What is the deal with the Da Vinci Code?
596984
it's a book which you can read - by Dan Brown.\n\nAnyway the basic plot:\njesus didn't really die, he married Mary Magdalene and went to France with her, where they had kids. His descendants still live on and this is a big ass secret from the world. Christianity itself is a big scam. The End.\n\nThe Controversy:\nduh. The church obviously doesn't like this plotline, as the basis of christianity is that jesus died on the cross and was not a regular man but a son of god.\n\nThat's it.
562431
No this is not true. I saw a documentary on Discovery channel, and the Da Vinci code is fiction pure and simple, created by three guys in France back in the seventies. All the documents were faked, and their is no evidence that Jesus married Mary Magdalene or fathered any children. It's just something to confuse people, none of it is true. Check your local listings for the Discovery/Times channel and they'll be playing it again, I think it's titles "the real Da vinci code" or something along those lines.
274688
The Da Vinci Code is a novel written by American author Dan Brown and published in 2003 by Doubleday Fiction (ISBN 0385504209). It is a worldwide bestseller with 36 million copies in print (as of August 2005) and has been translated into 44 languages. Combining the detective, thriller and conspiracy theory genres, the book is part two of a trilogy that started with Brown's 2000 novel Angels and Demons, which introduced the character Robert Langdon. In November 2004, Random House published a "Special Illustrated Edition", with 160 illustrations interspersed with the text.\n\nThe plot of the novel involves a conspiracy by the Catholic Church to cover up the true story of Jesus. This implies that the Vatican consciously knows it is living a lie, but does so to keep itself in power. The novel has helped generate popular interest in speculation concerning the Holy Grail legend and the role of Mary Magdalene in the history of Christianity. Fans have lauded the book as creative, action-packed and thought-provoking. Critics have attacked it as inaccurate and poorly written, and decry the many negative implications about the Catholic Church.\n\nThe book opens with the claim by Dan Brown that "all descriptions of artwork, architecture, documents, and secret rituals in this novel are accurate"; but this claim is disputed by academic scholars in the fields the book discusses (see Criticisms of The Da Vinci Code and the further reading list below). As widely noted in the media, there has been substantial confusion among readers about whether the book is factual. Numerous works have been published which explain in detail why any claim to accuracy is difficult to sustain.
402425
No...and I believe the following will enlighten you to some of the falsities of The Da Vinci Code.  It was a very good book, and I enjoyed it, but remember, it's fiction.  It's not a historical account, a classroom text, or any other nonfiction work.  It does not have to be (and is not) true.\n\n\nThe Da Vinci Code, the Catholic Church and Opus Dei\nA response to The Da Vinci Code from the Prelature of Opus Dei in the United States. \n\nApril 17, 2006 \nMany people are intrigued by the claims about Christian history and theology presented in The Da Vinci Code. We would like to remind them that The Da Vinci Code is a work of fiction, and it is not a reliable source of information on these matters. \n\nThe Da Vinci Code has raised public interest in the origins of the Bible and of central Christian doctrines such as the divinity of Jesus Christ. These topics are important and valuable to study, and we hope that interested readers will be motivated to study some of the abundant scholarship on them that is available in the non-fiction section of the library. \n\nThose who do further research and exercise critical judgment will discover that assertions made in The Da Vinci Code about Jesus Christ, Mary Magdalene, and Church history lack support among reputable scholars. By way of example, The Da Vinci Code popularizes the idea that the fourth century Roman emperor Constantine invented the doctrine of the divinity of Christ for political reasons. The historical evidence, however, clearly shows that the New Testament and the very earliest Christian writings manifest Christian belief in the divinity of Christ. Other examples of discredited claims presented in The Da Vinci Code can be found in this FAQ from Catholic Answers or at the US Bishops' website, www.jesusdecoded.com. For those who are willing to take the time to get to the bottom of the issues raised in The Da Vinci Code, we recommend reading The Da Vinci Deception, De-Coding Da Vinci, or The Da Vinci Hoax. \n\nWe also want to point out that The Da Vinci Code’s depiction of Opus Dei is inaccurate, both in the overall impression and in many details, and it would be irresponsible to form any opinion of Opus Dei based on The Da Vinci Code. Those interested in learning more about the real Opus Dei may wish to read What is Opus Dei?, by Dominique LeTourneau, or Uncommon Faith, by John Coverdale. For those interested in further information about the various false impressions The Da Vinci Code gives of Opus Dei, please continue reading. \n\nPlease let us know if you need someone to speak about Opus Dei for a panel or other event about The Da Vinci Code -- we may have a speaker available in your area.  