Quick Answers to the Da Vinci Code
Mark Roberts
Dan Browns The Da Vinci Code (TDVC) introduces complex issues and raises serious questions about Christianity. It takes some time to work through it all, but here is a quick summary of what you need to know and why you shouldnt believe TDVC.
What is it about? TDVC is a suspense-thriller novel that has fictional characters pursuing the famed Holy Grail. Various religious symbols and coded messages aid their quest. The turning point of the story is when they discover that the Grail is not the cup Jesus used in the Last Supper, but is instead long-suppressed truths about Jesus and the New Testament. Jesus, it turns out, was married and was not divine! The Catholic church, in cooperation with Emperor Constantine, had Jesus voted in as Deity and also voted on what to include (and leave out) in the New Testament. All of this was done as a concerted effort to suppress the worship of Mother Nature and oppress women.
Is it true? Not a bit of it! In fact, while Brown asserts on the very first page of the book all descriptions of artwork, architecture, documents and secret rituals in this novel are accurate the novel is riddled with embarrassing misinformation, wrong terminology and factual mistakes. This is crucial because the book and film make so much out of small details, like how names are spelled, locations of museums, and the meaning of symbols. Thus, statements by Brown such as Jesus being mentioned in the Dead Sea Scrolls (p. 245), when Jesus is never mentioned in the Scrolls, is astonishing. If Brown cant get facts that should have been easily researched correct, what makes anyone think he got the rest of the story right?
Is it original? Not by a long shot! TDVCs claims and storyline are old news. They have been thoroughly dealt with and discredited more than twenty years ago. In 1982 a book was published titled Holy Blood, Holy Grail by Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh. That book set forth the main ideas used in TDVC. Dan Brown even acknowledged his dependence upon Holy Blood, Holy Grail by having one of key characters name be an anagram of Holy Blood, Holy Grails authors! TDVC is so close to Holy Blood, Holy Grail that its authors sued Brown in British court for plagiarism. While they did not prevail in court, they did make a point: TDVC is just not very original. Holy Blood, Holy Grail did attract some attention when it was published, but its claims about a married Jesus and a surviving bloodline were examined then by historians and discarded. The books premise was found to be completely lacking in real evidence and credibility. If Holy Blood, Holy Grail didnt impress scholars or historians as truthful or serious in 1982, what makes anyone think the fictional work based on it should be taken any more seriously today?
Does the book show evidence of anti-Christian agenda? Without question! The book and movie are a virtual parade of vehemently anti-Christian, anti-Bible characters who all seem to get their moment (or moments!) to deliver a diatribe on how wrong Christians are, how foolish it is to believe Scripture, and how warped Christianity really is. Those who are worshipers of Mother Nature are presented as kind and compassionate, as well as intelligent and thoughtful (of course). Meanwhile, the Christians in the book are wicked hypocrites who only care about money and power. All the scholars and experts make long speeches about how the Bible is a fraud, and whenever anyone says I didnt know that! they condescend to explain just how stupid people of faith really are. Interestingly, TDVC relentlessly condemns the Catholic Church for supposedly suppressing the truth about Jesus marriage. But the books story line is about another organization, the Priory of Sion (which does not really exist), and how the Priory has hidden the documents the Catholic Church seeks. But why doesnt the Priory reveal the documents? Why arent they condemned in TDVC for aiding the Catholics in suppressing the truth? These clear biases remove TDVC from the realm of honest investigation and put it in the camp of those who are trying to destroy faith in Gods Word.
Is TDVC worth all this fuss? With 40 million copies of the book sold, and now a movie in theaters, it is hard to believe that TDVC wont have a deep affect upon societys view of the Bible. Ultimately, that is the reason why TDVC should be rejected. It contradicts the Bible, the book that has been examined for centuries and proven to be correct again and again. For those looking for an excuse to dismiss the Bible it will probably provide one. For those who are genuinely seeking the truth it does not take long to see that the only truth about TDVC is where it is found in the bookstore: in the fiction section.