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The Da Vinci Code is a bestselling novel by author [[Dan Brown]].  It has sold over 40 million copies worldwide, and has been translated into over 40 languages. (ParisInfo.com)  It has been on the top of the [[NY Times]] Bestseller List since its release in 2003, and held the coveted #1 spot for many weeks. (Catholic.com)  The book’s exciting storyline and interesting characters have contributed to its record sales—as has its highly controversial content.  

'''The Da Vinci Code''' is a bestselling novel by author [[Dan Brown]].  It has sold over 40 million copies worldwide, and has been translated into over 40 languages. (ParisInfo.com)  It has been on the top of the [[NY Times]] Bestseller List since its release in 2003, and held the coveted #1 spot for many weeks. (Catholic.com)  The book’s exciting storyline and interesting characters have contributed to its record sales—as has its highly controversial content.  

[[Image: davincicode.jpg|thumb|right|120px|''The Da Vinci Code'' book cover (UK 1st edition)]]   

[[Image: davincicode.jpg|thumb|right|120px|''The Da Vinci Code'' book cover (UK 1st edition)]]   

Many authors have written books debunking the historical inaccuracies in the Brown's book, selling millions of copies.

Many authors have written books debunking the historical inaccuracies in the Brown's book, selling millions of copies.

==='''Plot Summary'''===

===Plot Summary===

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It is story above revealing this fictional conspiracy that gives the Da Vinci Code its allure.

It is story above revealing this fictional conspiracy that gives the Da Vinci Code its allure.

==='''Part I: Mary Magdalene, Wife of the Messiah?'''===

===Part I: Mary Magdalene, Wife of the Messiah?===

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Mary Magdalene is a good place to start, because she and her supposed marriage to Jesus are the cornerstones upon which Brown’s claims rest.  In The Da Vinci Code, Brown states that Mary Magdalene is a “royal” Jewish woman from the tribe of Benjamin and Jesus’ single most important disciple.  She is not a prostitute—in fact this was a lie invented by the Catholic Church to demonize her.  She is also his lover, wife, and the mother of their daughter, Sarah.  She was supposed to be the leader of the church after Jesus’ death, but was forced by “Peter’s Party” aka “the winners” to escape to Provence, France with her daughter.  Her womb is the “Holy Grail”, her bones are buried under the glass pyramid at the [[Louvre]], the Priory of Scion and Knight’s Templar were dedicated to preserving her story and worshipped her as a goddess, she was the “Divine Mother” and represented the real purpose of Jesus’ life and teaching—to reintegrate the “Sacred Feminine” into society.  However, Mary Magdalene is mentioned only a few times in the gospels—and never once is a single one of Brown’s claims about Mary supported by the Bible.  (Welborn 63)   

Mary Magdalene is a good place to start, because she and her supposed marriage to Jesus are the cornerstones upon which Brown’s claims rest.  In The Da Vinci Code, Brown states that Mary Magdalene is a “royal” Jewish woman from the tribe of Benjamin and Jesus’ single most important disciple.  She is not a prostitute—in fact this was a lie invented by the Catholic Church to demonize her.  She is also his lover, wife, and the mother of their daughter, Sarah.  She was supposed to be the leader of the church after Jesus’ death, but was forced by “Peter’s Party” aka “the winners” to escape to Provence, France with her daughter.  Her womb is the “Holy Grail”, her bones are buried under the glass pyramid at the [[Louvre]], the Priory of Scion and Knight’s Templar were dedicated to preserving her story and worshipped her as a goddess, she was the “Divine Mother” and represented the real purpose of Jesus’ life and teaching—to reintegrate the “Sacred Feminine” into society.  However, Mary Magdalene is mentioned only a few times in the gospels—and never once is a single one of Brown’s claims about Mary supported by the Bible.  (Welborn 63)   

Teabing states that Jesus’ marriage is “a matter of historical record,” and has been meticulously documented by “scores of historians” throughout history.  OK, so where might these historical records be found? The answer is, nowhere… except in Dan Brown’s imagination, perhaps.  Essentially, in every single early Christian writing combined there is not one single reference to Jesus’ marriage.  This includes the canonical and non-canonical texts—the Constantine-approved, biased selection of scripture known as the Bible as well as the unaltered, censored Gnostic gospels.  (Ehrman 153)  In his book, Darrell L. Bock explains… in my office there are 38 volumes or early church documents, each several hundred pages, double columns, in small print.  The fact that out of all this material only two texts can be brought forward as even ancient candidates for the theory shows how unlikely it is..