Also, free resource downloads for study groups and parishes are available from the group, Da Vinci Outreach.\n\n\n1. Opus Dei and monks \n\n\nThroughout The Da Vinci Code, Opus Dei members are presented as monks (or, rather, caricatures of monks). Like all Catholics, Opus Dei members have great appreciation for monks, but in fact there are no monks in Opus Dei. Opus Dei is a Catholic institution for lay people and diocesan priests, not a monastic order. \n\nOpus Dei’s approach to living the faith does not involve withdrawing from the world like those called to the monastic life. Rather, Opus Dei helps people grow closer to God in and through their ordinary secular activities. \n\n“Numerary” members of Opus Dei – a minority – choose a vocation of celibacy in order to be available to organize the activities of Opus Dei. They do not, however, take vows, wear robes, sleep on straw mats, spend all their time in prayer and corporal mortification, or in any other way live like The Da Vinci Code’s depiction of its monk character. In contrast to those called to the monastic life, numeraries have regular secular professional work. \n\nIn fact, The Da Vinci Code gets Opus Dei’s nature 180 degrees backwards. Monastic orders are for people who have a vocation to seek holi
686351
There are many facts in it and there are many hoax's weaved in with it.  Don't believe anyone saying that "it's all a lie" and don't believe anyone saying that "it's all true".  Pick a part that you have doubts about or interest, and then do your own research.\n\nFor starters though, most items related to the Knights Templar and what happened to them is true.  Their final fate is the subject of legend.\n\nThe Catholic church has apologized and admitted to the 2000 year old smear campaign against Mary Magdaline.  She was not a prostitute, and was in fact one of Jesus' most favored companions.  Suppositions after this fact have no concrete record, such as that he was married to her or had children by her, but are open to translation and interpretation.\n\nThe claim that there were three competing sects of Christianity at the time of Emporer Constantine's death is true.  The fact that one sect (Orthodox, modern Catholic) with royal backing had the other two (Aryanism and Gnosticism) hunted down and slaughtered is true.\n\nIn the book several word origins and translations were presented as a fun lesson, and these are true.\n\nEverything else is either part of a hoax or subject to interpretation.
385029
Just to be clear from the outset, it has nothing to do with the da Vinci Code.\n\nIt is a Masonic symbol. The Founding Fathers were big on Freemasonry.
345507
First and foremost of all, the "DaVinci Code" is a work of fiction; however, within its pages it contains informations based on historical facts and/or theories.  Now, as to the question asked:\n\nThis is a very grave matter to be discussed because, the very core of this topic can very well destroy, not only the Roman Catholic Church but also, the whole Christianity.  Still, one cannot deny the fact that, the "what-if" can be very possible.\n\nThere are things which were not clear about Jesus as presented in the Christian Bible, and that part is what made people starting to ask these "what-if" questions.  The Bible did state that, Jesus "loved" Mary Magdalene more than his followers; thus, what is meant by this "love"?  Indeed, a very likely hint, isn't it?\n\nSo, what we are left are two choices:\n\n- Stand firm in the Christian Faith and, consider this "DaVinci Code" as just another nonsense.\n\n- Venture beyond the "point of no-return"...
32793
It is a movie based on the book The Davinci Code by author Dan Brown. It is a tale of murder and mystery surrounding the search for the Holy Grail, commonly thought of as the cup Jesus used in The Last Supper. If you don't want to know the plot, stop reading now.\n\nDan Brown introduces theories of Jesus having a bloodline AFTER him (not just before him through his mother)through Mary Magdeline. Dan Brown also hints at Mary Magdaline being one of his original 12 disciples-- the one Jesus refers to as "the Beloved Disciple" or the disciple that Jesus loved.\n\nDavinci and other artists of the time were thought to be in secret societies and used their art/paintings to hide clues to lead to the location of the "real" Holy Grail. There are depictions of religious ceremonies that have sex involved. It is an entertaining book--nothing more, and I am sure the movie will draw much controversy. My suggestion is that for the truth about Christ, read THIS bestseller:\n\n"The Bible"
638113
The Da Vinci Code isn't completely true. What bothers me is that the Vatican is complaining. They thought Catholics would see right through a book based solely on speculation and stories that are probably false, oh wait.....
680876
Just saw the movie today. I am a Christian and wanted to see it so I knew more to answer the questions that I have been asked by friends. The hardest thing I find to comprehend is why are people being so blown away with it, when it is clear that it is a work of fiction? It is a fiction book, that has just been made into a fiction movie. Dan Brown himself states that the book was fiction and is not based on fact.\n\nJust goes to show how cunning and conniving the devil can be.\n\nAs for the movie, didnt really enjoy it. A bit over the top.
