conclusions are the following: Jesus was a disciple of John the Baptist, and that John's religious teachings were essentially that of the Egyptian mystery religion of Isis-Osiris-Horus. Jesus was initiated into the inner circle of John the Baptist, but was not selected to succeed him. Rather it was Simon Magus who was selected as John the Baptist's successor. Mary Magdalene had a ritualized, “sacred” sexual relationship with Jesus, in keeping with their religious beliefs, and as his initiator into the sacred mysteries had an equal relationship to Jesus. Politics and religion were synonymous in ancient Israel, and Jesus was an astute and aggressive political competitor against John. The Jesus group may have been responsible for the death of John the Baptist. Jesus’ disciples were not initiated into the inner mysteries of his teachings. The term Christ had a different significance to the participants in the biblical drama than they do nowadays. To those in John the Baptist's circle it would have referred to all who were baptized and initiated into the arcana of their belief system. Numerous images and stories in the canonical New Testament are in actuality adaptations of those found in other religious traditions, and are not unique. Jesus is one in a line of many dying-and-rising gods, who share many similar traits. The authors offer, but not claim, that perhaps Leonardo da Vinci was sending veiled messages through his art, which could be understood only by others who were open to their meaning. And while on the surface these paintings seem to be simple biblical depictions, they represent in fact his belief in the superiority of John the Baptist over Jesus. Reception CNN dismissed the authors' findings in their review, calling their viewpoints "upside-down" and criticizing their reliance on non-canonical sources. They concluded that the book's ideas "are based on the flimsiest of premises which are supported by the slimmest of indirect and circumstantial evidence". In a review for The Newcastle Herald, Alfred Holland derided the book's findings, but praised its entertainment value, stating "for this reviewer it's all a load of manure, but if your scene is a tight, well-written romp pursuing bewitching and imaginative speculation through the byzantine corridors of history, and you want an escape from our present-day, equally byzantine, political magicians, then it's a thoroughly enjoyable read." Writing for The Courier-Mail, Alison Coates similarly noted that "this is not a book for which