DECONSTRUCTING the Code

DECONSTRUCTING THE CODE is a story of love and lost meaning, treachery and distrust, creative expression and blatant forgery, book burnings and the chance discovery of priceless writings of antiquity. In a new epic play by writer Jack Forbes, DECONSTRUCTING the Code tells the true story of the origins of Christianity and reveals long-hidden truths of ancient Gnostic Gospels (the "Nag Hammadi Books").

Saul of Tarsus is tormented by Jehovah's mandate that Gentiles, including Saul's childhood friend Thecla, could not be saved. As an ordained Rabbi, Saul recognized countless contradictions and impossible edicts within the Torah. Along the road to Tarsus (the so-called "Road to Damascus"), however, Saul experiences a liberating spiritual revelation in a mandate from God--a new religion of a metaphorical Christ where "the Christ is in you." But the Apostle Paul (his Greek, or "Hellenized," name) could never have anticipated how his new, "Gnostic" (Knowledge) Christian religion would later become distorted, challenged and annihilated by the Catholic Church in a violent conspiracy of convenience with Roman Emperor Constantine. For centuries, the literalist Christian church became the sole claimant to Christian doctrines--until one day in 1945 with discovery of the Nag Hammadi Books.

Jack Forbes is an American actor, writer and lawyer born in Long Beach, California and is a natural athlete. He learned to swim at age three and was water skiing by age five. Jack was a water ski racer in Long Beach through his early teens. At 11, Jack learned surfing and guitar and studied Judo for one year with John Ogden in Long Beach. Jack lettered three years in high school Water Polo. Jack worked as a ocean-beach life guard for four summers and worked for a winter season as a professional ski patrolman for the Sun Valley Ski Patrol in Sun Valley, Idaho. Jack is a Black Belt in Chinese Kenpo Karate and an expert in kali. Jack raced cars with Sports Car Club of America. Jack's primary sports currently are golf and indoor, competitive badminton. Jack attended the University of California at Santa Barbara, graduating with a Bachelors Degree, Honors, in Political Science and a minor in Sociology. Jack attended Pepperdine University, School of Law, graduating with a Juris Doctor Degree, Cum Laude. During law school, Jack worked in the Honors Law Clerk program at the United States Attorney's Office, Criminal Division, Central District of California. Jack was a published member of the Pepperdine Law Review, was Chairman of the Pepperdine Moot Court Board, and was a member of the Pepperdine National Moot Court team. Jack worked as a Writs & Appeals law clerk for the Orange County Public Defender's Office. Upon graduation and passing the California Bar exam on the first attempt, Jack was hired as a Deputy Public Defender ("DPD") where he worked handling Juvenile matters, misdemeanors, felonies and Writs & Appeals cases. After 5 1/2 years as a DPD, Jack entered private practice in civil litigation and criminal-defense. Jack concurrently became a professional actor in 1984. As an actor, Jack's first job was the role of a lawyer on Divorce Court, a Screen Actors Guild union show. He later worked on that show again in the role of a cult-leader litigant. Jack studied with several acting coaches over the years, including among others, Al Mancini and Cal Bartlet of the Beverly Hills Playhouse, and Bobbie Chance of Expressions Unlimited (now, Hollywood Actors Studio). Jack had the lead role in the short film Reflexus, which won Audience Choice Best of Festival Award in the first internet film festival in history-the Warner Bros/Toshiba Reel Time Film Festival. Jack played the recurring Guest Star character, Dell Cooper, in TNT's critically acclaimed cop drama, SouthLAnd. Jack had a Supporting role in the feature film, Atlas Shrugged 3: Who Is John Galt?. In several prime time television dramas including ER and Judging Amy. Jack has had Guest Star roles. He played retired C.I.A. Agent Shane Stasko as the lead in the web series Dead Bang. Jack was a recurring character in the Spelling pilot Deep, and was the lead detective on the pilot episode for Dick Wolf's acclaimed reality re-creation dramatic series, Arrest & Trial. A full list of Jack's theatrical credits may be found at www.imdb.com. Over the years, Jack has been a lead actor in scores of national commercials, including Xfinity/Comcast "Small Talk" and FOX Sports "Earthquake," and at least four commercials (Chevrolet, Tru Value Hardware, AT&T World Net and a Phillip Morris Youth Smoking Prevention PSA in which he hits baseballs to his son as the son ages from 5 to 16) which initially aired during Super Bowl broadcasts. Jack was the obstreperous attorney for Bud Light in the Taste Test Trial series of eight national commercials for Miller Lite, featuring spots with Flavor Flav and Gene Simmons, among others. Jack portrayed "Wild Ray" in the popular Firestone Complete Auto Care commercial, Used Car.