547425
The Da Vinci code is a book, the movie is coming out in a few days, by Dan Brown. He "claims" that Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene and had a baby together. Also that there was a secret group hiding that secret. Also Brown claims that the Merovingian(sp?) is the bloodline of Jesus. \n\nOh by the way, while all of this is playing out, there is this guy who is a Harvard professor who teaches Symbology that has to go over to Europe to help this lady out with solving her father's death.\n\nThe reason "it shook the foundations of Christianity" is because Dan Brown, as I said earlier, claims that Jesus was married and had a child.
595535
Before you believe on the claims of the Da Vinci Code, allow me to refer you to these references that will prove that all claims of the book are just rubbish.  \n\nhttp://www.catholic.com/library/cracking_da_vinci_code.asp\nwww.priory-of-sion.com\nwww.jesusdecoded.com
20699
The first thing to remember about the "Da Vinci Code" is that it is a novel -- that is, fiction.  Much of the elaborate conspiracy / secret society / code apparatus of the novel comes from a book called "Holy Blood Holy Grail."  How much of all of that is true is open to argument; it is probably true that most religious / historical scholars reject it as fantasy.  A lot depends on how much secret conspiracy you are willing to believe permeates the world.\n\nThe web is full of writings on this subject, both pro and con the existence of the "code."  Poke around for a couple of hours and you can draw your own conclusion.  In sources are a few places to start.
741038
The Da Vinci Code is as explained by Leigh Teabing to Sophie Neveu, the figure at the right hand of Jesus is supposedly not the apostle John, but Mary Magdalene. According to the book Mary Magdalene was the wife of Jesus Christ and was in fact pregnant with his child when Jesus was crucified. The absence of a chalice in the painting supposedly indicates that Leonardo knew that Mary Magdalene was actually the Holy Grail (the bearer of Jesus' blood). This is said to be reinforced by the letter "V" that is created with the bodily positions of Jesus and Mary, as "V" is the symbol for the sacred feminine. The apparent absence of the "Apostle John", under this interpretation, is explained by identifying John as "the Disciple Jesus loved", allegedly code for Mary Magdalene (see also Second Apocalypse of James). The book also notes that the color scheme of their garments are exactly inverted: Jesus wears a red blouse with royal blue cape; John/Mary wears a royal blue blouse with red cape  — perhaps symbolizing two bonded halves of marriage.\n\nAccording to the novel, the secrets of the Holy Grail, as kept by the Priory of Sion, are as follows:\n\nThe Holy Grail is not a physical chalice, but a woman, namely Mary Magdalene, who carried the bloodline of Christ. \n\nThe Old French expression for the Holy Grail, San gréal, actually is a play on Sang réal, which literally means "royal blood" in Old French. \n\nThe Grail relics consist of the documents that testify to the bloodline, as well as the actual bones of Mary Magdalene. \n\nThe Grail relics of Mary Magdalene were hidden by the Priory of Sion in a secret crypt, perhaps beneath Rosslyn Chapel. \n\nThe Church has suppressed the truth about Mary Magdalene and the Jesus bloodline for 2000 years. This is principally because they fear the power of the sacred feminine. \n\nMary Magdalene was of royal descent (through the Jewish House of Benjamin) and was the wife of Jesus, of the House of David. That she was a prostitute was slander invented by the Church to obscure their true relationship. At the time of the Crucifixion, she was pregnant. After the Crucifixion, she fled to Gaul, where she was sheltered by the Jews of Marseille. She gave birth to a daughter, named Sarah. The bloodline of Jesus and Mary Magdalene became the Merovingian dynasty of France. \nThe existence of the bloodline was the secret that was contained in the documents discovered by the Crusaders after they conquered Jerusalem in 1099 (see Kingdom of Jerusalem). The Priory of Sion and the Knights Templar were organized to keep the secret. \n\nThe secrets of the Grail are connected, according to the fictional novel, to Leonardo Da Vinci's work as follows:\n\nLeonardo was a member of the Priory of Sion and knew the secret of the Grail. The secret is in fact revealed in The Last Supper, in which no actual chalice is present at the table. The figure seated next to Christ is not a man, but a woman, his wife Mary Magdalene. Most reproductions of the work are from a later alteration that obscured her obvious female characteristics. \nThe androgyny of the Mona Lisa reflects the sacred union of male and female which is implied in the holy union of Jesus and Mary Magdalene. Such parity between the cosmic forces of masculine and feminine has long been a deep threat to the established power of the Church. The name Mona Lisa is actually an anagram for "Amon L'Isa", referring to the father and mother gods of Ancient Egypt (namely Amun and Isis). \n\nA number of different authors also speculate about the possibility of Jesus becoming a father. There are at least three children attributed to him, a daughter Tamar, born before the Crucifixion, and two sons Jesus (the Jesus Justus from the New Testament) and Josephes, both born after the Resurrection. Their names are now part of the common culture of conspiracy writers, however only two decades ago, when Holy Blood,
523871
The DaVinci Code is a work of fiction pure and simple.  I think the reason some think it's fact is that there have been a number of conspiracy theories surrounding the gnostic gospels for a long time.\n\nThe History channel did an interesting show last night interviewing biblical scholars who all said that the conspiracies all fall apart when examined closely.