Teabing states that Jesus’ marriage is “a matter of historical record,” and has been meticulously documented by “scores of historians” throughout history.  OK, so where might these historical records be found? The answer is, nowhere… except in Dan Brown’s imagination, perhaps.  Essentially, in every single early Christian writing combined there is not one single reference to Jesus’ marriage.  This includes the canonical and non-canonical texts—the Constantine-approved, biased selection of scripture known as the Bible as well as the unaltered, censored Gnostic gospels.  (Ehrman 153)  In his book, Darrell L. Bock explains… in my office there are 38 volumes or early church documents, each several hundred pages, double columns, in small print.  The fact that out of all this material only two texts can be brought forward as even ancient candidates for the theory shows how unlikely it is..

==='''Part II: “Peter’s Party” vs. “Mary’s Party”'''===

===Part II: “Peter’s Party” vs. “Mary’s Party”===

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While Dan Brown exalts Mary Magdalene to the point of goddess status, at the same time he ironically claims that the early church did not believe Jesus was divine, and in fact, that Jesus himself did not claim to be the Son of God!  This is a myth invented by the “winners”, beginning with Jesus’ chauvinistic disciple Peter.  According to Dan Brown, after Jesus’ death, Mary Magdalene was intended to be the leader of the church, but egotistical Peter took over, and Mary was forced to flee to France with her child.  Peter’s goal was to suppress the truth about who Mary was.   

While Dan Brown exalts Mary Magdalene to the point of goddess status, at the same time he ironically claims that the early church did not believe Jesus was divine, and in fact, that Jesus himself did not claim to be the Son of God!  This is a myth invented by the “winners”, beginning with Jesus’ chauvinistic disciple Peter.  According to Dan Brown, after Jesus’ death, Mary Magdalene was intended to be the leader of the church, but egotistical Peter took over, and Mary was forced to flee to France with her child.  Peter’s goal was to suppress the truth about who Mary was.   

If Brown had told the whole story, perhaps Sophie would not view the Gnostic Jesus as the “original feminist”.  ("Jesus was the original feminist. He intended for the future of the church to be in the hands of Mary Magdalene." -Sir Leigh Teabing TDVC 248)

If Brown had told the whole story, perhaps Sophie would not view the Gnostic Jesus as the “original feminist”.  ("Jesus was the original feminist. He intended for the future of the church to be in the hands of Mary Magdalene." -Sir Leigh Teabing TDVC 248)

==='''Part III: The Gnostics & the Non-canonical Gospels'''===

===Part III: The Gnostics & the Non-canonical Gospels===

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So, the Peter-party myth has been “busted.”  We have seen that the Bible does not demonize Mary Magdalene the way Dan Brown claims it does, and the Gnostic texts Brown used for “evidence” did not present an accurate representation of Gnosticism.  So, who exactly were the Gnostics?  They were one of the first of many cults—or groups that branched off from Christianity because of disagreements with aspects of Christian doctrine.  Brown conveniently does not mention Docetism, a first century cult of the belief that Jesus Christ was only God, and not at all human.  (Niederauer)  [[Gnosticism]] arose in the century after Jesus’ death and (not unlike Dan Brown himself) believed they held the key to some secret, hidden knowledge (or gnosis) about Jesus.  (Ehrman 42)  The Gnostics claimed to rely entirely on knowledge or reason, and viewed God as an intangible, mystical force.  The term “agnostic” is now used to refer to individuals who claim that understanding God is impossible because it is somehow beyond human reasoning.  (Schlafly)  However, what Dan Brown claims they believed about Jesus is a far cry from the truth.

So, the Peter-party myth has been “busted.”  We have seen that the Bible does not demonize Mary Magdalene the way Dan Brown claims it does, and the Gnostic texts Brown used for “evidence” did not present an accurate representation of Gnosticism.  So, who exactly were the Gnostics?  They were one of the first of many cults—or groups that branched off from Christianity because of disagreements with aspects of Christian doctrine.  Brown conveniently does not mention Docetism, a first century cult of the belief that Jesus Christ was only God, and not at all human.  (Niederauer)  [[Gnosticism]] arose in the century after Jesus’ death and (not unlike Dan Brown himself) believed they held the key to some secret, hidden knowledge (or gnosis) about Jesus.  (Ehrman 42)  The Gnostics claimed to rely entirely on knowledge or reason, and viewed God as an intangible, mystical force.  The term “agnostic” is now used to refer to individuals who claim that understanding God is impossible because it is somehow beyond human reasoning.  (Schlafly)  However, what Dan Brown claims they believed about Jesus is a far cry from the truth.

