[...continued...]    What seems to have escaped Brown and others who buy into this theory is that Da Vinci was neither present at the Last Supper nor did Jesus and the disciples sit for this painting. Even if he, in fact, intentionally placed Mary Magdalene into his painting that does not make it a historical fact. Nor does it explain why John was left out.

Here is how an eyewitness to the event describes who participated. “Now when evening had come, He was reclining at the table with his twelve disciples.” (Matthew 26:20) The author of this Gospel had earlier identified these twelve disciples as: Simon Peter, Andrew, James the son of Zebedee, John, Phillip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot. (Matthew 10:3-4) Obviously, were Matthew to have painted this scene it would not have included Mary Magdalene and John would definitely have been part of it.

But what did Primetime’s investigation turn up on this point? There is a telling scene where Vargas and noted Princeton Professor of Art History, Dr. Jack Wasserman, stand before Da Vinci’s painting and the following conversation ensues:

Not being able to get Dr. Wasserman to agree it is a woman, the scene immediately cuts to author, Dan Brown, who declares: “If you look at that painting that is clearly a woman.”

Just as Vargas could not find Biblical scholars to support Brown’s belief Jesus was married, neither could she find support among art experts that Dr. Wasserman was incorrect, stating: “We were only able to find one prominent art historian who said he’d long believed the figure might be a woman and not a man.”

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