danbrown.thedavincicode-第33节

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ns　of　the　temple。〃
　〃And　did　they　find　them？〃
　Langdon　grinned。　〃Nobody　knows　for　sure；　but　the　one　thing　on　which　all　academics　agree　is　this：　The　Knights　discovered　something　down　there　in　the　ruins。。。　something　that　made　them　wealthy　and　powerful　beyond　anyone's　wildest　imagination。〃
　Langdon　quickly　gave　Sophie　the　standard　academic　sketch　of　the　accepted　Knights　Templar　history；　explaining　how　the　Knights　were　in　the　Holy　Land　during　the　Second　Crusade　and　told　King　Baldwin　II　that　they　were　there　to　protect　Christian　pilgrims　on　the　roadways。　Although　unpaid　and　sworn　to　poverty；　the　Knights　told　the　king　they　required　basic　shelter　and　requested　his　permission　to　take　up　residence　in　the　stables　under　the　ruins　of　the　temple。　King　Baldwin　granted　the　soldiers'　request；　and　the　Knights　took　up　their　meager　residence　inside　the　devastated　shrine。
　The　odd　choice　of　lodging；　Langdon　explained；　had　been　anything　but　random。　The　Knights　believed　the　documents　the　Priory　sought　were　buried　deep　under　the　ruins…beneath　the　Holy　of　Holies；　a　sacred　chamber　where　God　Himself　was　believed　to　reside。　Literally；　the　very　center　of　the　Jewish　faith。　For　almost　a　decade；　the　nine　Knights　lived　in　the　ruins；　excavating　in　total　secrecy　through　solid　rock。
　Sophie　looked　over。　〃And　you　said　they　discovered　something？〃
　〃They　certainly　did；〃　Langdon　said；　explaining　how　it　had　taken　nine　years；　but　the　Knights　had　finally　found　what　they　had　been　searching　for。　They　took　the　treasure　from　the　temple　and　traveled　to　Europe；　where　their　influence　seemed　to　solidify　overnight。
　Nobody　was　certain　whether　the　Knights　had　blackmailed　the　Vatican　or　whether　the　Church　simply　tried　to　buy　the　Knights'　silence；　but　Pope　Innocent　II　immediately　issued　an　unprecedented　papal　bull　that　afforded　the　Knights　Templar　limitless　power　and　declared　them　〃a　law　unto　themselves〃…an　autonomous　army　independent　of　all　interference　from　kings　and　prelates；　both　religious　and　political。
　With　their　new　carte　blanche　from　the　Vatican；　the　Knights　Templar　expanded　at　a　staggering　rate；　both　in　numbers　and　political　force；　amassing　vast　estates　in　over　a　dozen　countries。　They　began　extending　credit　to　bankrupt　royals　and　charging　interest　in　return；　thereby　establishing　modern　banking　and　broadening　their　wealth　and　influence　still　further。
　By　the　1300s；　the　Vatican　sanction　had　helped　the　Knights　amass　so　much　power　that　Pope　Clement　V　decided　that　something　had　to　be　done。　Working　in　concert　with　France's　King　Philippe　IV；　the　Pope　devised　an　ingeniously　planned　sting　operation　to　quash　the　Templars　and　seize　their　treasure；　thus　taking　control　of　the　secrets　held　over　the　Vatican。　In　a　military　maneuver　worthy　of　the　CIA；　Pope　Clement　issued　secret　sealed　orders　to　be　opened　simultaneously　by　his　soldiers　all　across　Europe　on　Friday；　October　13　of　1307。
