1727

The year 1727 marks the death and burial of Sir Isaac Newton, a pivotal figure in the quest for the Holy Grail. Newton, a former Grand Master of the Priory of Sion, is the "knight a Pope interred" referenced in the poem that guards the second cryptex. His tomb in Westminster Abbey becomes the final destination for Robert Langdon and Sophie Neveu, who must decipher the riddle of the missing orb to unlock the keystone and discover the location of the Holy Grail.

Newton's Role as the Knight

Sir Isaac Newton, who died in 1727, is identified as the knight buried in London. The poem's first line, "In London lies a knight a Pope interred," initially confuses Langdon and Sophie, who assume a Catholic Pope must have performed the burial. However, Langdon realizes the "Pope" in question is Alexander Pope, the poet and friend of Newton, who presided over Newton's funeral. Newton's life's work—his scientific discoveries—incurred the "Holy wrath" of the Church, as his theories challenged established religious doctrine. Furthermore, Newton was a known Grand Master of the Priory of Sion, making him a direct predecessor to Jacques Saunière and a guardian of the Grail secret.

The Tomb and the Missing Orb

The poem directs the seekers to find "the orb that ought be on his tomb." Newton's elaborate monument in Westminster Abbey features a large orb carved with constellations, planets, and astronomical symbols. The riddle, however, refers not to a celestial body but to the apple that, according to legend, fell from a tree and inspired Newton's theory of gravity. This apple is the "orb"—the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge—that incurred God's wrath in the Garden of Eden. The password to the cryptex is therefore "APPLE," a word that speaks of "Rosy flesh and seeded womb," a direct allusion to the sacred feminine and the fall of the goddess.

The Unlocking of the Cryptex

Langdon deciphers the password while holding the cryptex in the Chapter House of Westminster Abbey, moments before Leigh Teabing's betrayal is revealed. He realizes that the missing orb is the apple, the symbol of original sin and the suppression of the sacred feminine. By spelling "APPLE" on the cryptex's dials, Langdon successfully opens the cylinder, revealing the final papyrus scroll that points to Rosslyn Chapel. This act of unlocking the keystone represents the culmination of the intellectual and symbolic journey set in motion by Jacques Saunière's murder, leading directly to the revelation of the Grail's true location.