The Internet has been a fantastic boon for conspiracy theorists. Let's face it, everybody has suspicions that the world you see, the history that you inhabit, is not what it seems to be on the surface at first glance. The world is often a strange place...and you start to see things that may or may not be connected...the unspoken truth that you can glimpse only in those moments where the ice is thin or the veneer is flawed...and the raw, naked reality is suddenly staring you coldly in the face...or you may just be a raving lunatic...
The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown is one of those books. Brown has concocted a gripping and strongly paced thriller that weaves together The Holy Grail, pagan symbolism, secret Templar societies, biblical studies, the history of the Church, and the work of Leonardo Da Vinci into a melange that, weirdly enough, melds into a very readable and fairly taut story.
Following the symbolic code left by a murdered curator of the Louvre Museum, Robert Langdon, Harvard symbologist, must unravel a 2,000 year old mystery that cuts to the heart of the Christian faith, following the clues hidden in the works of Leonardo Da Vinci. Aided by the curator's (naturally enough) beautiful cryptographer daughter, the trail leads them to the Priory of Sion, a clandestine Templar society that is protecting a deadly secret, now being hunted by another group that will stop at nothing to protect the faith.
Although I've heard some mixed reviews regarding the historical accuracy of the information that Brown bases his thriller on, his rich interpretation of symbolism provides the heart of the story and the clues to the mystery are endlessly fascinating.
In the end the book will probably be regarded as sensationalist and trashy by some, and truthful, thought-provoking and challenging by others. For myself, I found it to be a throughly agreeable thriller, easy to delve into and hard to put down, although I noted that Brown, when discussing Da Vinci's Mona Lisa in copious detail in the story, failed to note the first thing that struck me while gazing at the painting - that she has no eyebrows.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Pop Trot
Who is holding the knife?
Is the hand holding a knife in Leonardo Da Vinci's The Last Supper "disembodied"? Does the hand belong to Peter or anyone else at the table? Comparing an earlier study by Leonardo with the final painting reveals his true intent. See the pictures at
http://www.urbanfolkparade.com/found/index.htm
2 - Dew
Am I now color blind or did the Boards turn grey?
3 - Eric Olsen
note spotlight box on front page
4 - Luisa Teodor
I've tried to find an email address to write directly to the author but I've failed.I would be very grateful if you could pass him this message:
I’ve recently read your last blockbuster “The Da Vinci Code” and I have to confess I was stunned; I think that you must be a genius, because I’ve NEVER,NEVER in my entire life seen so much CRAP condensed in 500 pages! Congratulations!
5 - Eric Olsen
Send it through the publisher, and it's a novel.
6 - Deano
I think Eric's post above sums it up - never met the author, wouldn't know 'em if tripped over him, not my problem. Email him (or the publisher) yourself!
Also please note - I did mention that "In the end the book will probably be regarded as sensationalist and trashy by some, and truthful, thought-provoking and challenging by others"
so my solution for you is don't read anymore of his books!
7 - Lee
I dunno if anyone cares, but Fodors.com has a Da Vinci Code tour on its website, www.fodors.com. Europhiles might be interested.
8 - Edward Lopez
It's a novel written in a sometimes aggravating style. If you're familiar with the topics you'll realize that it's like bingo where all the balls are together in one container and once in a while one pops up to be read. It's not a historical novel and since Jesus is not a historical person anyone can concoct whatever they want for entertainment purposes and for getting rich while touching sensitive, religious nerves. That's Peter's hand holding the knife he used to cut bread with, and that's (St.) John NOT Mary of Magdala on whose right shoulder Peter is resting his hand and not threatening to cut John's throat. Peter's just trying to get John's ear. Even if you are a mentally-conditioned religious believer, remember that religious arguments rest on a wobbly foundation devoid of historical strength.
9 - Doug
It is a shame that someone as clearly clever and sensible as Edward could have been indoctrinated into thinking that "Jesus is not a historical person". This is not a "religious argument" -- this is a historical fact. Jesus is every bit as much a "historical person" as Julius Caesar.
Apart from that, Edward hits a number of nails squarely: Brown's agenda is to get rich while touching sensitive nerves. The success of "Holy Blood, Holy Grail" (actually mentioned in "tDVC") might have been his motivation. Btw, for anyone interested, Brown's previous book featuring Robert Langdon, "Angels and Demons" is arguably an even better thriller that "Code".
10 - Anonymous
It amazes me how people with 21st century educations still believe so strongly in Christianty. Can't you see its an old form of control? Consider this, what about the Egyptians, native americans, and all other races that believed in thousands of gods. Were they wrong? If you are a devout Christian, your answer should be yes. And if it is, then you are ignorant. Finally, if you're answer is "Its ok as long as they believe in something." Then you doubt your religious beliefs. Open your eyes, the church is TOTAL BULLSHIT.
