Secrets of the Cross

Airing on the National Geographic Channel, this four-episode series picks up on the current interest in Christian lore and tradition generated by books such as Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code, weaving together biblical history, recent archaeological finds, and new historical evidence as it revisits a quartet of hot topics. “Who Killed Jesus?” places the blame squarely on the politically ambitious Pontius Pilate. “The Jesus Tomb” explores whether bones found in Jerusalem in 1980 could really be those of Jesus and his family. New documents shed some light on the abrupt downfall of a vaunted order of monastic knights in “Trial of the Knights Templar.” And “The Mary Magdalene Conspiracy” examines the role of “the most mysterious woman in history” in light of the recently discovered Gnostic Gospels (the “conspiracy” involves the blackening of her reputation by Pope Gregory the Great some 1,400 years ago). Given the scant record on Magdalene, the last segment seems stretched to fit the necessary 50 minutes, but the others provide far more information. Narrated by Colin Tierney, Secrets of the Cross combines lushly filmed vignettes set in the Holy Land and relevant European locations—with actors portraying Jesus, Mary Magdalene, Jacques deMolay (the last Grand Master of the Knights Templar), and others—and interviews with religious and secular experts. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (F. Gardner)