Fiction or History? The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown - a Book Review
Where Brown Sees an "M" in Da Vinci's "The Last Supper," I See a Reclining "K."
I had planned to read The Da Vinci Code when it was labeled as fiction, but as soon as Brown started claiming it was fact, I determined not to buy it until it went to paperback - on sale! I recently spent my $4.97 on the book at WalMart and laughed my way through the first half. I am no scholar, but I am a bit of a history and art buff, and even I can find countless holes in his book the size of the Sistine Chapel.
Then I got to the second half, and I wasn't laughing anymore. The book became so repugnant at that point and so tedious in pushing the "sacred feminine" vs. the "evil Christian" angle that it became laborious just to finish it.
Brown claims Jesus was a mortal, a good man but not divine, and that his "marriage" to Mary Magdalene produced offspring that survive today. He bases much of his "research" on some papers on the Priory of Sion that were supposedly "uncovered" in Paris (proven to be a hoax and the work of con man Pierre Plantard). Dan Brown also points to the Coptic Gospels * and Dead Sea Scrolls which were not included in the Holy Bible for several reasons, none of which he documents. His main point is that Christianity is more or less a contrived religion that has "demonized" the worship of the "sacred feminine" so that men can be dominant, and this has produced all the ills of this world.
Bah humbug.
Brown also laces the book with lurid references to the sexual activities of the mythical Priory of Sion and other sects which reach "divinity" through sex. Not only that, but he portrays the early church as the worst kind of organization, resorting to deception and even murder to keep the truth from people.
The book and reportedly the movie are full of unsubstantiated false claims including: Jesus and Mary Magdalene were man and wife; they had a secret child; that Jesus bequeathed the church to Mary Magdalene; there were 80 gospel accounts of Christ's life; the Roman emperor Constantine gave us the New Testament; and the divinity of Jesus and much of the New Testament are inventions of fourth-century church leaders at the Council of Nicea.
Yawn. I will be so glad when it is not PC to demonize Christianity. This stuff grows tiresome. Where Brown sees an M in Da Vinci's "The Last Supper," I see a reclining K. Perhaps that is Da Vinci's secret message to me not to waste my time on
The Da Vinci Code
book and movie and to take a nap instead!
* Scientists at The University of Arizona's NSF-Arizona Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) Laboratory radiocarbon dated these samples of the Coptic manuscript at between A.D. 220 and A.D. 340. uanews.org.
Note: The Da Vinci Code has spawned a host of books that explore and debunk the mythology and conspiracy theory of Dan Brown. Those books are probably well worth the money you would have wasted on tickets and popcorn to see the movie.
Originally published at ChristianActivities.com.
SOURCES
RELATED CONTENT
If you liked this article, you also might also enjoy:
Looking for God in Harry Potter - a Book Review
Finding God in The Lord of the Rings: A Book Review
The Fellowship of J.R.R. Tolkien
Silver Leaves: The Journal of the White Tree Fund - a Review
"The Children of Hurin" by J.R.R. And Christopher Tolkien - a Book Review
A Man Like You - Poem inspired by LOTR
Journey to the Sea - Poem inspired by LOTR
Return of the Guardian King is Great Christian Fantasy - Book Review
Published by Kathryn E. Darden
An author, poet, publisher, publicist & skincare consultant, I have written for publications including CCM Magazine, The Tennessean, Barbie Bazaar Magazine, Christian Activities & several local newspapers.... View profile
- The Da Vinci Code Dazzles the Box OfficeThe Da Vinci Code (directed by Ron Howard and starring Tom Hanks, Ian McKellen, and Audrey Tautou) is fun, thrilling, and fast-paced. While it differs from the novel on which it is based, it is still well worth watch...
The Da Vinci Code: Decoden and BrokenThe Da Vinci Code is a condensed film version of a fictionalization of a academic theory. It is a successful moody quadruple mystery. There remains a questionable expansion of...- Da Vinci's Movie Debut: The Da Vinci Code is Actually a Good Movie..No matter your religious beliefs, the Da Vinci Code movie is fun and entertaining, exactly what a movie should be. The scavenger hunt aspect keeps your interest, and the art isn't too shabby to look at it either!
- The Da Vinci CodeThis is a review of the move The Da Vinci Code which is set to be released on DVD this month.
- The Da Vinci CodeAs an avid fan of word games and puzzles it should come as no surprise that amongst my favorite movies is The Da Vinci Code. The movie, directed by Ron Howard, is based on the book of the same name by best-selling aut...
- Author Profile- Dan Brown
- The Real History Behind The Da Vinci Code by Sharan Newman
- Cracking The Da Vinci Code A Speculative Peek at 2006's First Summer Blockbuster
- The Da Vinci Code and The Alphabet Versus the Goddess
- Da Vinci Code: False Portrayal of Jesus Christ
- Why I Won't Watch The Da Vinci Code
- The Da Vinci Code: Take it With Several Grains of Salt
- "The Da Vinci Code" was originally promoted as a work of historical fiction
- Brown claims Jesus was a mortal, a good man but not divine, and married to Mary Magdalene
7 Comments
Post a CommentGood job, but it is almost impossible to critique all the misrepresentataions (a more dignified, scholarly way of saying blatant, bald faced lies) in this hydra-headed monster.
I saw the hype for the movie, but haven't seen it nor read the book. Thanks for providing this fantastic review.
Great review. Brown is outrageous to make this "truth" claim. I love your line "Yawn. I will be so glad when it is not PC to demonize Christianity." What I find hysterical is that people are believing Brown because he has read something into a Da Vinci picture - DaVinci lived and painted 1,500 years after Christ. How does HE know who was at the Last Supper?!
Interesting review--reminds me of the shows they do on the History Channel covering whether movies are accurate or not.
This new trend of authors changing their work from fiction to fact or vice versa doesn't sit well with me.
Although I did read the DaVinci Code, and I saw the DaVinci Code movie, I found it quite fictional. (Maybe that was the point.) ;-) Doctrinally and historically, I had some real differences with it.
Brown is certainly a fool. Thanks for the review.