A Response to the DaVinci Code

Why this page?

This page is a brief summary of an Adult discussion series held at the church in 2005 to discuss the book. There are many good resources on the web to demonstrate the many false claims made in the DaVinci Code, please consult them for more information.

What ideas and assertions in the DaVinci Code are wrong?

Throughout the DaVinci Code, Dan Brown's characters voice opinions about Christian teachings and history. Some of these ideas are summarized in this list:

About the Bible: The Bible is a work of man, not God. It is a product of evolutionary forces with countless translations and changes. There were many other books that could have been chosen for inclusion. As part of the selection process more than 80 Gospels were considered, but only the four (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) were included as they support the divinity of Jesus. The Bible we have today was the result of a collation by Emperor Constantine. Any other books that were not included in his Bible were gathered up and destroyed.

About Jesus: Jesus' life was recorded by thousands of his followers. He was not considered divine (God) by his followers until the Council of Nicea (325 AD) voted to make Jesus divine. Constantine fused Christianity to Pagan symbols to create a hybrid religion to please pagans and Christians. It is suggested that the Dead Sea Scrolls with the Nag Hamadi documents speak of the true Grail story and of Jesus' ministry in very human terms.

The Conspiracy: The true story of the goddess, the sacred feminine, Mary Magdalene and the Holy Grail have been hidden from public view and protected by Templars and others. If this information was released it would destroy Christianity as we know it. Who is supposed to be suppressing these documents? The Roman Catholic Church.

Is there a conspiracy by the Roman Catholic church to suppress these documents?

No. First of all, the Roman Catholic Church is not the only Christian Church, consider the Orthodox and Protestant churches. No church could hope to suppress the Gnostic writings today. Second, the Council of Nicea was not a “Roman Catholic” council. Most of the representatives were from the Eastern churches of Christianity, not the Western churches.

What about the Bible? Is it the product of an evolutionary process?

Not in the sense that it took generations or hundreds of years for the New Testament to come into being. The books of the New Testament were all written prior to 100 AD, most of them quite a bit earlier. The oldest physical piece of the New Testament, a fragment from John's Gospel, is dated to 125 AD. John himself was believed to have died about 100 AD so this is a copy of the original Gospel. There were people who knew John who were still alive. One such person was Polycarp, bishop of Smyrna.  He was born about 69 AD and died about 157AD.  Irenaeus wrote that Polycarp had known St. John at Ephesus and “Polycarp also was not only instructed by the Apostles, and conversed with many who had seen Christ, but was also by Apostles in Asia, ordained Bishop of the Church in Smyrna, whom I also saw in my early youth, having always taught the things which he had learned from the Apostles, and which the Church has handed down, and which alone are true.” (Against the Heretics) From this we see that there is a chain of people who know the teachings of the Apostles and their writings. These books were not written later and modified to match teachings that Emperor Constantine wanted in 325 AD, rather, the books of the New Testament were selected because they are from the Apostles or those who worked with them. They are authentic testimonies of the teachings of the church, of Christ, and of the Apostles. The Gnostic books were rejected because they were not Christian! The Gnostic books were not written by eyewitnesses of Jesus, or by those that worked with the Apostles, thus they have nothing to offer the Christian in matters of faith. The vast majority of scholars view the various Gnostic books as later than the New Testament. The Gnostic writings are not the original story of Jesus, but an attempt by one group to recruit Christians for itself. This is much like the various religions today that seek to recruit or convert Christians by claiming either a renewed understanding of the faith or a special revelation that enhances the faith (Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons, Christian Science)

What about Jesus? What does the record say?

Dan Brown implies that the Council of Nicea (325 AD) voted on the divinity of Jesus and that Jesus' divinity was decided by a very narrow margin. As much of the “history” presented in Dan Brown's book, it didn't happen on this planet or this universe. The council of Nicea did meet in 325 AD, but not to decide the divinity of Jesus, that was never in question. The Council sought to resolve questions that divided Christians, particularly the teachings of Arius. Arius taught that Jesus was divine, but not of the same essence as the Father. This view was rejected at Nicea, and the teaching that the Son is of the same substance or essence as the Father was affirmed.

Deliberate Symbolic Confusion in the “Code”

A look of vague recollection crossed her face. "Ah, yes, of course. The blade represents all that is masculine. I believe it is drawn like this, no?" Using her index finger, she traced a shape on her palm. "Yes," Langdon said. Marie had drawn the less common "closed" form of the blade, although Langdon had seen the symbol portrayed both ways." And the inverse," she said, drawing again on her palm, "is the chalice, which represents the feminine." "Correct," Langdon said. "And you are saying that in all the hundreds of symbols we have here in Rosslyn Chapel, these two shapes appear nowhere?" "I didn't see them." "And if I show them to you, will you get some sleep?" Before Langdon could answer, Marie Chauvel had stepped off the porch and was heading toward the chapel. Langdon hurried after her. Entering the ancient building, Marie turned on the lights and pointed to the center of the sanctuary floor. "There you are, Mr. Langdon. The blade and chalice." Langdon stared at the scuffed stone floor. It was blank. "There's nothing here...." Marie sighed and began to walk along the famous path worn into the chapel floor, the same path Langdon had seen the visitors walking earlier this evening. As his eyes adjusted to see the giant symbol, he still felt lost. "But that's the Star of Dav—" Langdon stopped short, mute with amazement as it dawned on him. The blade and chalice. Fused as one. The Star of David... the perfect union of male and female... Solomon's Seal... marking the Holy of Holies, where the male and female deities—Yahweh and Shekinah—were thought to dwell. Langdon needed a minute to find his words.

Response: This is offensive to Jews and Christians. This is saying that Judaism was polytheistic, which flies in the face of Deuteronomy 6:4 “ Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.” (NIV) In addition, it misuses the personal name of God (Yahweh) and gives another word (Shekinah) a different meaning, treating it as if it were the name of another god. “Shekinah” refers to the glory of God present or dwelling at a place, such as the tabernacle. It does not mean or used as the name of another god. (Exodus 40:34-38)

Summary

The DaVinci Code may be an interesting book, but it has nothing to offer in terms of history, religion, or faith. It seems that Dan Brown isn't particularly concerned with the truth, as he deliberately gives the appearance of truth to falsehood under the form of “fiction.” He also references other writings that deliberately oppose the teaching of Scripture and that make much of the Gnostic writings, although they are not Christian and come from times later than the books of the Bible. For the uninformed who have no knowledge of the Scriptures or of church history this book may create serious problems, because they will not see the truth in its pages and may lead them to conclusions that affect their eternal life. However, God is in charge and His word does not return to Him empty, but will always accomplish his will. It may be that the “DaVinci Code” may spark enough interest that people will search and find the truth in Christ, and the Truth will set them free.

Other Resources:

An article by Dr. Paul Maier, originally published in the Lutheran Witness magazine: click here