Another question for our resident Biblical scholars...

[truebrit71]

..I was wondering if any of you have read the Da Vinci Code, and if so what your thoughts on it were.

I am not talking about style of course, I am more interested in the substance issues especially JC being married, the Catholic church "re-casting" Mary Magdalene as a whore rather than a wife..

[4morewars]

1. Anything's possible

The bible has been "edited" many times, usually for political purposes, and to keep us peasants from murdering and eating the nobility.

[sui generis]

5. why ever did that go out of fashion?

I sometimes think that the world would be a better place (and we peasants better fed) with the occasional noble snack.

[Catholic Sensation]

2. the guy lists like four or five facts in the beginning

while the book was a great read, it was still fiction.

[sui generis]

3. Why ask the Christians?

the mother goddess ideal has been around in one form or another for so long that Christianity is just a blip on the screen.

Actually there are quite a number of scholarly reviews (and pans) of the assertions made in the book.

The following link might be of use as a starting point:

<http://www.danbrown.com/novels/davinci_code/resources.html>

[aquart]

4. Don't believe that line of thought is original to the book.

I hope he included footnotes, attributions, and his bibliography.

[supernova]

6. I think it's fine to speculate about

the origins of the tales in the Bible.

I see nothing wrong with it. I regularly enjoy playing with ideas to learn something new.

[rkc3]

7. There's a book out now to...

refute the basic premise of the Da Vinci Code. they state Dan Brown is using the book to reduce the statures of Jesus and Christianity.

I don't think Dan Brown meant for this. If you read the last few pages, you get the impression Brown tries to placate some of those who feel this way. He comments about the power of faith and how your faith can be tested with new information - like that from this book.

His detractors read only what they want to, kind of like how they fixate on one or two passages in the Bible and forget the rest - like do unto others.

Brown is right, however, when he points out history is written by the winners.

His book is more about the role of women in history and how society needs to have strong women serving alongside strong male counterparts. There has to be a balance or bad stuff happens.

[RoBear]

8. I'm reading

DAUGHTER OF GOD by Lewis Perdue. One reviewer in some lefty publication said it treated the whole idea of a female messiah better. Some mind-boggling ideas, especially about why the trinity doctrine was formulated at the Council of Nicea (sp?) at the behest of Constantine, who wasn't even a Christian at the time. Has some good stuff about how things have been manipulated by the Church.

[ChickMagic]

9. Welcome to DU!

:hi: I'll have to check that out - sounds like an interesting read.

[Alerter_]

10. Some of the "theories" in DVC are "historical"

There have been stories, rumors, and legends about Jesus being married to Magdalene, having kids, and all the rest, for at least 1000 years. There are also "hints" in the oldest Christian writings as well. Not enough to claim this as fact, but not much in the story is new. DVC seems to be a re-write of "Holy Blood, Holy Grail". FULL DISCLOSURE - I have not read the book, but I'm familiar with the story.