, but particularly those following the Da Vinci mystery's progression.