　At　dawn　on　the　thirteenth；　the　documents　were　unsealed　and　their　appalling　contents　revealed。　Clement's　letter　claimed　that　God　had　visited　him　in　a　vision　and　warned　him　that　the　Knights　Templar　were　heretics　guilty　of　devil　worship；　homosexuality；　defiling　the　cross；　sodomy；　and　other　blasphemous　behavior。　Pope　Clement　had　been　asked　by　God　to　cleanse　the　earth　by　rounding　up　all　the　Knights　and　torturing　them　until　they　confessed　their　crimes　against　God。　Clement's　Machiavellian　operation　came　off　with　clockwork　precision。　On　that　day；　countless　Knights　were　captured；　tortured　mercilessly；　and　finally　burned　at　the　stake　as　heretics。　Echoes　of　the　tragedy　still　resonated　in　modern　culture；　to　this　day；　Friday　the　thirteenth　was　considered　unlucky。
　Sophie　looked　confused。　〃The　Knights　Templar　were　obliterated？　I　thought　fraternities　of　Templars　still　exist　today？〃
　〃They　do；　under　a　variety　of　names。　Despite　Clement's　false　charges　and　best　efforts　to　eradicate　them；　the　Knights　had　powerful　allies；　and　some　managed　to　escape　the　Vatican　purges。　The　Templars'　potent　treasure　trove　of　documents；　which　had　apparently　been　their　source　of　power；　was　Clement's　true　objective；　but　it　slipped　through　his　fingers。　The　documents　had　long　since　been　entrusted　to　the　Templars'　shadowy　architects；　the　Priory　of　Sion；　whose　veil　of　secrecy　had　kept　them　safely　out　of　range　of　the　Vatican's　onslaught。　As　the　Vatican　closed　in；　the　Priory　smuggled　their　documents　from　a　Paris　preceptory　by　night　onto　Templar　ships　in　La　Rochelle。〃
　〃Where　did　the　documents　go？〃
　Langdon　shrugged。　〃That　mystery's　answer　is　known　only　to　the　Priory　of　Sion。　Because　the　documents　remain　the　source　of　constant　investigation　and　speculation　even　today；　they　are　believed　to　have　been　moved　and　rehidden　several　times。　Current　speculation　places　the　documents　somewhere　in　the　United　Kingdom。〃
　Sophie　looked　uneasy。
　〃For　a　thousand　years；〃　Langdon　continued；　〃legends　of　this　secret　have　been　passed　on。　The　entire　collection　of　documents；　its　power；　and　the　secret　it　reveals　have　bee　known　by　a　single　name…Sangreal。　Hundreds　of　books　have　been　written　about　it；　and　few　mysteries　have　caused　as　much　interest　among　historians　as　the　Sangreal。〃
　〃The　Sangreal？　Does　the　word　have　anything　to　do　with　the　French　word　sang　or　Spanish　sangre…meaning　'blood'？〃
　Langdon　nodded。　Blood　was　the　backbone　of　the　Sangreal；　and　yet　not　in　the　way　Sophie　probably　imagined。　〃The　legend　is　plicated；　but　the　important　thing　to　remember　is　that　the　Priory　guards　the　proof；　and　is　purportedly　awaiting　the　right　moment　in　history　to　reveal　the　truth。〃
　〃What　truth？　What　secret　could　possibly　be　that　powerful？〃
　Langdon　took　a　deep　breath　and　gazed　out　at　the　underbelly　of　Paris　leering　in　the　shadows。　〃Sophie；　the　word　Sangreal　is　an　ancient　word。　It　has　evolved　over　the　years　into　another　term。。。　a　more　modern　name。〃　He　paused。　〃When　I　tell　you　its　modern　name；　you'll　realize　you　already　know　a　lot　about　it。　In　fact；　almost　everyone　on　earth　has　heard　the　story　of　the　Sangreal。〃
　Sophie　looked　skeptical。　〃I've　never　heard　of　it。〃
　〃Sure　you　have。〃　Langdon　smiled。　〃You're　just　used　to　hearing　it　called　by　the　name　'Holy　Grail。'　〃
　　
　CHAPTER　38
　