Bart Ehrman in his book Truth and Fiction in the Da Vinci Code, critiques six typical examples of [[non-canonical gospels]].  The gospels he discusses include [[The Infancy Gospel of Thomas]], [[The Gospel of Peter]], [[The Coptic Apocalypse of Peter]], [[The Coptic Gospel of Thomas]], and [[The Gospels of Philip and Mary]].  Each one presents a consistently more divine picture of Jesus that the canonical gospels.  Some even stand directly against the view that Jesus was human and deemphasize his humanity.  (Ehrman 49-71)

Bart Ehrman in his book Truth and Fiction in the Da Vinci Code, critiques six typical examples of [[non-canonical gospels]].  The gospels he discusses include [[The Infancy Gospel of Thomas]], [[The Gospel of Peter]], [[The Coptic Apocalypse of Peter]], [[The Coptic Gospel of Thomas]], and [[The Gospels of Philip and Mary]].  Each one presents a consistently more divine picture of Jesus that the canonical gospels.  Some even stand directly against the view that Jesus was human and deemphasize his humanity.  (Ehrman 49-71)

==='''Part IV: Constantine and the Council of Nicaea'''===

===Part IV: Constantine and the Council of Nicaea===

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<blockquote>

<blockquote>

Brown also states that the four chosen gospels were “embellished” to further demonize Mary Magdalene, emphasize Jesus’ humanity and so forth.  By the fourth century there were hundreds—maybe thousands of copies of those four gospels in existence.  It is impossible that some authority ordered every copy altered.  Today, among surviving ancient copies of these gospels no “embellished” versions exist.  (Garlow and Jones 147)

Brown also states that the four chosen gospels were “embellished” to further demonize Mary Magdalene, emphasize Jesus’ humanity and so forth.  By the fourth century there were hundreds—maybe thousands of copies of those four gospels in existence.  It is impossible that some authority ordered every copy altered.  Today, among surviving ancient copies of these gospels no “embellished” versions exist.  (Garlow and Jones 147)

==='''Part V: Secret Societies'''===

===Part V: Secret Societies===

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The first page in The Da Vinci Code is entitled “facts”.  The following statement is made about the ancient, secret society known as the “[[Priory of Scion]]”:

The first page in The Da Vinci Code is entitled “facts”.  The following statement is made about the ancient, secret society known as the “[[Priory of Scion]]”:

==='''Part VI: Feminism in The Da Vinci Code'''===

===Part VI: Feminism in The Da Vinci Code===

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The Da Vinci Code is so much about the Church demonizing women throughout the centuries that it is no surprise it is a huge hit among women—and feminists in particular.  The amount of ideologically-motivated material in The Da Vinci Code is startling.  One example is that Brown perpetuates the idea of the “Sacred Feminine/Mother Goddess” throughout the book.  This idea basically states that in ancient times, people primarily worshipped female deities.  Because their religion was based on femininity, reproduction and therefore agriculture played an important part in their lives.  Ancient societies were made up of peace-loving farmers, who were in tune with nature, respected women, did not engage in warfare or even own weapons designed for killing humans.  (Welborn 74)

The Da Vinci Code is so much about the Church demonizing women throughout the centuries that it is no surprise it is a huge hit among women—and feminists in particular.  The amount of ideologically-motivated material in The Da Vinci Code is startling.  One example is that Brown perpetuates the idea of the “Sacred Feminine/Mother Goddess” throughout the book.  This idea basically states that in ancient times, people primarily worshipped female deities.  Because their religion was based on femininity, reproduction and therefore agriculture played an important part in their lives.  Ancient societies were made up of peace-loving farmers, who were in tune with nature, respected women, did not engage in warfare or even own weapons designed for killing humans.  (Welborn 74)

Perhaps the most serious fact overlooked by Dan Brown in his representation of the Catholic Church as anti-female is [[Mary the Mother of Jesus]].  Dan Brown’s total silence on this matter is glaringly obvious to anyone who knows anything about Christianity.  The truth is that the Catholic Church holds Mary in extremely high esteem—some even believe too much.  She is such a central figure in the Catholic faith, that at times she appears as important as Jesus Christ himself.  However, Dan Brown has seemingly never heard of her.

