The Da Vinci Con

Since its book release in 2003 (and the movie version in 2006), The Da Vinci Code, the mystery/detective novel by Dan Brown, has been a hot topic of controversy in both the church and the media. Dan Brown tells an intriguing fictitious story of an American symbologist who gets caught up in a ghastly murder in France and then seeks to find the murderer as well as the secret truth about Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene that led to the victim's untimely demise. Since the book hit the shelve in 2003, it has sold over 60 million copies worldwide, and the blockbuster movie in 2006 starring Tom Hanks has grossed over $758 million worldwide.

Though the book is advertised as fiction, Dan Brown makes it very clear in both the book as well as in interviews that he honestly believes the content of The Da Vinci Code which includes (excerpt from a Watchman Fellowship article):

• The Bible cannot be trusted.
  
• Jesus is not God, nor did the first century church believe him to be God.


• Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene and intended to restore the worship of the goddess.
  

After watching the ABC news interview with Dan Brown, I was shocked that all his curiosity began with a painting that his college professor had shown them in class one day. In the painting of the "Last Supper" by Leonardo Da Vinci (which is discussed in the book and shown in the movie), the "cup of Christ" is not in the painting anywhere, and some believe that the person on Jesus' right is not the Apostle John but is Mary Magdalene. They believe that Da Vinci was trying to convey in his art that Mary was the Holy Grail. Whether or not this is true, I am simply amazed that this one piece of art all of sudden is treated like the greatest archaeological find in history. Even if Da Vinci did intend to point to Mary as the Holy Grail... so what? People throughout history have painted their interpretation of things; so does that mean that the ancient paintings in Greece that depict Pegasus the flying horse or Medusa the snake-haired gorgon-women must also be real things and be absolutely true too? I think not!

I also think that Dan Brown's assumptions tainted his judgment during his "investigation" of the Holy Grail truth pursuit. He either intentionally fabricated or apparently did not do any real academic research on the actual Council of Nicea and what really transpired during that meeting. The book claims that "...Jesus' establishment as the ‘Son of God’ was officially proposed and voted on by the Council...[and it won by] A relatively close vote at that." (pg. 233) First of all, Jesus being the "Son of God" was never in question at the Council meeting. There was a debate on whether Jesus was of the same substance as God (orthodox Christianity) or if he was of similar substance (Arianism). "The council decided against the Arians overwhelmingly (of the estimated 250-318 attendees, all but 2 voted against Arius)." (excerpt from Wikipedia)

Lastly, I also think that the people who believe that Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene and base this belief solely on a damaged gnostic document, the Gospel of Phillip, are being very naive and presumptuous. In the document, it says that Mary was beloved of Jesus, but I should point out that it also says that James was his beloved too. Dan Brown also claims that the document clearly shows that Jesus and Mary were married because he kisses her many times on the mouth. However, that is not true. Since the document is damaged, all it actually says is:

"And the companion of the [...] Mary Magdalene [...] her more than [...] the disciples [...] kiss her [...] on her [...]"

For all we know, the document could have originally stated, "And the companion of [the Apostle Peter was] Mary Magdalene [and he liked] her more than [all] the disciples [and would] kiss her [occasionally] on her [hand]... who knows? But nowhere does the document say that Jesus and Mary were married.

Hopefully, Christians will not be discouraged by the many people who have have bought into Dan Brown's ridiculous theories. Instead, I hope that they will use this book & movie as an opportunity to engage our culture. By researching the claims he makes about Jesus, the Bible, and the Church, we can be prepared to refute the errors and present the truth about the real Jesus of the Bible, His mission, and His salvation.

For more information and resources on The Da Vinci Code or Dan Brown, please visit the Watchman Fellowship website.