488168
The Da Vinci Code is a mystery/detective novel by American author Dan Brown, published in 2003 by Doubleday Fiction. It is a worldwide bestseller with more than 60.5 million copies in print (as of May 2006) and has been translated into 44 languages. Combining the detective, thriller and conspiracy theory genres, the book is part two of a trilogy that started with Brown's 2000 novel Angels and Demons, which introduced the character Robert Langdon. In November 2004, Random House published a "Special Illustrated Edition", with 160 illustrations interspersed with the text.\n\nThe plot of the novel involves a conspiracy by the Catholic Church to cover up the "true" story of Jesus. The Vatican knows it is living a lie but does so to keep itself in power. The novel has helped generate popular interest in speculation concerning the Holy Grail legend and the role of Mary Magdalene in the history of Christianity. Fans have lauded the book as creative, action-packed and thought-provoking. Critics have attacked it as inaccurate, sacrilegious and decry the many negative implications about the Catholic Church and Opus Dei.\n\nDan Brown's novel was a smash hit in 2003, even rivaling the sales of the highly popular Harry Potter series. It spawned a number of offspring books and drew glowing reviews from the New York Times, the People Magazine and Washington Post . The novel has also inspired several tour groups like Da Vinci Code tours, and companies like Ravenchase Adventures to create Da Vinci code like races and adventures using codes, ciphers, actors and gadgets. It also re-ignited interest in the history of the Catholic Church. As well as re-invigorating interest in the church, The Da Vinci Code has also spawned numerous "knockoffs" (as they are referred to by Publishers Weekly) , or novels that have a striking resemblance to The Da Vinci Code, including Raymond Khoury's The Last Templar, and The Templar Legacy by Steve Berry.\n\nSony's Columbia Pictures has adapted the novel to film, with a screenplay written by Akiva Goldsman, and Academy Award winner Ron Howard directing. The film is set for release on May 19, 2006, and will star Tom Hanks as Robert Langdon, Audrey Tautou as Sophie Neveu, and Sir Ian McKellen as Leigh Teabing.\n\nPlot summary\nSpoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.\n\nThe book concerns the attempts of Robert Langdon, Professor of Religious Symbology at Harvard University, to solve the murder of renowned curator Jacques Saunière (see Bérenger Saunière) of the Louvre Museum in Paris. The title of the novel refers, among other things, to the fact that Saunière's body is found in the Denon Wing of the Louvre naked and posed like Leonardo da Vinci's famous drawing, the Vitruvian Man, with a cryptic message written beside his body and a Pentagram drawn on his stomach in his own blood. The interpretation of hidden messages inside Leonardo's famous works, including the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper, figure prominently in the solution to the mystery.\n\nThe main conflict in the novel revolves around the solution to two mysteries:\n\n•What secret was Saunière protecting that led to his murder? \n\n•Who is the mastermind behind his murder? \n\nThe novel has several concurrent storylines that follow different characters. Eventually all the storylines are brought together and resolved with the denouement.\n\nThe unraveling of the mystery requires the solution to a series of brain-teasers, including anagrams and number puzzles. The solution itself is found to be intimately connected with the possible location of the Holy Grail and to a mysterious society called the Priory of Sion, as well as to the Knights Templar. The Catholic organization "Opus Dei" (a caricature of the real Opus Dei) also figures prominently in the plot.\n\nThe novel is the second book of a trilogy by Brown in which Robert Langdon is the main character. The previous book, A
528229
in agreement to the first reply...X-Men 3 is coming out soon. come on...Da vinci code is fictional...a movie..all those pro-christian picketers should get a job. I am a christian too but loved the pace and STORY of dan brown!