Perhaps the most serious fact overlooked by Dan Brown in his representation of the Catholic Church as anti-female is [[Mary the Mother of Jesus]].  Dan Brown’s total silence on this matter is glaringly obvious to anyone who knows anything about Christianity.  The truth is that the Catholic Church holds Mary in extremely high esteem—some even believe too much.  She is such a central figure in the Catholic faith, that at times she appears as important as Jesus Christ himself.  However, Dan Brown has seemingly never heard of her.

==='''Part VII: Leonardo DaVinci'''===

===Part VII: Leonardo DaVinci===

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So, by this time you are probably thinking as I did, “Brown must have at least gotten Da Vinci right!”  Well, as it turns out—and by this point, it should not be very surprising—he did not.  The list of errors Brown makes about the title-inspiring [[Leonardo Da Vinci]] is lengthy.  On his official website, Brown states that Leonardo was “a prankster and genius" who is "widely believed to have hidden secret messages within much of his artwork."  This is simply not true; it's almost impossible to locate any serious art scholar or historian who believes that about Leonardo Da Vinci.  (Olson and Miesel)

So, by this time you are probably thinking as I did, “Brown must have at least gotten Da Vinci right!”  Well, as it turns out—and by this point, it should not be very surprising—he did not.  The list of errors Brown makes about the title-inspiring [[Leonardo Da Vinci]] is lengthy.  On his official website, Brown states that Leonardo was “a prankster and genius" who is "widely believed to have hidden secret messages within much of his artwork."  This is simply not true; it's almost impossible to locate any serious art scholar or historian who believes that about Leonardo Da Vinci.  (Olson and Miesel)

Brown then goes on to state that “the nuns” wished for the painting to contain Mary, Jesus, John the Baptist and the angel Uriel.  Leonardo followed “the nuns” instructions, but the first version he painted contained "explosive and disturbing details."  Actually, the confraternity wanted God the Father overhead, with two prophets on the side panels and the Virgin of the Rocks centered in the middle.  It is not known exactly what conspired between Leonardo and the monks, but it is know that Leonardo did not follow their original instructions.  There was nothing startlingly “un-Christian” in either version. (Olson and Miesel)

Brown then goes on to state that “the nuns” wished for the painting to contain Mary, Jesus, John the Baptist and the angel Uriel.  Leonardo followed “the nuns” instructions, but the first version he painted contained "explosive and disturbing details."  Actually, the confraternity wanted God the Father overhead, with two prophets on the side panels and the Virgin of the Rocks centered in the middle.  It is not known exactly what conspired between Leonardo and the monks, but it is know that Leonardo did not follow their original instructions.  There was nothing startlingly “un-Christian” in either version. (Olson and Miesel)

==='''Part VIII: Dan Brown’s Representation of Christianity'''===

===Part VIII: Dan Brown’s Representation of Christianity===

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Throughout The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown paints a picture of Christianity, and most importantly, its central figure: Jesus Christ.  In official interviews, he states that he himself is a Christian.  (danbrown.com)  

Throughout The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown paints a picture of Christianity, and most importantly, its central figure: Jesus Christ.  In official interviews, he states that he himself is a Christian.  (danbrown.com)  

Director [[Ron Howard]], producer Brian Grazer and actor [[Tom Hanks]] teamed up to make a film adaptation of the novel. It opened at the [[Cannes Film Festival]] and was conformed of an ensemble cast. It failed to live up to box office expectations which called for a super blockbuster and was critically lambasted for its pacing and ridiculous sounding dialog.

Director [[Ron Howard]], producer Brian Grazer and actor [[Tom Hanks]] teamed up to make a film adaptation of the novel. It opened at the [[Cannes Film Festival]] and was conformed of an ensemble cast. It failed to live up to box office expectations which called for a super blockbuster and was critically lambasted for its pacing and ridiculous sounding dialog.

==='''Bibliography'''===

===Bibliography===

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Schlafly, Andrew.  World History Fourth Lecture – Ancient History.  October 2006.

Schlafly, Andrew.  World History Fourth Lecture – Ancient History.  October 2006.

[[category:literature|Da Vinci Code]]

[[Category:Literature|Da Vinci Code]]

[[Category:Liberal Fiction]]

[[Category:Liberal Fiction]]