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Written by Rabbi Benjamin Blech and Roy Doliner, "The Sistine Secrets: Unlocking the Codes in Michelangelo's Defiant Masterpiece" maintains the artist created hidden Jewish symbols among his 16th-century paintings in the historic site, The Daily Telegraph reported Saturday.

The men also contend the famed paintings on the Roman chapel's ceiling contain hidden insults directed at the pope.

Blech alleges all of the figures pictured in the frescoes are actually Jewish, meaning Michelangelo was attempting to narrow the gap between the Jewish faith and the Roman Catholic Church.

"He emphasizes only Old Testament figures in the entire ceiling, and what he was trying to say was: Why have we ignored our true roots?" Blech said.

The British newspaper said critics of the new book, which is on the New York Times bestseller list, have compared its allegations to those made in author Dan Brown's controversial novel "The Da Vinci Code."

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