The Da Vinci Code

Rating:
Summary: da vinci code cracked
Review: da Vinci paints St. John in the picture "The Last supper" as Mary Magdalene but keeps it a secret till Dan Brown, inspired by Fibronacci's quest for the sacred feminine "rabbit" realizes the the "v" between Jesus and St. John in the picture is a symbol of the sacred feminine and not a clever foreground/background inversion of the triangle grouping of Judas,Peter and John. Whereas Peter's hand seems to rest fraternally on John's shoulder highlighting Judas' exclusion, it's really threatening Mary Magdalene. In this conspiratorial secret da Vinci is in the company of the most accomplished philosophers and scientists of Western civilization, like Newton and Pope, who write of their intense Christian belief only to conceal their disavowal of Christ- as presented in the 1st century writings of the New Testament-and their devotion to the sacred feminine, whose clebration culminates in public heterosexual sex as its highest religious expression. Finally everytime you press the "v" button, the down button, on an elevator you are in communion with the sacred feminine which was deliberately suppressed by Christianity, which started in the 4th century with the Council of Nicea. Huh?
A lot of fun as a mystery which I didn't think sustained a kind of imaginative credibility- at one point I thought the author was teasing the reader and that it's to be taken as a joke, as a code in itself which is really affirming the opposite of what it proposes. Now that would be fun to explore.

Rating:
Summary: From another reviewer...worth reading
Review: Da Vinci' code for Catholic bashing

Our Sunday Visitor // Amy Welborn
08 June 2003

Who says that Catholicism doesn't influence American culture? The number one best-selling fiction title in the nation, "The Da Vinci Code" (Doubleday, $25) has "Catholic" on practically every page. Granted, the word is usually awfully close to words like "repressive," "patriarchal," and "brutal," but you have to take what you can get.

Or do you?

Since its release in March, the book has surprised many by becoming a best seller. The word on the street is that it's an "intelligent thriller," challenging the reader's mind with a suspenseful plot, but also with lots of culture and learning.

But "The Da Vinci Code" is neither learned nor challenging - except to the reader's patience. Moreover, it's not really suspenseful, and the writing is shockingly banal, even for genre fiction. It's a pretentious, bigoted, tendentious mess, and the uniformly positive press - including a rave in The New York Times and a fawning National Public Radio interview with author Dan Brown - should give us serious pause.

But if you think you might like a book whose ultimate effect is something like Umberto Eco proudly presented by Fox Network, here's the plot, such as it is:

(Be warned, there are "spoilers" ahead. A book this bad deserves to be spoiled, but if you don't want to know what happens, stop reading now.)

A curator at the Louvre is murdered in a gallery, but before he dies, he manages to leave clues and arrange his body in a significant way. His cryptologist granddaughter, Sophie Neveu, and a visiting American academic, Robert Langdon, whose specialty is religious symbolism, are drawn into the case and discern that Grandpere Sauniere was trying to leave a message - not about his killer, but about a Big Secret.

Catholic conspiracy

Sauniere was part of an ancient secret society called the Priory of Sion, for centuries charged with protecting the Big Secret. The Big Secret threatens to disrupt Life As We Know It. Naturally, the Catholic Church has spent the last thousand years making sure that it doesn't get out.

So, what's the Big Secret? Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene, who was pregnant when He was crucified. Their child's descendents are still alive, anonymous and protected by the Priory.

The Priory is also the guardian of the real true faith Jesus and Mary Magdalene wanted passed on: the celebration of the "sacred feminine ."

The Da Vinci Code, then, is the story of the big race to reach the Holy Grail - which turns out to be not the chalice of the Last Supper but the remains of Mary Magdalene, mostly.

Sophie and Langdon race against the Church, primarily represented by an albino Opus Dei adherent taking directions from a bishop and mysterious "Teacher."

They race from clue to clue left by Sophie's code-loving Grandfather, puzzles left everywhere from the Bank of Zurich to the Church of Saint-Sulpice to Westminster Abbey to the paintings of Leonardo DaVinci.

Da Vinci, the story goes, portrayed his devotion to the Holy Grail of the sacred feminine into his Last Supper. The figure at Jesus' right is not a male, but Mary Magdalene, who is his partner in the gospel of the sacred feminine.

Same old lies

Hardly any of this background is original. Most of it is derived directly from the fantasy-disguised-as-history work "Holy Blood, Holy Grail," and the rest of it is cobbled from other bits of well-worn and risible nuggets of esoteric and Gnostic conspiracy theories.

Brown's treatment of the Roman Catholic Church is unoriginal as well. He uncritically repeats, among many other lies and distortions, the canard that the Church was responsible for killing five million accused witches during the medieval period.

And, I bet you didn't know the divinity of Jesus Christ thing was invented by the Emperor Constantine as a way of shoring up his power:

"'My dear....until that moment in history, Jesus was viewed by His followers as a mortal prophet....a great and powerful man, but a man nevertheless. A mortal.'

"'Not the Son of God?'

"'Right.' Teabing said. 'Jesus' establishment as 'the Son of God' was officially proposed and voted on by the Council of Nicaea.'

'Hold on. You're saying Jesus' divinity was the result of a vote?'"

Whoa, dude!

You get the picture. This is not exactly the learned, intellectually engaging work it's cracked up to be.

Neither is it a well-crafted suspense novel. There is precious little action. Characters stand in a restroom in the Louvre for two chapters, explaining things to each other. Then they move to the Bank of Zurich, where they explain some more. And so on. These one-dimensional characters talk their way to Scotland where they spend a few chapters explaining the unsatisfying climax of this most wretched book.

