Neg wither the prior existed is rather moot, the modern prior is a well excpeted hoax, as for the murder of the templars taht is well known too they didn't support the avanyon (sp?) popes, better know as the french popes who ruled in france while a second pope was in power in rome, the french poipes had all the power and the templars (with their money and support of rome) where seen as a threat. Now the only claim to the templars taht freemacenry can make is in the scotish right (a number of templars made it to scotland).
Deb at least the modern church dosn't claim that mary magdalin is a prostitute, they try and combat that fallicy, mary magdalin was a disiple, there are at least two other marys in the new testament, one of which is the prostitute taht jesus saves the mention of her in proximity to mary magdalin is why a lot of laymen are convinced that they are the same person.
Neg the holy grail legends dated to back before the templars brought any thing to france (and then to scotland according to the legends passed down among the tempars still alive in that country, yes the order is still kicking somewhat).
Now for blood line theories I think the jmaes the brother who was expunged from acts of the apostials before the nician councle (long before) happened. He seemed to be the leader of the pre paul church, some one that all of the disiples defere to for some reason. the best guess that medival haritics had was that he was the brother of jesus, he and his siblings wanted to keep gentials out of the church and lost that debate with paul.
