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The Da Vinci Code: An old lie told in a new way

The Da Vinci Code: An old lie told in a new way A general summary and discussion starter Dan Brown was right about one thing… “Everyone loves a conspiracy.” DVC, p. 169 Or at least it seems that way, by the response to his book, The Da Vinci Code The Da Vinci Code

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The Da Vinci Code: An old lie told in a new way

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  1. The Da Vinci Code:An old lie told in a new way A general summary and discussion starter

  2. Dan Brown was right about one thing… • “Everyone loves a conspiracy.” • DVC, p. 169 • Or at least it seems that way, by the response to his book, The Da Vinci Code

  3. The Da Vinci Code • Published April, 2003 by Doubleday • 7 million copies in print • NYT best seller list for 60 weeks by May 2004

  4. About The Da Vinci Code “A combination of murder mystery, thriller, conspiracy tale, romance novel, religious expose, and historical revisionism.” The Da Vinci Hoax, p. 20

  5. About The Da Vinci Code “Brown has found a formula for becoming rich: sex, sensationalism, feminism, anti-Catholicism, and the occult. “But it is also obvious that he sincerely hates Christianity.” • James Hitchcock, “Fantasy Faith”, Touchstone, December 2003, p. 16

  6. “Are you a Christian?” • “I consider myself a student of many religions.” • “The more I learn the more questions I have.” • “For me, the spiritual quest will be a life-long work in progress.” • www.danbrown.com

  7. The book’s/author’s viewpoint on theology (1) Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene and had at least one child, Sarah (DVC p. 255). Mary Magdalene, not Peter, was the head apostle Jesus was not truly divine but a good man deified by Roman Emperor Constantine in 325 AD at the Council of Nicea (DVC, p. 233)

  8. The book’s/author’s viewpoint on theology (2) The church (in the book, usually The Catholic Church) repressed “more than eighty gospels” when the NT was written (DVC, p. 231); Constantine chose to include the ones in our Bible

  9. The book’s/author’s viewpoint on theology (3) Constantine is the one who moved the church’s worship from Saturday to Sunday (DVC, p. 232-233). Jesus wrote the “Q” document, possibly in His own hand (DVC p. 256)

  10. The book’s/author’s viewpoint on theology (4) Says the Bible we have “was compiled and edited by men who possessed a political agenda-to promote the divinity of the man Jesus Christ and use His influence to solidify their power base” (DVC p. 234).

  11. The book’s/author’s viewpoint on theology (5) Emphasizes the Holy Grail legend as “symbolic of the lost goddess” (DVC p. 238). Says Mary Magdelene was the Holy Grail herself DVC, pp. 249, 253-257

  12. The book’s/author’s viewpoint on theology (6) Quotes Gospel of Philip about Mary Magdelene: “Christ loved her more than all the disciples and used to kiss her often on her mouth. The rest of the disciples were offended by it…” DVC, p. 246

  13. The book’s/author’s viewpoint on theology (7) “Jesus….intended for the future of His Church to be in the hands of Mary Madgalene.” -DVC, p. 248 “Two thousand years ago, we lived in a world of Gods and Goddesses. Today, we live in a world solely of Gods.” -www.danbrown.com

  14. The book’s/author’s viewpoint on theology (8) The Merovingian kings of France are Jesus’ own bloodline (names King Dagobert specifically) Believes Jesus’ bloodline continues on today DVC, p. 257-258

  15. DVC’s Philosophy of Religion • “Sophie, every faith in the world is based on fabrication. That is the definition of faith—acceptance of that which we imagine to be true, that which we cannot prove.” • DVC, p. 341

  16. An example of Brown’s thesis Da Vinci’s “The Last Supper” • Brown claims the portrait contains references to support his claims about Mary Magdalene. • We’ll look at one section of the image, present Brown’s thesis, and the antithesis, the view held by all but the “fanatic.”

  17. The Last Supper by Leonardo Da Vinci, A supposed code-filled lesson about Mary Magdelene

  18. Brown claims that Mary Magdelene, not John the Apostle, is sitting at Christ’s right hand (the “V”). He also claims that Peter threatens Mary Magdelene, his right hand is the source of the claim. A supposed detached knife shows the intent of jealous disciples to be rid of the Magdelene.

  19. By El Greco, c. 1600 By Diego Velasquez, c. 1620 However, many if not most Renaissance artists portrayed John the Apostle as a young man, usually without a beard. The presence of a beardless individual with long hair seated next to Christ is a representation of John, not a veiled reference the the Magdalene. The above images are typical of such paintings of St. John.

  20. Dan Brown’s point of view The book, The Da Vinci Code, really presents no new information. What it does is present the author’s point of view, that Christ isn’t divine and that Christianity is a creation of a powerful group of men, Catholic hierarchy, in a clear and entertaining way.

  21. Sources • Brown, Dan. The Da Vinci Code. New York: Doubleday, 2003. • Olsen, Carl and Miesel, Sandra. The Da Vinci Hoax. Ignatius: San Francisco, 2004 • The Da Vinci Code Deception (120 minutes DVD). Grizzly Adam Productions, 2005. • Secrets of the Da Vinci Code, US News and World Collector’s Edition, 2004 • Breaking the Da Vinci Code, http://www.christianitytoday.com/history/newsletter/2003/nov7.html

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