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Introduction: What the Da Vinci Code Means When I had first heard of this novel, now more than a year ago, I didn’t understand its significance. It was merely a book. And then one evening I heard my mother and father talking about it. I had begun listening rather late in the conversation, but I could tell that book had something to do with Christianity. My dad was talking about what an uncertified fool Dan Brown was, and how people everywhere were going to believe his claims and fall away from the Church. My mom argued that people would be sensible enough to realize that this book was, as it says on the dust jacket, just a novel. This started me wondering. What could this author have said to create the threat of such controversy? Hadn’t everything we knew about Christianity been well known, established historical fact for nearly two millennia? In the following months I learned just how persuasive and confusing his claims could be. As time went on, it became clear that my father’s predictions would at least partially come true. While most of my close Christian friends who read the book believed it was just a novel, and not valid historically, many others were much more open to its ideas. Some of my friends, acquaintances, even teachers expressed to me their belief—or at least uncertainty—in Dan Brown’s claims. I read about many cases where churchgoers were leaving their old parishes, and that the pastors there—not being fully knowledgeable about church history—were unable to prevent them. Dan Brown himself expressed in numerous interviews his belief in the claims. The simple point is, this book has had a profound effect on Americans, and has done exactly what my father thought it would in many cases. While it is a novel, the book also specifically claims that its “descriptions of artwork, architecture, documents, and secret rituals…are accurate” (Brown 1). Dan Brown has claimed that his description of the early church is accurate as well. This is also supported by various scholars who have been published for the past two decades or so. This means that Dan Brown’s assertions extend well beyond the realm of fictional literature. His book is making very real claims about very real historical events that influenced the rise of very real institutions. I was very upset at some people’s reactions. By then I knew about what Dan Brown had said, that the first Christians didn’t think Jesus was divine, that he had been married to Mary Magdalene, that his divinity was the mere result of a church council in 325 A.D. I didn’t believe it, but then, I had never read it. I had not thought about the reasoning behind his claims. And so I bought the book. As far as it was a thriller novel, The Da Vinci Code had me reading late into the night. The gripping suspense, the intelligent (though at times, empty) characters, the intricate mysteries—all of these had me soaking my thumbprints into the sides of pages as I wondered constantly what would happen next. Then I reached Brown’s historical commentary, the reason I picked up the book in the first place. And so I welcome you all to Deciphering the Da Vinci Code, my own personal project, aroused by some of the statements made in the novel about the early church and about “false” Christian beliefs. It would be unfair to readers for me to withhold my background, so I shall begin this by saying that yes, as you might have guessed, I am a Christian. Let it be known that I am approaching this topic with a religious view and belief already firmly in place. As a Christian I subscribe to the traditional apostolic faith, that is, the beliefs of the followers of Christ as stated in the Apostle’s Creed. This influence has been pointed out and criticized by some. And so I would like to offer up my own personal oath: I shall not allow my personal religious beliefs to influence this investigation in any way. You can be the judge. Why not? Because it is my wish that this investigation will reach those totally convinced by The Da Vinci Code, as well as those who are not. I wish to approach the topic purely from a historical standpoint, so that the conclusions reached may be good enough for everyone. So that anyone may look at tangible, concrete evidence and say, “Dan Brown is correct,” or “Dan Brown is incorrect.” Let us now decipher his claims; not “Break” the Da Vinci Code (Darrel Bock), nor “Crack” it (James Garlow). In the course of this investigation we will comb through Dan Brown’s various claims, and find what truth, or falsehoods, there may be in each of them. What The Da Vinci Code Means I have discussed this online with people (you will know this if you have read the forum link posted in the index), and the first reaction I got was that I was overreacting in writing on the subject. “I don't see why so many people are so offended by an author creatively adjusting history in order to write a story”, said one person. In the normal world of fiction and fictional literature, this concern would seem entirely valid. However, The Da Vinci Code stands outside the realm of ordinary fiction. This cannot be stressed enough. These are very real claims and statements being made, and they are being made with a deliberate intent to inform, not merely to entertain. Dan Brown is not “creatively adjusting history to write a story”. Rather, he is saying that everything most people know and accept about history in the first days of Christianity is false. Dan Brown describes the Christian story of Jesus not as the greatest story ever told, but instead “the greatest story ever sold.” While Dan Brown uses clever fictional devices and an intricate storyline to craft a compelling plot of mystery and intrigue (this has been my reaction in any event), he is at the same time making important challenges to what has been—in our minds—established historical fact. He has utilized the genre of thriller fiction as more of a tool to put forward his assertions than a venue to tell a fun (but made up) story. This elevates The Da Vinci Code to a place higher than that most novels would occupy. His statements require real consideration and investigation. Therefore we need to keep in mind that this is more than fiction. We are trying to determine whether or not The Da Vinci Code makes for accurate, reliable historical commentary. We are interested in the profound impact his facts—if that is what they are—would have on the face of Christian thought as we know it. Welcome to Deciphering the Da Vinci Code—shall we get started? |