11 - Justaman
Lots of God Haters around here- As a Christian I use to get upset when I read these posts from God Haters. Now I just get excited as it means the Lord's arrival(JESUS!!!) is coming back! As stated in the book of Romans: "Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools"
http://www.sierratimes.com/03/08/29/dorothy.htm
12 - Mark Saleski
how can i hate something that doesn't exist?
13 - aj
There is not such a thing as a God Hater. What many people despise is nothing more than the institution known as the catholic church. And not without good reasons. Throughout history, the church has caused more damage than good to the human race. Think of the dark age, the holy wars, heresy and witchcraft, etc, etc. It has delayed the advancement of science, the arts, and every other area of human development it thought would jeopardize its power. This is just my opinion and, if all else, may God spare my children from the hands of some perverted priest.
14 - aj
btw, tDVC is just a novel and clever enough to raise this level of controversy.
15 - shrek
If at all there is no such thing as god haters then i c no point in criticising a group of people who would tell u what god is all abt.Delaying human developement certainly not agreeable example there were better known art works of those days than what exists now-da vinci's worksitself!The punishments given by the church was a means for the spiritual developement of human i.e in worst cases-dis is no way a damage to the human race welfare.i just feel the activities of the church has been too far fetched exaggerrated in a negative way forgetting the positive part of it.
16 - Ryan
I am thinking that perhaps someone should take a look at history, in thinking that the Catholic Church was moderately corrupt at worst. I would have to agree with the person who brought up such things as heresy, witch craft, crusades, holy wars. The list is much longer though. The Catholic church was full of corrupt men. My favorite is during the years of the black plague, when for the most part only small parish priests were killed by the plague. That means that most of the Clergy and ecclesiasts ( if such an alteration exists, if not, consider it altered) did not interact with Laymen. Quite awkward considering their devotion should be to God, and the spread of his word to the masses. I would say they were wrapped up in their lust for control and power.
17 - Alex Allen
-- NEWS RELEASE --
Truth Stranger than Fiction? The Da Vinci Code and the Gospel of John
VICTORIA, BC.(Oct '04)-- Whether you are a person of faith, an historian, or a Dan Brown fan, The Da Vinci Code will either impress you or antagonize you, but one thing is for certain: the recent influx of ‘Jesus, Mary, and child’ stories has been nothing less than phenomenal. But what if there were some actual biblical evidence to support the fictional assumptions? What if the TRUTH about Jesus turns out to be even stranger than the fiction?
J.S. Tyson, Fellow of the University of British Columbia, Canada, has conducted over seven years of postgraduate study into the Gospel According to John. This has culminated in one of the most enlightening perceptions of the historical Jesus for decades " uncannily timed to reach the market at the peak of this literary phenomenon.
To be published by EcceNova Editions, at Passover, 2005 (April), Tyson’s Jesus, King of Israel: Samaritan Blood and the Kingdom at Shiloh reveals the hidden story within the Gospel of John " the story of Jesus, Mary, and a child. The gospel, however, offers distinct clues that also lead the astute reader to the truth about Jesus’ crucifixion and the secret site of his hasty ‘burial’, his marriage to Martha, the profound significance of the Lazarus story, the link between Nicodemus, Jesus, and the Book of 2Esdras, the importance of an obscure prophecy from the Book of Genesis, the possible location of the Ark, and even the final resting place of Jesus, King of Israel.
This is a revolutionary interpretation of the gospel that allows the original story of Jesus to be just as thrilling, if not more so, than any fictional yarn about a cover-up. Indeed, there is even evidence that the cover-up began with St. Paul.
A mailing list for review copies of Jesus, King of Israel is being compiled now " get your name on it!
ISBN 0-9735341-5-X
6 x 9 Paperback 290 pages + Appendix, Bibliography, Index
US$22.95 CAD$34.95 £13.50
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www.eccenova.com
18 - Dana Huff
I read The DaVinci Code. It was fast-paced and hard to put down, but the characters were very wooden and stereotypical. I felt like they were just props to advance the plot forward. I also disliked the way Brown would have his characters think back upon something that happened in the past, like a lecture, to explain something to reader. And after solving all that cryptology stuff, I had trouble believing Sophie was completely ignorant of all the Grail legends. She's supposed to be smarter than that. That said, it surprises me that Dan Brown and the writers of Holy Blood, Holy Grail all ignore the fact that Pierre Plantard, their source for so much of the Priory of Sion information, admitted under oath in front of the French government that he made it all up. But I guess that wouldn't help sell their books either.
