We've been lied to. The whole point of the adventure in "The Da Vinci Code" (2003) by Dan Brown is that the Western world is a sham. Christianity as we know it was made up and a giant cover-up. While Brown says in the beginning that it is all fiction-except for descriptions of artwork, architecture, documents and secret rituals-many Christians and historians fear that the book may be taken too seriously. It seems that a new genre of books has been refuting the Da Vinci Code. From books by Josh McDowell-a Christian apologetics author of books like "Evidence That Demands a Verdict" and "More than a Carpenter," who systematically goes through and refutes the fallacies. And Sharan Newman, a medieval historian who goes through the book, finding key terms and researched them. The books have had a wide coverage, yet they all ironically seek the same thing "The Da Vinci Code" does-the truth. Let's leave aside the whole question of whether Jesus is God, man, or a giant llama. Here are some of the major complaints that authors of this new genre have regarding "The Da Vinci Code:" inaccurate history, unknown sources and false statements passing as facts. "If I was an English professor, I'd give it a B+/A-. But if I was a history professor, a D," said Steven Notley, professor of religious studies at the New York City campus of Nyack College. At his recent talk about "The Da Vinci Code" at SUNY Rockland Community College, he explained that he loved the book, but as a historian found it full of errors. The Suffern resident lived in Jerusalem for 16 years, and received his PhD in the History of Religions at the Hebrew University. In "The Da Vinci Code," Teabing, the elderly former British Royal Historian who becomes the source for answers, says many things about the early church. Because Teabing is supposed to be a historian, even though a fictional historian, it would make sense that his facts are, in fact, accurate. But alas, Brown writes for Teabing some inaccurate facts. "For a character who's supposed to be a British Royal historian, that's really weird," comments a character in "The DaVinci Code: A Quest for Answers" by Josh McDowell. Here are a few-out of the many to choose from-facts the Brown has a little off.
Dead Sea Scrolls:
The Dead Sea Scrolls were found in the Qumran caves in Israel in 1946-1947. Unlike Teabing's claim, these scrolls did not contain apocryphal Christian gospels that Constantine tried to destroy. They contained the first century apocryphal writings of whom most scholars believe to be the Essenes, a sect of Judaism. If you go to Israel, you can visit the Shrine of the Book at the Israel Museum where the scrolls are kept. According to their website (http://www.imj.org.il/eng/shrine/faq.html) none of the scrolls really mention Jesus or John the Baptist.
Notley calls the claims that Brown makes about the Dead Sea Scrolls, "Absolute rubbish. I teach the Dead Sea Scrolls. I can assure you there is no Christian material. None whatsoever." Jehovah:
Whatever you say about who God is, Robert Langdon (and Brown's) theory of the masculine "Jah" and the feminine "Chava" is ridiculous. Brown is not a scholar of ancient Semitic languages. In Hebrew, the name of God is not said, and is spelled "YHWH." Because the letter "yod" can be translated as a "J," some people have said it is pronounced "Jehovah." The letter in the beginning of the name "Chava" (Eve) is not the same as the letter in the middle of the name of God.
The Louvre:
Remember the "all descriptions in this book are accurate thing"? Well, after all, it is a work of fiction, so we shouldn't be disappointed. But it disappointing when some of the key works of art are not accurately described. For example, the whole 666 panel glass pyramid at the Louvre, well, it's actually 673-so much for that conspiracy theory.
Bruce Boucher, a curator at the Art Institute of Chicago and a New York Times art critic, devoted an article in the Times about all the artistic faults of the novel. He mentions the Mona Lisa issue, the problem with Leonardo Da Vinci's name (he is called "Leonardo" by the art world, not Da Vinci), and he sarcastically mentions how thrilling it is to read about the heroine wrapping "The Madonna of the Rocks" around her body like a shield. Ironically, the painting is more than six feet tall, and painted on wood.
So what?
While the most fanatic fans of the book will say that these fabrications are not a big deal, remember, as Brown says on his website and in his book, "Since the beginning of recorded time, history has been written by the "winners" (those societies and belief systems that conquered and survived)." Brown is obviously a winner with a book that has been on the New York Times bestsellers list in one form or another since its publication in March, 2003, a $6 million dollar film deal which is sure to be a summer blockbuster. "We as Americans love conspiracies. People are fascinated that Christian framework is wrong," said Notley, "It's just baseless. No one I know has said 'Yes! It should have serious attention."
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