Books this bad are usually best ignored, but in addition to being a best seller, Amazon reader reviews show a startling number of people are deeply gratified the book has taught them some history they didn't know before.

So thanks to "The Da Vinci Code," Catholicism is blipping on the cultural radar, loud and clear, aided by aggressive marketing and generous reviewers of influence, defining Catholic Christianity for scores of gullible readers.

Talk about a conspiracy. ...

Welborn ([e-mail]) writes from Indiana.

Copyright 2003 Our Sunday Visitor

© 2003, Information Office of Opus Dei on the Internet
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Rating:
Summary: That's fiction, baby
Review: Dan Brown answers with his book the thorny question "History: Fiction or Science?" asked by Anatoly Fomenko. dan spells out loud and clear: that's fiction, baby!

Rating:
Summary: More than an incredible story... it is Revolutionary
Review: Dan Brown brilliantly uses a fictional plot to reveal a historical theory that if true would be nothing short of revolutionary. The only other book I can compare this to is Galileo Galilei's "Dialogue concerning the two chief world-systems" in which Galileo used a fictional argument to challenge the strongly held belief that the earth was the center of the universe. Dan Browns research is intrinsically laid out with historical details and connections that are hard to argue. It is true that his theory has been borrowed from others, though this only adds to its credibility as both a historical document and a masterpiece of fiction. I can only assume that Dan Brown chose a fictitious format because what he reveals is so sensitive that a strictly non-fiction format would be nothing short of suicide. What is astounding is that not only is the theory he lays out so profound and life altering, but that he manages to reveal this information in a truly enthralling murder mystery. The research and thought that it reveals is truely inspiring. As far as the religious controversy, all I can say is the following...

"Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason, than that of blind-folded fear."
-Thomas Jefferson

"Religion consists in a set of things which the average man thinks he believes and wishes he was certain of."
Mark Twain (1835 - 1910)

"Nothing can be more contrary to religion and the clergy than reason and common sense."- Voltaire

I say, read this book with an open mind and then judge for yourself with reason whether the story is truth or fiction. Question the motives of those who disapprove of the message it provides.

Rating:
Summary: A gripping thriller with an axe to grind
Review: Dan Brown can certainly write a gripping thriller and the book is hard to put down with non-stop action from beginning to end. What a pity, then, that he has wanted to use the Da Vinci Code to write an anti-Christian tract. Particular venom is reserved for the Catholic Church, or "the Vatican" as the author likes to call it, somewhat anachronistically when he is speaking of the Church in the 4th Century AD. The references to Opus Dei are so inaccurate that it is virtually impossible to recognise the organisation as it exists in real life. It appears the author did very little proper research, at least for this aspect of the work. I feel his having such an axe to grind really detracts from the overall quality of the book.

Rating:
Summary: Bubble-gum history
Review: Dan Brown clearly rankles some nerves in "The Da Vinci Code," with his sweeping condemnation of the Church and its evil operatives. The pre-prologue, labeled "Fact:", may also cause some head-scratching among students of religious history. But I think the book can be best enjoyed by not taking it too seriously. After all, this is pop historical fiction, served up with intriguing plot twists, high-tech surveillance devices, charming little riddles, and a dash of sexual innuendo, all of which are played out by a cast of jet-set international cognoscenti. James Bond meets the bible.

Chances are you've read, or are thinking about reading, "The Da Vinci Code" because, well, everyone else is reading it. Whatever formula delivers popularity, which begets further popularity, "The Da Vinci Code" certainly has it. And that could be the novel's strongest point. It appeals to a wide audience and keeps readers captivated to the end. That's the holy grail of this book. It's easy to poke holes in "The Da Vinci Code," but treat it as a fun read for the bus ride home and you'll probably be glad that you read it.

Rating:
Summary: Starts out OK, then runs out of steam -- and credibility
Review: Dan Brown cleverly mixes suspense and history, but the story falls flat in the last pages. The finale is a letdown.

Rating:
Summary: Where in the world is the good book ending?
Review: Dan Brown did a wonderful job on making me question what I thought I knew about history and my own religon. . He brings up many interesting points, and has evidence to back them up. However, I did not think that the plot was as important as him conveying his theories and facts.I think that he was too busy at the beginig of the book to set you up with history and every single symbolic pose, he forgot how to end a good book!!!!

Rating:
Summary: Shocked and Awed!
Review: Dan Brown digs deeper into the origins of Jesus and religion in "The Da Vinci Code." Borrowing heavily from "Holy Blood Holy Grail," Brown semi-fictionalizes information regarding the true source of the Holy Grail in this latest thriller. With enough plot twists to start his own pretzel factory, Brown shocks and awes with deft precision in this wonderful mystery. While I wasn't personally impressed with his previous work, "Angels and Demons," after reading "...Da Vinci...", I may very well return and reread his other work. But this one is strongly recommended!

Rating:
Summary: Great expose about the Catholic Church
Review: Dan Brown explains how the Catholic church sent women to their death during the middle ages, calling them witches. For too long the Catholic church has hidden its past amid claims of saving souls from some hateful god who would burn them in hell if they don't do as this church says. Hopefully this well written best seller will expose readers to the past and present sins of this massive cult. Brown's work makes fascinating reading in the context of this cults attempt to cover up the very real sins of its leaders against thousands of children.

According to Brown Catholics, for centuries, have attempted to cover up many original unpleasant truth's about the founding of this religion. That the cover ups never stop should give anyone pause.

Brown's book is not all that great as a thriller - but the subject matter is fun and fascinating and perhaps will hasten the demise of an ancient anachronism.