　Sophie　scrutinized　Langdon　in　the　back　of　the　taxi。　He's　joking。　〃The　Holy　Grail？〃
　Langdon　nodded；　his　expression　serious。　〃Holy　Grail　is　the　literal　meaning　of　Sangreal。　The　phrase　derives　from　the　French　Sangraal；　which　evolved　to　Sangreal；　and　was　eventually　split　into　two　words；　San　Greal。〃
　Holy　Grail。　Sophie　was　surprised　she　had　not　spotted　the　linguistic　ties　immediately。　Even　so；　Langdon's　claim　still　made　no　sense　to　her。　〃I　thought　the　Holy　Grail　was　a　cup。　You　just　told　me　the　Sangreal　is　a　collection　of　documents　that　reveals　some　dark　secret。〃
　〃Yes；　but　the　Sangreal　documents　are　only　half　of　the　Holy　Grail　treasure。　They　are　buried　with　the　Grail　itself。。。　and　reveal　its　true　meaning。　The　documents　gave　the　Knights　Templar　so　much　power　because　the　pages　revealed　the　true　nature　of　the　Grail。〃
　The　true　nature　of　the　Grail？　Sophie　felt　even　more　lost　now。　The　Holy　Grail；　she　had　thought；　was　the　cup　that　Jesus　drank　from　at　the　Last　Supper　and　with　which　Joseph　of　Arimathea　later　caught　His　blood　at　the　crucifixion。　〃The　Holy　Grail　is　the　Cup　of　Christ；〃　she　said。　〃How　much　simpler　could　it　be？〃
　〃Sophie；〃　Langdon　whispered；　leaning　toward　her　now；　〃according　to　the　Priory　of　Sion；　the　Holy　Grail　is　not　a　cup　at　all。　They　claim　the　Grail　legend…that　of　a　chalice…is　actually　an　ingeniously　conceived　allegory。　That　is；　that　the　Grail　story　uses　the　chalice　as　a　metaphor　for　something　else；　something　far　more　powerful。〃　He　paused。　〃Something　that　fits　perfectly　with　everything　your　grandfather　has　been　trying　to　tell　us　tonight；　including　all　his　symbologic　references　to　the　sacred　feminine。〃
　Still　unsure；　Sophie　sensed　in　Langdon's　patient　smile　that　he　empathized　with　her　confusion；　and　yet　his　eyes　remained　earnest。　〃But　if　the　Holy　Grail　is　not　a　cup；〃　she　asked；　〃what　is　it？〃
　Langdon　had　known　this　question　was　ing；　and　yet　he　still　felt　uncertain　exactly　how　to　tell　her。　If　he　did　not　present　the　answer　in　the　proper　historical　background；　Sophie　would　be　left　with　a　vacant　air　of　bewilderment…the　exact　expression　Langdon　had　seen　on　his　own　editor's　face　a　few　months　ago　after　Langdon　handed　him　a　draft　of　the　manuscript　he　was　working　on。
　〃This　manuscript　claims　what？〃　his　editor　had　choked；　setting　down　his　wineglass　and　staring　across　his　half…eaten　power　lunch。　〃You　can't　be　serious。〃
　〃Serious　enough　to　have　spent　a　year　researching　it。〃
　Prominent　New　York　editor　Jonas　Faukman　tugged　nervously　at　his　goatee。　Faukman　no　doubt　had　heard　some　wild　book　ideas　in　his　illustrious　career；　but　this　one　seemed　to　have　left　the　man　flabbergasted。
　〃Robert；〃　Faukman　finally　said；　〃don't　get　me　wrong。　I　love　your　work；　and　we've　had　a　great　run　together。　But　if　I　agree　to　publish　an　idea　like　this；　I'll　have　people　picketing　outside　my　office　for　months。　Besides；　it　will　kill　your　reputation。　You're　a　Harvard　historian；　for　God's　sake；　not　a　pop　schlockmeister　looking　for　a　quick　buck。　Where　could　you　possibly　find　enough　credible　evidence　to　support　a　theory　like　this？〃
　With　a　quiet　smile　Langdon　pulled　a　piece　of　paper　from　the　pocket　of　his