Glossary: D

Da Vinci Code

The novel by Dan Brown. Also, referring to the art work of Leonardo Da Vinci, which esoterics believe holds several layers of meaning for the initiate. Da Vinci, Leonardo: A well-known artist, scientist and genius of the 16th Century. Painted "The Mona Lisa" and "The Last Supper."

Dead Sea Scrolls

Primary documents of ancient Judaism recovered in the 1940’s. Doctrines of Mary: Post-biblical beliefs about Mary that were dogmatized by the Roman Catholic Church and, to a lesser degree, by the Anglican and Eastern Orthodox communions.

Deity

A generic term used to refer to one or more supernatural beings. It can refer to a single God or a pair of gods.

Disciples

Followers of Jesus. Although those followers who were mentioned by name often in the gospels were evenly split between women and men, only conflicting lists of male disciples survive

Diagnostic artefact

An item that is indicative of a particular time period and/or cultural group.