Here Comes The Da Vinci Code

“So Jesus said, ‘When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know who I am and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me. The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him.’ Even as he spoke, many put their faith in him. To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, ‘If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’” – John 8:28-32 (NIV)

Several years ago, I read an e-mail from a Christian about a new book entitled The Da Vinci Code. She mentioned that this novel contained some historical revelations that challenge fundamental tenets of the Bible and the Christian faith. I responded that the novel is a work of fiction and should be treated as such. I didn’t think much more of it at the time. Little did I suspect that years later such a significant controversy would still be swirling around this same novel. In fact, it has become more than a book: accompanied by typical Hollywood hype, the movie of the same name will debut this Friday, May 19. I expect it to be the top grossing movie during its inaugural weekend.

Normally, I have nothing against a mystery/action novel or movie. I would certainly have nothing against The Da Vinci Code except that: (1) author Dan Brown claims that his research, designed to create doubt about the New Testament Gospels, is factual; (2) the secular population has begun giving credence to this fiction novel; and (3) some Christians have begun replacing Biblical truth with claims made by Brown in his fiction novel. (It is the third observation that disturbs me the most).

Dan Brown makes some extremely bold claims about the historicity of his novel. On The Today Show, host Matt Lauer asked, “How much of this book is based on reality in terms of things that actually occurred?” Brown responded, “Absolutely all of it. Obviously Robert Langdon is fictional, but all of the art, architecture, secret rituals, secret societies – all of that is historical fact.” (NBC, 6/9/2003) In response, Sandra Miesel writes in Crisis magazine, “So error-laden is The Da Vinci Code that the educated reader actually applauds those rare occasions where Brown stumbles (despite himself) into the truth.” (Cited in Discussing the Da Vinci Code DVD Discussion Guide, Lee Strobel and Garry Poole, Zondervan, p. 21) Sandra Miesel holds master’s degrees in biochemistry and medieval history from the University of Illinois. Since 1983, she has written hundreds of articles for the Catholic press, chiefly on history, art, and hagiography (study of the lives of the saints).

In his claim that his research discredits the truth found in the Bible, Brown simply dismisses thousands of Biblical scholars, both living and dead, who have confirmed over and over again the validity of the Biblical record. Similarly, Brown discredits secular studies that validate key elements of the Biblical record. Dr. Scot McKnight, professor of religious studies at North Park University in Chicago, submits that whenever the same standards used to verify the historical accuracy of any work of antiquity is applied evenly to the Bible, the Bible has always been shown to be one of the most historical, provable records of all antiquity documents known to man. (Lee Strobel interview with Dr. Scot McKnight, Discussing the Da Vinci Code, DVD, 2006)

Lee Strobel writes, “Archaeology and ancient writings outside the bible tend to corroborate the accuracy of the Gospels. In his book The historical Jesus, Gary Habermas cites a total of thirty-nine ancient sources documenting the life of Jesus, from which he enumerates more than one hundred reported facts concerning Jesus’ life, teachings, crucifixion, and resurrection. None of the later and fanciful Gnostic gospels, which Brown credulously touts in The Da Vinci Code, come anywhere close to matching the credentials of the four biblical Gospels.” (Lee Strobel and Garry Poole, Exploring the Da Vinci Code, Zondervan, 2006, pp. 52-53)

Enumerating all of the differences between Dan Brown’s research claims and results of centuries of Biblical studies by scholars from remarkably diverse backgrounds is beyond the scope of a single blog entry. But the resources do exist and are easily available. The reader will find below links to just a few of the websites containing more comprehensive studies. If you want to learn more about this issue, more about the historical process of compiling Biblical documents, or more about the truth contained within the Bible, don’t hesitate to check out these additional resources. As Jesus promises, “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”


Da Vinci Code studies:

http://go.family.org/davinci
www.thedavincidialogue.com
www.ignatius.com/books/davincihoax/pressroom/olsoninterview.asp
www.ignatius.com/books/davincihoax/pressroom/mieselinterview.asp