The Real History Behind The Da Vinci Code by Sharan Newman

The Real History Behind the Da Vinci Code. Sharan Newman. Berkley. 2005. Available from Amazon.com. More information about the author and her work at www.sharannewman.com.

The Da Vinci Code was on the fiction best seller list for many, many weeks. Let me say that again. This book was on the list of fiction best sellers.

What is the plot of The Da Vinci Code, anyway?

It's "an exhaustively researched page-turner about secret religious societies, ancient cover-ups and savage vengeance. The action kicks off in modern-day Paris with the murder of the Louvre's chief curator, whose body is found laid out in symbolic repose at the foot of the Mona Lisa. Seizing control of the case are Sophie Neveu, a lovely French police cryptologist, and Harvard symbol expert Robert Langdon, reprising his role from Brown's last book.

The two find several puzzling codes at the murder scene, all of which form a treasure map to the fabled Holy Grail. As their search moves from France to England, Neveu and Langdon are confounded by two mysterious groups-the legendary Priory of Sion, a nearly 1,000-year-old secret society whose members have included Botticelli and Isaac Newton, and the conservative Catholic organization Opus Dei. Both have their own reasons for wanting to ensure that the Grail isn't found."

Does The Da Vinci Code deserve to be pilloried for the controversies it has engendered? (According to Christianity Today: "While the ABC News feature (a one-hour Special) focused on Brown's fascination with an alleged marriage between Jesus and Mary Magdalene, The Da Vinci Code contains many more (equally dubious) claims about Christianity's historic origins and theological development. The central claim Brown's novel makes about Christianity is that "almost everything our fathers taught us about Christ is false.")

I don't think the book does need to be so treated, nor do I think the movie currently in production should be "watered down" to suit the sensibilities of certain individuals. What this book has done is generate more interest in Christian theology than ever before. While some few people who read the book may take it at its face value, many more are simply spurred on to do research into an area that they really don't know much about. They are able to read the writings of religious leaders on the various topics author Dan Brown distorts/fictionalizes/invents in his best-selling novel. After all, the article in Christianity Today goes on to say: "...it has sparked debates about the legitimacy of Western and Christian history."

And debate is always a good thing - as long as one has the tools necessary to debate intelligently.

The Real History Behind the Da Vinci Code is such a tool, though calling it a 'tool' is to do it a disservice. Sharan Newman is an accomplished author of medieval fiction in her own right: (10 books in the Levendeur series, 3 books in the Guinevere series), and her writing here is as sprightly and amusing as it is informative.

She approaches the subject of The Da Vinci Code from a different angle - she's not concerned with the theological controversies, but rather with the history itself. The book is organized in the fashion of an encyclopedia. There are entries for each character, place, artifact and historical event, listed alphabetically. These entries are usually pages in length and add quite a bit of dimension and understanding to their use in the "ur-text" (i.e. The Da Vinci Code).

Newman "addresses each item individually with a true/false and contextual evaluation,"and does it in an entertaining and educational way. It is clearly "exhaustively researched." After each entry Newman lists books for further reading, and supplies her references.

Entries include: Marie Chauvel, Leonardo da Vinci himself, the Council of Nicaea, freemasonry, heresy, the Holy Grail, Mary Magdalene, the Knights Templars, and Women in early Christianity. (Jesus, the Apostles, and the Bible itself are not covered in individual entries.)

In addition to historical facts, she explains some of the puzzles with which Brown fills the book: In her discussion on character Manuel Arringosa, for example, she points out:

"The name of the Spanish Opus Dei bishop in The Da Vinci Code is Italian for "red herring." However, knowing how the author plays with words and concepts, I wouldn't take that for granted...."

And, regarding character Bezu Fache:

"Bezu Fache is the very religious member of the Paris police... His nickname is The Bull.

My guess is that his first name, Bezu, came from that of a valley near Rennes-le-Chateau in the south of France. The Templars had a commandary in le Bezu.

Facher is French for "to annoy or fluster someone." That would certainly fit Fache's occupation and character.

However, knowing the The Da Vinci Code delights in scrambled words, I thought I should try harder. Anagrams aren't my forte, but here goes....

Bezu is an anagram of zebu, 'a humped species of ox, domesticated from ancient times in India, China, Japan and parts of Africa'. Perhaps reflecting the man's bull-like nature?

Fache is an anagram of chafe.

Now what can we make of this? [And here Newman is spoofing those pundits who seek meaning in every little thing, however trivial.] Does Bezu wear zebu leather pants that chafe? Could it mean that he is a symbol of the passionate animal spirit trapped in a patriarchal-defined profession? He does wear a crux grammatica with thirteen jewels. Could this be a signal or even a call for help from his repressed feminine side?...

Of course, it may be just a name made up quickly when the character showed up. Some authors keep a list handy for just that purpose."

On Leigh Teabing:

"Leigh Teabing, the British royal historican character who is a Grail scholar...is a composite of two names. Leigh, for Richard Leigh, and an anagram of Baigent. Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh are two of the authors of Holy Blood, Holy Grail, a book based on the Dossiers Secrets and the story of Berenger Sauiniere. According to Dan Brown, must of the inspiration for The Da Vinci Code came from this book. I do not recommend it. I have read the footnotes and was not impressed. It is a classic example of a good story taking precedence over solid historical research. As the basis for a novel, it was an excellent source."

Highly recommended - even if you haven't read The Da Vinci Code!