19 - karan
Its disappointing to see christanity believers' faith is on such loose sand that a book can make it stumble so easily. I belong to hinduism a 5000 year old religion which stands upright and true to its core throughout history.
Anyway there has always been christanity pushing other faiths to prove itself supreme. Wake up! there is a whole world of religions out there. As said in Matrix (from hindu mythology) : "Everything must come to an end".
20 - Anthony
Has anybody looked up the codes on the back of each of Dan Brown's book (they're on the back cover of each one) to see what they mean? I have read several research articles that suggest a striking resemblance to Tibetan iconographic grammar.
The several theories in the late 1800s about the universal foundation of Sanskrit are implicated here, and make this issue one of great importance, vis-a-vis the Veritas Exemplar Keepers as discussed at the Daily Grail web site.
If the Gere-Gibson deal actually came through, somebody in Rupert Murdoch's empire may have been able to correlate numbers to the Tibetan phonetic alphabet in such a way that the payoff came on the spine of a series of books.
In any case, I agree that The DaVinci Code is worth reading, but differ on the reason why. Can anyone question that an author that delivers such a detailed depiction of characters dealing with secret messages could refuse to encode secret messages into his own work?
I think not!
21 - Dean
Interesting twist to the Da Vinci Code. The numerical code on the bookjacket is actually apparently taken directly from a cryptographic sculpture called Kryptos that is located on the CIA grounds in Langley.
Read the recent article in Wired for details - http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,66334,00.html
22 - a d knauer
I have just completed reading Da Vinci's Code, in time to hear the Papal position on it on the news. Aside, from the historical accuracy of the book [even the Bible has come under suspicion for that], I think many readers have failed to understand the underlying message of the book. I believe that Dan Brown is questioning the Catholic Church's refusal to allow women to play an equal role in the Church. He is pointing out in his book that here is one more instance of male dominance/control in our society, which might have been based on politically/financially motivated premises. I would be interested to know how many of the notes you have received are from women. I also noted, that on the news yesterday, only men were interviewed for their opinions. An interesting point, wouldn't you agree?
23 - Tristan
Most of these people that quote the bible and tell how "wrong" we "non-believers" are--- have never even READ the fucking bible!
And ---
if they ever HAVE even glimpsed at it---
the current available versions of the "bible" are so totally NOT the accurate translations of what was originally written in the original Greek and aramaic as to be absolut total nonsense and fairy tales.
And even the ORIGINAL texts in Greek & Aramaic were actually written hundreds of years after the person christ died.......
NOT that over the course of a few hundred years anything written might possibly be stretched or mis-interpreted.........nooooooooooooo!
And not that the Vatican--who is known for thie inscrutable ethics and infallibility (aka-the Vatican Banking/Mafia scandal---not to mention murdering & torturing about 8 million people during the 300 years of the Inquisition)---not that the Vatican might possibly have ordered it's very OWN versions of the "bible": to be printed -----noooooooooo---never!
It's the Word of God---remember! And how can the "Word of God" be "wrong" ????
Even if there WERE many pagan religions that got along just fine for 10,000 years before xtianity came along...
funny how xtianity was the very 1st religion that came up with the unique idea that THEY were the "only right religion" and everyone else was wrong!!!! Hmmmmmmmm...
24 - Quack Corleone
Nice review.
Thing that struck me about Brown's novel is the sparse, choppy and snappy way it's written. Reminds me of a screenplay, which I'm sure Brown had in mind when he wrote it. Few writers can resist the lure and cash of getting their work optioned by Hollywood.
That said, I didn't like the book very much although it kept my interest. Entertaining, but shallow.
As for all the controversy: Meh.
I don't think Brown's novel is offensive, nor do I share the hate for the Catholic Church that most seemingly have. In my mind, any institution that helped bring about the fall of the Soviet Union is doing something right.
However, what bothers me the most is that good writers are being overshadowed by Brown and his mediocre novel, because of the bruhaha around it.
But hell, that's nothing new.
25 - Jeez ring
I personally think that the Veritas Exemplar bullies are a sign of the nonconformist ethic of our post-modern milieu.
It is as Pope Benedict XVI has said of moral relativism: "The Keepers knew that morality was at the center of our world, but they did not care. They chose defiance out of a twisted commitment to free will. The true Veritas Exemplar is not to precede the Holy See [re: Vatican II.25.b]"
Anyone who is familiar with Ratzinger's "missing year" under the Nazis knows that he was well connected with the anti-Blavatskyites and combated the aryan world domination of mytho-poetic militarism.
To stand with the Veritas Exemplar is to stand against our Holy Father.